Acuity Scheduling vs Square Appointments
We give Acuity Scheduling a 3.0 GPA and Square Appointments a 3.6, out of 4.0. Acuity Scheduling grades higher on platforms. Square Appointments grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Acuity Scheduling
Appointment booking, payments and reminders for service businesses
Square Appointments
Booking, point of sale and payments for appointment businesses
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAAcuity SchedulingVery good | 3.6GPASquare AppointmentsExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly) for 1 calendar. That's above even the dear end of this category, around $10. And the useful extras sit higher: text reminders and packages at $27, hiding Acuity's footer at $49. | BPlus is $49 a month for a whole location, however many staff. A good deal for a busy salon. Steep if you're solo and only want Google Calendar sync. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. You get a 7-day trial of any plan with no credit card needed, and after that you need a paid plan to keep using the account. Seven days isn't long to set up a business. | ANo monthly fee, and you still get a booking site, unlimited staff calendars, text reminders and deposits. You only pay when you take a card. |
| Features | AA branded booking page, deposits or full payment through Stripe, Square or PayPal, invoices, intake forms, email reminders, buffers and daily limits, group classes, and tap-to-pay in the phone app. That's the whole appointment job. | AA booking site, reminders clients can reply to, deposits, a waitlist, classes, packages and a full checkout. On Premium you can book rooms and chairs too. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is the most we'll give. Clients book, reschedule and cancel by themselves from a link or QR code, which is the easy part for you. | A4.9 from about 195,000 App Store ratings. A tattoo artist who's been on it for years says it has always been easy. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone and Android, syncing with Google Calendar, Outlook and iCloud, and connecting to Stripe, Square, PayPal, Zoom and Squarespace. There's an API, though the custom API and CSS are Premium only. | BWeb, iPhone and Android. It hooks into Instagram, Facebook, Google, Wix and QuickBooks. But Google Calendar sync and the API are held back for Plus. |
| Best for | taking bookings and payment in one go | salons and solo pros who work by appointment |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Acuity Scheduling and Square Appointments. How we grade
Where they differ
- Acuity Scheduling starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly). Square Appointments starts at $49 per location / month (Square Plus).
- Square Appointments has a free plan. Acuity Scheduling does not, though it has a free trial.
- Square Appointments also covers reports.
At a glance
| Acuity Scheduling | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | $49 per location / month (Square Plus) |
| Free plan | None | Square Free: no monthly fee, with a booking website, unlimited staff calendars, text and email reminders, deposits, prepayments and invoices. Processing fees apply to each payment. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of any plan, no credit card needed | 30-day free trial of Square Plus or Square Premium |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Squarespace, Inc. | Block, Inc. |
| Price read from | acuityscheduling.com | squareup.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Acuity Scheduling
- Salons, studios, coaches, tutors and other appointment-based businesses
- Taking a deposit or full payment at the time of booking
- Selling packages, memberships and gift certificates alongside appointments
Square Appointments
- Salons, barbershops and spas that want booking and checkout in one system
- Solo professionals who can start on the free plan
- Businesses already taking payments with Square hardware
Worth knowing
Acuity Scheduling
- There is no free plan. When the 7-day trial ends, a paid plan is needed to keep using the account.
- Plans are capped by calendars, which map to staff or locations: 1 on Starter, 6 on Standard and 36 on Premium.
- Text reminders, the waitlist, memberships, packages and gift certificates need Standard or Premium.
- Hiding the "Powered by Acuity Scheduling" footer, signing a HIPAA BAA, and custom API and CSS are Premium-only.
Square Appointments
- Square Free leaves out Google Calendar sync, no-show fees, multi-staff booking, classes and packages, the waitlist and the Bookings API.
- Plus and Premium are charged per location: $49 or $149 a month for each location you run.
- Processing fees apply on every plan, from 2.4% + 15¢ in person on Premium to 3.3% + 30¢ for online payments on Free.
- Resource management and the future bookings, service cost and team performance reports are Premium-only.
Key features
Acuity Scheduling
- Branded booking page
- Clients self-schedule, reschedule or cancel on a page with your logo and colors. Share it as a link or QR code, or embed it in a Squarespace site or another website.
- Payments, deposits and invoicing
- Take full payment, a deposit or a card on file at booking through Stripe, Square or PayPal, and send invoices. The mobile app accepts in-person payments, including tap-to-pay.
- Reminders and intake forms
- Automated email confirmations, updates and reminders on every plan, with custom intake forms at booking. Text message reminders start on Standard.
- Calendar sync and availability rules
- Syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook and iCloud to block busy times. Set daily appointment limits, buffers between bookings and room or resource restrictions.
- Classes, packages and memberships
- Offer one-to-one services or group classes and workshops. Standard and Premium can sell appointment packages, subscriptions, memberships and gift certificates.
- AI Booking Assistant
- An AI chat bot that helps clients get booked on the scheduling page. It is available on the Premium plan only.
Square Appointments
- Online booking site
- A customizable booking website on every plan, plus Book Now buttons for Instagram, Facebook and a Google Business Profile, a widget for an existing site and a QR code.
- Payments and point of sale
- Take cards in person, online or with Tap to Pay on a phone, keep cards on file, and ring up services and products together. Afterpay and Cash App Pay are supported.
- No-show protection
- Deposits and prepayments are on every plan. A cancellation policy that charges the card on file for late cancellations and no-shows needs Square Plus.
- Reminders and Square Assistant
- Automatic text and email reminders go out on every plan, and Square Assistant lets clients reply to an SMS reminder to confirm, cancel or change a booking.
- Staff, locations and resources
- Staff calendars are unlimited on every plan. Multi-staff bookings and multi-location management start on Plus; assigning rooms, chairs or stations is Premium-only.
- Classes, packages and waitlist
- From Square Plus, schedule one-time or recurring group classes, sell prepaid packages of services, and let clients join a waitlist from the booking site.
Plans
Acuity Scheduling
Starter$16
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
1 calendar, payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, email reminders, custom client forms and automatic time zone conversion.
Standard$27
per month, billed annually ($34 billed monthly)
Up to 6 calendars, plus text reminders, an appointment waitlist, memberships, packages and gift certificates.
Premium$49
per month, billed annually ($61 billed monthly)
Up to 36 calendars, plus the AI Booking Assistant, a BAA for HIPAA compliance, logo removal, per-staff time zones, and custom API and CSS.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited calendars and scheduling instances, VIP account management, additional APIs and a central dashboard; priced through sales.
Square Appointments
Square Free$0
Booking website, unlimited staff calendars, reminders, deposits and invoices. Processing is 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online.
Square Plus$49
per location / month
Adds no-show fees, multi-staff booking, waitlist, classes and packages, Google Calendar sync and the Bookings API. In-person processing is 2.5% + 15¢.
Square Premium$149
per location / month
Adds resource management, future bookings and team performance reports, service cost tracking, 24/7 phone support and 2.4% + 15¢ in-person processing.
Square ProCustom
Custom pricing and processing fees for businesses that process over $250,000 per year, arranged through Square's sales team.
Ways to pay less
Acuity Scheduling
- Annual discount
Save 20% by paying annually
Acuity's pricing page lists a 20% saving on annual billing: Starter is $16 instead of $20 per month, Standard $27 instead of $34 and Premium $49 instead of $61.
Square Appointments
No public discounts listed.
