Bookeo 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 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bookeo grades higher on value for money. Square Appointments grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bookeo
Online booking for appointments, classes and tours
Square Appointments
Booking, point of sale and payments for appointment businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Bookeo if
- Fits if you are a solo guide or instructor who needs bookings online
- Works for small businesses that grow into a few staff logins
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you take many bookings: Solo covers 200 and Small covers 1,000
- Watch out: waivers, SMS and fax credits are extra
- Watch out: plans above the listed sizes and multi-branch companies are quoted by the vendor
- Skip it if you need integrations, since none are named
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
| 2.4GPABookeoFair | 3.2GPASquare AppointmentsVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$14.95 a month for 1 staff login and 200 bookings, under 60% of the cheapest quarter in this category ($29.99). Standard is $39.95 for 20 staff logins. | 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 | CA 30-day free trial with no card, and no free plan. | 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 | CAppointment, class and tour booking, per-booking counting, digital waivers and no commission on payments. Waivers, SMS and fax credits are paid add-ons. | 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. You build your booking pages and set up services first. | 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 | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. | 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 | bookings for appointments, classes or tours | 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: Bookeo and Square Appointments. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bookeo starts at $14.95 a month and scores 2.0 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 $34.05 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, 1 scores higher than Bookeo 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
- Bookeo also covers appointment booking, class booking and sMS marketing.
- Square Appointments also covers booking links and invoicing.
At a glance
| Bookeo | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.95 per month for 1 consultant and up to 200 bookings | $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 | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial of Square Plus or Square Premium |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Bookeo | Block, Inc. |
| Price read from | bookeo.com | squareup.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bookeo
- Prices are from the Appointments pricing page; Classes and Tours show the same price points, but their Solo and Small booking limits are not stated.
- Waivers, SMS and fax credits are paid add-ons.
- Plans above the listed sizes, and multi-branch companies, are quoted by contacting the vendor.
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
Bookeo
- Three booking products
- Appointments, Classes & Courses, and Tours & Activities each have their own pricing page.
- Bookings counted per reservation
- A booking for three people counts as one booking against the monthly limit.
- Digital waivers
- A waiver add-on starts at $9 a month.
- SMS and fax credits
- Credits for notifications and customer SMS reminders are sold in bundles from $0.09 per credit.
- No commission on payments
- Bookeo says it charges only the monthly fee; payment gateways charge their own fees.
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
Bookeo
Solo$14.95
per month for 1 staff login and up to 200 bookings
One consultant and one staff login on the Appointments pricing page.
Small$29.95
per month for up to 3 staff logins and 1,000 bookings
Three consultants and three staff logins.
Standard$39.95
per month for up to 20 staff logins and 1,000 bookings
Twenty consultants and twenty staff logins.
Large$79.95
per month for up to 40 staff logins and 2,000 bookings
Forty consultants and forty staff logins; an X-large tier at $119.95 covers 3,000 bookings.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bookeo or Square Appointments?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Bookeo is cheaper to start with: $14.95 a month, against $49 a month for Square Appointments. Bookeo starts at $14.95 per month for 1 consultant and up to 200 bookings, and Square Appointments starts at $49 per location / month (Square Plus).
Which has a free plan, Bookeo or Square Appointments?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Square Appointments has a free plan. Bookeo does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Bookeo and Square Appointments run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Square Appointments lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.