Beauty & Salon · head to head
Salonist vs Squire
The short version
- Only Salonist has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Salonist free plan limited to 50 appointments per month; Squire booking fees of $1-3 per appointment add significant cost beyond subscription, increasing total cost of ownership
- They diverge on capability: Salonist covers Appointment booking, Squire covers Online booking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Salonist and Squire actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Beauty & Salon).
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 Salonist
- Appointment booking
- Billing & invoicing
- Inventory management
- Loyalty programs
- Staff management
- GST compliance
- Marketing automation
- Razorpay
Only in Squire
- Online booking
- Walk-in queue
- Point of sale
- Team management
- Instant payouts
- Client app
- Marketing tools
Both cover
- Business analytics
- SSL encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
- English language support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Salonist
- Indian salon managementnot Squire
- GST billingnot Squire
- Customer loyaltynot Squire
- Inventory controlnot Squire
Squire
- Barbershop managementnot Salonist
- Walk-in handlingnot Salonist
- Team payrollnot Salonist
- Client bookingnot Salonist
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Salonist
- Free plan limited to 50 appointments per month
- Pricing listed in AED (UAE currency) with regional variations
- Offline capabilities not clearly documented for mobile app
- Advanced AI features (AI Automation Marketing) only on Expert plan
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
Salonist
Free- Marketplace ListingFree
- 50 appointments/month
- Online booking
- Staff scheduling
- Essential$2900/year
- Point of Sale
- Sales reports
- Customer history
- Advance$4180/year
- All Essential features
- Customer surveys and loyalty
- Gift cards and campaigns
- Expert$6580/year
- All Advance features
- Multi-branch management
- Dedicated account manager
Squire
$30/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Squire review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Salonist if
- You need appointment booking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want billing & invoicing.
Choose Squire if
- You need online booking.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want walk-in queue.
Questions people ask
- Is Salonist or Squire better?
- Neither clearly leads. Salonist 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, Salonist or Squire?
- Salonist has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Salonist and $30/month for Squire.
- Does Salonist or Squire run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Salonist for free?
- Yes. Salonist has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Squire starts at $30/month.
- What is Salonist best used for?
- Salonist is most often used for indian salon management, gst billing, customer loyalty, inventory control. Of those, indian salon management and gst billing are not what Squire is typically brought in for.
- What can Salonist do that Squire cannot?
- Salonist covers Appointment booking, Billing & invoicing, Inventory management, Loyalty programs. Squire covers Online booking, Walk-in queue, Point of sale, Team management. Both handle Business analytics, SSL encryption, Cloud deployment, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Salonist: Does Salonist offer a free plan?
Salonist offers a free Marketplace Listing plan with 50 appointments/month, online booking, staff scheduling, and marketplace access. Unlimited staff are included on every plan.
SourceSquire: 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.
SourceSalonist: What features are included in the Essential plan?
Essential ($2,900 AED/year or approximately $59/month) includes Point of Sale, sales reports, customer history, coupon management, retail product and expense tracking, automated reminders, memberships, e-wallet, and staff commission tracking.
SourceSquire: 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.
SourceSalonist: Does Salonist support multiple locations?
Multi-branch management is available on the Expert plan ($6,580 AED/year) with centralized reporting and a dedicated account manager.
SourceSquire: 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.
SourceSalonist: What payment gateways does Salonist support?
Salonist integrates with multiple payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, and other regional providers. The Advance plan and above include multiple payment integration options.
SourceSquire: 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.
SourceSalonist: Does Salonist have a mobile app?
Yes, Salonist offers mobile apps for iOS and Android allowing clients to browse services, check prices, view customer reviews, and book appointments.
SourceSquire: 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.
SourceSalonist: What is included in the Advance plan?
Advance ($4,180 AED/year or approximately $109/month) adds customer survey management, loyalty rewards, gift cards, SMS/email campaigns, inventory management, lead management system, and advanced onboarding to Essential features.
SourceSquire: 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.
SourceRelated pages
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