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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Square Appointments vs Strava

Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling & Booking

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Strava logo

Strava

Sports & Recreation

The social network for athletes

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan; Strava segment leaderboards, custom goals, workout analysis, offline routes and fitness scoring all require a subscription
  • They diverge on capability: Square Appointments covers Online booking, Strava covers GPS activity tracking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Square Appointments and Strava differ
AttributeSquare AppointmentsStrava
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidiOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, Wear OS
CategoryScheduling & BookingSports & Recreation

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2009).

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

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

Only in Strava

  • GPS activity tracking
  • Segment leaderboards
  • Route discovery
  • Training analysis
  • Social feed and clubs
  • Garmin
  • Wahoo
  • Apple Watch

Both cover

  • Web support

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 Strava
  • Taking card payments and deposits at the time of bookingnot Strava
  • Managing staff calendars, waitlists and no-show policiesnot Strava

Strava

  • Recording runs and rides from a phone or watchnot Square Appointments
  • Segment leaderboards and competing on routesnot Square Appointments
  • Training analysis and fitness tracking on the subscriptionnot Square Appointments
  • Route planning with offline mapsnot Square Appointments
  • Following friends and clubsnot 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

Strava

  • Segment leaderboards, custom goals, workout analysis, offline routes and fitness scoring all require a subscription
  • The $5 a month headline is the annual rate, billed as $59.99 a year
  • The student rate and the Runna bundle are annual only, with no monthly option

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

Strava

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Activity tracking
    • GPS recording
    • Basic segments
  • Strava+$11.99/month
    • Full segment leaderboards
    • Training zones
    • Heart rate analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose Square Appointments if

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

Choose Strava if

  • You need gps activity tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, Wear OS.
  • You also want segment leaderboards.
Strava review

Questions people ask

Is Square Appointments or Strava better?
Neither clearly leads. Square Appointments starts at Free and Strava at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square Appointments or Strava?
Square Appointments starts at Free and Strava at Free.
Does Square Appointments or Strava run on more platforms?
Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android. Strava runs on iOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, Wear OS.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Strava is typically brought in for.
What can Square Appointments do that Strava cannot?
Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing. Strava covers GPS activity tracking, Segment leaderboards, Route discovery, Training analysis. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Strava: Does Strava offer a free tier?

Yes. Strava Free includes basic activity tracking, GPS recording, activity feed, following other athletes, giving kudos, and basic segments with top 10 leaderboard access. The free tier does not include full segment leaderboards, training zones, or heart rate analysis.

Source
Strava: What does Strava Premium cost?

Strava costs $11.99 per month or $79.99 per year for individual users. A Family Plan costs $139.99 per year. Students receive 50% off at $39.99 per year with verification.

Source
Strava: Can I export my data from Strava?

Yes. Every Strava athlete can download their data for free at any time through the app, website, or direct download. However, API access now requires a paid subscription for Standard Tier developers costing $12 per month.

Source
Strava: Does Strava work offline?

Strava records activities offline using GPS on your device, but viewing historical data and accessing most app features requires an internet connection to sync and display data.

Source
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