Square Appointments
Square Appointments is an all-in-one scheduling and point-of-sale solution designed to help service-based businesses manage online bookings, process payments, and track customer relationships from a single platform.
Xero
Xero is a cloud-based accounting software designed for small business owners and accountants to manage invoices, bank reconciliation, inventory, and payroll through a real-time financial dashboard.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Square Appointments | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Website | square.com | xero.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Free | $15/month |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2009 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Wellington, New Zealand |
Overview
Square Appointments
Square Appointments is a flexible scheduling tool that lets you manage your calendar and payments in one place. You can create a professional online booking website where clients can see your availability and book services 24/7. It handles the heavy lifting of administrative work by sending automated SMS and email reminders to reduce no-shows and keep your schedule full.
Beyond simple booking, you can process payments instantly, manage staff schedules across multiple locations, and keep detailed customer profiles. Whether you are a solo barber or manage a large salon team, the platform scales with your business needs. You can access your entire business from a desktop or use the mobile app to manage appointments and take payments while on the move.
Xero
Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform that helps you take control of your small business finances from anywhere. Instead of manual data entry, you can automate your bank feeds so your transactions flow directly into your accounts for easy reconciliation. You can track your cash flow in real-time, send professional recurring invoices, and manage your bills to keep your suppliers happy.
The platform is built for collaboration, allowing you to share access with your accountant or bookkeeper so you are always looking at the same numbers. Whether you are managing inventory, processing payroll, or tracking project expenses, you can handle everything through a single dashboard. It simplifies complex tasks like tax preparation and financial reporting, giving you more time to focus on growing your business.
Overview
Square Appointments Features
- Online Booking Site Create a free, professional booking page so your clients can schedule services and view your availability at any time.
- Automated Reminders Send automatic text and email notifications to your clients to confirm bookings and significantly reduce costly no-shows.
- Integrated Payments Accept credit cards, digital wallets, and touchless payments directly through your scheduling app or at your front desk.
- Customer Profiles Store contact details, appointment history, and personalized notes to provide a tailored experience for every returning client.
- Staff Management Manage multiple employee schedules, set individual permissions, and track performance metrics across your entire team from one dashboard.
- Inventory Tracking Monitor your retail stock levels in real-time and receive alerts when items are running low so you never miss a sale.
Xero Features
- Bank Reconciliation. Connect your bank accounts to automatically import and categorize your transactions every day for an up-to-date view of your cash.
- Online Invoicing. Create and send professional invoices from your desktop or mobile device and let customers pay you instantly via credit card.
- Bill Management. Track and pay your bills on time to build better supplier relationships and get a clear overview of upcoming accounts payable.
- Expense Tracking. Capture costs by taking photos of receipts with your phone to automate expense claims and keep your records digital.
- Inventory Management. Keep track of what you have in stock, populate invoices with items, and monitor which products are your best sellers.
- Project Tracking. Monitor your project profit margins by tracking time and expenses against specific jobs to ensure every hour is billed.
Pricing Comparison
Square Appointments Pricing
- Single staff account
- Custom online booking site
- Unlimited appointments
- Automated email & text reminders
- Square POS integration
- Basic customer profiles
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Multiple staff accounts
- Google Calendar sync
- Automated text confirmations
- No-show protection
- Advanced reporting tools
Xero Pricing
- Send up to 20 invoices
- Enter up to 5 bills
- Reconcile bank transactions
- Capture receipts with Hubdoc
- Short-term cash flow snapshots
- Everything in Early, plus:
- Send unlimited invoices
- Enter unlimited bills
- Bulk reconcile bank transactions
- Standard business reporting
Pros & Cons
Square Appointments
Pros
- Seamless integration with the broader Square payment ecosystem
- Very easy for clients to book through the mobile-friendly site
- Free tier is highly functional for solo entrepreneurs
- Intuitive interface requires almost no technical training to master
Cons
- Customization options for the booking site are somewhat limited
- Processing fees can add up for high-volume businesses
- Advanced features require moving to higher paid tiers
Xero
Pros
- Clean and intuitive user interface
- Excellent mobile app for managing finances
- Seamless collaboration with your accountant
- Massive ecosystem of third-party app integrations
- Automated bank feeds save significant time
Cons
- Strict limits on the entry-level plan
- Multi-currency support requires the highest tier
- Customer support is primarily online-only
- Recent price increases for long-term users