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Beauty & Salon · head to head

Envision vs Square Appointments

Envision logo

Envision

Beauty & Salon

Salon management software with integrated POS

From
$79/month
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: Envision standard plan includes only 1 user and charges $20 per additional user up to a 5 seat cap; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Envision covers Appointment scheduling, Square Appointments covers Online booking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Envision and Square Appointments differ
AttributeEnvisionSquare Appointments
Starting price$79/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryBeauty & SalonScheduling & Booking
Founded20082009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Envision

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Inventory management
  • Client database
  • Staff scheduling
  • SMS reminders
  • Reporting
  • Stripe
  • Facebook

Only in Square Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app
  • Square POS

Both cover

  • Point of sale
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Envision

  • Salon and spa businesses managing bookings, marketing campaigns and payments in one platformnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Envision

  • Standard plan includes only 1 user and charges $20 per additional user up to a 5 seat cap
  • No dollar amounts are shown for any plan; the page states pricing is tailored to your practice and requires contacting sales

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

Envision

$79/month
  • Starter$79/month
    • Scheduling
    • Basic POS
    • Client management
  • Professional$159/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Advanced POS
    • Inventory

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 Envision if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You also want inventory management.
Envision 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 Envision or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Envision starts at $79/month and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Envision or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $79/month for Envision and Free for Square Appointments.
Does Envision or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Envision runs on Web. 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. Envision starts at $79/month.
What is Envision best used for?
Envision is most often used for salon and spa businesses managing bookings, marketing campaigns and payments in one platform. Of those, salon and spa businesses managing bookings, marketing campaigns and payments in one platform is not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Envision do that Square Appointments cannot?
Envision covers Appointment scheduling, Inventory management, Client database, Staff scheduling. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Payment processing, Automated reminders. Both handle Point of sale, SSL encryption, Cloud deployment, Web support.
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Related pages

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