Square Appointments combines scheduling with payment processing, online booking, and a point-of-sale system. Its free subscription can make sense if you want to take payments and manage appointments in the same place without a monthly software fee.
But if you already attract your own clients and prefer to manage scheduling separately from payments, Book Visit Now offers a different approach.
Square operates Square Go, a free consumer-facing directory where eligible beauty and personal care businesses can be discovered, booked, and rebooked. Eligible businesses with online booking enabled can receive an automatically generated profile. Square says its recommendations can introduce customers to businesses visited by similar clients.
Square Go does not charge a marketplace commission. It can help new customers discover you, but it also lets customers browse other providers. If you would rather not appear in the directory, Square provides an opt-out in its dashboard. Turning off your listing prevents new customers from discovering you through Square Go, although existing clients may still use it to manage bookings.
For eligibility, current settings, and opt-out instructions, see Square's Square Go documentation.
Square offers a free subscription and paid plans with additional business features and different payment-processing rates. Payment-processing fees depend on the plan and how a customer pays. Optional marketing, payroll, and other services may add to your total cost.
A free software subscription does not mean card payments are free. Compare the processing costs for your actual mix of in-person, online, and manually entered transactions before choosing a plan.
For current plan prices, processing fees, and included features, see Square's official Appointments pricing page.
Keeping scheduling separate from payments. Square combines booking, customer management, and payment services. Some businesses prefer to choose their own payment provider without tying their appointment workflow to a point-of-sale platform.
A marketplace you may not need. Square Go can help people discover your business, but if most customers already find you through referrals, social media, or direct contact, you may prefer to manage appointments without a consumer directory.
Choosing the features you use. Square offers a broad ecosystem for payments, retail, marketing, and business operations. If you primarily need a calendar, client records, and appointment communications, a focused scheduling app may suit your workflow.
No consumer marketplace or booking commissions. Book Visit Now does not list your business in a consumer directory, display competing salons to your clients, or charge a commission for acquiring or booking customers.
Appointment notifications through Messages and email, included. Book Visit Now includes an Appointment Notification Center for reviewing upcoming appointments and sending clients notifications through Apple Messages or email. You send notifications manually, choosing when and how to contact each client. There is no separate Book Visit Now messaging subscription or message-credit purchase; your carrier's standard messaging rates may still apply.
Every feature on the free plan. Book Visit Now is free for up to ten active clients, with all included features and no time limit. Pro removes the active-client limit for $24.99 a month, without separate feature subscriptions or per-staff calendar fees.
Client treatment records and scanned intake forms. Keep client history, treatment notes, and before-and-after photos together. Scan completed paper intake forms directly into a customer's profile using your Apple device, without purchasing a separate document-management subscription. Book Visit Now does not provide forms that clients complete and submit online.
A dedicated app for your Apple devices. Book Visit Now runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with iCloud synchronization across your devices. It integrates with Apple Contacts, while appointment records and other app-specific client information remain in Book Visit Now rather than automatically becoming Apple Calendar events.
Payment processing is your choice. Book Visit Now does not process payments or hold customer funds. You can use a separate provider for card payments without making that provider your appointment-management system.
No integrated payment processing or point of sale. Square supports card payments, retail checkout, payment hardware, deposits, and eligible no-show charges. Book Visit Now does not provide those services; you will need a separate payment provider if you use them.
No online self-booking. With Book Visit Now, you create and manage appointments yourself. Clients cannot book themselves through a website or consumer app.
No automated appointment reminders. The Book Visit Now Appointment Notification Center makes it easy to send appointment messages and emails manually, but it does not send reminders automatically at scheduled intervals.
No integrated marketing, payroll, or loyalty system. Square offers a wider range of business services. Book Visit Now does not replace those tools.
No Android, browser-based access, or separate staff logins. Book Visit Now is designed for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can manage multiple providers, but staff members do not receive independent user accounts and permissions.
Square provides capabilities that Book Visit Now does not. If those services are essential, you can also keep Square for payments while using Book Visit Now for appointment and client management.
Before canceling or changing your Square services, export your customer directory, appointment history, and any financial reports you need to retain. Square provides customer and appointment-history exports through its dashboard.
Import the relevant customer contact details into Apple Contacts, then use them when setting up Book Visit Now. Importing contacts does not automatically transfer your complete Square appointment history, transaction records, or other business data into Book Visit Now.
If you want to keep Square for payment processing, you do not need to move your merchant account just to change how you manage appointments. Tell your regular clients how to contact you to book going forward.
One thing worth checking whether you switch or not: Review your Square Go listing under Appointments > Online Booking > Channels > Square Go, and decide whether you want your business to appear in the directory.
Coming soon to the App Store · Free for up to 10 active clients · $24.99/month for unlimited clients