Square Appointments is a solid, free way to take bookings — especially if you already run Square. But it’s a general appointments tool tied to Square’s own card processing. ChairPilot Pro is purpose-built for salons, barbershops, spas and pet groomers, and lets you bring your own processor.
Square Appointments earns its popularity: a genuinely free plan for solo providers and tight integration with Square’s POS. The catch is that payments have to run through Square, and several salon essentials — loyalty, messaging, advanced reports — are paid add-ons or higher tiers.
ChairPilot Pro takes a different approach. It’s an all-in-one operating system for the chair, where marketing, loyalty and memberships are included by plan, and you connect your own Stripe or Square account so you keep your existing rates.
| Feature | ChairPilot Pro | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Salons, barbershops, spas & pet groomers | General appointments + Square POS |
| Pricing | Flat $50–$249/mo by plan | Free solo; $49 & $149/mo per location |
| Free trial | Yes — 14 days, no card | Free plan available |
| Payments | Bring your own Stripe or Square | Square processing only (2.6% + 10¢) |
| Commission on your sales | None | None |
| POS & retail | Yes — built in | Yes |
| Memberships & gift cards | Yes (Growth plan up) | Add-ons / higher tiers |
| Loyalty & reviews | Yes — included | Loyalty is a paid add-on |
| Email + SMS marketing | Yes — included | Paid add-on |
| Multi-location | Up to 3 (Growth), unlimited (Pro) | Priced per location |
| Industry modes | Salon / barber / spa / pets | Generic |
Bring your own Stripe or Square and keep your processing rate — we never take a cut of your sales or route you through one provider.
Service menus, staff calendars, memberships and retail tuned for salons, barbershops, spas and pet groomers — not a generic booking tool.
Marketing, loyalty and memberships come with your plan instead of stacking up as separate paid add-ons.
Is ChairPilot Pro free like Square Appointments?
No — ChairPilot starts at $50/mo after a 14-day free trial (no card). In return you get an all-in-one salon OS with memberships, loyalty, retail and marketing included, and you keep your own payment processor.
Can I keep using Square for payments?
Yes. ChairPilot is bring-your-own-processor: connect your own Square or Stripe account and keep your existing rates. We don’t mark up or take a percentage of your sales.
Does ChairPilot work for barbershops and pet groomers too?
Yes — it ships with salon, barbershop, spa and pet-grooming modes, each with the right language and workflow.
Start your free 14-day trial — bring your own payments and keep your rates.