Tool Comparisons
Square Appointments vs Acuity: Cost and Fit
A solo provider who takes card payments on Square can start on Square's Free plan at $0 a month. A small team that needs text reminders, a waitlist and packages without running its register on Square can compare Acuity Scheduling, which has no free plan and starts at $20 a month. The deciding factors are how many calendars you need, whether you want no-show fees, and who processes your cards.
Prices below come from vendor pages opened on 24 October 2026. Square's Appointments page showed plan features but no dollar amounts to our fetcher, so Square's prices come from its October 2025 pricing announcement and blog. Acuity's pricing page was read directly.
$20→
Acuity Starter, monthly billing
Acuity pricing page, 24 Oct 2026
$34→
Acuity Standard, monthly billing
Acuity pricing page, 24 Oct 2026
$69→
Acuity Premium, monthly billing
Acuity pricing page, 24 Oct 2026
$0→
Square Free, per location
Square announcement, 6 Oct 2025
Estimates for illustration; actual numbers vary.
What Does Each One Cost?
Acuity lists three plans. Starter is $20 a month ($16 billed annually) with one calendar. Standard is $34 ($27) with up to six calendars. Premium is $69 ($55) with up to 36 calendars. The page says annual billing saves 20%, offers a 7-day trial with no credit card, and states there is no free plan. It also says there are no setup or cancellation fees.
Square's unified plans are priced per location: Free at $0, Plus at $49 and Premium at $149 a month. Square's blog says Plus includes a 30-day free trial. Square Appointments uses the same Free, Plus and Premium names, and its page describes Free as being for solo professionals taking payments and managing schedules.
Check your own account for the exact Appointments price, since Square's Appointments page did not display it to our fetcher.
What Do You Get at Each Level?
On Acuity, Starter includes payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, email reminders and custom client forms. Standard adds text reminders, a waitlist, memberships and packages, and gift certificates. Premium adds an AI Booking Assistant, a Business Associate Agreement for HIPAA, removal of the Powered by Acuity footer, and API and CSS access.
On Square, the Free plan includes online booking, appointment reminders and unlimited staff calendars. Plus adds cancellation policies and no-show fees, multi-staff appointment booking and a waitlist. Premium adds a future bookings report, service cost tracking and resource management.
A notable difference is the unit of pricing. Acuity charges by calendar count. Square charges by location, with no employee limit on its page. A shop with eight stylists in one location pays one Square fee, but moves to Acuity's Premium tier.
What About Card Processing Fees?
Acuity's pricing page does not list processing fees. It says you can accept payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, so the fee depends on the processor you choose.
Square's help center treats Square Appointments as a legacy plan and lists in-person payments at 2.6% + 15¢, online payments and invoices at 3.3% + 30¢, and cards on file or keyed in at 3.5% + 15¢. Square says rates can vary by plan, so check Pricing and subscriptions in your dashboard.
For comparison, the unified Plus plan lists 2.5% + 15¢ in person, and Premium 2.4% + 15¢. If you already run your register on Square, adding Appointments keeps all card activity in one place. If your register is on another system, Acuity's choice of processor may matter more than the monthly fee. Our Fresha vs Square vs Vagaro comparison looks at card fees for salons in more detail.
How Hard Is It to Leave Either One?
Neither pricing page ties you to a long contract. Acuity says there are no setup or cancellation fees, and Square's Free plan has no subscription to cancel. Square's blog says you can switch plans at any time.
What does lock you in is your client history and your processor. If card payments run through Square, moving the booking tool to Acuity is simpler than moving the register. Whichever you choose, export your client list and booking history once a quarter, so a change of tool does not cost you the customer record.
Neither vendor page opened for this article describes export steps, so check each help center before you rely on a particular format.
Which Reduces No-Shows Better?
Both tools send reminders. Acuity's Starter plan sends email reminders only, and text reminders start on Standard. Square's Free plan includes appointment reminders, and no-show fees begin on Plus.
If no-shows are your main cost, the plan that charges for them matters more than the reminder channel. Read our guide to reducing no-shows before choosing a fee amount, and see how to win back no-shows by email.
Who Should Pick Which?
Use this rule:
- Solo provider, cards already on Square: Square Free. No monthly fee, with unlimited calendars.
- You need no-show or cancellation fees and run one location: Square Plus at $49 a month, or Acuity Standard at $34 if you do not need Square's all-in-one setup. Check how Acuity handles deposits and fees in its help center, since the pricing page does not cover them.
- Up to six calendars, packages or memberships, and your own choice of processor: Acuity Standard.
- Seven to 36 calendars or HIPAA needs: Acuity Premium has a Business Associate Agreement. Square Premium is $149 per location.
- You need a free option, however small: only Square offers one.
For a wider view, see our comparison of booking apps for salons and our guide to online booking systems for salons.
Worked Example: A Four-Stylist Studio
All inputs are assumptions: four staff calendars, one location, no-show fees wanted, card processing identical on both tools. Only the software fee is compared.
| Square Plus | Acuity Standard (monthly) | Acuity Standard (annual) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $49 | $34 | $27 |
| 12-month cost | $588 | $408 | $324 |
| Reminders | appointment reminders (channel not stated) | email and text | email and text |
| Waitlist | yes | yes | yes |
| Calendar cap | none stated | 6 | 6 |
On software alone, Acuity Standard is $180 a year cheaper than Square Plus on monthly billing, or $264 cheaper billed annually. That is the whole advantage for this studio. If paying in Square lowers its card costs or saves time at checkout, the gap may disappear. If the studio grows past six calendars, Acuity Premium at $69 is still below Square Premium at $149.
Do This Today
Count how many people take bookings and whether you need no-show fees. Those two answers choose the plan on either tool.
FAQ
Is there a free version of Acuity?
No. Acuity's pricing page says it does not offer a free plan, but there is a 7-day free trial with no credit card.
Does Square Appointments have a staff limit?
Square's Appointments page says there is no employee limit under its unlimited calendars feature.
Can Acuity take payments through Square?
Yes. Acuity lists Square, Stripe, PayPal and Venmo as payment options.
Which has no-show fees?
Square lists cancellation policy and no-show fees on Plus. Acuity's pricing page does not list them, so check its help center.
Is annual billing cheaper?
On Acuity, yes: annual rates are $16, $27 and $55 against $20, $34 and $69 monthly.
Sources
- Acuity Scheduling: Pricing (opened 24 Oct 2026)
- Square Appointments: Pricing and plans (features only; no prices visible to our fetcher)
- Square: Unified pricing and packaging, press release of 6 Oct 2025
- Square: The thinking behind our new pricing plans
- Square Help: What are Square's fees?
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Nataliia
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
About NataliiaRelated articles
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