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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Cloudbeds vs Square Appointments

Cloudbeds logo

Cloudbeds

Scheduling & Booking

Cloud-based hospitality management platform unifying PMS, channel management, and booking engine

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling & Booking

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square Appointments has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cloudbeds pricing requires custom quote; no published pricing tiers visible, making budgeting and comparison difficult; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudbeds and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudbeds and Square Appointments differ
AttributeCloudbedsSquare Appointments
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling & Booking).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cloudbeds

Nothing recorded that Square Appointments does not also cover.

Only in Square Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cloudbeds

  • Independent hotels and boutique hospitality businesses automating PMS and distributionnot Square Appointments
  • Vacation rental hosts (Airbnb, VRBO) consolidating multi-channel bookings and messagingnot Square Appointments
  • Hostels and backpacker accommodations using commission-free booking engine to reduce dependency on OTAsnot Square Appointments
  • Small-chain hospitality operators managing multiple properties from one interfacenot Square Appointments
  • Properties seeking revenue management and dynamic pricing without enterprise-level PMS costsnot Square Appointments
  • Hospitality businesses using AI-driven guest messaging and support automationnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

  • Online appointment booking for salons, barbers and personal servicesnot Cloudbeds
  • Taking card payments and deposits at the time of bookingnot Cloudbeds
  • Managing staff calendars, waitlists and no-show policiesnot Cloudbeds

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cloudbeds

  • Pricing requires custom quote; no published pricing tiers visible, making budgeting and comparison difficult
  • Per-property pricing model means costs scale rapidly for multi-property management; portfolio growth increases operational expenses
  • Revenue Intelligence (AI pricing) locked behind premium tier; base offering lacks dynamic pricing automation
  • Limited offline functionality; properties with poor connectivity face operational challenges
  • Chatbot and messaging automation require configuration; setup complexity increases for non-technical operators

Square Appointments

  • The free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • Cancellation policies, no-show fees and waitlists require the Plus plan
  • Resource management, service cost tracking and the future bookings report require the Premium plan
  • Custom processing rates are reserved for Square Pro, which is aimed at businesses processing over $250,000 a year
  • Card processing fees are charged on top of the plan fee on every tier including the free one

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloudbeds

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Cloudbeds review.

Square Appointments

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited appointments
    • Online booking
    • Client management
  • Plus$29/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Multiple staff calendars
    • No-show protection
  • Premium$69/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Multi-location
    • Staff management

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloudbeds if

  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Cloudbeds review

Choose Square Appointments if

  • You need online booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client management.
Square Appointments review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudbeds or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudbeds starts at On request and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloudbeds or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cloudbeds and Free for Square Appointments.
Does Cloudbeds or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Cloudbeds runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cloudbeds starts at On request.
What is Cloudbeds best used for?
Cloudbeds is most often used for independent hotels and boutique hospitality businesses automating pms and distribution, vacation rental hosts (airbnb, vrbo) consolidating multi-channel bookings and messaging, hostels and backpacker accommodations using commission-free booking engine to reduce dependency on otas, small-chain hospitality operators managing multiple properties from one interface. Of those, independent hotels and boutique hospitality businesses automating pms and distribution and vacation rental hosts (airbnb, vrbo) consolidating multi-channel bookings and messaging are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudbeds do that Square Appointments cannot?
Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cloudbeds: Does Cloudbeds have a commission-free booking engine?

Yes. Cloudbeds provides a commission-free booking engine allowing guests to reserve directly on the property website without OTA transaction fees. This reduces distribution costs compared to Booking.com and Airbnb.

Source
Cloudbeds: What channels does Cloudbeds distribute to?

Cloudbeds distributes to 450+ booking channels including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, and regional OTAs, all managed from one interface.

Source
Cloudbeds: Does Cloudbeds provide revenue management?

Yes. Revenue Intelligence uses AI-powered demand forecasting (95% accuracy) to recommend dynamic pricing, maximising revenue per available room (RevPAR).

Source
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Related pages

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