Best Square Appointments Alternatives Worth Considering

Square Appointments is a favorite for service-based businesses that want seamless booking combined with built-in payment processing. Its direct integration with Square’s POS makes it appealing to salons, spas, and professionals who already rely on Square for transactions. 

Many businesses, however, find Square Appointments restrictive when it comes to customization, integration with non-Square tools, and customer support.

If you need more advanced client management, deeper customization options, or prefer flexible payment processing, there are excellent alternatives. 

Below, we unpack what to look for in alternative appointment scheduling apps and the best options worth exploring.

What to Look for in a Square Appointments Alternative

Integrated Payment Flexibility – Square Appointments forces you into Square’s payment ecosystem. While that’s convenient if you’re all-in on Square, many businesses need the freedom to choose from processors like Stripe, PayPal, or other integrations. A strong alternative should give you control over your payment methods and allow features like deposits, prepayments, and cancellation fees.

Comprehensive Booking Management – Good scheduling software should go beyond basic one-on-one appointments. Look for platforms supporting group bookings, classes, automated reminders, and multi-staff scheduling without needing manual workarounds.

Customization Options – Square Appointments offers limited customization beyond logos and colors, often falling short for brands seeking polished, on-brand booking experiences. The right alternative should let you tailor booking pages, client communications, and scheduling rules to fit your business’s identity.

Support and Usability – Square Appointments’ customer support has been widely criticized for slow responses and limited availability. Consider solutions offering responsive, multi-channel support and an interface that’s both intuitive and robust.

Top Five Square Appointments Alternatives

Bookedin – The Best Square Appointments Alternative

Why We Recommend It

Bookedin is purpose-built for service professionals who need more than basic booking. It combines powerful scheduling with:

• Flexible payment integration: Accept payments through Stripe, Paypal or Square, enabling you to choose the processor that works best for you.
• Advanced scheduling features: Support for individual, recurring, and group appointments with buffer times, waitlists, and multi-staff calendars.
• Rich client management: Automated email/SMS reminders, detailed client histories, and intake forms to collect information in advance.
• Branding freedom: Fully customizable booking pages matching your logo, colors, and style letting you present a professional image that Square’s limited customization can’t match.
• Dedicated mobile apps: Manage your business from anywhere with iOS and Android apps that mirror the full desktop experience.
• Excellent support: Responsive phone and email assistance with industry-leading response times, so you’re never left waiting.

Best For: Salons, wellness providers, creative professionals, coaches, consultants, and any service-based business that values customization, client experience, and flexible payments.

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling, a Squarespace company, is an online scheduling assistant that helps businesses stay on time, on brand, and in control with tools for personalization, payments, and automation.

What We Like – Acuity offers extensive customization of booking flows, detailed intake forms, and powerful options like packages, subscriptions, and HIPAA compliance, ideal for regulated industries.

Where It Falls Short – Higher-tier plans get expensive fast, and the interface feels outdated. Customer support has also declined since Squarespace’s acquisition.

Calendly

Calendly is a scheduling automation platform trusted by users to simplify meeting coordination, accelerate business growth, and improve relationship-building at scale.

What We Like – Calendly is easy to use for scheduling meetings. It’s perfect for teams coordinating with external clients, sales prospects, or internal colleagues.

Where It Falls Short – Limited payment support and weak client management features make it ill-suited for service businesses relying on appointments for revenue.

Setmore

Setmore is an online scheduling platform that empowers businesses to automate bookings, accept payments, and make it easy for customers to self-book. 

What We Like – A good free plan and quick setup make Setmore attractive to solo professionals and small teams needing simple booking.

Where It Falls Short – Customization options are minimal, and features like auto-reminders are either basic or absent.

SimplyBook me

SimplyBook.me is an online booking platform for service-based businesses, offering a personalized booking website or app for clients.

What We Like – SimplyBook.me delivers customization and marketing tools, like branded booking sites, memberships, gift cards, and coupons.

Where It Falls Short – The features can overwhelm new users, and pricing climbs steeply once you enable multiple add-ons.

Fresha

Fresha is an appointment booking platform for beauty and wellness.

What We Like – Fresha is a completely free platform with built-in POS and inventory tools, designed specifically for beauty and wellness businesses. Its simple onboarding and zero monthly fees appeal to salons and spas.

Where It Falls Short – Fresha charges transaction fees on every booking, can limit payout flexibility, and lacks the advanced customization many businesses want.

Quantitative Comparison Table of Square Appointments Alternatives

So, which is the right scheduling tool for you?

Square Appointments provides an excellent solution for businesses already embedded in Square’s payments ecosystem, especially solo stylists and small salons. Its strength lies in integrated payments, no-show protection, and free access for individuals.

However, if your business needs greater customization, flexible payment options beyond Square, or superior client management tools, platforms like Bookedin offer a better long-term fit. The platform stands out with its beautiful branded booking experience, responsive support, powerful scheduling features, and freedom to choose your preferred payment processor.

Bookedin isn’t a replacement for Square Appointments. It is an upgrade for businesses that value flexibility, professionalism, and truly exceptional client experiences.