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Square Appointments vs Zoho People

Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoho People logo

Zoho People

Software

Cloud HR software for growing businesses

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; Zoho People slow response times and slow loading on the platform affecting user efficiency
  • They diverge on capability: Square Appointments covers Online booking, Zoho People covers Employee Database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Square Appointments and Zoho People actually diverge.

Attributes where Square Appointments and Zoho People differ
AttributeSquare AppointmentsZoho People
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20091996

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Zoho People

  • Employee Database
  • Time Off
  • Time Tracking
  • Attendance
  • Performance
  • Onboarding
  • Self-Service
  • Zoho CRM

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

Zoho People

No use cases recorded yet. See the Zoho People review.

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

Zoho People

  • Slow response times and slow loading on the platform affecting user efficiency
  • Limited customization options for leave and performance management workflows
  • Mobile app is missing key features available in desktop version, like timesheets and reporting
  • Customer support is ticket-based only with no live chat unless on premium 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

Zoho People

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Zoho People review.

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 Zoho People if

  • You need employee database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want time off.
Zoho People review

Questions people ask

Is Square Appointments or Zoho People better?
Neither clearly leads. Square Appointments starts at Free and Zoho People at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square Appointments or Zoho People?
Square Appointments starts at Free and Zoho People at Free.
Does Square Appointments or Zoho People run on more platforms?
Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android. Zoho People runs on Web.
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 Zoho People is typically brought in for.
What can Square Appointments do that Zoho People cannot?
Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing. Zoho People covers Employee Database, Time Off, Time Tracking, Attendance. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Zoho People: Does Zoho People have a free tier?

Yes, the Free plan supports up to 5-10 users with essential HR tools, email support, and 30-day free trial available on all paid plans with no credit card required.

Source
Zoho People: What is the pricing for Zoho People?

Pricing starts at $1.25 per user per month when billed annually. The Essential HR plan costs $1.50 monthly per user, dropping to $1.25 annually with five tiers available: Free, Essential HR, Professional, Premium, and Enterprise.

Source
Zoho People: Does Zoho People work with other Zoho applications?

Yes, Zoho People integrates with the Zoho ecosystem including Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and other Zoho applications for unified business management.

Source
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