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Travel · head to head

Shiji vs Square Appointments

Shiji logo

Shiji

Travel

Enterprise hospitality platform covering PMS, point of sale and payments, owned by a Chinese listed group

From
On request
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: Shiji chinese ownership and a Shenzhen listing raise data residency and supply chain questions that must be settled during procurement, and in United States government or defence-adjacent accounts they can end the evaluation outright.; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Shiji covers Daylight PMS, Square Appointments covers Online booking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Shiji and Square Appointments differ
AttributeShijiSquare Appointments
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
CategoryTravelScheduling
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Shiji

  • Daylight PMS
  • Infrasys POS
  • Payments
  • Distribution
  • Guest engagement
  • Open API access
  • Regional data centres
  • Multi-language and multi-currency

Only in Square Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app

What people use each for

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

Shiji

  • An international luxury group replacing Opera across dozens of properties without moving to a small cloud vendornot Square Appointments
  • A resort with a dozen restaurants and bars needing one point of sale across all outletsnot Square Appointments
  • An Asia Pacific group requiring native multi-currency, multi-language operation across marketsnot Square Appointments
  • A hotel company consolidating PMS, POS and payment onto a single vendor contractnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Shiji

  • Chinese ownership and a Shenzhen listing raise data residency and supply chain questions that must be settled during procurement, and in United States government or defence-adjacent accounts they can end the evaluation outright.
  • Pricing is entirely quoted with no published figures at any product level, so comparing Shiji against Oracle or Mews on cost requires a full sales engagement.
  • The portfolio is partly assembled from acquisitions, and the degree of integration between products varies, so a group buying several Shiji modules should test the joins rather than assume them.
  • Implementation timelines at enterprise scale run to many months and require interface development that is charged on top of licence, which is a substantial hidden budget line.
  • It is not a realistic option below roughly the mid-scale group level; a single independent hotel will not get sensible pricing or attention.

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

Shiji

On request
  • Shiji Enterprise Platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted per property and per portfolio
    • PMS, POS and payments priced as separate lines
    • Implementation and interface development charged separately

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 Shiji if

  • You need daylight pms.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want infrasys pos.
Shiji 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 Shiji or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Shiji starts at On request and Square Appointments at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shiji or Square Appointments?
Shiji starts at On request and Square Appointments at On request.
Does Shiji or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Shiji runs on Web, iOS, Android. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Shiji best used for?
Shiji is most often used for an international luxury group replacing opera across dozens of properties without moving to a small cloud vendor, a resort with a dozen restaurants and bars needing one point of sale across all outlets, an asia pacific group requiring native multi-currency, multi-language operation across markets, a hotel company consolidating pms, pos and payment onto a single vendor contract. Of those, an international luxury group replacing opera across dozens of properties without moving to a small cloud vendor and a resort with a dozen restaurants and bars needing one point of sale across all outlets are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Shiji do that Square Appointments cannot?
Shiji covers Daylight PMS, Infrasys POS, Payments, Distribution. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shiji: What do you actually buy from Shiji?

Most commonly Daylight PMS, Infrasys point of sale, or both, plus payments. The group name covers a wider portfolio than any one hotel purchases.

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
Shiji: Does Chinese ownership matter?

It can. For United States government-adjacent business and some corporate accounts it triggers data residency and supply chain review, so raise it at the start of procurement rather than at contract stage.

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
Shiji: Is Shiji an alternative to Oracle Hospitality?

Yes, and that is largely its positioning at the enterprise end, particularly in international luxury groups where Infrasys already has deployment.

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
Shiji: Can a single hotel buy it?

In principle, but the commercial model, implementation cost and support structure assume a group, and small properties are better served elsewhere.

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