Overview
Square Appointments is free booking and pos platform from the square ecosystem. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA, USA (Block Inc). Melbourne AU office at Level 8, 378-390 Collins Street, VIC 3000., it serves Australian businesses.
Free booking and POS platform from the Square ecosystem
Pricing (AUD inc. GST)
All prices below are in Australian dollars (GST not included). Pricing verified as of 2026-03-18.
Free
Free
AUD exc GST
Free for a single staff member at a single location. Includes unlimited calendars, customisable schedules, mobile apps, text and email reminders, basic booking website, card-on-file payments, customer profiles, and basic reporting. No credit card required to start.
- Staff Members: 1
- Locations: 1
- Bookings: unlimited
Most Popular
Plus
$40/mo
AUD exc GST
A$40/month per location. Adds multi-location management, unlimited staff, class booking, waitlist functionality, Google Calendar sync, SMS confirmations, cancellation policies with no-show fees, processing time settings, and advanced appointment reporting.
- Staff Members: unlimited
- Locations: per location
- Bookings: unlimited
Premium
$90/mo
AUD exc GST
A$90/month per location. Everything in Plus plus resource management (rooms, equipment), custom contract fields, time tracking, staff scheduling, commission tracking, and labour vs sales reporting. Custom pricing available for businesses processing over A$250K annually.
- Staff Members: unlimited
- Locations: per location
- Bookings: unlimited
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Genuinely free plan for solo practitioners — no credit card, no time limit, unlimited appointments, unlike Fresha and Acuity which have no free tier
- Per-location pricing with unlimited staff: a 5-person team on Plus costs A$40/month total vs A$325/month on Timely Elevate — dramatically cheaper for multi-staff businesses
- Competitive AU payment processing at 1.6% in-person and 2.2% online — matching standard Square POS rates with no additional merchant account needed
- Seamless Square ecosystem integration: POS, Terminal, Online Store, Marketing, Loyalty, and Payroll all connect natively through one dashboard
- Australian toll-free phone support (1800 760 137) during business hours with 24/7 availability via customer code — better than Acuity (no phone) and Calendly (Enterprise only)
- No-show protection with cancellation policies and card-on-file charging protects revenue for service businesses (Plus plan and above)
- Class scheduling and waitlist management support group bookings for fitness, yoga, and workshops — not just 1-on-1 appointments
- Melbourne AU office provides local business presence and the platform supports AUD pricing natively
Cons
- Payment processing locked to Square only — cannot use Tyro EFTPOS, Stripe, or any third-party terminal, unlike Timely which supports 6 payment processors
- No Australian data sovereignty — data hosted on US-based infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions, unlike some competitors with regional hosting
- No native MYOB integration — only Xero and QuickBooks Online available through Square, a gap for the many Australian businesses using MYOB
- Limited booking page and email customisation compared to dedicated salon platforms like Timely and Fresha — less control over branding
- No consultation forms, allergy tracking, or clinical documentation features available on any plan — essential for beauty and wellness businesses
- No annual pricing discount — all plans are monthly-only with no savings for annual commitment
- Afterpay processing fee of 6% + 30¢ (ex GST) per transaction is expensive compared to standard card rates
Who Is Square Appointments Best For?
- Sole Trader
- Personal Trainer
- Consultant
- Small Business
- Multi Location
Square Appointments may not be the best fit for:
- Payment Processor Flexibility
- Data Sovereignty Required
- Salon Specific Features
- Myob Users
Square Appointments Alternatives
If Square Appointments doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:
- Calendly — Market-leading meeting scheduling and appointment booking platform. Free plan available.
- Acuity Scheduling — Appointment booking and client scheduling platform by Squarespace. From $20/mo inc. GST.
- Fresha — All-in-one salon and spa booking software with built-in payments. From $44.95/mo inc. GST.
- Timely — NZ-made salon booking and payments software for hair and beauty. From $42/mo inc. GST.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Square Appointments available in Australia with AUD pricing?
Yes. Square Appointments is fully available in Australia with local AUD pricing. The Free plan costs A$0/month for a single staff member at one location. Plus is A$40/month per location and Premium is A$90/month per location, both with unlimited staff. Payment processing fees are 1.6% for in-person transactions and 2.2% for online payments. Prices are displayed excluding GST on the official AU pricing page.
Is there a free plan for Square Appointments?
Yes. Square Appointments offers a genuinely free plan for individual practitioners — no credit card required, no time limit, and no appointment caps. The Free plan includes a customisable booking website, automated reminders, customer profiles, and Square payment processing. The main limitation is one staff member at one location. Google Calendar sync, class booking, and no-show protection require the Plus plan (A$40/month per location).
How does Square Appointments pricing compare to Calendly, Fresha, and Timely?
Square Appointments is the most affordable for teams: Plus at A$40/month covers unlimited staff at one location. Timely charges A$42-79 per staff member per month, so a 5-person team costs A$210-395/month vs Square's A$40. Fresha charges A$44.95/month for individuals or A$29.95/member for teams (A$149.75 for 5 staff). Calendly's Teams plan is US$20/user/month (~A$31) so 5 users costs ~A$155/month. Square also has a free tier that Fresha and Acuity lack.
Can I use Tyro or Stripe with Square Appointments instead of Square payments?
No. Square Appointments only processes payments through Square's own payment system. You cannot connect Tyro EFTPOS, Stripe, PayPal, or any third-party payment terminal. This is the biggest ecosystem lock-in trade-off — if you need payment processor flexibility, consider Timely (supports TimelyPay/Stripe, Tyro, PayPal, eWay, Pin Payments) or Acuity Scheduling (supports Stripe, Square, PayPal).
Where is Square Appointments data hosted — is there Australian data sovereignty?
No Australian data sovereignty. Square uses cloud infrastructure primarily based in the United States and Japan, and cannot specify all jurisdictions where data may be stored. Payment data is encrypted and processed under PCI DSS Level 1 compliance with ISO 27001 certification. Square has a Melbourne office but data is not guaranteed to remain in Australia.
Does Square Appointments have phone support in Australia?
Yes. Square offers Australian toll-free phone support at 1800 760 137 during standard business hours (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm AEST). After-hours 24/7 support is available by quoting your customer code. Chat and email support are also available through the Square Support Centre. This is better than Acuity (no phone support on any plan) and Calendly (phone only on Enterprise).