# Square Appointments pricing 2026: plans, card fees and a free alternative > Square Appointments pricing for 2026: Free, Plus and Premium costs per location, card fees, real yearly totals, and NeetoCal, a free alternative. - **Authors**: Kirti Gulati - **Published**: 2026-11-07 - **URL**: https://www.neeto.com/neetocal/blog/square-appointments-pricing - **Page title**: Square Appointments pricing 2026: plans and card fees - **Meta description**: Square Appointments pricing for 2026: Free, Plus and Premium costs per location, card fees, real yearly totals, and NeetoCal, a free alternative. - **Keywords**: square appointments pricing, square appointments cost, square appointments plus, square appointments fees, and square appointments alternative --- Square Appointments pricing has four plans: Free at $0, Plus at $49 a month per location, Premium at $149 a month per location, and Pro with custom pricing for businesses processing over $250,000 a year ([Square Appointments pricing](https://squareup.com/us/en/appointments/pricing), as of November 2026). On top of the plan, every payment goes through Square, at 2.6% + 15¢ for in-person cards and 3.3% + 30¢ online on the Free plan. If you want to skip the monthly fee, [NeetoCal](https://www.neeto.com/neetocal) is a free alternative, and we compare both below. Because paid plans are billed per location, a salon with 2 locations on Plus pays $1,176 a year before card fees, and Premium costs $3,576 a year for the same 2 locations. NeetoCal is free for unlimited team members, and you can take payments through Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay and more with 0% commission from NeetoCal. Removing NeetoCal branding is the only paid option, at $30 per user per year. See the [NeetoCal vs Square Appointments comparison](https://www.neeto.com/neetocal/compare/square-appointments-alternative) for the full breakdown. ## Square Appointments pricing plans at a glance | Plan | Price | Top features | In-person card fee | Online card fee | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Square Free | $0 per location | Online booking site and integrations, appointment reminders, unlimited staff calendars | 2.6% + 15¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ | | Square Plus | $49 a month per location | Cancellation policy and no-show fees, multi-staff appointment booking, waitlist | 2.5% + 15¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | | Square Premium | $149 a month per location | Future bookings report, service cost tracking, resource management | 2.4% + 15¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | | Square Pro | Custom | For businesses processing over $250,000 a year | Custom | Custom | | NeetoCal (for comparison) | $0, or $5 per user per month ($30 per user per year) to remove branding | Unlimited team members, links and bookings, round robin, packages, recurring meetings, SMS reminders | Your processor's fee only, 0% from NeetoCal | Your processor's fee only, 0% from NeetoCal | Plus and Premium come with a 30-day free trial. Square says the Free plan is for solo professionals taking payments and managing schedules. Payments on Square Appointments run through Square only, so you cannot connect another gateway. ## A free Square Appointments alternative: NeetoCal [NeetoCal](https://www.neeto.com/neetocal) fits service businesses that mainly need online booking and want to pick their own payment provider. It is free for individuals and teams with unlimited team members, scheduling links and bookings. You can connect [Stripe](https://www.neeto.com/neetocal/features/stripe-payments), PayPal, Razorpay, UPI, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and NeetoCal takes 0% commission. Forbes Advisor's 2026 roundup of scheduling apps named it "Best for most individuals and teams." Team features Square puts on Plus are free here: round robin, multi-host meetings, cancellation rules with automatic refunds, and packages. The only paid option removes branding and adds custom CSS, at $5 per user per month or $30 per user per year ([NeetoCal pricing](https://www.neeto.com/neetocal/pricing)). NeetoCal is not a point of sale and has no waitlist, so a shop that sells products at a counter may be better off on Square. ## What Square Appointments really costs: two examples ### Subscription cost by location | Locations | Square Plus per year | Square Premium per year | NeetoCal per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | $588 | $1,788 | $0 | | 2 | $1,176 | $3,576 | $0 | | 3 | $1,764 | $5,364 | $0 | Square bills paid plans per location, not per team member. NeetoCal does not charge for locations or team members. If you remove branding, a team of 5 pays $150 a year and a team of 10 pays $300 a year. ### Card fees on a real month Say a salon takes $8,000 a month in person over 100 card payments, and $4,000 a month online over 80 bookings. Here is what Square charges in card fees each month, using the rates above. | Plan | In person ($8,000) | Online ($4,000) | Total per month | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Square Free | $223 | $156 | $379 | | Square Plus | $215 | $140 | $355 | Plus saves this salon $24 a month in fees, or $288 a year. The plan costs $588 a year for one location. So lower card rates alone do not pay for Plus. Upgrade only if you need what Plus adds, like no-show fees, multi-staff booking or a waitlist. ## What each Square Appointments plan adds ### Free: $0 You get an online booking site with integrations, appointment reminders and unlimited staff calendars. That is enough for one person who books clients and takes card payments. ### Plus: $49 a month per location Adds a cancellation policy with no-show fees, multi-staff appointment booking and a waitlist. Card fees drop to 2.5% + 15¢ in person and 2.9% + 30¢ online. This is the plan most busy salons and spas end up on. ### Premium: $149 a month per location Adds a future bookings report, service cost tracking and resource management, such as rooms or chairs. In-person card fees drop to 2.4% + 15¢, and online stays at 2.9% + 30¢. ### Pro: custom pricing For businesses processing more than $250,000 a year. You talk to Square to get a quote. ## Is Square Appointments worth it? Yes, if you already use Square to sell products or take payments at the counter. Booking, checkout and card readers then live in one system, and the Free plan is a good start for a solo professional. It is less worth it if you run several locations and mostly need online booking, or if you want to use a payment provider other than Square. For a [salon](https://www.neeto.com/neetocal/use-cases/salon-booking-software), studio or clinic in that position, a free scheduler with 0% commission often costs less over a year. ## FAQ ### Is Square Appointments free? Yes, Square Free costs $0 per location and includes online booking, reminders and unlimited staff calendars. You still pay card fees of 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online. ### How much is Square Appointments Plus? $49 a month per location, as of November 2026, with a 30-day free trial. Two locations cost $1,176 a year. ### Can I use Stripe or PayPal with Square Appointments? No. Payments on Square Appointments run through Square only. ### Is there a free alternative to Square Appointments? Yes. NeetoCal is free for unlimited team members and lets you take payments through Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay and more, with 0% commission. You pay only if you want to remove NeetoCal branding.