Square Appointments

So what does Square Appointments do that a plain booking link doesn't? It takes the money as well.

Clients book on your own booking page, any time of day. You can put a Book Now button on Instagram, Facebook and your Google listing, or print a QR code for the shop window.

Then it reminds them by text and email, on every plan. They can reply to the text to confirm, cancel or move the appointment. No more "hey are we still on for 3?"

When they turn up, you check them out in the same app. Haircut, a bottle of shampoo, tip, done. You can even tap their card on your own phone, with no reader.

And staff calendars are unlimited on every plan, so a second stylist doesn't mean a second bill.

The free plan is generous, but most of what you'll want next is on Plus. And Plus is $49 a location a month.

Google Calendar sync is the one that stings. If your personal life lives in Google Calendar, you'll want it on day one, and it's paid. Honestly, for a booking app that feels stingy.

Same goes for charging a no-show fee, the waitlist, classes and packages.

Then there's the cut. Square takes a fee on every card payment, on every plan. That's normal for card readers, but it means free isn't quite free.

Support is a sore spot in the reviews. One person got a bot when they wanted a human, and 24/7 phone support only comes with Premium.

And because Square holds your money, it can hold it up. One reviewer says their account was frozen for review after one flagged payment, and it took more than ten days to get an answer.

Start on Square Free. There's no monthly fee, and it isn't a trial.

You do pay card fees: 2.6% + 15¢ when the card is in front of you, and 3.3% + 30¢ online. So on a $60 haircut paid in the chair, Square keeps about $1.71.

Plus is $49 a location a month. That adds no-show fees, Google Calendar sync, the waitlist, classes and packages, and drops the in-person rate to 2.5% + 15¢.

Premium is $149 a location a month, with booking for rooms and chairs, more reports and 24/7 phone support. We'd only look at it for a big salon.

Not sure about paying? There's a 30-day free trial of Plus or Premium.

Square Appointments has 4.9 on the App Store from about 195,000 ratings. For an app people run their income through, that's a very good sign.

Who's happy? One-person businesses, mostly. A tattoo artist, a massage therapist, a hair stylist. They like the reminders most, and say their clients do too.

One reviewer has been through other booking apps over the years and keeps coming back to this one.

The complaints are specific. Not being able to pick the time of day reminders go out. Not being able to stop a problem client from booking online. Bots where they wanted a human.

Some of those are a few years old, so they may be fixed by now. Hacker News barely mentions it, apart from developers building their own tools on top of its bookings.