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Scheduling · head to head

GlossGenius vs Square Appointments

GlossGenius logo

GlossGenius

Scheduling

Beautiful booking for beauty pros

From
$28/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

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$28/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Founded20162009

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling).

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

$28/month
  • Standard$28/month
    • Custom booking website
    • Unlimited client notifications
    • Email and text marketing
  • Gold$56/month
    • All Standard features
    • Supports up to 9 staff members
    • Forms and waivers
  • Platinum$168/month
    • All Gold features
    • Supports teams of 10 or more
    • Team goal setting
  • Practice Essentials$168/month
    • EMR compliance tools for aesthetics practices
    • Most popular for medspa and aesthetics tier

Square Appointments

On request
  • Solo Professional Plan$null/transaction
    • Processing fees apply
    • For solo professionals taking payments and managing schedules
    • Top appointments features
  • Plus Plan$null/transaction
    • Processing fees apply
    • Free trial available
    • For growing teams needing more advanced tools
  • Premium Plan$null/transaction
    • Processing fees apply
    • Free trial available
    • For large salons with complex staff management
  • Square Pro$null/month
    • Custom pricing for businesses processing over $250,000 annually
    • Hardware discounts
    • Onboarding support

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 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 $28/month and Square Appointments at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GlossGenius or Square Appointments?
GlossGenius starts at $28/month and Square Appointments at On request.
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.
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.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GlossGenius: How much does GlossGenius cost?

GlossGenius Standard plan is $28 per month, Gold is $56 per month, and Platinum is $168 per month for beauty and wellness businesses. For medspa and aesthetics, Practice Essentials is $168 per month and Practice Advanced is $298 per month.

Source
Square Appointments: How much do Square Appointments plans cost?

Square Appointments pricing is based on processing fees rather than monthly subscription fees. Specific percentages are not listed online. The Solo Professional, Plus, and Premium plans all charge processing fees on transactions. For businesses processing over $250,000 annually, Square Pro offers custom pricing including hardware discounts, onboarding support, and account management.

Source
GlossGenius: What are the annual billing savings?

Switching from monthly to annual billing saves 12-14% on your subscription cost. For example, Gold drops from $56 per month to $48 per month when billed annually.

Source
Square Appointments: Is there a free trial for Square Appointments?

Yes, the Plus and Premium plans offer free trials for an unspecified number of days. The Solo Professional plan does not appear to offer a trial period.

Source
GlossGenius: Is there a free trial for GlossGenius?

GlossGenius offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
Square Appointments: What features does the Premium plan add compared to Plus?

The Premium plan includes all Plus features plus Future Bookings Report for tracking upcoming appointments, Service Cost Tracking to monitor service profitability, and Resource Management for scheduling equipment and facilities across multiple staff members.

Source
GlossGenius: What are GlossGenius payment processing fees?

GlossGenius charges a flat 2.6% payment processing rate. Free same-day payouts are available Monday through Thursday, and instant payouts can be requested at a 1.8% fee.

Source
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