startbuddi vs Square Appointments: an honest comparison

Square Appointments is booking software tied to Square's card payments and point of sale, with reminders, staff calendars and no-show fees, and paid plans charged per location. startbuddi is a business workspace where bookings sit next to contacts, invoices, forms and marketing, with Paystack and Stripe for payments, so pick Square if you take card payments in person on Square, and startbuddi if you want bookings joined to the rest of your business.

We make startbuddi, so we're biased. We've tried to be fair: we list where Square Appointments is stronger, every fact about Square Appointments links to its source, and anything we couldn't confirm on their own site is marked "not published". Checked in September 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.

startbuddi

startbuddi is best for

Service businesses that want bookings, deposits, contacts and invoices in one workspace

Square Appointments

Square Appointments is best for

Salons and in-person service businesses that already take card payments with Square

At a glance

Best for

startbuddiService businesses that want bookings, deposits, contacts and invoices in one workspace

Square AppointmentsSalons and in-person service businesses that already take card payments with Square

Free plan

startbuddiYes, the Free plan

Square AppointmentsYes, Free

First paid plan

startbuddiStarter, $29 a month

Square AppointmentsPlus, $49 USD per location per month

Checked

startbuddiPrice book, October 2026

Square AppointmentsSeptember 2026

Where each one is stronger

The short version. Square Appointments first, because it does some things better than we do.

Square Appointments is stronger at

In-person paymentsSquare takes card payments in person, including Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, alongside online bookings.

Text reminders with repliesSquare sends automatic text and email reminders, and clients can reply to SMS reminders to confirm, cancel or change.

No-show protectionSquare Plus adds cancellation policies, no-show fees and a waitlist.

Salon toolsSquare Premium adds resource management for rooms, chairs and stations, plus service cost tracking.

Book Now buttonsSquare adds a Book Now button to Instagram, Facebook and your Google Business Profile.

startbuddi is stronger at

Paystack for African paymentsdeposits and full payments at booking can go through Paystack or Stripe, in NGN, USD, GBP, EUR, KES, ZAR or GHS.

No per-location pricingstartbuddi plans aren't priced per location, and every plan receives unlimited bookings.

Bookings land on the customer recordevery booking creates or updates a contact in Customers, next to WhatsApp, email and chat conversations in one inbox.

Contracts with e-signaturesend a contract from a template and collect signatures on startbuddi's own signing page.

One workspaceforms, invoices, marketing, projects and client portals sit alongside Bookings, with Chip helping across them.

Feature by feature

Each Square Appointments value links to where we found it. Anything their site doesn't state is marked "not published".

Show differences only

startbuddi and Square Appointments, feature by feature
Feature	startbuddi	Square Appointments
Free planOne live service on Free	Yes	YesSource (opens in a new tab)
Online booking page	Yes	YesSource (opens in a new tab)
Appointment remindersWhatsApp and SMS reminders once set up (connected WhatsApp number; SMS on a plan that includes it)	Email	Text and emailSource (opens in a new tab)
Cancellation policy and no-show feesTake a deposit up front; no separate no-show fee	Deposit at booking	Plus plan and upSource (opens in a new tab)
Google Calendar syncPushes bookings to Google or Outlook; doesn't read busy times	One-way push	Plus plan and upSource (opens in a new tab)
Multi-staff and round-robin booking	Yes	Plus plan and upSource (opens in a new tab)
InvoicesGenerate Invoice from a booking	Yes	YesSource (opens in a new tab)
EstimatesCustomers accept by replying to the email	Yes	YesSource (opens in a new tab)
Payment processingstartbuddi isn't a payment processor	Your Paystack or Stripe	Square, from 2.6% + 15¢ in personSource (opens in a new tab)
Text message marketingThe Marketing hub is not on the Free plan	Paid plans	Plus plan and upSource (opens in a new tab)

What each one looks like

Real screens, captured by us or taken from the official press kit, each dated.

startbuddi: Booking links — **startbuddi** · Booking links. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.

startbuddi: The bookings calendar — **startbuddi** · The bookings calendar. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.

startbuddi: Services with prices and durations — **startbuddi** · Services with prices and durations. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.

Square Appointments's own screens are on Square Appointments's website. We don't show another company's product without a dated capture from a trial or its press kit.

Pricing side by side

List prices as each company publishes them. We never convert currencies.

See startbuddi pricing

startbuddi

FreeFree
Starter$29 a month
Growth$79 a month
Scale$199 a month

Prices in US dollars, billed monthly. From our pricing page, updated 3 Oct 2026.

Square Appointments

Free$0 USD per location per month (card processing fees apply)Source (opens in a new tab)
Plus$49 USD per location per monthSource (opens in a new tab)
Premium$149 USD per location per monthSource (opens in a new tab)
Square ProPricing on request custom pricing for businesses processing over $250,000 per yearSource (opens in a new tab)

Checked in September 2026. Check Square Appointments's site for current plans.

Switching from Square Appointments

What moving across involves.

Get your customer list out of SquareDownload your customers from Square's Customer directory into a spreadsheet. Square's support centre has the current steps for your country.
Import your customers as contactsIn startbuddi, go to Customers → Contacts → Import, upload the CSV, map the columns and review before importing.
Recreate your services and staffIn Bookings → Services, create each service with its duration, price and staff, and invite your team in Bookings → Team. There's no automatic importer, so upcoming appointments are added by hand.
Connect payments and share the new linkConnect Paystack or Stripe, turn on Require payment to book for services that need a deposit, then share your booking link by copy, WhatsApp, email, embed code or QR code.

Sources

Checked in September 2026. startbuddi prices come from our own price book. Square Appointments's website.

Questions people ask

Can startbuddi take card payments in person like Square?

startbuddi isn't a point-of-sale system and has no card reader. Clients can pay online through Paystack or Stripe, or by a payment link or scan-to-pay QR code.

Can I move my customers from Square?

Download your customer list from Square's Customer directory, then import the CSV into startbuddi Contacts. Services, staff and upcoming appointments are set up by hand.

Does startbuddi have a free plan?

Yes. The Free plan includes one live bookable service with unlimited bookings, and every paid plan has a 30-day trial.

Does startbuddi send text reminders?

Yes, once set up. Each booking gets one automatic reminder at the time you choose, by email, WhatsApp or SMS. WhatsApp needs a connected WhatsApp number, and SMS needs an SMS connection and a plan that includes SMS.