Square Appointments vs. GlossGenius: Which is Best in 2023?

Square Appointments vs. GlossGenius

Which one of these software packages for salon and spa businesses should you pick?

If you are a solopreneur or operate with a small team of one or two staff, these are two popular choices.

Square Appointments is a cloud-based appointment-scheduling software that easily integrates with many local business solutions. They have a large user base of solopreneurs and small teams, given its free basic plan for solo businesses.

Comparatively, GlossGenius is a forceful presence in the salon and spa industry. The all-in-one appointment, payment, and marketing app is beloved by independent professionals for its premium beauty-inspired design and app-only software.

I’ll admit, it’s a tough choice.

Today, I’ll walk you through the benefits of each system including the features, pricing, and user reviews. You’ll be able to see the key differences and then decide which platform is best for you.

In this post, you will discover:

• An overview of each system
• A comparison of the differences that separate them
• A feature-by-feature comparison
• Pricing differences
• Ratings & reviews from their users.

Square Appointments vs GlossGenius

Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.

Square Appointments

GlossGenius

Overall score

4.0

4.4

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.

$45 per month

$48 per month

Who is it for

For solopreneurs or small teams in any type of local service business (salon, spa, fitness, repair, cleaning, and professional services) who want access to Square's broad range of products.

For independent professionals who want to start accepting payments and get appointment scheduling, a website and marketing up fast without compromising on the experience of their brand

Ease of use

4

5

Customer Service

3

3

Countries

U.S., Canada, Australia

U.S.

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

• 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

A Double-Click on Each System

Let’s cover what these systems are and the pros and cons of each.

How do They Compare? Strengths and Weaknesses

The Square Appointments and GlossGenius brands are quite different.

Square Appointments has an easy-to-use interface with endless possibilities. Use it for core business management, such as inventory, reports, and client data. Comparatively, GlossGenius is more about simplicity—beauty over technology. Features are easy to find and use without an extensive learning curve.

Square Appointments is limited in flexibility when it comes to design. Think online booking pages or booking widgets. GlossGenius is not without its cons. The system can only be managed through the app, although calendars can be viewed on your web browser. In comparison, Square Appointments works on any desktop, tablet, or smartphone web browser, along with the free Square Appointments app.

If you plan to grow your business, things can get complicated as the features available to team members in GlossGenius are limited. So, if you have a bigger team, you’re probably better off with Square Appointments or another alternative on my salon on spa software top list. However, Square Appointments can become expensive as monthly plans scale up rapidly as businesses grow.

Geography will matter when using these platforms. While GlossGenius is strictly an American product, Square Appointments is available in the United States and Canada.

But let’s double-click on this and review how they compare the different aspects of the software.

Let’s Talk Features

With Square Appointments, you will have the ability to integrate with numerous apps. However, if you appreciate ease and simplicity like I do, you may prefer GlossGenius. If you are daunted by technology GlossGenius has the features you crave without the need for complicated customization. It was built to be beautiful from the get-go.

Square Appointments vs GlossGenius

Square has substantially richer feature offer out of these two. However, GlossGenius do offer solutions to independent beauty professionals that still makes it a preferred option to many. Let's go through what these features are and where they differ.

	Square Appointments	GlossGenius
Online Booking	Square Appointments	GlossGenius
Website booking widget Note Can you integrate the entire online booking experience directly into your website?
Branding control Note Can you customize the look and feel of the booking experience to fit your brand?
No-show protection Note Can you store credit card details and charge deposits to reinforce your cancellation policy?
Service customization Note Can clients adapt their service when they book, and can this change the price and duration of the booked appointment?
Free from account creation Note Can clients book without having first to create an account with the software?
Integrated gift cards Note Can you sell digital gift cards as part of the booking process?
Calendar and Appointment Management
Customize notification messages Note Can you change the text sent to your clients as part of appointment reminders and other messages?		Note You can enable/disable parts of the notification and add an additional message.
Customize notification timings Note Can you change when reminders and other messages go out to your clients?
Client waitlist management
Rooms and resource scheduling Note Can you manage equipment, rooms, and other resources required to complete a service?
Repeat appointments Note Can you schedule clients for recurring appointments?
Time block Note Can you block out time on your calendar?
Processing time Note Can you allow for double booking of service providers by accepting appointments during service processing time?
Duration and price by staff Note Can you adapt the price and time needed for a service based on who is performing the service?
Automated check-in Note Can clients check in to their appointments themselves?
Point of Sale/ Check out
Tablet compatible Note Can you run the POS on any tablet or do you need special hardware?
Dedicated POS hardware Note Does the system provider offer hardware to improve the check out expereince?
Self check out Note Can clients check out from their appointment themselves?
Route payments to renters Note If you have booth renters in your business, can you route payments directly to them?
Cards on file Note Can you store credit card details and charge the customer later?
Integrated payments Note Does the software offer a first-party payment processing solution?
Client Data & Communication
SMS Notification
Email Notificition
Dedicated business SMS number Note Do you get a business phone number that your messages and notifications are send from?
Two way SMS communication	Note Clients can confirm appointments by replying to SMS
Forms Note Can you create intake forms, store SOAP notes, and have clients sign your forms?
Client notes Note Can you store notes about clients on their profile?
Client files and images Note Can you store files and image on in the client’s profile?
Inventory and Product Types
Inventory tracking Note Will the system keep track of stock levels, notify you when it’s time to re-order?
Purchase orders Note Can the system create automatic purchase orders for you?
Retail
Memberships
Packages
Gift cards
Team Support & Payroll
Fully integrated payroll Note Can you run payroll and cut paychecks directly through the software?
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)?
Payroll reports
Commission support Note Can you track and report on commission for service, retail, and other product types?
Multi-location support Note Does the system have specific support for businesses with multiple locations
Booth renter support Note Can the system help with rent collection, payments, and other booth renter management tasks.
Marketing Support
Email marketing
SMS marketing
Website builder
Client marketplace Note Does it offer a platform where potential clients can browse businesses using the software?
Add-on offers Note Can you promote service add-ons/upsells as part of the online booking flow?
Cloud & Mobile App Access
Full-featured mobile app Note Can you access all software features in the mobile app?
Web browser
iPad
iPhone
Android

Integrating with Other Platforms for Additional Features

As your business scales up, you will likely want to integrate with other platforms as you’ll probably need more specific features.

Given that GlossGenius is for solo business owners (or tiny teams), they haven’t invested in integrations. They do, however, allow for some pretty neat contacts/ calendar synchronization, which is valuable if your personal and business life blends.

Square Appointments is the better alternative in this regard and shines with easy integrations – connecting other Square products and third-party apps.

Square Appointments vs GlossGenius

These platforms do not put big emphasis on integration support even Vagaro is has the richest support out of the two.

	Square Appointments	GlossGenius
Custom integrations Note Does the platform allow you to create new integrations to support your business-specific needs?
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: Quickbooks Jotform Wix WooCommerce	Google Calendar Phone contacts

Pricing

Both Square Appointments and GlossGenius offer affordable pricing.

This is a big reason they have become so popular for independent professionals.

Owners love GlossGenius for the pricing model that is very easy to understand. There are not a lot of options; it’s straightforward, and you know what you’ll pay.

Square makes it a bit more complex to understand what you’ll pay, so you want to think through your needs and how you plan to use it before you sign up so that you have an idea of what you’ll pay.

Square Appointments vs GlossGenius Pricing

Both Square and GlossGenius offer affordable pricing. Let's look at what you'll pay.

	Square Appointments	GlossGenius
Average Price	$45 per month	$48 per month
Trial Options	Free base tier plan	Free 14 Day Trial
Minimum contract length	Cancel any time	No contract, cancel any time
Plans Free: $0/month (only very essential features) Plus: $29 per location (includes core features like client notifications and cancellation policy) Premium: $69 per location (includes more sophisticated features like resource management). Unlimited calendars on all plans Standard: $24/month (core features, one user) Gold: $48/ month (includes more sophisticated features such as intake forms, waitlist, commission reporting, premium website designs, and multiple users).
Plans	Free: $0/month (only very essential features) Plus: $29 per location (includes core features like client notifications and cancellation policy) Premium: $69 per location (includes more sophisticated features like resource management). Unlimited calendars on all plans	Standard: $24/month (core features, one user) Gold: $48/ month (includes more sophisticated features such as intake forms, waitlist, commission reporting, premium website designs, and multiple users).
Add-ons Email marketing: $15/month SMS marketing: $10/month Square loyalty: $45/month Square Payroll: $35 + $6 per user/month No add-ons. All features are included in the Gold plan.
Add-ons	Email marketing: $15/month SMS marketing: $10/month Square loyalty: $45/month Square Payroll: $35 + $6 per user/month	No add-ons. All features are included in the Gold plan.
Credit card fees In-person: 2.6% + 10 cents (2.5% + 10 cents on paid plans) Online (card): 2.9% + 30 cents Manually Keyed-In: 3.5% + 15 cents 2.6% on all transactions
Credit card fees	In-person: 2.6% + 10 cents (2.5% + 10 cents on paid plans) Online (card): 2.9% + 30 cents Manually Keyed-In: 3.5% + 15 cents	2.6% on all transactions

What do Users Think of These Platforms?

Now that you have read my opinion on these two platforms, it’s time to read the customer reviews.

Square Appointments vs GlossGenius

Let's compare scores for these systems on the major user review sites.

	Square Appointments	GlossGenius
	4.4	4.6
	4.3	5.0
	4.9	4.7
	4.7	4.3

What Alternatives Should You Consider?

Square Appointments and GlossGenius are good alternatives for independent professionals or small teams. However, if you’re still unsure, I would consider the platforms below.

Mangomint is the highest-rated software for salons and spas. If you have a team, this is the alternative I recommend you test try.

Fresha is another option that serves similar businesses as Square Appointments and GlossGenius and could, therefore, be an interesting alternative if you’re reading this.

Mangomint vs Fresha

A quick comparison of the two Square Appointments and GlossGenius alternatives.

Mangomint

Fresha

Overall score

4.9

4.1

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.

$165 per month

$80 per month (no subscription fee; 20% new client fee; free thereafter)

Who is it for

The highest-rated software for salons & spas. Designed for businesses with a team who want the best design experience, smart automations, and the flexibility to integrate with other systems.

For the independent professional or business on a budget that want to avoid subscription fees and a big technical learning curve.

Ease of use

5

5

Customer Service

5

2

Countries

U.S. and Canada

Available in 22 languages in over 120 countries worldwide.

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

• FREE subscription with unlimited staff
• Fresha marketplace where clients can discover your salon
• Easy to use with a modern minimalistic design interface
• Available in over 120 countries!

Conclusion

I hope this comparison of Square Appointments and GlossGenius has helped you decide on the right platform to succeed in your business.

I recommend you read my top list of the best salon and spa software for more alternatives and insight into these platforms.

Did you find this post helpful? Share it with your friends!