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Square Appointments vs Acuity Scheduling

Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Software

Scheduling made simple

From
$16/month
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: Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan; Acuity Scheduling starter tier limited to 1 calendar only
  • They diverge on capability: Square Appointments covers Client management, Acuity Scheduling covers Appointment types.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Square Appointments and Acuity Scheduling actually diverge.

Attributes where Square Appointments and Acuity Scheduling differ
AttributeSquare AppointmentsAcuity Scheduling
Starting priceFree$16/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20092003

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Square Appointments

  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app
  • Square POS
  • Instagram

Only in Acuity Scheduling

  • Appointment types
  • Calendar sync
  • Email reminders
  • Client self-scheduling
  • Packages & memberships
  • Timezone detection
  • Squarespace
  • Zoom

Both cover

  • Online booking
  • Payment processing
  • Google Calendar
  • QuickBooks
  • PCI DSS
  • SSL encryption

What people use each for

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

Square Appointments

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

Acuity Scheduling

  • Client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversionnot Square Appointments
  • HIPAA-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitionersnot Square Appointments
  • Multi-location scheduling with multiple staff membersnot Square Appointments
  • Membership, package sales, and gift certificate managementnot Square Appointments

Where each one falls short

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

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

Acuity Scheduling

  • Starter tier limited to 1 calendar only
  • SMS/text reminders, memberships, and gift certificates require Standard or Premium tier
  • HIPAA compliance (BAA signature) exclusive to Premium tier at $49/month
  • Custom API and CSS access, and Acuity branding removal require Premium tier

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Acuity Scheduling

$16/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Acuity Scheduling review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Square Appointments if

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

Choose Acuity Scheduling if

  • You need appointment types.
  • You also want calendar sync.
Acuity Scheduling review

Questions people ask

Is Square Appointments or Acuity Scheduling better?
Neither clearly leads. Square Appointments starts at Free and Acuity Scheduling at $16/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square Appointments or Acuity Scheduling?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Square Appointments and $16/month for Acuity Scheduling.
Does Square Appointments or Acuity Scheduling run on more platforms?
Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android. Acuity Scheduling runs on Web.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month.
What is Square Appointments best used for?
Square Appointments is most often used for online appointment booking for salons, barbers and personal services, taking card payments and deposits at the time of booking, managing staff calendars, waitlists and no-show policies. Of those, online appointment booking for salons, barbers and personal services and taking card payments and deposits at the time of booking are not what Acuity Scheduling is typically brought in for.
What can Square Appointments do that Acuity Scheduling cannot?
Square Appointments covers Client management, Point of sale, Automated reminders, Instagram booking. Acuity Scheduling covers Appointment types, Calendar sync, Email reminders, Client self-scheduling. Both handle Online booking, Payment processing, Google Calendar, QuickBooks.
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Related pages

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