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Square Appointments vs Time Doctor

Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Time Doctor logo

Time Doctor

Software

Employee time tracking and productivity monitoring

From
$4/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; Time Doctor historical tracking data retention is capped by plan: 3 months on Basic and 6 months on Standard, versus 2 years on Premium and Enterprise
  • They diverge on capability: Square Appointments covers Online booking, Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Square Appointments and Time Doctor actually diverge.

Attributes where Square Appointments and Time Doctor differ
AttributeSquare AppointmentsTime Doctor
Starting priceFree$4/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
Founded20092011

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

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

Only in Time Doctor

  • Time tracking with timer
  • Activity monitoring
  • Screenshots
  • GPS tracking
  • Webcam monitoring
  • Reports and invoicing
  • Mobile apps
  • Team management

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

Time Doctor

  • Productivitynot Square Appointments
  • Collaborationnot Square Appointments
  • Task managementnot Square Appointments
  • Organizationnot 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

Time Doctor

  • Historical tracking data retention is capped by plan: 3 months on Basic and 6 months on Standard, versus 2 years on Premium and Enterprise
  • HRIS and Payroll native integrations are paid add-ons at $200 per integration per month
  • Software Cost Insights add-on costs $3 per user per month on top of the base plan

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

Time Doctor

$4/month
  • Basic$4/month
    • Time tracking
    • Reports
    • Mobile apps
  • Standard$6/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • Activity monitoring
    • Screenshots
  • Premium$10/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • GPS tracking
    • Webcam snapshots

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 Time Doctor if

  • You need time tracking with timer.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
  • You also want activity monitoring.
Time Doctor review

Questions people ask

Is Square Appointments or Time Doctor better?
Neither clearly leads. Square Appointments starts at Free and Time Doctor at $4/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square Appointments or Time Doctor?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Square Appointments and $4/month for Time Doctor.
Does Square Appointments or Time Doctor run on more platforms?
Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android. Time Doctor runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Time Doctor starts at $4/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 Time Doctor is typically brought in for.
What can Square Appointments do that Time Doctor cannot?
Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing. Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer, Activity monitoring, Screenshots, GPS tracking.
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