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Square Appointments vs Vagaro

Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vagaro logo

Vagaro

Software

All-in-one salon, spa & fitness software

From
$25/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; Vagaro the $23.99 per month entry price covers one location and one bookable calendar, so every extra staff calendar adds cost
  • They diverge on capability: Square Appointments covers Online booking, Vagaro covers Online appointment booking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Square Appointments and Vagaro differ
AttributeSquare AppointmentsVagaro
Starting priceFree$25/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), 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
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Square POS
  • Google My Business
  • QuickBooks

Only in Vagaro

  • Online appointment booking
  • Inventory tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Payroll management
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Quickbooks
  • Xero
  • Mailchimp

Both cover

  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Mobile app
  • Google Calendar
  • Instagram
  • PCI DSS
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment

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

Vagaro

  • Appointment booking and calendar management for salons, spas and fitness studiosnot Square Appointments
  • Selling services and retail products with integrated card paymentsnot Square Appointments
  • Marketing to clients by email and text and offering a branded booking appnot 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

Vagaro

  • The $23.99 per month entry price covers one location and one bookable calendar, so every extra staff calendar adds cost
  • The free trial excludes email marketing, text marketing and the branded app
  • Text and email marketing pricing is not published on the pricing page and requires contacting sales
  • Card processing is sold separately through Vagaro Merchant Services, with the free card reader tied to signing up for it

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

Vagaro

$25/month
  • Single User$25/month
    • Online booking
    • Client management
    • Calendar management
  • 2-3 Users$45/month
    • Everything in Single User
    • Multiple staff calendars
    • Staff permissions
  • 4-6 Users$75/month
    • Everything in 2-3 Users
    • Inventory management
    • Payroll reports
  • 7+ Users$85/month
    • Everything in 4-6 Users
    • Enterprise features
    • Priority support

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 payment processing.
Square Appointments review

Choose Vagaro if

  • You need online appointment booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want inventory tracking.
Vagaro review

Questions people ask

Is Square Appointments or Vagaro better?
Neither clearly leads. Square Appointments starts at Free and Vagaro at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square Appointments or Vagaro?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Square Appointments and $25/month for Vagaro.
Does Square Appointments or Vagaro run on more platforms?
Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android. Vagaro runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Vagaro starts at $25/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 Vagaro is typically brought in for.
What can Square Appointments do that Vagaro cannot?
Square Appointments covers Online booking, Payment processing, Automated reminders, Instagram booking. Vagaro covers Online appointment booking, Inventory tracking, Marketing automation, Payroll management. Both handle Client management, Point of sale, Mobile app, Google Calendar.
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