Square Appointments vs Zoho Bookings

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

Zoho Bookings

• Teams already using Zoho CRM, Bigin or Zoho One
• Solo users who need a free booking page with two-way calendar sync
• Businesses with several branches or departments taking bookings

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.

Zoho Bookings

• The free plan is limited to one user.
• Online payments, group and recurring bookings, SMS and WhatsApp notifications, white labeling and a custom domain all need Premium.
• Basic is limited to one workspace. Extra workspaces beyond Premium's three, and bookable resources, are paid add-ons.
• Revenue reports, the customer portal, appointment limits and the audit log are Premium-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.

Zoho Bookings

Event types and booking pages

Four event types: one-on-one, collective, group and resource-based. Share a booking link or embed a widget. Group, recurring and resource bookings need Premium.

Workspaces

Workspaces group event types by location or department. Basic is limited to one; Premium includes three, with more sold as add-ons.

Round robin and routing forms

Both paid plans distribute appointments across users with a choice of four methods. Premium adds routing forms that send a customer to the right booking page.

Workflows

Email notification workflows come with Basic. SMS workflows and custom workflows built with a script builder are part of Premium.

Payments

Premium can charge for appointments at booking through providers that include Stripe, PayPal and Razorpay.

Zia setup and MCP server

Zia, Zoho's AI, configures an account and can build a booking page from a company's web address. An MCP server lets outside AI assistants manage appointments.

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.

Zoho Bookings

• Free$0

  One user, online meetings, notification emails and reminders, and two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft calendars.

• Basic$6

  per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)

  One workspace, one-on-one and collective bookings, round robin, email workflows, appointment reports, and Zapier and Zoho CRM integrations.

• Premium$9

  per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)

  3 workspaces, group, recurring and resource bookings, online payments, SMS and WhatsApp notifications, routing forms, white labeling and a custom domain.

• FlexCustom

  A tailored plan for organizations with custom requirements, quoted by Zoho's sales team.

Square Appointments

No public discounts listed.

Zoho Bookings

• Annual discount

  Save 25% with yearly billing

  Zoho's pricing FAQ says an annual plan saves 25%: Basic is $6 instead of $8 per user / month and Premium is $9 instead of $12.

• Nonprofit

  Special pricing for nonprofits and education

  The pricing FAQ says nonprofits and educational institutions get special pricing on request by email. No rate is published.