Online Booking and Calendar
Clients book 24/7 from your website, Instagram or Google profile. Salonist adds a room calendar, a waitlist and package booking for spas. Square books appointments and gives every staff member a calendar.
Square Appointments alternative
Salonist vs Square Appointments: Salon Tools and Your Own Card Rate
Square Appointments prices its plans per location and improves your card rate as the plan goes up. A second site costs another $49 or $149 a month.
Salonist charges one flat plan price, includes every location and leaves the card rate to you, so processing is a negotiation rather than a plan upgrade.
- ✓Unlimited staff. No staff limits.
- ✓Get more features for less.
- ✓Keep your own card rate
What the card rate costs a salon
$780
A year of the gap 2.6% against 2.4% on $30,000 a month
Salonist does not set your card rate. You connect the gateway you already use, so the rate is whatever you have negotiated.
Short on time?
Salonist vs Square Appointments at a Glance
Pick Salonist if
You want salon software, not a till with a calendar
- You want commissions, tips and timesheets in the plan
- You run more than one location
- You want WhatsApp campaigns and 13 languages
- You want to choose your own card processor
- You need purchase orders and warehouse stock
What to check on Square Appointments
Points to weigh
- !A better card rate needs a bigger plan
- !Plans are charged per location, $49 or $149
- !Text marketing sits on the paid plans
- !Loyalty is a separate Square subscription
- !Payments are locked to Square
- !Online card rates run 2.9% to 3.3% plus 30 cents
Side by side
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Salonist | Square Appointments |
|---|
Square Appointments pricing vs Salonist pricing
Square Appointments Cost vs Salonist Cost
Square prices per location and builds the card rate into the plan. Salonist charges one flat price and leaves processing to you.
Square Appointments Pricing
Plan prices are per location. The card rate improves as the plan goes up.
| Plan or fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Free | $0 |
| Plus, per location | $49 a month |
| Premium, per location | $149 a month |
| In person, Free plan | 2.6% + 15¢ |
| In person, Plus | 2.5% + 15¢ |
| In person, Premium | 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Online, Free and Plus | 3.3% + 30¢ |
| Online, Premium | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Keyed or card on file | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| Text marketing | Paid plans only |
Gift card loads cost 2.5% on the lower plans. Hardware is bought separately.
Salonist Pricing
One flat plan price with unlimited staff. Printed on the pricing page, no quote needed.
| Plan or fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Free marketplace listing | $0 |
| Essential | $59 a month |
| Advance | $109 a month |
| Expert | $179 a month |
| Extra staff | $0, unlimited |
| Extra location | Included on paid plans |
| Free trial | 7 days, no card |
| New marketplace client | 15% of the first visit, once |
Every paid plan includes unlimited staff, every location and free data import. See the full Salonist pricing page.
Feature comparison
Salonist vs Square Appointments Feature by Feature
Square is a payments company with booking attached. Salonist is salon software with payments attached, and the daily jobs show the difference.
Point of Sale and Retail
Ring up services and products on one ticket, take tips and print or email the receipt at the till, and sell online through the built in store. Square runs a strong till, though the card rate is tied to the plan you pick.
Staff, Commission and Tips
Commission splits, tips, timesheets and login permissions all sit in one staff screen, with no charge for extra people. On Square, commissions and timesheets sit across separate products and paid tiers.
Stock and Inventory
Inventory management covers barcodes, purchase orders, warehouse stock and low stock alerts, so retail stops leaking margin. Square tracks stock at a simpler level for services businesses.
Marketing and Client Win Back
Run SMS, email and WhatsApp campaigns from the same place as your calendar including birthday offers and rebooking reminders. Square keeps text marketing on its paid plans and charges per message beyond the bundle.
Memberships, Loyalty and Gift Cards
Memberships, reward points and gift cards work at the till and online, which keeps regulars coming back. Square sells loyalty as a separate subscription.
Built for Multiple Locations
Salonist is a multi location system. Run every branch from one account, switch between them in a click and compare them in one report, with every location included on paid plans. Square charges $49 or $149 a month for each extra location.
Forms and Client Records
Consent forms, before and after photos and client documents sit with the visit history on the client record. Square offers basic intake forms.
The difference that shows
WhatsApp Marketing and 13 Languages, Built In
Salonist runs in 60+ countries with 13 languages, right to left Arabic and local payment gateways. WhatsApp campaigns sit on the Advance plan, so reminders and offers reach clients on the app they actually open.
- Booking confirmations and reminders on WhatsApp
- Birthday and win back offers
- Rebooking nudges after a visit
- Your team sees the software in their own language
Why salons switch
What You Get With Salonist
In every plan
- ✓Unlimited staff on every plan
- ✓Every location included on paid plans
- ✓POS, retail and inventory built in
- ✓WhatsApp, SMS and email campaigns
- ✓Commissions, tips and timesheets
- ✓60+ countries and 13 languages
Best fit for
- ✓Salons with staff on commission
- ✓Owners running two or more locations
- ✓Salons that want their own payment rate
- ✓Spas and clinics that need forms and room booking
- ✓Salons outside the United States
Prices taken from the Square Appointments pricing page.
Best fit
Who Should Choose Salonist?
- Salons with staff on commission
- Owners running two or more locations
- Salons that want their own payment rate
- Spas and clinics that need forms and room booking
- Salons outside the United States
See Salonist for hair salons, nail salons, spas, barber shops.
Keep comparing
Other Comparisons
Looking at more than one tool? See Salonist vs Vagaro, plus Salonist vs Acuity and Salonist vs GlossGenius on the compare hub.
Book a 20 minute demo and we will walk through your own numbers.
Moving is easy
Switching from Square Appointments to Salonist
Book a demo
A product expert walks through Salonist with you in 20 minutes.
Send your data
We import your clients, services and appointment history for free.
Add the whole team
Every staff member is included, so nobody is left off the calendar.
Go live
Share your booking link and start taking appointments the same week.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Still deciding? These are the questions salon owners ask us most.
7 day free trial · no card needed
Try the Best Square Appointments Alternative for Salons
Salon tools in the plan, every location included and your own card rate.
