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Calendars · head to head

Harvest Forecast vs Square Appointments

Harvest Forecast logo

Harvest Forecast

Calendars

Simple visual resource planning

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Harvest Forecast has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Harvest Forecast the free plan allows a single seat and 2 projects; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling, Square Appointments covers Online booking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harvest Forecast and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where Harvest Forecast and Square Appointments differ
AttributeHarvest ForecastSquare Appointments
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryCalendarsScheduling
Founded20062009

Identical on both: 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 Harvest Forecast

  • Visual scheduling
  • Capacity planning
  • Project assignments
  • Utilization reports
  • Harvest integration
  • Harvest
  • iCal

Only in Square Appointments

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

Both cover

  • Google Calendar
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Harvest Forecast

  • Team scheduling and capacity planningnot Square Appointments
  • Project utilization optimizationnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Harvest Forecast

  • The free plan allows a single seat and 2 projects
  • Paid plans bill per seat with usage charged beyond the base rate rather than being purely flat
  • The Enterprise plan is $14 per seat per month against $9 on Teams
  • The 20% saving requires annual payment
  • Enterprise Plus is custom priced

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

Harvest Forecast

Free
  • Monthly$6.25/month
    • Per-person billing
    • Team scheduling
    • Shift assignments and timelines
  • Annual$5/month
    • Per-person billing
    • 20% discount vs monthly

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 Harvest Forecast if

  • You need visual scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want capacity planning.
Harvest Forecast review

Choose Square Appointments if

  • You need online booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client management.
Square Appointments review

Questions people ask

Is Harvest Forecast or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Harvest Forecast starts at Free and Square Appointments at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harvest Forecast or Square Appointments?
Harvest Forecast has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Harvest Forecast and On request for Square Appointments.
Does Harvest Forecast or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Harvest Forecast runs on Web. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Harvest Forecast for free?
Yes. Harvest Forecast has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Square Appointments starts at On request.
What is Harvest Forecast best used for?
Harvest Forecast is most often used for team scheduling and capacity planning, project utilization optimization. Of those, team scheduling and capacity planning and project utilization optimization are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Harvest Forecast do that Square Appointments cannot?
Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling, Capacity planning, Project assignments, Utilization reports. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing. Both handle Google Calendar, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Harvest Forecast: How much does Harvest Forecast cost?

Harvest Forecast costs $6.25/person/month with monthly billing or $5/person/month with annual billing (20% discount).

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
Harvest Forecast: Is Harvest Forecast free?

Harvest Forecast offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, but there is no permanent free plan.

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
Harvest Forecast: Do nonprofits and educational institutions get discounts on Forecast?

Yes, Harvest Forecast offers special pricing for nonprofits, educational institutions, and classroom use.

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
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