GlossGenius vs Square Appointments (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 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 Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Square Appointments grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GlossGenius
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and medspas
Square Appointments
Booking, point of sale and payments for appointment businesses
Which one is for you
Pick GlossGenius if
- Fits if you're a solo stylist or small salon that wants booking, deposits and card payments in one app
- Works for medspas that want charting and client photos kept beside the booking calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want to stay free: there's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and every card payment carries a fee of 2.4% + $0.15 in person or 3.4% + $0.15 online
- Pricey if you need forms and waivers, the automated waitlist or included text credits, which start on Gold at $48 a month billed yearly ($56 monthly)
- Pricey if you want payroll or the AI phone receptionist: payroll is $40 a month plus $6 a seat and Reception is $50 a month, on top of the plan
- Not for you if you run a medspa on a small budget, as charting starts on Practice Essentials at $148 a month billed yearly ($168 monthly)
- Watch out: teams of 10 or more need Platinum at $148 a month billed yearly, and each extra location pays its own plan price, less 15%
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
| 2.4GPAGlossGeniusFair | 3.2GPASquare AppointmentsVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $24 a month billed yearly ($28 monthly), and Gold covers up to 9 staff for $48, so a team of five pays about $9.60 a head. GlossGenius is the only booking tool on our site so far, so this category is too thin to compare yet, and it sits at the ordinary grade until there's something to set it against. | 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 | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial of any plan with no credit card. After that it's $24 a month at least, and card payments carry fees on top: 2.4% + $0.15 in person and 3.4% + $0.15 online. | 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 | BA booking site, a staff calendar with deposits, payments and point of sale, email and text marketing, forms, SOAP notes, commissions and reports, with charting on the medspa plans. Nothing in the booking job is missing, but forms, the automated waitlist and text credits need Gold, and payroll costs extra. | 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 app store rating on record. Before clients can book and pay, you set up a booking site from templates, your services, staff and deposit and cancellation rules, and card readers or Tap to Pay. | 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, iPhone and Android, with Tap to Pay on both phones, plus Reserve with Google, Google Reviews and two-way calendar sync. No desktop app and no API on record, which keeps it from an A. | 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 | booking and payments for salons and spas | 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: GlossGenius and Square Appointments. How we grade
Price against what you get
GlossGenius starts at $24 a month and scores 2.7 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 $25 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 GlossGenius 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
- GlossGenius also covers forms, email campaigns, payroll, clinical notes, appointment booking, sMS marketing and review collection.
- Square Appointments also covers booking links, invoicing and reports.
At a glance
| GlossGenius | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $24 per month, billed annually ($28 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 | 14-day free trial of any plan, no credit card required | 30-day free trial of Square Plus or Square Premium |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | GlossGenius, Inc. | Block, Inc. |
| Price read from | glossgenius.com | squareup.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GlossGenius
- There is no free plan. In-person card payments cost 2.4% + $0.15 and online payments 3.4% + $0.15, with invoices at 2.9% + $0.30.
- Payroll is an add-on at $40 a month plus $6 per seat, and Reception, the AI phone and text answering service, is $50 a month.
- Forms and waivers, the automated waitlist, chargeback protection and included text credits start on the Gold plan.
- Each additional location is charged its own plan price, at a 15% discount.
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
GlossGenius
- Booking website and calendar
- A booking site with templates and team profiles, 24/7 online booking without a client login, gap and processing times, and two-way calendar sync.
- No-show protection and waitlist
- Deposits, card-on-file and cancellation policies on every plan; the automated waitlist and room and resource booking start on Gold.
- Payments and point of sale
- Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, card readers, split payments, tips, invoices, gift cards, memberships, packages and Buy Now, Pay Later.
- Email and text marketing
- Unlimited marketing emails on every plan, with text credits included on Gold (500) and Platinum (2,500) and an AI marketing assistant.
- Forms, notes and EMR
- Intake forms and waivers the vendor describes as HIPAA-compliant, SOAP notes, and charting with photo markup on the medspa plans.
- Staff, payroll and reports
- Roles and permissions, commissions, time tracking, sales and staff reports, and add-on payroll that files payroll taxes in all 50 states.
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
GlossGenius
Standard$24
per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly)
Booking website, unlimited client notifications, email and text marketing, inventory and retail, packages and memberships.
Gold$48
per month, billed annually ($56 billed monthly)
For teams of up to 9 staff: adds forms and waivers, Google booking and reviews, automated waitlist, time tracking and 500 text credits.
Platinum$148
per month, billed annually ($168 billed monthly)
For teams of 10 or more: unlimited team members, goal setting, custom commissions, Google marketing analytics and 2,500 text credits.
Practice Essentials$148
per month, billed annually ($168 billed monthly)
Medspa and aesthetics plan with EMR charting, photo markup, medical director sign-off and 50 GB of client photos.
Practice Advanced$248
per month, billed annually ($298 billed monthly)
Medspa plan for unlimited providers with the full AI clinical suite, 100 GB of client photos and premium support.
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
GlossGenius
- Annual discount
Save up to 14% with annual billing
The pricing page lists a 14% saving on Standard, Gold and Practice Essentials and 12% on Platinum and Practice Advanced when billed annually.
- Other savings
15% off each additional location
GlossGenius charges each additional location the plan price at a 15% discount.
Square Appointments
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GlossGenius or Square Appointments?
As of Oct 24, 2026, GlossGenius is cheaper to start with: $24 a month, against $49 a month for Square Appointments. GlossGenius starts at $24 per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly), and Square Appointments starts at $49 per location / month (Square Plus).
Which has a free plan, GlossGenius or Square Appointments?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only Square Appointments has a free plan. GlossGenius does not, though it has a free trial.
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.