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GlossGenius vs Square Appointments

GlossGenius logo

GlossGenius

Software

Beautiful booking for beauty pros

From
$24/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

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: GlossGenius card payments are charged at a flat 2.6 percent, and instant payouts cost a further 1.8 percent; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: GlossGenius covers Custom booking pages, Square Appointments covers Online booking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where GlossGenius and Square Appointments differ
AttributeGlossGeniusSquare Appointments
Starting price$24/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20162009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 GlossGenius

  • Custom booking pages
  • Marketing tools
  • Website builder
  • Reports & insights
  • Gift cards
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Stripe

Only in Square Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Point of sale
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app
  • Square POS
  • Google My Business
  • QuickBooks

Both cover

  • Payment processing
  • Client management
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram
  • Google Calendar
  • PCI DSS
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

GlossGenius

  • Appointment booking and calendar management for salonsnot Square Appointments
  • Card payments and tipping at the chairnot Square Appointments
  • Client records, forms and waiversnot Square Appointments
  • Memberships and prepaid packagesnot Square Appointments
  • Medspa charting and photo markup on the clinical plansnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

GlossGenius

  • Card payments are charged at a flat 2.6 percent, and instant payouts cost a further 1.8 percent
  • Forms and waivers, waitlists and Google booking need the Gold plan at $56 a month
  • Team analytics, custom commissions and unlimited team members require Platinum at $168 a month
  • The medspa plans start where the beauty Platinum plan does, at $168 a month, rising to $298 for the full clinical suite
  • Payroll is a separate add-on at $40 a month plus $6 per staff member

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

GlossGenius

$24/month
  • Standard$24/month
    • Custom booking site
    • Unlimited appointments
    • Client management
  • Gold$48/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Marketing suite
    • Advanced analytics

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 GlossGenius if

  • You need custom booking pages.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want marketing tools.
GlossGenius review

Choose Square Appointments if

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

Questions people ask

Is GlossGenius or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. GlossGenius starts at $24/month and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GlossGenius or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $24/month for GlossGenius and Free for Square Appointments.
Does GlossGenius or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GlossGenius starts at $24/month.
What is GlossGenius best used for?
GlossGenius is most often used for appointment booking and calendar management for salons, card payments and tipping at the chair, client records, forms and waivers, memberships and prepaid packages. Of those, appointment booking and calendar management for salons and card payments and tipping at the chair are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can GlossGenius do that Square Appointments cannot?
GlossGenius covers Custom booking pages, Marketing tools, Website builder, Reports & insights. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Point of sale, Instagram booking, Google booking. Both handle Payment processing, Client management, Automated reminders, Instagram.
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