Square Appointments Review: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons

Verified Data

Booking and built-in Square payments for service businesses, billed per location

Prices Checked 14 Nov 2026 · 12 Sources · Source

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Is Square Appointments Worth It?

Square Appointments is worth considering if you run a salon, barbershop, nail or lash studio, spa or other appointment-based business in the US and want booking and payments in one place without paying per staff member. The Free plan costs $0 per location and covers online booking, reminders and checkout. Plus, at $49 per location a month, adds waitlist, processing time, multi-staff bookings, no-show fees and 500 marketing texts. Premium, at $149, adds room and station booking and 24/7 phone support. Card fees are part of the bill: 2.5% + $0.15 in person and 2.9% + $0.30 online on Plus, and higher on Free. It is a weaker fit if you run several locations, because each one pays the full fee, or if you want to use another card processor. Capterra reviewers praise its ease of use and online booking, and some complain about rising costs and limited advanced scheduling. We have not hands-on tested the product; this verdict is based on Square’s US pricing page, help articles and Capterra reviews checked on 14 Nov 2026.

Solo ProfessionalFree costs $0 per location and includes an online booking site, appointment reminders and payments, at 2.6% + $0.15 in person and 3.3% + $0.30 online. Waitlist, processing time, no-show fees and SMS marketing need Plus. Square treats deposits as a Plus and Premium feature in its help center; see the FAQ.

Small TeamPlus is $49 per location a month with unlimited staff calendars. It adds multi-staff bookings, processing time, waitlist, cancellation and no-show fees, Google Calendar sync and 500 marketing texts per account a month, with in-person cards at 2.5% + $0.15.

Larger Team / Multi-Site / EnterprisePremium is $149 per location a month and adds room, chair and station booking, future-bookings and team-performance reports, 2,500 marketing texts and 24/7 phone support, with in-person cards at 2.4% + $0.15. Each location pays the full fee. Above $250,000 a year in card volume, Square may offer custom pricing.

Who It’s For

Good Fit If…

Good Fit: You want to start on a $0 plan and upgrade only when you need waitlist, no-show fees or marketing texts
Good Fit: You have several staff and do not want to pay per team member
Good Fit: You want booking, checkout and card payments from one company
Good Fit: You run a beauty or personal-care business in the US and want a free Square Go marketplace profile
Good Fit: You do hair color or other services with downtime and want processing time on Plus

Not a Fit If…

Not a Fit: You run several locations on a tight budget: each location pays the full Plus or Premium fee
Not a Fit: You want to keep your own card processor; Square Appointments requires Square Payments
Not a Fit: You run a health clinic and need HIPAA coverage confirmed: Square offers a Business Associate Agreement to HIPAA-covered sellers, but it was not confirmed for Square Appointments
Not a Fit: Your business is outside the US: this profile covers US prices only
Not a Fit: You need a verified hands-on Tool Checked product test or ranked score before deciding (not published on this profile)

Business types: Barbershop · Beauty & Wellness · Day Spa · Hair Salon · Lash & Brow · Makeup Artist · Massage Studio · Med Spa · Nail Salon · Skin Care & Esthetician · Tanning Salon · Tattoo & Piercing

Pricing & Total Cost

Plan	Price (USD)	Staff	Includes
Free	$0 /month per location (US)	Unlimited calendars; official pricing page says there is no employee limit	Online booking website and booking widget Appointment reminders by text and email POS, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, and card payments Inventory tracking and gift cards (2.5% load fee) In-person cards 2.6% + $0.15; online/invoices 3.3% + $0.30; keyed or card on file 3.5% + $0.15 Source
Plus	$49 /month per location (US); 30-day free trial	Unlimited calendars; no employee limit	Everything listed for Free, plus deposits and prepayment policies, waitlist, processing time, multi-staff bookings, cancellation and no-show fees, class booking and packages, Google Calendar sync, and Bookings API Multi-location management Unlimited email marketing; 500 marketing texts per account per month, then 3¢ per text In-person cards 2.5% + $0.15; online/invoices 2.9% + $0.30; keyed or card on file 3.5% + $0.15 Gift-card load fee still 2.5% Source
Premium	$149 /month per location (US); 30-day free trial	Unlimited calendars; no employee limit	Everything listed for Plus, plus resource management (rooms, chairs, stations), future bookings report and team performance report 2,500 marketing texts per account per month, then 1.5¢ per text 0% gift-card load fee In-person cards 2.4% + $0.15; online/invoices 2.9% + $0.30; keyed or card on file 3.5% + $0.15 Phone support 24/7 Source

Hidden costs to know:

Card processing 2.9% + $0.30 (built-in processor required)
In-person card rates (tap, dip or swipe) are 2.6% + $0.15 on Free, 2.5% + $0.15 on Plus and 2.4% + $0.15 on Premium.
Online and invoice payments are 3.3% + $0.30 on Free and 2.9% + $0.30 on Plus and Premium. Keyed-in payments and cards on file are 3.5% + $0.15 on every plan.
The calculator uses Plus at $49 per location a month and the Plus online and invoice card rate of 2.9% + $0.30. In-person payments on Plus cost less (2.5% + $0.15) and Free online payments cost more (3.3% + $0.30), so your real card costs depend on how clients pay. Appointment reminders count as included; marketing texts are not in the calculator totals.
International cards add 1.5% on top of the base rate. Afterpay is 6% + $0.30. ACH on invoices is 1% with a $1 minimum ($10 cap on Plus and Premium; no cap listed on Free). ACH through the API is 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap. ACH into Square Checking is $0.
Gift-card loads cost 2.5% on Free and Plus and 0% on Premium.
SMS marketing is not on Free. Plus includes 500 texts per account per month, then 3¢ per text; Premium includes 2,500, then 1.5¢. Appointment reminders are separate from marketing texts.
Optional Square Payroll is $35/month + $6 per person paid (contractor-only payroll is $6/month per person paid). It is not in the calculator totals.
Hardware is extra: the pricing page lists options starting at $59, and Square lists a free magstripe reader. Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android needs no reader. Square Kiosk and KDS have per-device monthly fees on Plus and Premium.
Custom pricing may be available above $250,000 a year in card volume; those rates are not published.
Sellers still on older, individually priced plans may see different rates in their Square Dashboard.
These are US list prices; prices in other countries were not checked.

Pricing shown for the US market in USD; local pricing and taxes may vary.

Calculate your real 12-month cost →

Real Cost by Business Size

Business Size	Cost Items	Monthly Total	12-Month Total	Assumptions
Solo — Free, 1 location, subscription only	Free subscription (1 location): $0	$0	$0	Free plan $0/month per location. No card volume, hardware, payroll, SMS overage or gift-card loads modeled. US list prices checked 14 Nov 2026. Illustrative calculations from published prices, not observed customer spending. The 12-month figure repeats the same monthly assumptions at unchanged rates. Source
One location — Plus (calculator plan), subscription only	Plus subscription (1 location): $49	$49	$588	Plus $49/month per location, month-to-month. No card volume, hardware, payroll, SMS overage or gift-card loads modeled. US list prices checked 14 Nov 2026. Illustrative calculations from published prices, not observed customer spending. The 12-month figure repeats the same monthly assumptions at unchanged rates, not an annual-price quote (an annual discount for these plans was not verified). Source
Two locations — Plus, subscription only	Plus subscription (2 locations): $98	$98	$1,176	Plus is billed $49/month for each location you run. Two locations = $98/month. Same exclusions as the one-location Plus scenario. US list prices checked 14 Nov 2026. Source

Which Plan Should You Pick?

Plan	Pick It If…	Upgrade When…
Free	You want a $0 subscription and can accept the Free-plan card rates and feature limits (no waitlist, no SMS marketing, no multi-location tools).	You need waitlist, cancellation/no-show fees, processing time, multi-staff bookings, SMS marketing, email campaigns, or a lower online card rate.
Plus	You run one or more locations and need waitlist, no-show protection, marketing texts, or the Plus online rate. This is the plan used in the 12-month calculator.	You need Premium-only tools such as resource/room booking, future-bookings and team-performance reports, 24/7 phone support, 2,500 marketing texts at 1.5¢ overage, 0% gift-card load, or the 2.4% + $0.15 in-person rate.
Premium	You need rooms/resources, deeper appointment reports, 24/7 phone support, or the Premium in-person rate and gift-card terms.	Above $250,000 a year in card volume, ask Square whether you qualify for custom pricing.

Price History

Checked	Plan	Price	Source
14 Nov 2026	Plus	$49 /month per location; Free $0, Premium $149 per location; 2.9% + $0.30 online, 2.5% + $0.15 in person on Plus	Source

Features

Feature	Free	Plus	Premium	Notes
Online booking website and widget	✓	✓	✓	Source
Appointment reminders (text and email)	✓	✓	✓	Source
Appointment deposits and prepayments	✕	✓	✓	Square’s pricing table lists appointment deposits and prepayments on every plan, including Free; its help article on cancellation and prepayment policies covers Plus and Premium only. This profile follows the help article. Source
Cancellation policy and no-show fees	✕	✓	✓	Source
Waitlist	✕	✓	✓	Source
Processing time (e.g. color processing)	✕	✓	✓	Source
Multi-staff appointment booking	✕	✓	✓	Source
Class booking and packages	✕	✓	✓	Source
Multi-location management	✕	✓	✓	Source
Google Calendar sync	✕	✓	✓	Source
Bookings API	✕	✓	✓	Source
Email marketing (unlimited campaigns)	✕	✓	✓	Source
SMS marketing	✕	–	–	Source
Resource management (rooms, chairs, stations)	✕	✕	✓	Source
In-person card rate (tap, dip, or swipe)	–	–	–	Source
Online or invoice card rate	–	–	–	Source
Keyed-in or card-on-file rate	–	–	–	Source
Gift-card load fee	–	–	–	Source
Phone support	–	–	–	Source

Features for Your Business

Processing / gap time booking	Higher Plans
Retail products & stock	✓
Spa packages & memberships	Higher Plans
Book several technicians at once	Higher Plans
Required deposits per service	Higher Plans

What It Can and Can’t Do

Booking

Supported: Let clients book 24/7 on a booking website, widget, QR code or Book Now button
Supported: Send automatic email and SMS appointment reminders
Supported: Use waitlist, processing time and multi-staff bookings on Plus and Premium
Supported: Collect deposits and set cancellation and no-show fees on Plus and Premium

Limitation: Resource/room/chair assignment is listed only on Premium, not on Plus (the calculator plan)
Limitation: Square’s help center documents cancellation, no-show fee and prepayment policies for Plus and Premium only, although the pricing table lists deposits and prepayments on every plan

Source

Payments

Supported: Take in-person cards (tap, dip, swipe), Tap to Pay, digital wallets, invoices and cards on file through Square Payments
Supported: Accept ACH on invoices, Afterpay, Cash App Pay, cash and checks
Supported: Sell physical and eGift cards

Limitation: You cannot use a third-party card processor instead of Square Payments
Limitation: Square Go does not accept payments yet

Source

Marketplace and Apps

Supported: Eligible US beauty and personal-care businesses can appear on the free Square Go iOS marketplace
Supported: Staff can use the Square Appointments iOS app; Square also points sellers to Square Point of Sale on iOS and Google Play with bookings mode

Limitation: Square Go has no Android app yet
Limitation: On Android, Square points sellers to Square Point of Sale in bookings mode; a standalone Square Appointments Android app was not confirmed

Source

See It in Action

Multi-Staff Calendar on iPad · Square (App Store) Source

Client Booking Site With a Book Appointment Button · Square (App Store) Source

Checking Out a Current Sale in the App · Square (App Store) Source

Online Checkout With Apple Pay · Square (Appointments page) Source

Square Assistant Offering New Times by Text · Square (Appointments page) Source

Pros & Cons

Pro: Free plan at $0 per location with online booking, appointment reminders and payments
Pro: No per-staff fee and no employee limit on any plan
Pro: Plus and Premium include a 30-day free trial, and you can cancel or switch plans anytime
Pro: Payments, Tap to Pay and checkout are built in, so there is no separate processor to set up
Pro: Eligible US beauty and personal-care businesses can get a free Square Go marketplace profile

Con: Waitlist, processing time, multi-staff bookings, no-show fees and SMS marketing start at Plus
Con: Plus and Premium are billed per location, so each extra site adds the full monthly fee
Con: Card rates vary by channel: keyed or card-on-file is 3.5% + $0.15 on every plan, and Free online payments are 3.3% + $0.30
Con: Payments must go through Square; you cannot use another card processor
Con: Room, chair and station booking is Premium only; Square Go is iOS-only and does not take payments yet

Contract & Cancelling

Contract: Monthly, cancel anytime
Cancellation Fee: No cancellation fee or locked-in contract is listed: the pricing page says you can cancel or switch anytime, and Square’s fees page lists no early termination fee. After a downgrade, the previous plan’s features stay until the new billing cycle starts.
How to Cancel: In Square Dashboard, go to Settings > Account & Settings > Pricing & subscriptions to unsubscribe, change plans or pause. A pause can last up to three months; paid features stop at the end of the current billing period and the plan resumes automatically afterward.

Support

Channels: Email, Live chat, Phone, Help center
Hours: Chat and email on all plans. Phone: Free 6am–6pm PT Mon–Fri for the first 90 days; Plus 6am–6pm PT Mon–Fri; Premium 24/7.

Integrations & Security

Works With: Built-in Square Payments and Square Point of Sale; Square Online; Square Go marketplace (eligible US beauty and personal-care businesses; iOS client app); Google Calendar sync (Plus and Premium); Bookings API (Plus and Premium); Afterpay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App Pay and Tap to Pay

What Users Say

Platform Ratings

These are platform-wide aggregates, not ratings calculated from the selected reviews below.

Capterra

4.5/5

263 Reviews

Checked 14 November 2026

Ease of use 4.5, Customer Service 4.3 on the reviews page. Reviews are shared with GetApp and Software Advice; count once.

What Reviewers Liked

Liked: Easy to use and quick to learn — several reviews, including two hairstylists (2024–2026). Capterra
Liked: Clients can book online without back-and-forth calls — several reviews, including a lash tech and a massage therapist (2024–2026). Capterra
Liked: The free plan is enough to get started — a few reviews (2024–2026). Capterra
Liked: Payments and scheduling work together in one place — a few reviews (2024–2026). Capterra

Concerns Reviewers Raised

Concern: Costs rose as the business grew or prices went up — a few reviews (2025–2026). Capterra
Concern: Advanced or multi-staff scheduling feels limited or confusing — a few reviews (2025–2026). Capterra
Concern: Bugs, frequently changing menus or disappointing support — a few reviews (2025–2026). Capterra
Concern: Missing intake forms or a client referral program, and deposits hard to set up — two reviews (2024–2026). Capterra

Qualitative summary: based on 15 Capterra reviews we read, dated 2024–2026. Capterra shows 4.5/5 from 263 reviews, shared with GetApp and Software Advice and counted once. Some reviewers are hairstylists, a lash tech, a massage therapist and a cosmetologist; others run general service businesses or work in offices. This is not a representative survey or hands-on testing by Tool Checked. Check Square’s official pages for current pricing and terms.

FAQ

How much does Square Appointments cost?

In the US, Free is $0, Plus is $49 and Premium is $149 per location per month. Plus and Premium each include a 30-day free trial, and you can cancel or switch plans anytime. Card processing fees are charged on top. Whether a card is needed to start the trial was not verified.

Source

Does Square Appointments charge per staff member or per location?

Per location, not per staff member. The pricing page says there is no employee limit, and on Plus and Premium the monthly fee applies to each location you run, so a second location adds another $49 (Plus) or $149 (Premium) a month. Free is $0 per location.

Source

What are the card processing fees?

In person, rates are 2.6% + $0.15 on Free, 2.5% + $0.15 on Plus and 2.4% + $0.15 on Premium. Online and invoice payments are 3.3% + $0.30 on Free and 2.9% + $0.30 on Plus and Premium. Keyed-in payments and cards on file are 3.5% + $0.15 on every plan. Cards issued abroad add 1.5%, and Afterpay is 6% + $0.30.

Source

Can I collect deposits or charge no-show fees on the Free plan?

Treat both as Plus and Premium features. Square’s help article on cancellation and prepayment policies is written for Plus and Premium subscribers, and the pricing page lists cancellation policies and no-show fees on Plus and Premium only. However, the same pricing page also lists appointment deposits and prepayments on every plan, including Free. Because Square’s own sources disagree, confirm in your Square Dashboard before relying on deposits on Free.

Source

Does it include text marketing?

Appointment reminders by text and email are on every plan. SMS marketing is not on Free. Plus includes 500 marketing texts per account per month, then 3¢ per text; Premium includes 2,500, then 1.5¢. The allowance is per account, not per location.

Source

What hardware do I need, and what does it cost?

You can take contactless payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android without a reader. The pricing page says hardware options start at $59, and Square lists a free magstripe reader. Kiosk and KDS software have separate per-device monthly fees on Plus and Premium.

Source

Can I cancel anytime, and can I pause?

Yes. The pricing page says you can cancel or switch plans anytime, and Square lists no early termination fee. From your Square Dashboard you can unsubscribe, change plans or pause for up to three months; paid features stop at the end of the current billing period and the subscription resumes automatically.

Source

Does Square Go charge a marketplace commission?

No commission is listed. Square describes Square Go as a free marketplace and client app for eligible US beauty and personal-care businesses. To get a free profile you need online booking and at least one client booking in the last 30 days. Square Go is iOS only and cannot take payments at this time.

Source

Is Square Appointments available outside the US?

Square runs sites for other countries, but this profile uses US prices and US help articles only. Prices and features elsewhere were not checked and may differ, and Square Go is described as US-only.

Source

Sources & How We Rate

Square Appointments pricing page — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Square Appointments fee / payments policy — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Square Appointments home — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Manage Square subscriptions — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Cancellation and prepayment policies — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Square Go — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Use Square Go with appointments — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Square Payroll — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Square Assistant — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Google Calendar sync — Checked 14 Nov 2026
Capterra: Square Appointments — Checked 14 Nov 2026
App Store: Square Appointments — Checked 14 Nov 2026

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