Square is built around card processing.
We're built around bookings.
Square Appointments is a fine choice if you already use Square's POS and want one ecosystem. But the booking experience itself — the part your clients actually see — is where most salons feel the difference.
- · Square Appointments is "free for individuals" — but you pay 2.6% + $0.10 per card swipe, and Plus is $29/month per location.
- · Square Plus is required for resource booking and class scheduling — most salons need it.
- · Square has email + SMS reminders. No native WhatsApp booking. Reminders only via integrations.
- · SalonBooking has WhatsApp booking built in — your customers can book entirely inside the chat.
- · SalonBooking is free during early access. No card processing markup, no per-location fees.
Side-by-side
Public pricing as of 2026. We've cited Square's published rates and feature pages.
| SalonBooking | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | Free during early access | Free / $29 per location (Plus) |
| Per-staff fee | None | Included in plan |
| Card processing | We don't process — you keep your existing rate | 2.6% + $0.10 in person, 2.9% + $0.30 online |
| WhatsApp booking | ✓ Native (clients book inside chat) | ✗ Not supported |
| Email reminders | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS reminders | Roadmap | ✓ (additional fee in some regions) |
| Multi-location | ✓ Each branch on its own indexable page | ✓ ($29/mo per extra location on Plus) |
| Self-service reschedule / cancel | ✓ Magic link | ✓ |
| Customer-facing booking page | ✓ Tenant subdomain | ✓ Square subdomain |
| Custom domain | Roadmap | ✓ (Square Online add-on) |
| No-credit-card signup | ✓ | ✓ |
| Marketplace commissions | None | None (unlike Fresha) |
When Square is the right choice
If you already run Square POS in the salon and you want one app for tap-to-pay, gift cards, retail inventory, and bookings — Square Appointments is well-integrated and reliable. Their hardware is good. Their reporting is solid.
When SalonBooking is the right choice
If your customers reach you on WhatsApp before they ever visit a website. If you don't want booking software to also be your card processor. If you want each branch to have its own indexable landing page so local search actually finds them. If you want to share a booking link in Instagram bio and have clients self-serve from there.
Both tools handle the basics. The honest question is whether your bookings come from card-paying walk-ins (Square fits) or from messages and links (SalonBooking fits).