You’ve already done the hard part. Your diary’s in Square Appointments, your card reader’s on the counter, and maybe Square Loyalty is ticking along at the till.
So when you ask “can I get my own app?”, the usual answer is “just use what Square gives you”. That’s decent advice. It’s also missing an option: keep Square exactly where it is and put your own branded app on top of it.
This guide covers what Square already gives you for free, what it doesn’t, and how a branded app sits on top without you switching anything.
Keep Square. Add your own app. Bookings stay in Square Appointments, and your clients get your logo on their home screen plus push notifications and loyalty. See how the Square Appointments app works
Does Square give you your own app?
Square doesn’t offer a branded app with your name in the App Store. I checked Square’s own pages carefully, and there’s no white-label customer app for your business.
What Square does give you is genuinely good, and a lot of it is free:
- An online booking site. Every Square Appointments plan, including Free, comes with an online booking site and booking integrations for your website, Facebook page and Google Business Profile (Square US pricing, Square help: set up online booking).
- Appointment reminders. Text and email reminders are listed on the Free plan in both the US and UK (Square UK pricing).
- A loyalty programme. Square Loyalty lets customers earn points at the till, sends text notifications when they earn or redeem, and can add a loyalty pass to Apple Wallet (Square Loyalty).
- Square Go. This is the one people mix up. Square Go is Square’s own consumer booking app, launched in August 2023. It’s a marketplace where clients find and book beauty and personal care businesses (Square press release).
Square Go is free and it can bring you new clients. But it’s Square’s app with Square’s name on it, your salon sits in a list next to everyone else’s, and Square’s own help page says it’s iOS only (Square help: Square Go). The launch announcement was US only, and I couldn’t find any sign of a UK launch.
Square also has a Bookings API, which lets an outside app create, update and cancel bookings in your Square calendar (it’s listed on the US pricing page). That’s the door a branded app comes through. You just don’t want to hire a developer to build that from scratch.
What’s the difference between Square’s booking site and your own app?
Your Square booking site is a web page. Clients tap a link in your Instagram bio, book, and close the tab. Next time, they have to find that link again.
An app is an icon on their phone with your logo on it. It sits there between visits, next to Instagram and their banking app, and it’s one tap from rebooking.
The bigger difference is how you reach people. Square talks to clients by text and email. Texts cost money once you’re past your allowance (Square’s US Plus plan includes 500 texts a month, then 3¢ each), and email gets buried. A branded app sends push notifications straight to the lock screen, and AppBuild doesn’t charge per message.
So picture a Tuesday at 11am. A 2pm cancellation lands. With Square on its own, you post a story and hope. With your own app, you send “2pm just opened up, first to book gets it” to every client who has your app, and it’s on their lock screen in seconds.
How does a branded app work with Square Appointments?
The setup on AppBuild’s Square Appointments page is simple. Square stays where you manage staff, calendars and payments. Your app pulls from Square in real time.
In practice:
- Bookings live in Square. A booking made in your app lands in Square like any other Square booking. AppBuild’s booking apps page says bookings sync to Square in real time, with no double entry.
- Your services, staff and availability come from Square. Change a price in your Square Dashboard and you don’t have to change it twice.
- The app adds the bits Square doesn’t. Your own branded app on the App Store, Google Play and as a web app (PWA), push notifications, and loyalty with digital stamp cards or points.
AppBuild says setup takes about 5 minutes. The PWA version can go live straight away. The App Store and Google Play versions need your own Apple Developer account ($99 a year) and Google Play Developer account ($25 one-off), which is listed on the hair and beauty app page.
For barbers, the play is rebooking. Your regulars come in every 2 to 4 weeks, so a “time for your next cut” push and a 9-cuts-1-free stamp card do a lot of the work. The barbershop app works with Square or Acuity if you already use either one.
For salons, nail techs and spas, it’s no-shows and empty slots. Push reminders and last-minute openings are the two things your clients actually see. The salon and beauty app is built around both.
Square on its own vs Square plus your own app
| Square on its own | Square + your own branded app | |
|---|---|---|
| Your app icon on the client’s phone | No. Square Go is Square-branded, iOS only, and launched in the US | Yes, your name and logo on iPhone, Android and as a web app |
| Booking | Square online booking site, website and social buttons | Same Square booking, plus booking inside your own app |
| Where bookings live | Square Appointments | Still Square Appointments |
| Payments | Square | Still Square |
| Reminders and messages | Text and email (US texts: 500 a month on Plus, then 3¢ each) | Square reminders, plus push notifications with no per-message charge |
| Loyalty | Square Loyalty: points at the till, texts, Apple Wallet pass | Digital stamp cards or points inside your app |
| Monthly cost (UK) | £0 to £69 per location for Appointments, plus £25 to £65 per location for Loyalty | Your Square plan, plus AppBuild from $0 (10 users), $49 (1,000 users) or $99 (unlimited) |
| Monthly cost (US) | $0, $49 or $149 per location (loyalty listed on the paid plans) | Your Square plan, plus AppBuild from $0, $49 or $99 |
What does it cost on top of Square?
Start with what you’re paying Square. In the UK, Square Appointments is £0 for a single location, £29 a month per location on Plus and £69 on Premium. In-person card payments are 1.75% on Free and 1.6% on the paid plans (Square UK pricing).
In the US, Square’s pricing page lists $0, $49 and $149 a month per location for Square Free, Plus and Premium (Square US pricing). You’ll see older and lower figures quoted on review sites, so check Square’s own page before you budget.
Square Loyalty in the UK is charged per location by loyalty visits: £25 a month up to 500 visits, £45 up to 1,500, and £65 above that (Square Loyalty UK). In the US, Square lists its loyalty programme as part of the paid plans (Square US plans).
Then the app. AppBuild’s pricing, listed in US dollars:
- Free: $0 for up to 10 app users, every feature included. Good for testing it with your best regulars.
- Business: $49 a month or $299 a year, up to 1,000 app users.
- Business Pro: $99 a month or $499 a year, unlimited app users.
Every plan includes iPhone, Android and web app versions, plus unlimited push notifications. Paid plans take 0% commission. Square keeps processing your payments at its normal rates, and AppBuild doesn’t add a cut on top.
So a one-chair UK salon on Square’s free plan could run a branded app for $0 (while it’s 10 app users or fewer) or $299 a year on Business. Compare that with what one filled cancellation a week is worth to you.
Can I keep Square Loyalty and still have an app?
Yes, you can run both. Square Loyalty keeps working at the till exactly as it does now.
But think about whether you need both. AppBuild’s app includes its own loyalty (stamp cards or points), and its push messages can nudge someone when they’re close to a reward. If you’re paying £45 a month for Square Loyalty mainly to run a simple “10th visit free” card, the app might cover it.
If you use Square Loyalty’s points across online orders, invoices and the till, keep it. It’s tied right into your checkout, and that’s hard to beat.
If you only want a digital stamp card and not a full app, AppBuild also sells a standalone loyalty card app at $99 a year.
Who should just stick with Square on its own?
Honestly, plenty of businesses. Stick with Square alone if:
- You’re brand new and still building a client list. Square Go (in the US) and your booking link will do more for discovery than an app will.
- Most of your clients book once a year or less. An app earns its place when people come back every few weeks.
- Your diary’s full weeks out and no-shows aren’t a problem. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
- You don’t want to post anything. An app with no messages going out is just an icon.
The app makes sense when you’ve got regulars, gaps in the diary, and you’re tired of paying for texts or hoping Instagram shows your story to the right people.
How do I get clients to download it?
Same way you got them to follow you on Instagram. Ask at the chair.
Put a QR code at the till and on the mirror. Give a stamp for installing. Swap the booking link in your bio for the app link. Most of your regulars will install it if there’s a free coffee, nail art upgrade or beard trim at the end of the card.
And because the PWA version installs from a link, clients who don’t want to visit the App Store can still add it to their home screen.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to leave Square to get my own app? No. Square Appointments stays where you manage staff, calendars and payments, and bookings made in the app go into Square.
Is Square Go my own branded app? No. Square Go is Square’s own marketplace app, with your business listed alongside others. It’s iOS only, and it launched in the US.
Does AppBuild take a cut of my bookings or payments? No. Paid plans are 0% commission. Square still charges its usual card processing fees.
Can my app be on the App Store and Google Play? Yes, plus a web app (PWA). You’ll need an Apple Developer account at $99 a year and a Google Play account at $25 one-off.
How much does it cost to try? $0 for up to 10 app users with every feature included. Business is $49 a month and Business Pro is $99 a month.
How long does setup take? AppBuild says about 5 minutes to connect Square and go live as a web app. App Store review takes longer.
Your clients already book through Square. Give them your app to do it in. Start free with up to 10 app users and every feature switched on. Build your Square Appointments app
Last Updated on October 8, 2026 by Ian Naylor
0 thoughts on “Already using Square? How to get your own branded app”