Bookedin vs Square Appointments (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Square Appointments: it is first in our ranking of salon, spa and studio booking apps, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Square Appointments grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bookedin
Online booking for appointments and classes, with a free plan
Square Appointments
Booking, point of sale and payments for appointment businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Bookedin if
- Fits if you work alone and take under 50 bookings a month
- Works for coaches and tutors who sell classes and calls
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 50 bookings a month, no payments, no email reminders
- Pricey if you have a team, as price rises per calendar, to $64 on Plus
- Watch out: text reminders, reports and follow-up emails need Pro at $39
- Watch out: texts have monthly limits and extras are top-ups
- Skip it if you want a long trial, as the length isn't stated
Pick Square Appointments if
- Fits if you work by appointment and want booking and checkout in one app
- Works for shops that already take cards with a Square reader
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're solo and just want Google Calendar sync or no-show fees, at $49 a location a month
- Watch out: card fees apply on every plan, 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online on Free
- Tight if you stay on Free: no waitlist, classes, packages, multi-staff booking or Bookings API
- Not for you if you want a Mac or Windows app, or 24/7 phone support without paying $149 a month
- Skip it if you'd rather Square didn't hold your money: one reviewer's account was frozen for over ten days
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABookedinFair | 3.2GPASquare AppointmentsVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is $19 a month for 1 calendar on yearly billing, below the category's cheaper quarter of $25. It climbs to $64 for unlimited calendars. | BFree has no monthly fee, inside this category's cheaper quarter ($29.99 or less), and Plus is $49 a location a month with unlimited staff, level with the $49.90 middle. Premium is $149, in the dearest tenth, and card fees of 2.6% + 15¢ in person come on top of every plan. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for 50 bookings a month with a booking page and client list. But no online payments and no email reminders, so you'll outgrow it. | BNo monthly fee, with a booking site, unlimited staff calendars, text reminders and deposits. But you pay 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online, and Google Calendar sync, no-show fees, classes and the waitlist all need Plus. |
| Features | CAppointments, classes, payments, a client list and staff logins. Text reminders, follow-ups and reports are Pro only. | BA booking site, reminders clients can reply to, deposits, a waitlist, classes, packages, and rooms and chairs on Premium, with Square's point of sale for services and products. That's the whole booking job, but Fresha, Vagaro, Mangomint and Booksy also take payment at the desk, so the till doesn't set it apart. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Booking pages and payment links mean some setup. | A4.88 from about 195,000 App Store ratings, the highest score in this category. Some reviewers got a bot when they wanted a person, and 24/7 phone support is Premium only. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Square, PayPal, Zoom and Google Meet links. No computer app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with no Mac or Windows app. It hooks into Instagram, Facebook, Google, Wix, QuickBooks and JotForm, but Google Calendar sync and the Bookings API are held back for Plus. |
| Best for | solo bookings with a free plan | 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: Bookedin and Square Appointments. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bookedin starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Square Appointments starts at $49 a month and scores 3.3.
Square Appointments scores higher, and starts $30 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Bookedin for less, and none scores higher than Square Appointments for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bookedin also covers templates, calendar, appointment booking and class booking.
- Square Appointments also covers invoicing and reports.
At a glance
| Bookedin | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month for 1 calendar, billed annually ($24 billed monthly) | $49 per location / month (Square Plus) |
| Free plan | 50 bookings per month, an online booking page, email booking confirmations, a client database and the mobile app. | 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 | Free trial on Plus and Pro, no credit card required; the length is not stated on the pricing page. | 30-day free trial of Square Plus or Square Premium |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Coldwin Software Inc. | Block, Inc. |
| Price read from | bookedin.com | squareup.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bookedin
- The free plan caps bookings at 50 a month and has no online payments or email reminders.
- Price is set by the number of calendars, so a multi-staff business pays more as calendars are added.
- Text messages have a monthly limit based on plan and country; more can be bought as top-ups.
- Text reminders, reports and follow-up emails need the Pro plan.
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
Bookedin
- Appointments and classes
- Clients book one-on-one appointments, classes or workshops from a booking page, with recurring bookings available on paid plans.
- Reminders and confirmations
- Email confirmations are on every plan; email reminders start on Plus, and text reminders and confirmations by reply are on Pro.
- Online payments
- Plus and Pro can require a deposit or full payment at booking, or send a payment request, through Stripe, Square or PayPal.
- Booking links for your site and social pages
- A Book Now button or a full calendar embeds on a website, and a button can go on an Instagram profile or Facebook page.
- Client database
- Each client record keeps booking history, private notes and attachments.
- Staff logins and roles
- Unlimited staff logins on every plan; the free plan has Viewer and Admin roles, paid plans add Staff and Manager.
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
Bookedin
Free$0
50 bookings a month for appointments and classes, email confirmations, client database, unlimited staff logins and the iPhone and Android app.
Plus$19
per month for 1 calendar, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)
Unlimited bookings, email reminders, online payments, calendar sync and priority support. Price rises with calendars: $64 a month at unlimited calendars, billed annually.
Pro$39
per month for 1 calendar, billed annually ($48 billed monthly)
Everything in Plus, plus text reminders, follow-up emails, add-on services and reports. $129 a month at unlimited calendars, billed annually.
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
Bookedin
- Annual discount
Save up to 18% with annual billing
The pricing page says annual billing saves up to 18%, which it likens to getting 2 months free; the per-plan tooltips show 16% savings at the 1-calendar level.
Square Appointments
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bookedin or Square Appointments?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bookedin is cheaper to start with: $19 a month, against $49 a month for Square Appointments. Bookedin starts at $19 per month for 1 calendar, billed annually ($24 billed monthly), and Square Appointments starts at $49 per location / month (Square Plus).
Which has a free plan, Bookedin or Square Appointments?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bookedin and Square Appointments have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.