Bella Booking vs Square Appointments
Built for beauty salons, spas and clinics, not just any business.
An honest comparison to help you choose the right salon, spa or clinic software for your business - whatever its size.
Quick facts at a glance
A side-by-side overview of key differences
Prices shown in AUD (inc. GST)
Bella Booking: Starter plan for 1-3 team members, Professional for 4+ (unlimited). Competitor pricing from official sources, verified September 2026.
Which is right for you?
An honest look at when each platform makes sense
Consider Bella Booking if...
- Purpose-built for salons, spas and clinics (not generic scheduling)
- Staff pricing tiers (Junior/Senior/Master)
- Sydney-based company with responsive support across multiple timezones
- Easy personal onboarding
- Free data migration on Starter and Professional
- Salon-specific client history and formulas
- Family/dependent booking (not available on Square Appointments)
- Loyalty programme included (Professional plan)
- Memberships with session tracking and client self-service portal (Square: no session tracking)
- AI Assistant for business insights
- Client confirmation system with one-click links
- Service-level deposit and cancellation policy overrides
- Client document storage (consent forms, photos)
- 30 reports with charts and comparison mode
- Accessibility & personalisation: dark mode, dyslexia-friendly fonts, colour themes, density modes
- Prepaid packages for selling session bundles upfront
- Digital forms with e-signatures and auto-send (not available on Square Appointments)
Consider Square Appointments if...
- You're a solo practitioner wanting a free solution
- You already use Square POS and want integration
- Payment processing fees are your primary concern
- You don't need salon-specific features like pricing tiers
- You want access to Square's hardware ecosystem
We believe in helping you find the right fit, even if it's not us.
Detailed feature comparison
A comprehensive look at what each platform offers
Scheduling & Booking
Client Management
Team Management
Payments & POS
Communication
Business Management
Platform & Support
Salon-Specific Features
Pricing breakdown
What you'll actually pay
Prices shown are starting prices and include GST. Bella Booking Starter includes up to 3 team members; Professional includes unlimited team members. Competitor pricing may vary based on team size.
Bella Booking
Solo (1 team): A$25/month AUD • Starter (1-3 team): A$67/month AUD • Professional (4+): A$99/month AUD
Square Appointments
Pricing information based on publicly available data as of September 2026. Visit each provider's website for current pricing.
Cost comparison by team size
Team Size Pricing Comparison
Monthly cost for different team sizes
Note: how team member limits work
Plan limits count the team members on your Bella roster who are on the scheduler or bookable online: front desk, managers and bookkeepers don't count. The comparisons in this table assume everyone listed takes appointments.
| Team Size | Bella Booking | Square Appointments | Savings with Bella |
|---|---|---|---|
1 person | A$25/mo(Solo) | A$0/mo Free (single location, feature-limited) | A$25/mo more |
3 people | A$67/mo(Starter) | A$40/mo A$40/location (Plus) | A$27/mo more |
6 people | A$99/mo(Professional) | A$40/mo A$40/location (Plus) | A$59/mo more |
12 people | A$99/mo(Professional) | A$40/mo A$40/location (Plus) | A$59/mo more |
Bella Booking: Official pricing (Starter A$67/mo, Professional A$99/mo)
Square Appointments: Official pricing page • Last verified: September 2026
Pricing may change. Please verify current prices on official websites before making decisions.
What Square Appointments does well
We believe in honest comparisons. Here's what Square Appointments excels at:
- 1Free plan for solo practitioners
- 2Extensive POS hardware ecosystem
- 3Lower payment processing fees (2.2% in AU, 2.9-3.3% + 30¢ in US for online)
- 4Established brand
- 5Native mobile apps
- 6Seamless integration with Square ecosystem
- 7Resource management (rooms, equipment)
- 8Gift cards included
Square Appointments might be better if...
We believe in helping you find the right solution, even if it's not us. Here are some scenarios where other options might serve you better:
- 1Free plan for solo practitioners
- 2Lower in-person card fees in Australia (1.6%, against Stripe's 1.65% + 30c plus Bella's 1%)
- 3Extensive POS hardware ecosystem
- 4Native mobile apps
- 5Larger platform with more integrations
Still not sure? - we'll give you an honest assessment of whether Bella Booking is right for your business.
Rated 5.0 on Capterra
“Try Bella, You Won't Regret It!”
“Great support for small business”
“User-friendly and reliable booking system with quick support”
Switching from Square Appointments?
We make it easy. Free onboarding on every plan, with free data migration on Starter and Professional.
See the full guide to switching from Square Appointments
Still comparing? More Square Appointments alternatives
How to switch from Square Appointments
Step-by-step guide to export your data and move to Bella Booking. We offer free onboarding on every plan, and free data migration on Starter and Professional.
- 1
Export your customer list
Go to Square Dashboard > Customers > Directory > click Import / Export > Export Customers. Choose "All Customers" or specific groups. Downloads as a CSV file.
- 2
Export appointment history
Go to Square Dashboard > Appointments > Settings > History > click Export. Downloads as a CSV file. Note: the booking source field is not included in the export.
- 3
Export financial data
Use the Reports section in Square Dashboard for transaction and payment history. Export to CSV.
- 4
Send your exports to Bella Booking
Email your exported files to our onboarding team. We will import your clients, validate the data, and help set up your services and team schedules.
- 5
Update your booking links
Replace your Square booking page links on your website, social media, and Google Business Profile with your new Bella Booking link.
A note on appointment history
We generally recommend not importing old appointment history. Importing past appointments can trigger unintended automated messages (reminders, review requests, reminders to rebook, follow-up messages) and cause data inconsistencies. Your clients and services are the essential data for a clean start. If you do want some history carried over, we recommend a tight recent range (e.g. the last 3 months), and our migration team will ensure no notifications are sent accidentally.
Good to know
Square only exports in CSV format (no Excel or PDF for appointment data). Appointment booking source is not included in the CSV export. Appointments cannot be imported into Square from another system; only customer data supports import.
Official export documentation: Square Appointments help centre
Can't export your data?
No problem, we can work with anything. Screenshots of your service list, a link to your public booking page, a photo of your price board, or even a typed-up list. Send us whatever you have and we will build your account from it.
Need help with the migration?
Our team will handle the data import, set up your services, and walk you through everything. Onboarding help is free on every plan, and data migration is free on Starter and Professional. We accept data in any format: CSV, Excel, screenshots, photos, links, or anything else you can send.
Sources: Information gathered from squareup.com. Last verified: September 2026.
Found an error? and we'll correct it promptly.
Important Notice
The information about Square Appointments on this page is based on publicly available data as of September 2026 and is provided for general comparison purposes only. Pricing, features, and policies may change at any time without notice. We make reasonable efforts to keep this information accurate, but we cannot guarantee its completeness or current accuracy.
Always verify directly with Square Appointments before making any business decisions. This comparison reflects our understanding and may not capture all nuances of their offerings.