We know running a beauty and wellness business is a lot. Whether it’s figuring out ways to manage client relationships, your schedule, or your team, finding the right software for your needs can feel super overwhelming – especially for small businesses looking to build from the ground up.

That’s why we’re taking two of the most popular beauty and wellness software options on the market today, GlossGenius and Square, and diving into their features, pricing, customer support, and reviews to see what’s right for your business.

GlossGenius vs. Square Key Takeaways

Square is a key software player in multiple industries, including beauty and wellness, because of the popularity of it’s point-of-sale (POS) system. If you’re just looking for payments, Square is worth considering, although GlossGenius payment processing rates are almost always better. Square Appointments is Square’s appointment scheduler. It offers a free plan, which can be an economical option for businesses that only need a basic scheduling tool..

GlossGenius is purpose-built for businesses in the self-care and beauty industry. Reviewers appreciate its modern aesthetics and design touches, as well as it’s ease-of-use. It has some features specific to beauty and wellness as well, such as processing time for salons. 

GlossGenius still has some features it’s building out but it offers one of the best payment processing rates in the industry – flat 2.6% – with its POS system. Its subscription plan prices with the features included, and its payment processing often make it more affordable than Square Appointments, despite Square’s free option.

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GlossGenius vs. Square Subscription Plans

Just as not all business management software is the same, subscription plans will vary by platform, so reviewing the included features in each plan is crucial. You don’t want to pick a plan that doesn’t have critical features for your business. 

Having different subscription plans to pick from is a great quality that both GlossGenius and Square Appointments offer, so you can pick the best one for your business and budget needs. You can also switch your plan at any time on either GlossGenius or Square, so as your business needs grow and change, you can adapt your software.

GlossGenius plan options

GlossGenius’ subscriptions start at $24 per month. The Standard plan includes a lot of the features you need to run an individual beauty or wellness business, including online scheduling, a website builder, calendar management tools, built-in POS, unlimited appointment reminders, and client notes. 

As your business grows, GlossGenius has other subscription plans that include more premium features, such as automated waitlists, built-in forms and waivers, and an AI assistant to help you craft marketing messages. GlossGenius doesn’t charge add-on fees for almost any feature, so with different subscription plans, you’ll automatically unlock all the features associated with the plan at no extra cost.

Square Appointments plan options

Square Appointments subscription plans start at $0 per month. Their free plan includes basic features such as a booking site, unlimited staff accounts, and integrated payments. Their Plus plan is $29/month and has some premium features, such as confirmation texts and emails (these are in the GlossGenius Standard plan) and waitlists, and their Premium plan is where you unlock a lot of staff customization features.

Even if you’re on the free plan, additional fees for features you may need can make the cost add up. Here’s a list of some of Square’s add-ons to get an idea:

• Square Email Marketing: Pricing based on customer quantity (range from 500 at $15 to 75k at $425)
• Square Text Marketing: $10/mo + usage-based pricing (range from 250 at $20 to 500k at $3,760; GlossGenius offers the first 500 free, while Square would cost $20 + $25 (500 quantity) = $45 for this service)
• Square Invoices Plus: $20
• Square Messages: $10/mo (2-way texting)
• Square Retail Plus: $89/mo/location
• Square Loyalty: Between $45 - $105/mo, dependent on loyalty visit rate
• Square Payroll: $35 + $6 per employee
• Gift Cards: Between $1.50 - $0.34 per card, dependent on order volume

GlossGenius vs. Square Feature Breakdown

Features are one of the most important things to consider when picking software to run your beauty or wellness business. What features a software offers and how easy they are to use can be critical to how much time you spend on regular business tasks. What if your booking system doesn’t have waitlists? Your team can spend hours on the phone trying to fill last minute calendar spaces. And if your software does offer a waitlist option but it’s super confusing for your team and/or your clients, that’s even more time and frustration.

When looking at GlossGenius and Square Appointments, they share a similar list of features between the different subscription plans. Because GlossGenius doesn’t have any hidden fees, it tends to have more features for less money. 

Here’s a high-level look at some of the features GlossGenius offers that Square Appointments doesn’t.

*100% chargeback protection on payments processed using the GlossGenius card reader and Tap to Pay on iPhone available on the GlossGenius Gold plan.

Most beauty and wellness businesses may need more than what’s offered in Square Appointments’ free plan alone. When comparing paid plans, GlossGenius’ base plan comes with client and inventory management tools and a custom website builder for $24 a month. Square has some of these in its Plus plan but that is $29. GlossGenius also comes with advanced email and text marketing features with its base plan, which Square Appointments does not have.

The biggest difference between the two platforms is that GlossGenius is actually created from the ground up for beauty and wellness businesses. It offers aesthetically important features like the ones listed here. And most importantly, all these are included in subscription and not as add-ons.

• Stylish credit card readers
• Modern and customizable booking site templates
• Easy-to-use waitlists
• A forms and waivers builder
• Marketing tools

Square Appointments takes the opposite approach, built for as many different business types as possible. Although this sounds enticing at first, this approach leads to a far more generic and less specialized experience for your business. 

Add-On Features

GlossGenius’ only has one add-on feature, which is Payroll. Square Appointments, however, is just one of Square’s many platforms. Because of that, you’ll need to purchase add-ons from other Square products if you want more features, and you also may need a different platform login or app to manage some.

• Square Online: Sell, take bookings, and showcase services online.
• Square Invoices: Send digital invoices and estimates, accept payments, and send reminders.
• Square Marketing: Stay connected with automated email and text marketing campaigns.
• Square Loyalty: Implement an easy-to-use rewards program to keep clients returning.
• Square Payroll: Pay employees faster, automate tax filings, and offer benefits.
• Square Gift Cards: Attract new clients with custom digital or physical gift cards.

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Square vs. GlossGenius Payment Processing Fees

Both GlossGenius and Square Appointments offer POS systems – Square is probably most well-known for theirs. Although payment processing fees may not be glitzy or the first thing that comes to mind when considering software, if you are considering Square or GlossGenius to process your payments, they are super important to consider.

GlossGenius payment processing

GlossGenius has a flat payment processing fee of 2.6% across all payment types and subscription plans. That means there are no additional transaction fees, or different rates based on whether you’re using a card on file or a physical card in your place of business. This is one of the better payment processing rates in the beauty and wellness industry, and it’s very clear and easy to understand.

Square payment processing

Square Appointments payment processing fees vary based on your subscription plan and payment type. The Square Appointments’ free subscription plan has a higher payment processing fee for in-person transactions compared to their Plus or Premium plans. All 3 subscription plans will also charge much higher rates for online payments (2.9% + 30¢), which includes things like pre-paid appointments, and manually entered or card on file charges (3.5% + 15¢) for things like deposits.

Check out this table that compares Square Appointments and GlossGenius processing rates. You can also read a full breakdown of Square Appointments pricing on our blog. 

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POS Hardware Comparison

Especially when you have a lot of first-time business, it’s important to invest in a card machine so you can quickly check out clients before or after their appointments. Also, if you’re using Square Appointments for payments, its fees are lower for in-person transactions where you use a payment device compared to card on file ones. 

GlossGenius

GlossGenius has two POS device options, a small card reader called the Tap & Go and a larger handheld payment terminal that has a client-facing screen called the Pro Reader. GlossGenius’ Tap & Go Reader comes in a variety of colors and designs, so you can pick one that reflects your unique style and brand.

• GlossGenius Tap & Go Reader: $49
• GlossGenius Pro Reader: $299

Square

Square has more POS hardware options and payment plans to pay them over time if that is your preference:

• Square Register (merchant & client-facing display): $799
• Square Terminal: $299
• Square Stand (iPad POS, no reader required) - $149
• Square Stand Mount: $149
• Square Reader 2nd Generation: $59
• Square Reader for Magstripe (smart device accessory, plug in for swipes): First one free

The GlossGenius Tap & Go Reader is similar to the Square 2nd generation reader but $10 cheaper. The Square Terminal is equivalent to the GlossGenius Pro Reader and they are both $299.

GlossGenius vs. Square Customer Support

Square Appointments doesn’t have its own custom support but Square’s general customer support line does include support for Square Appointments. It’s available from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.

GlossGenius’ customer support line is available Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, and Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, through phone and text.

Because Square’s customer support line is general, you might be waiting longer for help, since the support team is handling all general requests. With GlossGenius, you’re getting dedicated support from real people who actually understand the nuances of the beauty and wellness industry.

GlossGenius vs. Square Review Comparison

GlossGenius

The overall sentiment around GlossGenius is positive. Reviewers are satisfied with GlossGenius – particularly booking and scheduling. Some reviewers ask for specific features they’d like GlossGenius to add as it continues to grow its platform.

Square Appointments

The overall sentiment around Square Appointments is mixed. Reviewers are satisfied with the online booking features Square Appointments has to offer, but feel that add-ons and multiple-location fees are too expensive for small business needs.

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Final Thoughts

The short of it? The most important differences between GlossGenius and Square Appointments are aesthetics, features, and price.

Square Appointments is a popular option because of its name recognition and payment system, however its business operations features might be a bit generic for beauty and wellness businesses. Square might also be clunky if you’re looking for something to manage your whole business because Square’s features are broken up into different Square products, some of which require additional apps or logins, and extra fees. 

Square Appointments does offer a free subscription tier for very basic appointment scheduling, so if you’re looking for bare bones with a few appointments, Square Appointments might be for you. If you need any of their add-on features or process a lot of payments, Square Appointments is likely the more expensive option.

GlossGenius is a growing name in the software space so some of its functionality is still being built out but if aesthetics are important to you, GlossGenius could be it. Their software was built specifically for beauty and wellness businesses and offers a sleek and modern feel that can also be customized to fit your brand. 

GlossGenius has features specifically for beauty and wellness professionals, like building processing time into your calendar for salons. GlossGenius is more of an all-in-one solution, without hidden fees for extra features, and with one low, flat payment processing rate it can often be cheaper than Square Appointments.

For customers transitioning from other related software, like Square Appointments, GlossGenius offers free data transfers for new users. GlossGenius will transfer all appointments, client lists, services, and products from your current booking system, no matter what it is, over to GlossGenius for free. GlossGenius also offers a 14-day free trial so you can see how GlossGenius can work for your business without any upfront commitment.

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NOTE: All prices and feature comparisons are as of August 12, 2024. GlossGenius has no affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement with Block, Inc. or its affiliates. 

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The Capterra logo is a service mark of Gartner Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Digital Markets reviews are shared across its different brands sites and constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-users based on their own experiences and do not represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates.