Square Appointments is built for checkout. Tavix is built for your beauty business.
See how Tavix compares to Square Appointments on pricing, card processing fees, WhatsApp messaging, Follow-ups, and beauty-specific tools.
Square Appointments is a capable scheduler bolted onto a US payments company. It's brilliant at taking card payments — but it's a generic, payments-first tool, not something built for a UK beauty business. There's a free tier for solo use, paid tiers once you add a team, and card processing fees on every sale. No WhatsApp. No AI Follow-ups. No patch tests or consent forms. Tavix is the opposite: one flat £29/month, everything included, purpose-built for UK hair, nails, lashes, brows, skin and spa — with 0% commission, ever.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Tavix | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Booking commission | 0% — always | None (not a marketplace) — but card processing fees apply per sale |
| Monthly price | £29/mo flat — everything included | Free solo tier; paid tiers for teams + processing fees per transaction |
| Card processing fees | Standard payment rates, no platform mark-up | Charged on every transaction (in-person & online rates) |
| WhatsApp messaging | Official Meta Business API, reminders & marketing | No native WhatsApp |
| AI Follow-ups | Per-client, learns each visit rhythm, you approve | Not built in |
| Beauty-specific tools | Patch tests, consent forms, deposits, salon loyalty | Generic scheduler — not beauty-specific |
| Appointment reminders | WhatsApp + SMS, included in £29 | SMS/email depend on plan tier |
| Google reviews | Boosts your Google Business Profile | No native Google review booster |
| Branded booking page | Your own branded booking website | Square-hosted booking site |
| Client data ownership | You own your clients & data | Tied into the Square ecosystem |
| Built for | Independent UK beauty businesses | Generic scheduling — US company, UK secondary |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card required | Free solo tier (processing fees apply) |
| Setup time | Under 10 minutes — a real person can help | Account + payments onboarding |
Feature-by-feature breakdown
£ Pricing & processing fees
✉ WhatsApp messaging
★ Reviews & reputation
🧬 Beauty-specific tools
🔄 AI Follow-ups & retention
Which one is right for you?
Square Appointments might be better if you...
- Run a non-beauty business and just need a generic scheduler
- Are mainly looking for card hardware and a strong point-of-sale
- Are happy paying card processing fees on every transaction
- Don't need WhatsApp, AI Follow-ups, or beauty-specific tools
- Already live inside the wider Square payments ecosystem
Tavix is better if you...
- Run a UK beauty business — hair, nails, lashes, brows, skin or spa
- Want one flat £29/month with everything included — no surprises
- Want to message clients on WhatsApp (~98% open rate), not just email
- Want AI Follow-ups that spot overdue regulars and draft the message
- Need patch tests, consent forms, deposits and salon loyalty built in
- Want reviews on your Google profile and full ownership of your clients
The bottom line
Square Appointments is a polished scheduler from a serious US payments company, and it's fair to say it doesn't take booking commission. But it's built around checkout, not around a beauty business: card processing fees on every sale, team features that move you onto paid tiers, no WhatsApp, no AI Follow-ups, and none of the patch-test, consent-form or salon-loyalty workflows a UK studio actually needs.
Tavix is the purpose-built alternative — one flat £29/month with everything included and 0% commission, ever. WhatsApp reminders, AI Follow-ups, deposits, Google reviews, loyalty and beauty-specific tools, all in one place. That's the difference between bolting scheduling onto a payments app and running a tool made for your chair.
Ready for software built for beauty?
Try Tavix free for 30 days. No card required. Set up in under 10 minutes — a real person can help.