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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Square Appointments vs Telegram

Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling & Booking

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Telegram logo

Telegram

All industries

Pure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices

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; Telegram end-to-end encryption applies only to Secret Chats; private and group Cloud Chats use server-client encryption, so Telegram holds the data
  • They diverge on capability: Square Appointments covers Online booking, Telegram covers Cloud-based messaging.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Square Appointments and Telegram differ
AttributeSquare AppointmentsTelegram
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android
CategoryScheduling & BookingAll industries
Founded20092013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Square Appointments

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

Only in Telegram

  • Cloud-based messaging
  • Self-destructing messages
  • Large group chats
  • Voice and video calls
  • Bot platform
  • Channels and broadcasts
  • Cross-platform sync
  • Bot API

Both cover

  • End-to-end encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • 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 Telegram
  • Taking card payments and deposits at the time of bookingnot Telegram
  • Managing staff calendars, waitlists and no-show policiesnot Telegram

Telegram

  • Group messaging and large channels with files of any type and sizenot Square Appointments
  • Private device-bound conversations with self-destructing messagesnot Square Appointments
  • Running bots and broadcast channels for an audiencenot 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

Telegram

  • End-to-end encryption applies only to Secret Chats; private and group Cloud Chats use server-client encryption, so Telegram holds the data
  • Secret Chats are device-specific and are not part of the Telegram cloud, so they can only be read on the device they started on
  • Logging out destroys all of your Secret Chats
  • The Secret Chat self-destruct timer applies only to messages sent after the timer is set and has no effect on earlier messages
  • Telegram states screenshot detection cannot be guaranteed on some Android and Windows Phone devices, so screenshots of Secret Chats can be taken silently
  • Messages cannot be forwarded out of Secret Chats
  • The self-destruct timer in cloud chats covers media only, not text

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

Telegram

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited messages
    • 2GB file sharing
    • Group chats up to 200K members
  • Telegram Premium$4.99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 4GB file uploads
    • Faster downloads

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 Telegram if

  • You need cloud-based messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
  • You also want self-destructing messages.
Telegram review

Questions people ask

Is Square Appointments or Telegram better?
Neither clearly leads. Square Appointments starts at Free and Telegram at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square Appointments or Telegram?
Square Appointments starts at Free and Telegram at Free.
Does Square Appointments or Telegram run on more platforms?
Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android. Telegram runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
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 Telegram is typically brought in for.
What can Square Appointments do that Telegram cannot?
Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing. Telegram covers Cloud-based messaging, Self-destructing messages, Large group chats, Voice and video calls. Both handle End-to-end encryption, Cloud deployment, Web support.
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