Is Merlua or Squire better?

Neither clearly leads. Merlua starts at Free and Squire at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Merlua or Squire?

Merlua has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Merlua and $30/month for Squire.

Does Merlua or Squire run on more platforms?

Merlua runs on Web, iOS, Android, WordPress. Squire runs on Web, Ios, Android.

Can I use Merlua for free?

Yes. Merlua has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Squire starts at $30/month.

What is Merlua best used for?

Merlua is most often used for taking salon bookings without forcing client accounts, cutting no-shows with deposits and reminders, coordinating several staff members' availability, running a branded booking page from an existing website. Of those, taking salon bookings without forcing client accounts and cutting no-shows with deposits and reminders are not what Squire is typically brought in for.

What can Merlua do that Squire cannot?

Merlua covers Guest online booking, Services and staff, Calendar and availability, Deposits and payments. Squire covers Online booking, Walk-in queue, Point of sale, Team management.

Beauty · head to head

Merlua vs Squire

Merlua

Beauty

Booking software built for beauty salons

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Squire

Beauty

The operating system for barbershops

From: $30/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Merlua has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Merlua plan prices are not published. The pricing page renders its comparison table client side and no amounts are visible on it as of September 2026, so the cost of Standard or Premium is not knowable before signup.; Squire booking fees of $1-3 per appointment add significant cost beyond subscription, increasing total cost of ownership
They diverge on capability: Merlua covers Guest online booking, Squire covers Online booking.
Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Merlua and Squire actually diverge.

Attributes where Merlua and Squire differ
Attribute	Merlua	Squire
Starting price	Free	$30/month
Pricing model	freemium	Unknown
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, WordPress	Web, Ios, Android
Founded	Unknown	2015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Beauty).

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 Merlua

Guest online booking
Services and staff
Calendar and availability
Deposits and payments
Email and SMS reminders
Branded booking page
Staff and client apps

Only in Squire

Online booking
Walk-in queue
Point of sale
Team management
Instant payouts
Client app
Marketing tools
Business analytics

What people use each for

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

Merlua

Taking salon bookings without forcing client accountsnot Squire
Cutting no-shows with deposits and remindersnot Squire
Coordinating several staff members' availabilitynot Squire
Running a branded booking page from an existing websitenot Squire
Giving staff their schedule and earnings on their phonenot Squire

Squire

Barbershop managementnot Merlua
Walk-in handlingnot Merlua
Team payrollnot Merlua
Client bookingnot Merlua

Where each one falls short

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

Merlua

Plan prices are not published. The pricing page renders its comparison table client side and no amounts are visible on it as of September 2026, so the cost of Standard or Premium is not knowable before signup.
Stripe is the only payment processor named, so a salon banking elsewhere has no alternative route.
Built for beauty specifically. A clinic, a gym or a barber chain wanting inventory, POS or memberships will find those absent.
The integration list is short next to established salon platforms: Stripe, WordPress and SMS, with no accounting, marketing or POS connections listed.
A new vendor with no independent review coverage, so the reliability claims rest on the vendor's own material.

Squire

Booking fees of $1-3 per appointment add significant cost beyond subscription, increasing total cost of ownership
Limited to barbershops and beauty salons; not suitable for other service industries
Walk-in and waitlist features only available on higher-tier plans, limiting functionality for drop-in appointments
POS system tightly integrated; cannot use with alternative payment processors or systems
Customer data locked into Squire platform with limited export options

Pricing, plan by plan

Merlua

Free

FreeFree
- Core scheduling with no time limit
- Basic booking management
Standard and Premium$undefined/month
- 14-day full-feature trial, no card required
- No Merlua booking transaction fees
- Monthly or annual billing, switchable at any time

Squire

$30/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Squire review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Merlua if

You need guest online booking.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, iOS, Android, WordPress.
You also want services and staff.

Merlua review

Choose Squire if

You need online booking.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want walk-in queue.

Squire review

Questions people ask

Is Merlua or Squire better?: Neither clearly leads. Merlua starts at Free and Squire at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Merlua or Squire?: Merlua has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Merlua and $30/month for Squire.
Does Merlua or Squire run on more platforms?: Merlua runs on Web, iOS, Android, WordPress. Squire runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Merlua for free?: Yes. Merlua has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Squire starts at $30/month.
What is Merlua best used for?: Merlua is most often used for taking salon bookings without forcing client accounts, cutting no-shows with deposits and reminders, coordinating several staff members' availability, running a branded booking page from an existing website. Of those, taking salon bookings without forcing client accounts and cutting no-shows with deposits and reminders are not what Squire is typically brought in for.
What can Merlua do that Squire cannot?: Merlua covers Guest online booking, Services and staff, Calendar and availability, Deposits and payments. Squire covers Online booking, Walk-in queue, Point of sale, Team management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Merlua: Is there a free plan?

Yes. Merlua states it offers "a robust free tier with core scheduling capabilities so you can manage basic bookings without a time limit", separate from the paid trial.

Source

Squire: What are Squire's pricing tiers?

Squire offers Pro plans starting at $30/month for independent barbers, Pro-Complete at $100/month for full shops, Executive tiers at $100-150/month, and Titan at $250/month. All include scheduling, POS, and customer management features.

Source

Merlua: How does the free trial work?

Fourteen days of full access to all premium features with no credit card required upfront. At the end you either pick a plan or continue on the free tier.

Source

Squire: Does Squire charge booking fees?

Yes, Squire charges customers $1-3 per booking for online scheduling, in addition to the monthly subscription cost. This is a key cost factor beyond the base subscription.

Source

Merlua: Does Merlua charge booking transaction fees?

No hidden booking transaction fees on the Standard or premium tiers. Standard payment processing fees from your gateway, such as Stripe, still apply.

Source

Squire: What integrations does Squire support?

Squire integrates with Square, QuickBooks, Google Calendar, and Stripe. It also offers an API for custom integrations and works with Zapier to connect to hundreds of other applications.

Source

Merlua: Do clients need an account to book?

No. Clients complete bookings as guests without creating a password or a permanent account.

Source

Squire: What core features does Squire provide?

Squire includes online appointment scheduling, integrated POS system, customer relationship management, loyalty reward programs, promo codes, and automated text reminders.

Source

Merlua: What happens if I cancel?

Premium features stay active until the end of the current billing period, and plans can be upgraded, downgraded or switched between monthly and annual at any time from billing settings.

Source

Squire: Does Squire support walk-in customers?

Yes, Squire supports walk-in booking through its waitlist feature, which is available on all plans except the basic Pro tier.

Source

Merlua: What can I install it on?

A web dashboard, mobile apps for staff and clients, a WordPress plugin, and an embeddable booking widget for any site.

Source

Squire: Who founded Squire and how is it backed?

Squire was founded by Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant in 2016. The company raised $162M in funding as of February 2026 and achieved a $750M valuation in 2021.

Source

Merlua vs Squire

Merlua

Squire

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Merlua

Only in Squire

What people use each for

Merlua

Squire

Where each one falls short

Merlua

Squire

Pricing, plan by plan

Merlua

Squire

Which should you pick?

Choose Merlua if

Choose Squire if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Merlua

More on Squire

Keep looking

Other head to heads