Square Appointments vs. Booker – two popular salon management platforms go head to head, each with unique strengths.
Square Appointments shines with its free basic plan for solo businesses and seamless integration with other business solutions. Booker is known for its user-friendly interface, specifically designed for salons and spas, and its availability worldwide through its parent company, Mindbody.
For solo entrepreneurs or very small salon teams, Square Appointments provides a capable free-to-low-cost option to handle bookings and process payments. The software is intuitive and has a smooth onboarding process but lacks some specialized features tailored to the beauty industry.
Comparatively, Booker offers features purpose-built for spas and salons. It streamlines scheduling, payment collection, and marketing campaigns. The platform does come with monthly subscription fees but enables robust business management capabilities.
Of the two, Booker offers greater complexity and customization for established salons looking to scale operations.
Both Square Appointments and Booker have fans among salon owners. In this comparison, we’ll explore the ideal user, strengths and weaknesses of each platform, pricing, and top features of each software solution.
Here is a breakdown of everything you will learn in this post:
Square Appointments vs Booker
Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.
Square Appointments
Booker
Overall score
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Average price
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
Who is it for
Ease of use
Customer Service
Countries
U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK.
Available almost worldwide
Key features
- Large amount of native integrations with other apps
- Comprehensive, easy-to-use, marketing tools
- Best looking POS hardware on the market
- Free, sophisticated, website builder and online store
- Two-way messaging available (only on Ultimate and Ultimate Plus)
- AI chatbot feature to help with scheduling (only on Ultimate Plus)
- Integrated payments through MindBody Payments (US & Canada only)
- Mindbody Explore Marketplace listing included with all subscriptions
A Double-Click on Each System
Let’s cover what these systems are and the pros and cons of each in my Square Appointments vs. Booker guide.
Square Appointments At a Glance
Overall score
Square Appointments is a cloud-based appointment scheduling software for salons, spas and really any other local service businesses.
It integrates with the full suite of local business solutions from Square which makes it one of the most complete business management solutions on the market.
At the same time, it is free for individuals and has therefore quickly become one of the most popular platforms for one-person businesses like beauty booth renters and individual professionals.
Pros and Cons
- Free for individuals
- Well-designed, easy to use, interface
- Integration with the full suite of Square applications for endless possibilities
- Robust core business management (inventory, reports, and client data)
- Limited flexibility when designing online booking page, booking widget, e-mails and other aspects that you may want to adapt
- It gets a bit expensive for the growing team that expands with more locations
Booker At a Glance
Overall score
Booker by Mindbody, is a subscription-based salon and spa software that has existed in some form since 2007. Booker is headquartered in San Luis Obispo CA, and is available nearly worldwide.
Booker’s strengths lie in its new client acquisition opportunities and integrated marketing capabilities.
While Booker’s lowest-tier plans are relatively affordable compared to the competition, they lack many of the noteworthy features that make Booker an attractive option, putting them somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to price-to-feature comparisons.
Pros and Cons
- Straightforward pricing
- Enhanced new client acquisition opportunities through MindBody Explore marketplace
- Integrated email marketing suite (on higher-tier plans)
- No free trial
- Must commit to a minimum 12-month contract before ever using the software
- US-based customer support only available to Ultimate and Ultimate Plus plans (outsourced on Starter and Accelerate plans)
How Do They Compare? Strengths and Weaknesses
Square Appointments is easy to use out of the box for core business functions like bookings, payments, inventory, and reporting. However, customization is limited when it comes to branding elements like booking pages.
In contrast, Booker stands out with its purpose-built interface for salons and spas. The system is still intuitive despite offering robust features and customization. However, the software does feel outdated compared to some newer software options on the market. The menu system can also feel clunky at times, both on desktop and in the mobile app.
Square Appointments is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK, Ireland, France and Spain. Booker by Mindbody is available in several countries worldwide and has a broader availability than Square.
Square may prove the better choice for cost-conscious solopreneurs who want an easy-to-use single-location platform. Booker excels in growing salon and spa brands that want to unite scheduling, marketing, and payments under one salon software program.
Square Appointments vs Booker
Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.
Ease of use
Design
Customer service
Pricing
Calendar and appointment management
Online booking
Point of sale and check out
Client data
Client communication
Inventory management
Team Management
Payroll
Marketing support
3rd party integrations
Mobile and tablet apps
Let’s Talk Features: Square vs. Booker
When it comes to design and customization, both Square Appointments and Booker offer out-of-the-box templates that cannot be adapted much. Square does allow more personalization of booking pages and integration with other software compared to Booker out of the box, but Booker has an open API that can be licensed to create a fully customized and branded online booking widget on your website (for a fee).
For scheduling and booking management, the two platforms are quite capable for teams. However, solopreneurs may find Booker’s pricing relatively high for their needs. Appointment scheduling and calendar syncing are robust in both solutions.
For messaging, Booker and Square Appointments allow in-platform communication with clients. Booker also offers two-way texting and AI chatbot add-ons at the higher subscription tiers.
When it comes to marketing, Booker provides an email builder and access to Mindbody’s massive client marketplace. Square Appointments lacks some specialized salon marketing tools but makes up for it with some genuinely great e-commerce features.
Booker wins out for built-in marketing and advanced team management needs. But Square Appointments puts up a good fight with more flexible integrations with the Square eco-system.
Feature Comparison
Booker offers more features than Square Appointments. Let's go through what these features are and where they differ.
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Square Appointments
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Booker
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| Online Booking | Square Appointments | Booker |
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Website booking widget Note Can you integrate the entire online booking experience directly into your website? |
Note Not included by default. Requires custom web development and API access fees. |
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Branding control Note Can you customize the look and feel of the booking experience to fit your brand? |
Note Not included by default. Requires custom web development and API access fees. |
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No-show protection Note Can you store credit card details and charge deposits to reinforce your cancellation policy? |
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Service customization Note Can clients adapt their service when they book, and can this change the price and duration of the booked appointment? |
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Free from account creation Note Can clients book without having first to create an account with the software? |
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Integrated gift cards Note Can you sell digital gift cards as part of the booking process? |
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| Calendar and Appointment Management | ||
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Customize notification messages Note Can you change the text sent to your clients as part of appointment reminders and other messages? |
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Customize notification timings Note Can you change when reminders and other messages go out to your clients? |
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| Client waitlist management | ||
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Rooms and resource scheduling Note Can you manage equipment, rooms, and other resources required to complete a service? |
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Repeat appointments Note Can you schedule clients for recurring appointments? |
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Time block Note Can you block out time on your calendar? |
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Processing time Note Can you allow for double booking of service providers by accepting appointments during service processing time? |
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Duration and price by staff Note Can you adapt the price and time needed for a service based on who is performing the service? |
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Automated check-in Note Can clients check in to their appointments themselves? |
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| Point of Sale/ Check out | ||
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Tablet compatible Note Can you run the POS on any tablet or do you need special hardware? |
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Dedicated POS hardware Note Does the system provider offer hardware to improve the check out expereince? |
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Self check out Note Can clients check out from their appointment themselves? |
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Route payments to renters Note If you have booth renters in your business, can you route payments directly to them? |
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Cards on file Note Can you store credit card details and charge the customer later? |
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Integrated payments Note Does the software offer a first-party payment processing solution? |
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| Client Data & Communication | ||
| SMS Notification | ||
| Email Notificition | ||
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Dedicated business SMS number Note Do you get a business phone number that your messages and notifications are send from? |
Note Available on Ultimate & Ultimate Plus plans only |
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| Two way SMS communication |
Note Clients can confirm appointments by replying to SMS |
Note Available on Ultimate & Ultimate Plus plans only |
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Forms Note Can you create intake forms, store SOAP notes, and have clients sign your forms? |
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Client notes Note Can you store notes about clients on their profile? |
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Client files and images Note Can you store files and image on in the client’s profile? |
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| Inventory and Product Types | ||
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Inventory tracking Note Will the system keep track of stock levels, notify you when it’s time to re-order? |
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Purchase orders Note Can the system create automatic purchase orders for you? |
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| Retail | ||
| Memberships | ||
| Packages | ||
| Gift cards | ||
| Team Support & Payroll | ||
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Fully integrated payroll Note Can you run payroll and cut paychecks directly through the software? |
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3rd party payroll integration Note Does the software allow you integrate and share data with a 3rd party payroll solution (e.g. Gusto, ADP, Paychex, etc)? |
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| Payroll reports | ||
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Commission support Note Can you track and report on commission for service, retail, and other product types? |
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Multi-location support Note Does the system have specific support for businesses with multiple locations |
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Booth renter support Note Can the system help with rent collection, payments, and other booth renter management tasks. |
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| Marketing Support | ||
| Email marketing | ||
| SMS marketing | ||
| Website builder | ||
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Client marketplace Note Does it offer a platform where potential clients can browse businesses using the software? |
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Add-on offers Note Can you promote service add-ons/upsells as part of the online booking flow? |
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| Cloud & Mobile App Access | ||
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Full-featured mobile app Note Can you access all software features in the mobile app? |
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| Web browser | ||
| iPad | ||
| iPhone | ||
| Android | ||
Integrating with Other Platforms for Additional Features
As salons scale up operations, integration becomes key to ensure the tools you use can communicate with each other. Square Appointments makes it easy to connect other Square products, like payroll and customer management tools. There are also abundant third-party integration options.
Comparatively, Booker is limited unless you leverage their open API. This requires web development skills, a monthly fee, and custom coding work. The options an open API provides can be powerful but create extra work that you will need to sink funds into for development and licensing.
Integrations
These platforms both offer third-party integrations.
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Square Appointments
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Booker
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Custom integrations Note Does the platform allow you to create new integrations to support your business-specific needs? |
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Native integrations Note Built-in integrations that you can activate as needed |
The Square App Marketplace offer a lot of integrations. Some popular examples are:
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Pricing: Square Appointments vs. Booker
Square Appointments bases costs on transaction volume rather than a flat monthly fee. Initially, costs are very affordable, but expenses scale up rapidly as transaction volume increases. It can become complex to forecast final monthly costs.
Comparatively, Booker uses a traditional monthly subscription model with clear-tiered pricing. Be aware that the plans lack robust features until you get to the higher price points. This puts Booker as mid-market for price-to-feature value.
At the budget level, Square Appointments delivers more value. Yet, for advanced needs, Booker ultimately enables greater customization.
If low cost is important to you, then you will be better off with Square or another alternative on my top salon and spa software list for 2024.
Square Appointments vs Booker Pricing
Square is more attractively priced than Booker.
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Square Appointments
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Booker
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| Average Price | ||
| Trial Options | ||
| Minimum contract length | ||
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Plans
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| Plans | ||
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Add-ons
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| Add-ons | ||
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Credit card fees
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| Credit card fees | ||
What Do Users Think of Square Appointments and Booker?
If you want to know more about our experience testing these software suites, check out our in-depth reviews of Square Appointments and Booker. But if you want to hear what everyday business customers of these platforms have to say, check out the user review scores below.
User Reviews Compared
Let's compare scores for these systems on some of the most popular user review sites.
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Square Appointments
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Booker
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What Square and Booker Alternatives Should You Consider?
Square Appointments and Booker are both awesome choices for a range of businesses. But if you’re still not quite sure, that’s ok! We have some incredible alternatives you should also check out.
Mangomint is the highest-rated software for salons and spas. If you have a team and you want the best customer service in the industry, I highly recommend you give them a try.
GlossGenius is my recommended alternative for independent professionals with lean operations who want to keep their costs down.
Mangomint vs GlossGenius
A quick comparison of the two Square and Booker alternatives.
Mangomint
GlossGenius
Overall score
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Average price
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
Who is it for
Ease of use
Customer Service
Countries
U.S. and Canada
U.S.
Key features
- Modern, intuitive, and easy to use
- Smart automations that help cut down on time spent managing business operations
- Open data ownership and no contracts (you’re not locked into anything)
- Can integrate with any other platform who allows for integrations
- Highest-rated customer service on the market
- Premium beauty-inspired interface design
- Professional-looking website in just a few clicks
- Integrated payment and card reader with customizable design
- Affordable, transparent, flat fee pricing
Conclusion
I hope this comparison between Square Appointments vs. Booker has answered some of your questions.
For more alternatives, don’t miss my list of the best salon and spa software on the market right now.
