Square is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.4. Square wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Calendly on 1.
Shops, cafes and service businesses that want simple payments and POS
Freelancers, salespeople and recruiters who book lots of meetings
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Square | Calendly |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Business & Sales | Business & Sales |
| Category rank | #2 of 10 | #7 of 10 |
| Developer | Block, Inc. | Calendly LLC |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Square better than Calendly?
Square is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.4. Square wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Calendly on 1.
Which is cheaper, Square or Calendly?
Square: Free plan, 2.6% + 15 cents per in-person sale; Plus $49/month per location. Calendly: Free plan; Standard is $10 per seat a month billed yearly, or $12 monthly. On value for money, Square scores higher.
Do Square and Calendly work on the same devices?
Yes, both run on iPhone & iPad, Android, Web.
Which is more private, Square or Calendly?
Calendly scores higher on privacy (7.5/10). App Store label: no tracking; email, user ID and product interaction are linked to you. The privacy notice says ad cookies may count as a sale or share of data, with an opt-out.
Strengths and weaknesses
Square
- Free POS software with no monthly fee to start
- Easy setup with simple, well-designed hardware
- One plan per location instead of a pile of add-ons
- Processing fees apply to every card payment
- Plus and Premium are charged per location
Square makes taking payments simple for small businesses. The free point-of-sale app handles sales, inventory, receipts and customer lists, and the newer Plus and Premium plans bundle advanced restaurant, retail and appointment tools into one monthly price per location. The hardware is easy to set up and pleasant to use. The trade-off is that every card sale carries a processing fee, and the best features sit behind paid plans.
Full Square review
Calendly
- Invitees book without needing an account
- Free plan covers one event type
- Connects to HubSpot and Salesforce
- Free plan allows one event type and one calendar
- AI features need the pricier Plus plans
- Per-seat pricing gets costly for teams
Calendly ends the back-and-forth of finding a meeting time. Connect your calendar, share a link, and people pick a slot that's actually free. Paid plans add reminders, round-robin team scheduling, routing forms, payments through Stripe or PayPal, and now AI note-taking on the Plus tiers. The free plan works for one meeting type. Per-seat pricing adds up quickly for bigger teams.
Full Calendly review
