Comparison

Groupon Merchant 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

Groupon Merchant

Manage your Groupon campaigns directly from your smartphone. Scan and redeem Groupons, track campaign performance, view payment details, and respond to customer feedback.

Highlights
  • Scan and redeem Groupons
  • Track campaign performance
  • View payment details
  • Respond to customer feedback
  • Manage campaigns on-the-go
Features
Read full description

The new Groupon Merchant app lets you manage your Groupon campaigns directly from your smartphone. Use the Groupon Merchant app to: Easily scan and redeem Groupons using your phone’s camera or keypad Get detailed insights into your campaign performance View your payment details\nSee and respond to customer feedback To get started, download the app and sign in to your Groupon merchant account.

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.

Screenshots

Groupon Merchant4 screens
Square Appointments4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Square Appointments at 69% against Groupon Merchant's 26%. Square Appointments also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.4) and ratings volume (195K vs 457). Groupon Merchant's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square Appointments has 195K ratings behind it against 457, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Groupon Merchant's written reviews are positive against 69% of Square Appointments's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Groupon Merchant ships an update weekly, Square Appointments every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Groupon Merchant versus Square Appointments: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGroupon MerchantSquare Appointments
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (457 ratings)4.9 (195K ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.3% of reviews69.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings457195K — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB792 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGroupon, Inc.Block, Inc.

Customer experience

Groupon Merchant

All ratings457 ratings
Positive60.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative35.0%
Written reviews217 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral4.1%
Negative69.6%

Square Appointments

All ratings195,289 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews713 reviews
Positive69.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative22.7%

User reviews

Groupon Merchant

From 457 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 💡 Helpful for building clientele
  • 👍 User-friendly app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes
  • ⚠️ Poor customer service
  • 💰 Groupon takes too much commission
  • 🤖 Outsourced support with language barriers
  • 🤔 Devalues business with discounts

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

Groupon Merchant

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and connectivity problems
  • Camera functionality not working properly
  • Delayed or missing payments to merchants

Requested features

3 requests
  • Search option to find redeemed vouchers by customer name
  • Ability to pause or end campaigns easily
  • More transparency on payouts and fees

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

Groupon Merchant

No in-app purchases

None

Square Appointments

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Groupon Merchant free?
Groupon Merchant 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, Groupon Merchant or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments is rated higher. Groupon Merchant averages 3.4 out of 5 from 457 ratings, while Square Appointments averages 4.9 from 195K ratings.
Do Groupon Merchant or Square Appointments have ads?
Neither Groupon Merchant nor Square Appointments shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Groupon Merchant or Square Appointments?
Groupon Merchant ships an update weekly, and Square Appointments every 4 days. Most recently, Groupon Merchant was updated on September 21, 2026 and Square Appointments on September 24, 2026.

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