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Beauty · head to head

SalonBiz vs Square Appointments

SalonBiz logo

SalonBiz

Beauty

Complete salon and spa management suite

From
$160/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: SalonBiz pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: SalonBiz covers Appointment 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 SalonBiz and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where SalonBiz and Square Appointments differ
AttributeSalonBizSquare Appointments
Starting price$160/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryBeautyScheduling
Founded20052009

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app
  • Square POS

Both cover

  • Point of sale
  • QuickBooks
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • 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 Appointments
  • Integrated card payments through SalonBiz Paymentsnot Square Appointments
  • Beauty school and institute management with student recordsnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

SalonBiz

$160/month
  • Basic (Salon)$160/month
    • Full platform included
  • Essential (Salon)$265/month
    • Full platform included
  • Premium (Salon)$370/month
    • Full platform included
  • Essential (School/Institute)$315/month
    • Full platform included

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 SalonBiz if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want inventory management.
SalonBiz 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 SalonBiz or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. SalonBiz starts at $160/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, SalonBiz or Square Appointments?
SalonBiz starts at $160/month and Square Appointments at On request.
Does SalonBiz or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
SalonBiz runs on Web, Windows. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
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 Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can SalonBiz do that Square Appointments cannot?
SalonBiz covers Appointment scheduling, Inventory management, Client database, Staff management. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Payment processing, Automated reminders. Both handle Point of sale, QuickBooks, SSL encryption, Cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SalonBiz: How much does SalonBiz cost?

SalonBiz salon pricing ranges from $160/month (Basic with 5 professionals) to $370/month (Premium with 20 professionals). School and institute pricing ranges from $315/month (Essential with 100 students) to $420/month (Premium with 200 students). Pricing is billed per location.

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
SalonBiz: Does SalonBiz charge per location?

Yes, SalonBiz pricing is per location. If managing multiple locations, the selected plan price applies to each location individually.

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
SalonBiz: What is the difference between SalonBiz plans?

SalonBiz salon plans differentiate by number of service professionals: Basic (5), Essential (12), and Premium (20). All plans include the full platform. Overage charges apply at $55/month per 10-person addition beyond the plan capacity.

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
SalonBiz: Is there a long-term contract requirement for SalonBiz?

No, SalonBiz requires no long-term contract. Customers can cancel before their next billing date with no penalties or fees.

Source
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