Square Appointments vs Zolmi (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 2.2.
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, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Square Appointments
Booking, point of sale and payments for appointment businesses
Zolmi
Salon booking and checkout priced per staff member, no commissions
Which one is for you
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
Pick Zolmi if
- Fits if you run a salon of 1 to 3 and want to pay for each chair
- Works for owners who want no commission on online bookings
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: text messages are charged on top and the page doesn't list the rate
- Tight if you need commissions, forms, loyalty or memberships, which are Pro at $25 a month
- Skip it if you need an iOS or Android app, as no store listing is shown
- Watch out: card processing fees are separate from the plan
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there isn't one
How we grade them
| 3.2GPASquare AppointmentsVery good | 2.2GPAZolmiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | B$15 a month for the first staff member and $2 for each extra on yearly billing, which is inside the category's cheaper quarter. Commissions and memberships need Pro at $25. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | C14-day trial, no card, and no free plan after it. |
| Features | 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. | CCalendar, online booking, client records, checkout, deposits and gift cards. Start caps stock at 10 products, and wages, commissions and forms are Pro only. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record, and a salon calendar and checkout needs setting up. |
| Platforms and 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. | CWeb only. The site describes a mobile salon app but lists no store pages, and no integrations are on record. |
| Best for | salons and solo pros who work by appointment | small salons paying per staff member |
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: Square Appointments and Zolmi. How we grade
Price against what you get
Square Appointments starts at $49 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zolmi starts at $15 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Square Appointments scores higher, and starts $34 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, none scores higher than Square Appointments for less, and 2 score higher than Zolmi 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
- Square Appointments also covers booking links and invoicing.
- Zolmi also covers inventory, appointment booking, sMS marketing and review collection.
At a glance
| Square Appointments | Zolmi | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $49 per location / month (Square Plus) | $15 per month for the first staff member, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Square Plus or Square Premium | 14-day free trial, no card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Block, Inc. | Umov Sp. z o.o. |
| Price read from | squareup.com | zolmi.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Zolmi
- Text messages are charged separately from the plan; the pricing page does not list the rate.
- Wages, commissions, consultation forms, loyalty and memberships need the Pro plan.
- Card processing fees are separate from the subscription.
- The site describes a mobile salon app but lists no iOS or Android store pages.
Key features
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.
Zolmi
- Calendar and online booking
- Team appointments in one view, with clients choosing service, stylist and time online and confirming through reminders.
- Client records
- Colour formulas, visit notes and preferences stay on the client record, with digital consultation forms on Pro.
- Checkout and deposits
- Services, retail products and tips in one sale, plus booking deposits, gift cards and vouchers.
- Stock tracking
- Retail and backbar stock with quantities updated as product use is recorded; Start allows up to 10 products.
- Staff pay and reports
- Working hours and permissions on every plan; wages, commissions and end-of-day or staff reports on Pro.
- Marketing and reviews
- SMS marketing, loyalty programs, memberships and review requests, listed on the features page; texts are charged separately.
Plans
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.
Zolmi
Start$15
per month + $2 per extra staff, billed annually ($20 + $3 monthly)
Calendar, online booking and reminders, client records, checkout and deposits, gift cards, up to 10 stock products and basic reports.
Pro$25
per month + $4 per extra staff, billed annually ($30 + $5 monthly)
Adds wages and commissions, product usage, staff reports, consultation forms, Google review requests, loyalty and memberships.
Ways to pay less
Square Appointments
No public discounts listed.
Zolmi
- Annual discount
Lower rates on annual billing
The pricing page shows Start at $15 plus $2 per extra staff and Pro at $25 plus $4 when billed annually, against $20 plus $3 and $30 plus $5 monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Square Appointments or Zolmi?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Square Appointments starts at $49 per location / month (Square Plus), and Zolmi starts at $15 per month for the first staff member, billed annually ($20 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Square Appointments or Zolmi?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Square Appointments has a free plan. Zolmi does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Square Appointments and Zolmi run on?
As of Nov 13, 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.