Is Square Appointments cheaper than BookYourMat?

On the software bill, yes. Square Plus is $49/mo per location against $179/mo for a studio with two to five instructors, a gap of $130 a month on one location. That assumes online payments, where the rates match at 2.9% + 30¢. Taking most payments in person widens the gap, because Square’s tap rate is lower. Charging saved cards narrows it, because Square lists 3.5% + 15¢ for a card on file.

Does Square Appointments do memberships for classes?

Square’s Appointments plan table lists class booking and packages on Plus and Premium, and lists “Bundles and subscriptions” as an online selling feature on the same plans. We didn’t find a membership that issues class credits in that table on 2026-11-06, which doesn’t prove Square can’t do it. Ask Square whether what you sell can be set up there before you decide.

Can I keep using my Square reader?

Not with BookYourMat. Card payments run through Stripe, at standard rates of about 2.9% + 30¢. If in-person Square sales are a big part of your business, count that as a real cost of switching.

Square Appointments alternative for class studios

BookYourMat vs Square Appointments: booking on a point-of-sale platform, or a class-studio tool

Square Appointments adds booking to Square’s payments and point-of-sale tools. Class booking starts on the $49/mo Plus plan; the free plan doesn’t include it. Here’s what a class studio gets on each.

Book a demo See the comparison

Every competitor claim below is sourced to squareup.com/us/en/appointments/pricing, fetched 2026-11-06.

$49/mo

Square Plus per location, the first plan that lists class booking and packages. The free plan doesn’t include them, though it does cover one-to-one appointments.

Choose BYM if

Your business is classes and credits

Clients book classes on packs and memberships, some of them pay by Venmo or Zelle, and you want credits, texts and payments tracked against one client record.

Choose Square if

You sell over a counter, or you only teach privates

You have a front desk, retail or a café and booking is one part of a bigger point-of-sale setup. Or most of your money is taken in person, where Square lists 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus. Or you teach one-to-one sessions only, where the free plan has no monthly fee, against $149/mo for one instructor on BookYourMat.

Switching

No Square importer, no separate fee

BookYourMat has no automated Square import. Per /switch, you send whatever export you can pull, our team builds your studio by hand at no extra charge, and you get a 30-day self-serve corrections window.

Feature comparison

A factual comparison with Square Appointments.

Most studio software assumes every payment runs through a card processor. BookYourMat is built around the off-platform payments small studios already receive.

Feature	BookYourMat	Square Appointments
Published price	$149/mo (1 instructor), $179/mo (2 to 5), $249/mo (6 or more)	$0, $49 (Plus) or $149 (Premium) per location/mo
Extra locations	+$79/mo per extra location after the first	Monthly fee applies to each location
Class booking and packages	On every plan	Plus and Premium; not on the free plan
Waitlist		Plus and Premium; described for services and staff
Online card rate	Standard Stripe rates, about 2.9% + 30¢	3.3% + 30¢ Free; 2.9% + 30¢ Plus and Premium
Saved card or keyed-in	About 2.9% + 30¢ online and on saved cards; Stripe adds 0.5% when a card number is typed in by hand	3.5% + 15¢ on every plan
In-person card rate	No card reader; BookYourMat takes cards online and on file	2.6% + 15¢ Free; 2.5% + 15¢ Plus; 2.4% + 15¢ Premium
Text reminders	Included, no per-message cost	Text and email reminders
Marketing texts	Client texting included, no per-message cost	Free: not included. Plus: 500 a month, then 3¢. Premium: 2,500, then 1.5¢
Venmo/Zelle payment matching		Not found on Square’s Appointments pricing page, reviewed 2026-11-06
Point of sale and hardware	Not a point-of-sale system	Hardware from $59
Trial	No free trial: $50 off month one, with a 30-day money-back guarantee	Free plan, and a free 30-day trial of Plus or Premium

Published price

BYM

$149/mo (1 instructor), $179/mo (2 to 5), $249/mo (6 or more)

Square

$0, $49 (Plus) or $149 (Premium) per location/mo

Extra locations

BYM

+$79/mo per extra location after the first

Square

Monthly fee applies to each location

Class booking and packages

BYM

On every plan

Square

Plus and Premium; not on the free plan

Waitlist

BYM

Square

Plus and Premium; described for services and staff

Online card rate

BYM

Standard Stripe rates, about 2.9% + 30¢

Square

3.3% + 30¢ Free; 2.9% + 30¢ Plus and Premium

Saved card or keyed-in

BYM

About 2.9% + 30¢ online and on saved cards; Stripe adds 0.5% when a card number is typed in by hand

Square

3.5% + 15¢ on every plan

In-person card rate

BYM

No card reader; BookYourMat takes cards online and on file

Square

2.6% + 15¢ Free; 2.5% + 15¢ Plus; 2.4% + 15¢ Premium

Text reminders

BYM

Included, no per-message cost

Square

Text and email reminders

Marketing texts

BYM

Client texting included, no per-message cost

Square

Free: not included. Plus: 500 a month, then 3¢. Premium: 2,500, then 1.5¢

Venmo/Zelle payment matching

BYM

Square

Not found on Square’s Appointments pricing page, reviewed 2026-11-06

Point of sale and hardware

BYM

Not a point-of-sale system

Square

Hardware from $59

Trial

BYM

No free trial: $50 off month one, with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Square

Free plan, and a free 30-day trial of Plus or Premium

Square figures sourced from squareup.com/us/en/appointments/pricing, fetched 2026-11-06. Pricing changes, so verify current numbers with Square before deciding.

Honest tradeoffs

Where Square Appointments is stronger

A free plan with no monthly subscription cost, and $49/mo Plus with a free 30-day trial.
Lower in-person rates: 2.5% + 15¢ for tap, dip or swipe on Plus.
Point-of-sale hardware, payroll, invoices and banking from the same company.
Unlimited staff calendars on every plan, with no employee limit.
Text marketing included on paid plans: 500 texts a month on Plus, then 3¢ per text.
Clients can reply to SMS reminders to confirm, cancel or change, and the calendar updates.

Where BookYourMat is more focused

Studio credit tracking: a ledger for packs, guests and duets, late cancels, and what’s applied versus reserved.
Memberships that issue class credits each cycle and bookings that draw them down.
Venmo and Zelle matching, which we didn’t find on Square’s Appointments pricing page.
Client texting with no per-message cost, and Becky answering booking questions by text.

Practical questions before you switch

Yes, on paid plans. Square’s plan table lists “Class booking and packages” on Plus and Premium, not on the free plan, and describes one-time or recurring group classes and prepaid series. So class booking starts at $49/mo per location.

See what the gap buys you.

Compare your Square bill and card fees with BookYourMat’s published price, then decide if the difference is worth it.

Run the cost calculator Book a 30-minute demo

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