Softwr

E-commerce & Retail · head to head

SalonBiz vs Square

SalonBiz logo

SalonBiz

E-commerce & Retail

Complete salon and spa management suite

From
$89/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square logo

Square

E-commerce & Retail

Powering the economy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: SalonBiz pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
  • They diverge on capability: SalonBiz covers Appointment scheduling, Square covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SalonBiz and Square actually diverge.

Attributes where SalonBiz and Square differ
AttributeSalonBizSquare
Starting price$89/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, WindowsPOS (Mobile app), Web
CategoryUnknownE-commerce & Retail
Founded20052009

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 SalonBiz

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Inventory management
  • Client database
  • Staff management
  • Marketing automation
  • Business reporting
  • Stripe
  • Facebook

Only in Square

  • Payment processing
  • Invoicing
  • Payroll
  • Banking
  • WooCommerce
  • Wix
  • PCI DSS
  • EMV compliant

Both cover

  • Point of sale
  • QuickBooks
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

SalonBiz

  • Salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per locationnot Square
  • Integrated card payments through SalonBiz Paymentsnot Square
  • Beauty school and institute management with student recordsnot Square

Square

  • Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot SalonBiz
  • Online ordering and basic website creationnot SalonBiz
  • Invoicing and appointment bookingnot SalonBiz
  • Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot SalonBiz

Where each one falls short

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

SalonBiz

  • Pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium
  • Each tier caps service professionals at 5, 12 and 20 respectively, with extra staff sold in blocks of 10 at $55 per month
  • Not using SalonBiz Payments raises the monthly fee by $25 to $45 depending on tier
  • School and institute plans are capped at 100 students on Essential and 200 on Premium, with extra students at $15 per month per 25
  • Enterprise and multi location pricing is quote only with no published rate

Square

  • Plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
  • Processing fees differ by tier but exact rates not detailed
  • Free plan pricing mentioned but specific features for Plus unclear
  • Text marketing charged at 3¢ per message after first 500 included

Pricing, plan by plan

SalonBiz

$89/month
  • Standard$89/month
    • Scheduling
    • POS
    • Client database
  • Premium$179/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Inventory
    • Staff management

Square

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Square review.

Which should you pick?

Choose SalonBiz if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want inventory management.
SalonBiz review

Choose Square if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
  • You also want invoicing.
Square review

Questions people ask

Is SalonBiz or Square better?
Neither clearly leads. SalonBiz starts at $89/month and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SalonBiz or Square?
Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $89/month for SalonBiz and Free for Square.
Does SalonBiz or Square run on more platforms?
SalonBiz runs on Web, Windows. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
Can I use Square for free?
Yes. Square has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SalonBiz starts at $89/month.
What is SalonBiz best used for?
SalonBiz is most often used for salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per location, integrated card payments through salonbiz payments, beauty school and institute management with student records. Of those, salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per location and integrated card payments through salonbiz payments are not what Square is typically brought in for.
What can SalonBiz do that Square cannot?
SalonBiz covers Appointment scheduling, Inventory management, Client database, Staff management. Square covers Payment processing, Invoicing, Payroll, Banking. Both handle Point of sale, QuickBooks, Web support.
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