Covered Beauty vs Square Appointments.
Deposits and consent forms from £9.
Square Appointments has a free plan for a single location, and its paid plans add no-show fees, a waitlist and more. If you already take payments with Square, keeping bookings in the same system may suit you. Here’s how it compares for a salon.
How much does Square Appointments cost compared with Covered Beauty?
A subscription is only part of the picture. Check the team allowance, commission rules and payment fees before choosing.
| What you are comparing | Covered Beauty | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| One practitioner | Solo: £9/month | Free: £0 for a single location. Plus: £29/month per location. Premium: £69/month per location Source: Square Appointments UK pricing |
| Five bookable people | Salon: £19/month for up to five | No staff limit on any plan. Prices are per location Source: Square Appointments UK pricing |
| Booking commission | None, including a client’s first booking | None listed. Its FAQ says there are no startup or authorisation fees Source: Square Appointments UK pricing and Square Appointments UK FAQ |
| Contract | Monthly. Cancel any time from your billing page | No long-term commitment Source: Square Appointments UK pricing |
| Free trial | 7 days free. No card needed | The Free plan has no time limit. Plus and Premium have a 30-day free trial Source: Square Appointments UK pricing and Square UK waitlist page |
| Deposits and no-show fees | Card deposits through Stripe on both plans, paid into your own Stripe account | Prepayments listed on every plan. No-show and cancellation fees need Plus or Premium Source: Square Appointments UK pricing |
| Text messages | 50 free texts a month on both plans, then top-ups if you need them | Text and email reminders on every plan. See Square’s pricing page for any limits Source: Square Appointments UK pricing |
| Card processing fees | Stripe’s processing fees | In person: 1.75% on Free, 1.6% on Plus and Premium. Online Store and payment links: 1.4% + 25p for UK cards Source: Square Appointments UK pricing and Square UK pricing |
Square Appointments prices and terms checked 10 October 2026 on Square Appointments UK pricing, Square Appointments UK FAQ, Square UK waitlist page and Square UK pricing. Covered Beauty prices are the advertised monthly subscriptions in our pricing section. Square’s pricing page doesn’t say whether its prices include VAT. Card processing and optional extras are separate. Features and tax treatment differ, so this is not a like-for-like total-cost quote. Check each provider’s current terms before signing up.
Is Covered Beauty a good Square Appointments alternative?
Covered Beauty is built for salons, clinics and tanning studios. Deposits, consent forms, client records, gift vouchers and 50 free texts a month come with both plans: Solo at £9/month and Salon at £19/month for up to five.
We do not market to your client list. You can export your records and cancel your subscription. Read our promise for the details.
See how online booking works and what is in a client record.
Weighing up more than two systems? Read Fresha alternatives for small UK salons, with how each one charges and who it suits, or the best salon booking software in the UK, with twelve options and the kind of business each one fits.
Who is Square Appointments better for?
Square Appointments suits businesses that already take card payments with Square’s readers or till and want bookings in the same system. Its Free plan covers a single location with no staff limit, so if you don’t need no-show fees, a waitlist or a second location, it costs nothing beyond Square’s card fees.
Add up the card fees too.
Square’s Free plan costs nothing a month, but every card payment carries Square’s processing fee, and charging no-show fees needs the £29 Plus plan. Covered Beauty’s deposits go through Stripe, whose fees are also separate. Compare the subscription and the card fees on the payments you actually take.
How do I switch from Square Appointments to Covered Beauty?
- Add a few treatments with the prices and durations you actually use.
- Set your working hours and open the booking page on your phone.
- Check the diary, a client record and the consent forms you need.
- Export your client list from Square Appointments. If its columns are headed name (or first and last name), email and phone or mobile, upload it to Covered Beauty as it is. If not, paste those columns into our client template and upload that.
- Ask us about future appointments and any prepaid balances. Keep access to Square Appointments until you have checked everything.
Need help working out the move? Tell us what you use now. We can confirm what is possible before you commit. Our salon software checklist covers the rest of the move.
Questions about switching from Square Appointments
Is Square Appointments free?
Its Free plan is £0 a month for a single location, with no staff limit. Card payments carry Square’s processing fees, 1.75% in person on the Free plan. No-show and cancellation fees, a waitlist and more than one location need Plus, at £29/month per location (Square’s UK pricing page, checked 10 October 2026).
Can I take deposits with Square Appointments?
Its UK pricing page lists prepayments on every plan. Charging no-show and cancellation fees to a card on file needs Plus or Premium. Covered Beauty takes card deposits through Stripe on both plans.
Can I try Covered Beauty before switching?
Yes. You get seven days free, with no card needed. Add a card before the trial ends if you want to carry on, and your chosen plan starts when it does. Solo is £9/month. Salon is £19/month. Stripe processing fees and optional extras are separate.
How does Covered Beauty compare with other systems?
Covered Beauty
vs Timely
Compare a weekly bill that follows your bookings with a flat monthly price.
Read the comparison ↗Covered Beauty
vs SimplyBook.me
Compare monthly booking limits and text credits with unlimited bookings.
Read the comparison ↗Fresha alternatives
for small UK salons.
Seven booking systems small salons look at instead of Fresha, four more you may come across, and how each one charges.
Read the guide ↗See all 10 comparisons on one page.