Comparison

Basecamp vs Square Appointments

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Basecamp

A project management platform designed to simplify team collaboration and project execution. It centralizes all project-related tasks, discussions, and decisions in one intuitive location, reducing complexity and making work more enjoyable.

Highlights
  • Centralized project organization
  • Team communication tools
  • Task management
  • Discussion forums
  • Document sharing
  • Simplified interface
Features
Read full description

The refreshingly simple, and remarkably effective, project management platform. Managing people and projects under pressure is tough enough. Unfortunately, lots of software makes it worse by over-complicating things. Basecamp’s different. What makes Basecamp special? It’s dialed in. For nearly two decades, we’ve continually refined a unique set of tools and methods to fundamentally reduce complexity, and make project management more of a joy and less of a chore. Perfected and pressure-tested by hundreds of thousands of teams on millions of projects, Basecamp’s the gold standard for a simpler, superior version of project management. Basecamp works because it’s the easiest place for everyone in every role to put the stuff, work on the stuff, discuss the stuff, decide on the stuff, and deliver the stuff that makes up every project. Not on separate platforms scattered in various places, but all intuitively organized in one centralized place where everyone can work together. Basecamp’s intentionally simple by design. It’s why teams that sometimes leave in search of “more power” end up slamming into the consequences of over-powered software: Complexity. Complexity doesn’t work. Basecamp does. It’s why those that leave end up coming back and sticking with us the second time around. You never know what you had until it’s gone.

About

Square Appointments

Manage your business with an all-in-one solution for booking, scheduling, and payments. Offer 24/7 online booking, send automated reminders, and process payments securely. Track client details and manage your team's calendars and reports.

Highlights
  • 24/7 online booking
  • Automated appointment reminders
  • Secure payment processing
  • Client management
  • Team calendar management
  • Point of sale system
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Square Appointments is an all-in-one solution for booking and scheduling appointments, sending reminders, and accepting payments. ► THE ALL-IN ONE POINT OF SALE FOR BOOKING, PAYMENTS, AND MORE It has everything you need to run your business from anywhere: online booking that’s easy for you and your customers, a point of sale that tracks customer details, and a secure, fast payment system. There are three monthly plans: Free, Plus, and Premium, and each is on a per-location basis. Custom pricing is available for businesses that process over $250K in annual revenue. ► NO CREDIT CARD REQUIRED, NO LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS Get 24/7 online booking, automatic appointment reminders, seamless payment processing, and no-show protection with Square Appointments for iPhone, iPad, and desktop. This is especially beneficial for barbershops and nail salons that need to manage appointments efficiently. ► PRICING PLANS TO FIT YOUR BUSINESS Pricing for Square Appointments is based on the features that fit your business best. There are three monthly plans: Free, Plus, and Premium, and each is on a per-location basis. Custom pricing is available for businesses that process over $250K in annual revenue. ► LET CLIENTS BOOK 24/7 No website? No problem—Square Appointments includes a pre-built booking site, so your customers can book anytime, from anywhere. Easily manage and accept bookings from your iPhone or iPad. With our Square Online integration, you can customize layouts, colors, and fonts that reflect your brand and even add pages for products, testimonials, and more. This feature is perfect for nail salons and barbershops looking to enhance their online presence. ► CHECK OUT CLIENTS SEAMLESSLY Accept payments, sell products, or send invoices easily, all from one app. Let customers have Square save their card on file for even faster checkout. ► REDUCE NO-SHOWS Set up automated appointment reminders, request prepayment or charge a cancellation fee for online booking. ► MANAGE AN ENTIRE TEAM EASILY Manage your whole team’s calendars, set their access and permissions, and see individual sales and appointment reports all from one place. ► GET TO KNOW YOUR CLIENTS Keep notes on all your clients so you can keep track of their preferences, appointment and sales history. This is valuable for barbershops, nail salons, and health & beauty businesses aiming to provide personalized services. This is more than just a calendar. Square Appointments is powerful appointment scheduling, a point of sale, and payment processing—all in one place.

Screenshots

Basecamp4 screens
Square Appointments4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Square Appointments at 4.9 against Basecamp's 4.7. Square Appointments also leads on ratings volume (195K vs 21K) and chart position (#205 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Square Appointments holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square Appointments has 195K ratings behind it against 21K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Basecamp's written reviews are positive against 69% of Square Appointments's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basecamp ships an update every 6 days, Square Appointments every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Basecamp versus Square Appointments: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasecampSquare Appointments
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (21K ratings)4.9 (195K ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.2% of reviews69.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21K195K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
Best chart rank—#205 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.217.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB792 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer37Signals LLCBlock, Inc.

Customer experience

Basecamp

All ratings20,897 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.9%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews592 reviews
Positive65.2%
Neutral8.6%
Negative26.2%

Square Appointments

All ratings195,289 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews714 reviews
Positive69.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative22.7%

User reviews

Basecamp

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Powerful project management tool
  • 🚀 Efficient team communication
  • 📁 Effective file/document sharing
  • 📅 Useful calendar and scheduling features
  • 💯 Great value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 📱 Mobile app not as reliable as desktop
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find things
  • 🔔 Notification issues and lack of customization
  • 💤 Slow performance with longer threads

Square Appointments

From 195K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 📅 Helpful appointment reminders
  • 💳 Integrated payment processing
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🕰️ Recurring appointments

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🤔 Confusing navigation
  • 🔒 Lack of security features
  • 💰 Expensive paid plans
  • 📞 Poor customer support

Bugs and requests

Basecamp

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Layout issues on mobile, especially iPhone
  • Inconsistent behavior between mobile and desktop
  • Badge notifications not working properly
  • Inability to clear badge count on iPad
  • Crashes when opening cards or using certain features

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved calendar and timeline views
  • Recurring tasks and dependent tasks
  • Better integration with other apps and services
  • Threaded messaging and improved Campfire chat

Square Appointments

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Appointments disappearing or not syncing
  • Issues with changing or rescheduling appointments
  • Unreliable notification system
  • Incorrect time/date display
  • Trouble connecting with Square payment system

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to customize text/email reminders
  • Option to block time slots for personal use
  • Integration with more calendar apps
  • Easier way to manage multiple locations
  • Feature to collect deposits or prepayments
Show 1 more
  • Improved reporting and analytics

In-app purchases

None

Basecamp

No in-app purchases

None

Square Appointments

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Basecamp free?
Basecamp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Square Appointments free?
Square Appointments is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Basecamp or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments is rated higher. Basecamp averages 4.7 out of 5 from 21K ratings, while Square Appointments averages 4.9 from 195K ratings.
Do Basecamp or Square Appointments have ads?
Neither Basecamp nor Square Appointments shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basecamp or Square Appointments?
Basecamp ships an update every 6 days, and Square Appointments every 4 days. Most recently, Basecamp was updated on September 27, 2026 and Square Appointments on September 28, 2026.

Other comparisons