makeabook.ing vs Square Appointments

TL;DR: Square Appointments is a strong choice if you're already taking payments through Square — the scheduling tool slots neatly into hardware and software you're already using. If you're not on Square, adopting a payments platform just to get a booking calendar is a bigger commitment than it needs to be. makeabook.ing doesn't require adopting any particular payments ecosystem to start taking bookings.

At a glance

	Square Appointments	makeabook.ing
Service menu with pricing	Yes	Yes
Ties into a broader ecosystem	Yes — Square payments, POS, hardware	No — standalone
Standard payment processing fees	Yes, per transaction through Square	Not applicable — makeabook.ing shows pricing, doesn't process card payments itself
Free tier	£0 for one location	20 bookings/month, full feature set
Best suited to	Businesses already using Square for in-person payments	Any solo service business, regardless of payment setup
Setup effort	Low if already on Square, higher if adopting Square fresh	Low, no ecosystem adoption required

Where they actually differ

Square Appointments is, unsurprisingly, at its best when it's an extension of a Square setup you already have — a card reader in the salon, a Square POS at the front desk. In that context, scheduling and payments living in the same place is genuinely convenient, and there's a real, usable free tier for a single user.

The friction shows up if you're not already on Square. Adopting it purely to get scheduling means also adopting Square's payment processing, its transaction fees, and its broader ecosystem — more commitment than a solo pro who just wants a booking link might want to take on.

makeabook.ing doesn't ask you to adopt anything beyond the booking link itself. Services, prices and hours are shown to clients; how you actually take payment — in person, via a separate app, on the day — stays entirely up to you.

Pricing

Square Appointments' UK free tier is £0 for one location, with Square's processing fees applying to transactions. Its current published rates vary by transaction type and card origin, so compare the rate that matches how you take payment.

makeabook.ing is free for the first 20 bookings a month, then a flat £19/month for unlimited bookings — with no payment processing fees, because it isn't processing the payment itself.

A rough way to compare the real cost

Because Square's cost is a percentage of what you process and makeabook.ing's is a flat fee, which one is actually cheaper depends entirely on your monthly card takings, not just the headline price. As a way to think it through: work out roughly how much you take by card each month, apply Square's current processing rate to that figure, and compare the result to makeabook.ing's flat £19/month (or £0, if you're under 20 bookings). Below a certain monthly turnover, a percentage-based fee can come out cheaper than a flat one — above it, the flat fee usually wins. It's worth doing this sum with your own numbers rather than assuming either option is automatically the cheaper one.

Who Square Appointments is best for

Solo service businesses already using Square hardware or software for in-person payments, where having scheduling live in the same ecosystem as payments and POS is a genuine convenience rather than an added system to learn.

Who makeabook.ing is best for

Solo pros who take payment however suits them — cash, bank transfer, a different card reader, or in-app payment apps — and don't want the booking tool tied to a specific payments provider they may not otherwise use.

Switching over

There's nothing to export to move over — set up your services and hours on makeabook.ing and start sharing the new link. If you're keeping Square for in-person card payments (many solo pros do, entirely reasonably), you can run the two side by side: makeabook.ing handles the booking and shows the price up front, and you take payment on the day however you already do, Square included.

FAQ

Do I need a Square account to use Square Appointments?
Yes — it's built as part of the Square ecosystem, so using it typically means adopting Square for payment processing alongside scheduling.

Does makeabook.ing process payments like Square does?
No — makeabook.ing shows service prices but doesn't process card payments itself. How you collect payment is up to you.

Is Square Appointments free?
Yes. In the UK, Square currently offers a £0 Appointments plan for one location, with payment-processing fees applying to transactions.

Can I keep using my Square card reader if I switch to makeabook.ing for booking?
Yes — makeabook.ing doesn't replace how you take payment in person. Plenty of solo pros use a booking link for scheduling and a separate card reader, Square or otherwise, for the actual transaction.

Does Square Appointments support deposits?
Square Appointments supports collecting payment at booking through Square. makeabook.ing doesn't process deposits, so you would collect one separately if your policy requires it.

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Take bookings without adopting a whole payments platform to do it. Create your free booking link — works alongside however you already take payment.