Comparison

Square Appointments vs SAMS Student

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

Head to head
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
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.

About

SAMS Student

This app helps cosmetology schools track student clock hours with customizable features. It is designed to meet the specific needs of public and private beauty schools.

Highlights
  • Student time clock tracking
  • Flexible customization
  • Public and private school requirements
  • Beauty school specific features
Read full description

Cosmetology school time clock tracking with flexible customization and features to meet public and private beauty school's requirements.

Screenshots

Square Appointments4 screens
SAMS Student3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: SAMS Student at free against Square Appointments's freemium. SAMS Student also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.1). Square Appointments's advantage is ratings volume (195K vs 1). On price, rating, 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Square Appointments against 5.0 for SAMS Student. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square Appointments has 195K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Square Appointments ships an update every 6 days, SAMS Student every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Square Appointments versus SAMS Student: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSquare AppointmentsSAMS Student
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (195K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings195K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.115.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size802 MB31 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBlock, Inc.Reckon System, Inc

Customer experience

Square Appointments

All ratings195,315 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews725 reviews
Positive68.8%
Neutral8.4%
Negative22.8%

SAMS Student

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

SAMS Student

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Square Appointments

No in-app purchases

None

SAMS Student

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Square Appointments free?
Square Appointments is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SAMS Student free?
SAMS Student is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Square Appointments or SAMS Student?
SAMS Student is rated higher. Square Appointments averages 4.9 out of 5 from 195K ratings, while SAMS Student averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Square Appointments or SAMS Student have ads?
Neither Square Appointments nor SAMS Student shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Square Appointments or SAMS Student?
Square Appointments ships an update every 6 days, and SAMS Student every 8 days. Most recently, Square Appointments was updated on October 29, 2026 and SAMS Student on October 18, 2026.

Other comparisons