Square Appointments vs Fresha in Australia (2026)

Square Appointments and Fresha are two of the names salons, barbers and beauty businesses compare most often. They charge in quite different ways, so the cheaper one depends on your team size, how many new clients you’d get from Fresha’s marketplace, and whether you want texts and payments built in. Here’s how they compare, using only each company’s own published prices.

Square Appointments vs Fresha: price comparison

Sources, checked 19 October 2026: Square Appointments pricing (AU), Square reminders, Square deposits, Square’s trial FAQ, Fresha pricing, Fresha marketplace new client fees and Fresha calendar sync. Square’s own comparison page has older Fresha figures, so we used Fresha’s pricing page for Fresha. Plans change often, so check before you sign up.

How Square Appointments charges

• Free for one location, with unlimited staff calendars, online booking, Instagram, Facebook and Google booking buttons, card on file, prepayments and deposits.
• Plus ($40 a month per location) adds multiple locations, a waitlist, Google Calendar sync, SMS and email confirmations, and cancellation and no-show fees.
• Premium ($90 a month per location) adds resource management and staff management such as time tracking and commissions.
• Card fees apply when you take payments through Square: 1.6% in person and 2.2% online. Square’s help centre says GST is charged on processing fees and you receive a tax invoice. Some sellers who signed up before 30 May 2024 pay 1.9% on certain hardware.

How Fresha charges

• A subscription: A$44.95 a month for a single team member, or A$29.95 per bookable team member a month on Team, excluding 10% tax.
• A marketplace fee on new clients: 20% of the first completed appointment, minimum A$8, for brand-new clients who discover you on the Fresha marketplace, including those who see your marketplace profile and then book through your website or social media. Clients who find you directly through your own website, Instagram or Facebook aren’t charged. Fresha says the fee has a maximum cap for higher-value services but doesn’t show the amount on the pages we checked.
• Online booking needs a marketplace listing: Fresha says unlisting your marketplace profile “will disable all your online booking channels”.
• Payments are optional, with the card fees above if you use them, and texts beyond the free allowance are paid.

Which is cheaper?

It depends on your numbers. Work out a typical month for each:

1. Plan cost Square: $0, $40 or $90 per location. Fresha: A$44.95, or A$29.95 × your team members, plus 10% tax.
2. New-client fees Fresha only: how many new clients a month you’d expect from the marketplace × 20% of their first appointment (minimum A$8 each).
3. Texts Square: unlimited reminders included. Fresha: texts beyond 20 a month (per team member on Team) × A$0.06.
4. Card fees Your card takings × the rate for how you take payment.

A solo operator who already uses Square for payments and doesn’t need a waitlist could pay no plan fee at all on Square. A salon that wants Fresha’s marketplace to bring in new clients pays for that through the new-client fee. For the full picture, see what booking software really costs in Australia.

Alternatives to compare

Comparing Fresha with Timely instead? Read Fresha vs Timely in Australia. For free plans from Square, Setmore, SimplyBook.me and others, see free online booking systems in Australia, and for a wider shortlist, the best online booking systems for Australian small businesses.

InstantBookingPro works differently from both, and does less:

• $59, $79 or $119 a month including GST, a flat plan price, plus a one-off $149 setup (introductory offer).
• No commission on new or returning clients, and no marketplace.
• Set up for you: we build your branded booking page from your services, prices and staff hours, typically live within 24 hours.
• Customers agree to your cancellation policy before they book and can cancel online.
• It doesn’t take payments, deposits or no-show fees, or send texts or reminders. If those matter to you, Square or Fresha may suit you better.

See it for salons, barbers and beauty businesses, or try the live booking demo. Opening a new salon? See the starter package with a website.

Frequently asked questions

Prices and features checked on each vendor’s own page on 19 October 2026. They change often; confirm current details before you choose.