bzar vs Square Appointments for event vendors
Square Appointments is built for timed appointments and in-person payments: salons, studios and services booked by the hour. bzar is built for event vendors, where customers book a package for a date, pay a deposit and sign a contract. Choose Square for walk-in style appointments and card readers; choose bzar for event bookings and markets.
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When to choose each.
Choose bzar if
- You don't want a monthly subscription: bzar is free for vendors, and Pro is included when you take bookings.
- You want a public storefront with your packages, photos and prices that you can link from Instagram.
- You want customers to pick a package, request a date and pay a deposit online.
- You'd rather the customer pay a service fee on top of your price than pay card processing out of your own.
- You also sell at markets and pop-ups and want to apply and pay booth fees in the same place.
- You want shoppers to pre-order from you before a market and pick up at your booth.
Choose Square Appointments if
- You take in-person payments at markets, pop-ups or your studio and want the same system to run the card reader, the booking calendar and your products; Square hardware and Tap to Pay are in the same account.
- You run a high-volume appointment business (hair, makeup, henna sessions, mini-sessions) and want waitlists, no-show fees, card-on-file, class/package booking and SMS reminders.
- You want a free plan with low-friction setup and a bundled bank account/payroll/loyalty, rather than a custom-quote or proposal-style sales process.
Features: bzar and Square Appointments.
"Not listed" means we couldn't find it on their website, not that it definitely doesn't exist.
| Feature | bzar | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Public storefront page | Yes | YesCustomizable booking website with logo, colors and services; social-media booking. |
| Customers find you there | Not yet | YesSquare Go: 'Get discovered and booked by clients with Square Go — our free marketplace app.' Page does not publish how much traffic it sends. |
| Online booking | Yes | YesFree online booking site, Book Now button, QR code, embeddable widget, unlimited staff calendars, Google Calendar sync, reminders. |
| Deposits | Yes | Yes'Appointment deposits': collect a partial deposit when appointments are scheduled; prepayments; invoice deposits with separate balance due date. Included on Free, Plus and Premium. |
| Contracts and e-signature | Yes | YesContract templates and e-signature on all plans; 'require signature before invoice payment' and custom contract fields are Plus and above. |
| Quotes and invoices | Yes | YesUnlimited invoices, recurring invoices, estimates auto-converted to invoices. |
| Client list | Yes | YesBuilt-in customer directory/profiles with notes, files, forms, Square Messages inbox; CSV import. |
| Online product checkout | Not yet | YesSquare Online/Websites: sell online with pickup, shipping, local delivery; sell products alongside services. |
| Apply to markets and events | Yes | Not listed |
What each one costs you.
bzar
Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings. When a customer pays for a booking by card, they pay a service fee on top of your price, and bzar covers card processing from it.
Full details on the vendor page.
Square Appointments
Square Free $0/mo (processing fees only); Square Plus $49/mo per location; Square Premium $149/mo per location; Plus and Premium have a free 30-day trial. Card processing is charged on every plan: in-person 2.6% + 15¢ (Free), 2.5% + 15¢ (Plus), 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium); online/invoice 3.3% + 30¢ (Free), 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus/Premium); card on file or manually entered 3.5% + 15¢.
- In-person card (tap, dip, swipe): 2.6% + 15¢ Free / 2.5% + 15¢ Plus / 2.4% + 15¢ Premium
- Online card payments and invoices: 3.3% + 30¢ Free / 2.9% + 30¢ Plus / 2.9% + 30¢ Premium
- Card on file or manual entry: 3.5% + 15¢ on all plans
- ACH bank transfer via invoice: 1%, $1 min (Free); 1%, $1 min, $10 cap (Plus/Premium)
- Afterpay: 6% + 30¢
- International card surcharge: +1.5%
- Text message marketing: Not on Free; Plus 500 texts/mo included then 3¢ each; Premium 2,500 included then 1.5¢
- Lead or listing fees: No per-lead fee published on the pages read; Square Go is described on the Appointments page as 'our free marketplace app'
Moving from Square Appointments.
- Create a free vendor account and set up your storefront.
- Add your packages with what each one includes and its price.
- Keep Square for in-person card payments at your booth if you like; the two don't conflict.
- Put your storefront link in your Instagram bio and on your website.
Common questions.
How much does Square Appointments cost compared with bzar?
Square Appointments: Square Free $0/mo (processing fees only); Square Plus $49/mo per location; Square Premium $149/mo per location; Plus and Premium have a free 30-day trial. Card processing is charged on every plan: in-person 2.6% + 15¢ (Free), 2.5% + 15¢ (Plus), 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium); online/invoice 3.3% + 30¢ (Free), 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus/Premium); card on file or manually entered 3.5% + 15¢. bzar: Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings. When a customer pays for a booking by card, they pay a service fee on top of your price, and bzar covers card processing from it.
When is Square Appointments the better choice?
You take in-person payments at markets, pop-ups or your studio and want the same system to run the card reader, the booking calendar and your products; Square hardware and Tap to Pay are in the same account. You run a high-volume appointment business (hair, makeup, henna sessions, mini-sessions) and want waitlists, no-show fees, card-on-file, class/package booking and SMS reminders. You want a free plan with low-friction setup and a bundled bank account/payroll/loyalty, rather than a custom-quote or proposal-style sales process.
Can I move from Square Appointments to bzar?
Yes. Create a free vendor account and set up your storefront. Add your packages with what each one includes and its price. Keep Square for in-person card payments at your booth if you like; the two don't conflict. Put your storefront link in your Instagram bio and on your website.
Does bzar charge vendors a subscription?
Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings.
Where these facts come from.
Competitor details come from each company’s own website, checked on 2026-10-11. Details change; tell us at hello@bzar.app if something here is out of date.
Get booked from your storefront.
Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings.