Square Appointments vs. Fresha

Square and Fresha both let your clients book and pay for appointments but how do they compare? The best way to find out is to break down each system’s features and look for the ones that matter most to your business.

Square vs. Fresha

Compare Square Appointments vs. Fresha

While Square and Fresha operate similar appointment booking systems, you’ll see with Square you get a host of extras, such as SEO tools, offline sales mode and physical gift cards, all for one simple monthly fee. This allows users to implement the system that works best for their business.

How Square works

With Square Appointments you can manage your availability through the app and let your clients book appointments online. You get customer email and SMS reminders, as well as a free customisable booking website, multi-location management, waitlist management, as well as Instagram and Google integrations all for a single, fixed monthly fee.

But Square is far more than just a booking system. Our flexible hardware and software lets you go where your customers are and pay in the way they want. Accept any kind of payment, including contactless and chip or send an electronic invoice and payment link through your dashboard.

As well as offering a robust EFTPOS system, Square gives you access to a range of tools to manage every aspect of your business. From inventory management to marketing, loyalty, business loans* and third-party integrations, it gives you everything you need to help your business thrive both now and in future.

How Fresha works

Fresha offers a booking system which lets businesses manage payments and bookings without a monthly subscription. There are optional paid features for payment processing, a marketplace new client fee, automated notifications and marketing.

Trustpilot rating comparison

As at 13/07/2023

4.3/5

4.2/5

Scheduling

  Square Fresha
Mobile app (iOS/Android)
Yes
Yes
Cancellation and no-show fees
Yes
Yes
Custom availability
Yes
Yes
Automated SMS and email reminders
Yes
50 free monthly texts. $0.05 per extra text
Block personal events
Yes
Yes
Recurring appointments
Yes
Yes
Multiple time zones
Yes
Yes
Waitlist
Yes
Yes
Processing time
Yes
Yes
Automated SMS and email confirmations
Yes
50 free monthly texts. $0.05 per extra text
Daily appointment limit
Yes
No
Resource management
Yes
Yes

Online booking

  Square Fresha
SEO tools
Yes
No
Online booking website
Yes
Fresha marketplace
Book Now button
Yes
Yes
Booking website QR code
Yes
No
Instagram integration
Yes
Yes
Reserve with Google integration
Yes
Yes
Google Calendar sync
Yes
Yes

Client management

  Square Fresha
Attach contracts, documents or other files
Yes
Yes
Custom contract templates
Yes
Yes
Automate contract sends to customers
Yes
Yes
Auto-created customer profiles
Yes
Yes
Customer groups
Yes
No
Customer notes and reminders
Yes
Yes
Import existing customers
Yes
Yes
Card on file
Yes
Yes
Email marketing From $20/mo Calculated based on
the amount of text messages
or emails you choose to send via
Fresha’s built-in marketing tools.
$0.12 per text and $0.03 per email
Loyalty program From $49/mo
No
New client fees
No
20% fee applied to
brand new clients
who discover and book services
via the Fresha Marketplace

Retail and inventory

  Square Fresha
Free online store
Yes
Yes
Sell products in-store or for
pickup/delivery
Yes
Yes
Item search at checkout
Yes
Yes
Barcode scanning at checkout
Yes
Yes
Discounts
Yes
Yes
Unlimited items
Yes
Yes
Stock counts
Yes
Yes
Low-stock alerts
Yes
Yes
Item categories
Yes
Yes
Photo Studio app for item library
and online store
Yes
No

Reporting

  Square Fresha
Appointment and sales history
Yes
Yes
Sales reports
Yes
Yes
Export reports
Yes
Yes
Appointment reports
Yes
Yes
Team sales vs Labour reporting
Yes
Yes
Earned commissions reports
Yes
Yes

Payments

  Square Fresha
Data security (PCI) compliance
Yes
Yes
Free monthly plan
Yes
Yes
Next day and instant transfers* for a small fee
Yes
Next business day only
No chargeback fees
Yes
No
In-person processing fees 1.6% per tap or insert 1.29% + $0.26
Tap or insert in person
Yes
Yes
Key-in payments
Yes
Yes
Physical gift cards
Yes
No
Built-in surcharge feature
No
Yes
Offline mode Yes, with Square Terminal
and Square Register
No
eGift cards
Yes
Yes
Payment links
Yes
Yes
Invoicing software
Yes
Yes
Virtual Terminal to take payments
over the phone or on your computer
Yes
Yes
eGift Cards
Yes
Yes
Send professional invoices
Yes
Yes
Afterpay
Yes
Yes
Prepayments
Yes
Yes

Hardware support

  Square Fresha
All-in-one POS system with
customer display and built-in
software
Square Register – $1,099
No
Portable EFTPOS machine with
built-in receipt printer and free,
pre-installed POS software
Square Terminal – $329 Fresha S1
Countertop iPad POS stand with
built-in card reader
Square Stand – $149
No
POS Hardware starting price Square Reader – $59 Fresha S1

Integrations

  Square Fresha
Integration with hundreds of
third-party software, such as Xero,
WooCommerce and Zoho
Yes
No
Seamless integration with
first-party software and hardware
Yes
Yes

Why businesses choose Square

Businesses searching for a flexible POS and appointment solution tailored to their specific requirements need to look no further than Square. For appointments-based businesses Square is designed to give you the flexibility to run your business effectively but also to be by your side as you grow.

One single, fixed monthly fee

At Square, we like to keep things simple so you can keep doing what you do best rather than worry about doing admin. We have one single fixed monthly fee for Square Appointments and transparent processing fees for payments. We don’t vary the cost depending on how many new clients you get or how many extra SMS reminders you need to send, so you’ll never get a surprise bill at the end of the month. We also don’t believe in tying you into a lengthy contract – we understand business goes through ups and downs, so you can cancel anytime.

Hardware that looks good and works like a dream

Square’s POS hardware is designed to last. It’s functional yet sleek, beautiful yet robust, allowing you to take bookings and client payments quickly and easily. Whether you opt for the minimalist Square Terminal or countertop iPad POS stand with a built-in card reader, our payment terminals blend seamlessly with your business.

One single integrated POS system

Square comes with everything you need to successfully run your business. From our hardware to booking, payments, marketing and more, you’ll find everything you need in one single, easy-to-use system. Your data is stored in one place and your customer details are kept secure. Square also integrates with many popular third-party platforms, so you can keep using your favourite apps.

Free client booking online

With Square, you can create your own customisable booking website and accept appointments online. You can also integrate with Instagram, Facebook and Google so customers can book with you directly from the platform they’re on. This is important given 39% of appointments are often made outside of regular salon opening hours*. Furthermore, Square won’t charge you for any new clients who book with you via Square Appointments.

Stay organised wherever you are

Manage your availability on the go through the Square Appointments app and reduce the risk of no-shows with automated SMS and email reminders. Manage multiple locations, your waitlist and set up cancellation and no-show fees all in one place.

Pick the plan for you

No hidden fees. Change or cancel at any time.
Custom pricing and discounts are available for qualifying businesses in Australia.

Free

The basics to run your own business while staying ahead of schedule.

$0/mo.

for a single location.

Processing rate per transaction:

  • 1.6%
Get started free
Top Free Features:
  • Unlimited staff accounts
  • Custom booking website and social media integrations
  • Integrated payments
  • Automatic text and email reminders
  • Automated contracts
See more

Plus

More advanced features for growing teams that offer top-notch service.

$40/mo.

per location.

Processing rate per transaction:

  • 1.6%
Start free trial
Top Plus Features:
See more

Premium

A complete plan that meets complex booking and staff management needs.

$90/mo.

per location.

Processing rate per transaction:

  • 1.6%
Start free trial
Top Premium Features:
See more

Contact sales for custom pricing

If your business processes over $250K in card sales per year, you may be eligible for custom pricing packages. This would include everything in Square Appointments Premium, a dedicated account manager in Australia and discounts on optional business tools, such as Square Online, Square Loyalty and more. Contact sales

Start using Square Appointments today

The all-in-one POS and appointment booking system to support and grow your business.

FAQ

*Data sourced internally from 1 January to 31 December 2022 for Beauty and Personal Care sellers in Australia.

1.6% card present rate applies for Square Sellers who sign up on or after 30 May 2024, or who signed up prior to this date and subscribed to Square Appointments Plus or Premium. The rate of 1.9% will apply for all other Square Sellers who signed up prior to this date when using Square Reader, Square Stand or Tap to Pay, as listed in the Square Fee Schedule.