BeautiDock vs Square Appointments: costs and fit (2026)

Choose Square Appointments if you want $0 software with text reminders and a card reader; pick BeautiDock if you want a beauty-focused booking website with a loyalty card and an automatic cancellation window included for at most $19 a month.

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Prices checked on October 10, 2026

BeautiDock vs Square Appointments at a glance

Monthly price: BeautiDockFree to start: first 30 online bookings free, then $0.50 per online booking, max $19/pro/month ($190/year); Square AppointmentsFree $0; Plus $49; Premium $149 per location/month
Team pricing: BeautiDockUp to $19 per professional; team logins included; Square AppointmentsPer location, unlimited staff calendars on every plan
Commission on new clients: BeautiDockNone; Square AppointmentsNone
Card processing: BeautiDockDeposits only, via your own Stripe account: Stripe fee + 0.9%; Square Appointments2.6% + 15¢ in person, 3.3% + 30¢ online on Free (2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans), 3.5% + 15¢ card on file
Marketplace (new clients): BeautiDockNo; Square AppointmentsSquare Go app (free, US, iOS)
Own website: BeautiDockBooking website with 3 templates; own domain with Pro look ($9/month); Square AppointmentsBooking site included; full website builder separate
SMS reminders: BeautiDockNo: email confirmations and reminders; Square AppointmentsFree text and email reminders on every plan
POS / card reader: BeautiDockNo; Square AppointmentsYes: full POS, readers, Tap to Pay
Loyalty: BeautiDockLoyalty card included (stamps per visit); Square AppointmentsSquare Loyalty, a separate paid subscription
No-show protection: BeautiDockDeposits + cancellation window with automatic refunds, on every account; Square AppointmentsDeposits on every plan; cancellation policy and no-show fees from Plus
Contract / trial: BeautiDockNo card to start, cancel anytime; Square AppointmentsFree plan with no time limit; trial on paid plans

Feature	BeautiDock	Square Appointments
Monthly price	Free to start: first 30 online bookings free, then $0.50 per online booking, max $19/pro/month ($190/year)	Free $0; Plus $49; Premium $149 per location/month
Team pricing	Up to $19 per professional; team logins included	Per location, unlimited staff calendars on every plan
Commission on new clients	None	None
Card processing	Deposits only, via your own Stripe account: Stripe fee + 0.9%	2.6% + 15¢ in person, 3.3% + 30¢ online on Free (2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans), 3.5% + 15¢ card on file
Marketplace (new clients)	No	Square Go app (free, US, iOS)
Own website	Booking website with 3 templates; own domain with Pro look ($9/month)	Booking site included; full website builder separate
SMS reminders	No: email confirmations and reminders	Free text and email reminders on every plan
POS / card reader	No	Yes: full POS, readers, Tap to Pay
Loyalty	Loyalty card included (stamps per visit)	Square Loyalty, a separate paid subscription
No-show protection	Deposits + cancellation window with automatic refunds, on every account	Deposits on every plan; cancellation policy and no-show fees from Plus
Contract / trial	No card to start, cancel anytime	Free plan with no time limit; trial on paid plans

Competitor prices from their official pages or the sources listed below, checked on October 10, 2026. Prices change: confirm before you decide.

Square Appointments is free software with text reminders, a POS and card readers, paid for by Square's card processing; BeautiDock is a beauty-focused booking website with deposits, a loyalty card and an automatic cancellation window, priced per online booking and capped at $19 a month. If you already take cards with Square and want $0 software, Square is hard to beat; if you want a branded booking site with no-show tools and loyalty built in, BeautiDock is the lighter fit.

Square figures come from Square's official US pricing page, as cited in our October 2026 comparisons.

Where Square Appointments is stronger

$0 entry price. The Free plan has no monthly fee and no time limit, with an online booking site, deposits and unlimited staff calendars.
Text reminders. Square includes text and email reminders on every plan. BeautiDock sends email only for now.
Payments ecosystem. POS, card readers, Tap to Pay, gift cards and more, all in one account. BeautiDock has no POS.
Per-location pricing. Plus is $49 for the whole location, however many staff you have, which suits teams of 3 or more.
Square Go. A free marketplace app (US, iOS) where clients can find businesses that use Square Appointments. BeautiDock has no marketplace.
Lower online card rate on paid plans: 2.9% + 30¢, versus BeautiDock's Stripe fee + 0.9% (about 3.8% + 30¢).

Where BeautiDock is stronger

No-show tools on every account. Set a deposit per service and a cancellation window: cancellations before it are refunded automatically, after it you keep the deposit. On Square, cancellation policies and no-show fees start on Plus ($49).
Loyalty card included. Stamps per visit and a reward you choose; Square Loyalty is a separate paid subscription.
A booking site that looks like a salon. Three designer templates, your colors and photos, a page per service and a team page; your own domain with Pro look ($9/month).
Retention emails: rebooking reminders and Google review requests, included.
Three languages: English, French and Spanish booking pages.
Money in your own Stripe account, with no lock-in to one payment processor.

What it costs: a worked example

Assumptions (labelled): one esthetician, 80 online bookings a month, average service $70, a $30 deposit on 20 longer services ($600 a month). Payments at the chair excluded.

	Square Free	Square Plus	BeautiDock
Subscription	$0	$49	80 × $0.50 = $40, capped at $19
Deposit processing ($600, 20 payments)	3.3% + 30¢ = $25.80	2.9% + 30¢ = $23.40	3.8% + 30¢ = $28.80
Cancellation window / no-show fees	Not on Free	Included	Included
Loyalty program	Paid add-on	Paid add-on	Included
Monthly total	$25.80	$72.40	$47.80

The honest reading: Square Free is the cheapest by about $22 a month here. BeautiDock comes in below Square Plus when you want automatic cancellation rules, and it includes a loyalty card that would cost extra on Square. If you need text reminders or a card reader, Square covers both.

Switching from Square Appointments

Export your customer list from Square before you change anything, and keep a copy of your services and prices.
Set up BeautiDock: services, durations, hours, deposits and your cancellation window. Import the client CSV.
Test it by booking yourself on your phone, then cancelling.
Share your new link in your Instagram bio, Google Business Profile and with clients at checkout.
Keep Square for appointments already booked and for your card reader if you use it at the chair.

Compare more options in GlossGenius vs Square and Vagaro vs Square, or start free on BeautiDock, no card needed.

Sources

Questions

Is Square Appointments cheaper than BeautiDock?

Often, yes, for a solo pro on the Free plan: Square charges $0 a month and earns on card processing, while BeautiDock costs up to $19 a month. Once you need cancellation policies and no-show fees, Square Plus costs $49 per location, and BeautiDock includes its cancellation window on every account.

Does BeautiDock send text reminders like Square?

Not yet. BeautiDock sends email confirmations and reminders, rebooking reminder emails and Google review request emails. Square Appointments includes text and email reminders on every plan.

Can I use BeautiDock with a Square card reader?

Yes, separately. BeautiDock handles online booking and online deposits through your own Stripe account; you can keep taking payment at the chair with any reader you already own. The two systems are not connected.

Can I import my Square clients into BeautiDock?

Yes. Export your customer list from Square (ask Square support if you can't find the option), save it as CSV and use BeautiDock's client CSV import.