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Beauty & Salon · head to head

Shedul vs Square Appointments

Shedul logo

Shedul

Beauty & Salon

Free salon scheduling software

From
$14.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling & Booking

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square Appointments has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Shedul hidden costs beyond subscription including 20% marketplace commission, payment processing fees (2.19% + 20 cents), SMS fees (5-15 cents each), and $500 card terminal requirement; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Shedul covers Appointment scheduling, Square Appointments covers Client management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Shedul and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where Shedul and Square Appointments differ
AttributeShedulSquare Appointments
Starting price$14.95/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierNoYes
CategoryBeauty & SalonScheduling & Booking
Founded20152009

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Shedul

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Client database
  • Inventory tracking
  • Marketing campaigns
  • Reports & analytics
  • Mobile apps
  • Facebook
  • Stripe

Only in Square Appointments

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

Both cover

  • Online booking
  • Point of sale
  • Google Calendar
  • Instagram
  • PCI DSS
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Shedul

  • Free salon managementnot Square Appointments
  • Appointment schedulingnot Square Appointments
  • Payment processingnot Square Appointments
  • Client marketingnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Shedul

  • Hidden costs beyond subscription including 20% marketplace commission, payment processing fees (2.19% + 20 cents), SMS fees (5-15 cents each), and $500 card terminal requirement
  • Premium support (phone and live chat) requires additional paid add-on, base plan only includes email support
  • Limited customization and branding options in free tier compared to competitors
  • Complex pricing structure with many add-on fees makes true cost of ownership difficult to calculate upfront
  • Card payment terminal ($500) must be purchased separately for in-person payments instead of supporting third-party terminals

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

Shedul

$14.95/month
  • Independent$19.95/month
    • Single calendar
    • Single login
    • Appointment scheduling
  • Team$14.95/month per team member
    • Multiple calendars
    • Multiple team logins
    • All Independent features

Square Appointments

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited appointments
    • Online booking
    • Client management
  • Plus$29/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Multiple staff calendars
    • No-show protection
  • Premium$69/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Multi-location
    • Staff management

Which should you pick?

Choose Shedul if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want client database.
Shedul review

Choose Square Appointments if

  • You need client management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want payment processing.
Square Appointments review

Questions people ask

Is Shedul or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Shedul starts at $14.95/month and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shedul or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $14.95/month for Shedul and Free for Square Appointments.
Does Shedul or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Shedul runs on Web, iOS, Android. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shedul starts at $14.95/month.
What is Shedul best used for?
Shedul is most often used for free salon management, appointment scheduling, payment processing, client marketing. Of those, free salon management and appointment scheduling are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Shedul do that Square Appointments cannot?
Shedul covers Appointment scheduling, Client database, Inventory tracking, Marketing campaigns. Square Appointments covers Client management, Payment processing, Automated reminders, Instagram booking. Both handle Online booking, Point of sale, Google Calendar, Instagram.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shedul: Is Shedul/Fresha free to use?

No. Shedul, now rebranded as Fresha, charges $19.95 USD per month for the Independent plan (one person) and $14.95 per month per team member for the Team plan. However, there are additional costs beyond the base subscription including 20% commission on marketplace bookings, payment processing fees of 2.19% + 20 cents per transaction, SMS messaging fees of 5 to 15 cents per message, and a $500 card payment terminal if processing in-person payments.

Source
Shedul: What features are included in Shedul/Fresha?

Shedul/Fresha includes appointment scheduling, client management with history and preferences, automated appointment reminders, online booking through website or Facebook, point-of-sale (POS) system, inventory and product management, client loyalty programs, and basic reporting and analytics. All features are available on all paid plans without additional feature-based tiers.

Source
Shedul: What are the hidden costs beyond the subscription price?

Shedul/Fresha charges 20% commission on new client bookings through the Fresha marketplace, 2.19% plus 20 cents for card payment processing, SMS messaging at 5 to 15 cents per message, and requires a $500 card payment terminal for in-person credit card processing. According to industry analysis, true annual costs run approximately 70% higher than the published subscription price.

Source
Shedul: Does Shedul/Fresha work on mobile devices?

Yes, Shedul/Fresha is available as a web platform and has native mobile apps for iOS and Android. Clients can book appointments through the mobile apps, and staff can manage appointments from their phones.

Source
Shedul: What support options are available?

Free and Team plans include email support only. Live chat and phone support (24/7) are only available with an optional premium add-on that costs extra per month. The Fresha Plus premium support is required to access phone and chat support.

Source
Shedul: Can I export my salon data from Shedul/Fresha?

While Shedul/Fresha provides reporting and analytics features, the platform does not clearly document export options for bulk data transfer. Users should contact support to determine data export capabilities and formats.

Source
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