GlossGenius vs Square Appointments for Solo Beauty Pros (2026)

By the WIPE team · Updated October 21, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer: Square Appointments is the cheaper place to start, because its Free plan includes an online booking site, reminders and payments with no monthly fee; you pay only card processing. GlossGenius costs a monthly fee from day one, but its lowest plan already includes deposits, cancellation and no-show policies, and slightly lower in-person card rates than Square Free. If you need no-show fees on Square, you need its Plus plan, which costs more than GlossGenius Standard. So: Square Free if you want to start at $0 and can live without no-show fees; GlossGenius if deposits and policies are the point. Everything below comes from each company's own pages (checked October 2026).

What each one is

Both are booking and payments apps for appointment businesses, and both give you a booking page clients can use without a DM.

• GlossGenius is built for beauty and wellness pros: booking, payments, a booking website, marketing and client records in one app (GlossGenius pricing).
• Square Appointments is Square's booking product. It runs on Square's payments and hardware, so it fits naturally if you already take cards with a Square reader or sell retail (Square Appointments pricing).

Price for one person

• GlossGenius: Standard is $24 a month billed yearly or $28 month to month; Gold is $48 or $56; Platinum is $148 or $168 and is aimed at larger teams. There's a 14-day free trial with no card (checked October 2026, GlossGenius pricing).
• Square Appointments: Free is $0, Plus is $49 a month per location, Premium is $149 a month per location. Plus has a 30-day free trial (checked October 2026, Square's pricing plans).

For a solo pro, the realistic comparison is GlossGenius Standard against Square Free or Square Plus.

Card processing fees

This is the cost that grows with your business, so look at it as closely as the monthly price.

• GlossGenius, on every plan: 2.4% + 15¢ in person and 2.9% + 30¢ online (checked October 2026, GlossGenius pricing).
• Square, by plan (checked October 2026, Square fees):

- In person: 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium. - Online and invoices: 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. - Manually typed cards and card on file: 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan.

A quick way to compare: take a normal month of card sales, apply each rate, and add the monthly fee. On a $100 in-person service, 2.4% + 15¢ is $2.55 and 2.6% + 15¢ is $2.75, so on Square Free you pay about 20¢ more per $100 service but no monthly fee. At $28 a month for GlossGenius Standard, that gap only pays for itself after roughly 140 in-person $100 services a month, far more than most solo pros do. GlossGenius earns its fee through features, not lower rates.

Deposits, cancellation and no-show fees

For lash, brow and nail pros this is usually the deciding row.

• GlossGenius: "Built-in deposits" and cancellation and no-show policies are listed on every plan, Standard included (checked October 2026, GlossGenius pricing).
• Square Appointments: you can keep a card on file to hold an appointment or require prepayment (Square Appointments features), but "cancellation policy and no-show fees" are listed as Plus features, not Free (checked October 2026, Square Appointments pricing).

If you want to charge a fee when a client doesn't show, compare GlossGenius Standard with Square Plus, not Square Free. Before you charge anyone, write the policy clearly; our lash cancellation policy guide and deposit policy guide cover the wording.

Reminders and client texts

• GlossGenius: unlimited appointment reminders, and text credits for marketing (500 on Standard, 2,500 on Gold) (checked October 2026, GlossGenius pricing).
• Square Appointments: automatic reminders to clients by text and/or email on every plan, including Free (Square Appointments features; pricing).

Both cover the basic reminder that cuts no-shows. GlossGenius bundles text marketing; Square sells its marketing tools as a separate product with an additional fee.

Forms, waivers and consent

• GlossGenius: forms and waivers are on Gold and Platinum, not Standard (checked October 2026, GlossGenius pricing).
• Square Appointments: lets you attach contracts, documents and waivers to appointments (Square Appointments features); its pages we read don't say which plan this requires, so ask Square.

If you do lash extensions or chemical services, you'll want a signed consent form either way. Our eyelash extension consent form guide explains what goes in one, and there's a free consent form maker you can print from.

Your booking website

• GlossGenius: a booking website on every plan, built from GlossGenius templates.
• Square Appointments: a free online booking site on every plan, in Square's layout.

Neither one's pricing page says anything about using a custom domain, so ask if that matters to you. Both sites are clean and functional. Neither is designed to look like your Instagram; if your brand look matters, many pros add a separate website whose Book button opens the booking page.

Getting paid

• Square: next-business-day transfers are free; instant transfers cost 1.95% per transfer (Square Appointments features).
• GlossGenius: its own pages describe the free payout schedule differently in two places (same-day on some weekdays in one, next business day in another), so confirm the current timing and any instant-payout fee with GlossGenius before you count on it.

Who should pick which

Pick Square Appointments if:

• you want to start with no monthly fee and pay only card fees;
• you already use a Square reader, sell retail, or want Square's hardware and point of sale;
• you can live without no-show fees for now, or you're ready to pay for Plus.

Pick GlossGenius if:

• deposits and no-show policies on the lowest plan are the point;
• you want text marketing bundled in the same app;
• you're fine paying a monthly fee for a tool built only for beauty and wellness.

Either way, set it up on your phone during the trial, book yourself a fake appointment, and pay yourself a deposit. You'll know within a day which one you'd actually use.

Your first week, whichever you choose

1. Enter your menu with real durations, including the cleanup time between clients, so the calendar never double-books you.
2. Write your policy once (notice to cancel, late arrivals, deposits) and turn on the setting that shows it at booking.
3. Turn on reminders and send yourself a test appointment to see exactly what clients receive.
4. Put the booking link everywhere clients look: your Instagram bio, your Google Business Profile and your text replies.
5. After two weeks, check your payouts and fees against what you expected, before your trial or first month ends.

A note if you mainly need a website

Both tools are booking and payments apps first. If what you're missing is a site that shows your work, keep either app for payments and put a site in front of it. One option is WIPE, which builds a site from your Instagram with your photos, services and prices; its Book button can open your GlossGenius or Square booking page. It doesn't take deposits or card payments itself. Building and previewing is free, and publishing is $39 a month. For a wider look, see booking apps for beauty pros, compared.