Nextro vs Square Appointments
Square Appointments is part of the broader Square ecosystem — it connects to Square's payment hardware, POS terminals, and inventory tools. Nextro is an online booking and upfront payment platform for independent UK service operators who do not need hardware or a till system, just a clean way for clients to book and pay before they arrive.
Nextro
Nextro is a UK-focused booking platform at £29/month flat. It takes full card payment upfront via Stripe at the time of booking, auto-fills your calendar as availability opens, and supports prepaid credit packs. It is designed for solo service operators — no POS, no hardware, no inventory.
Square Appointments
Square Appointments is scheduling software that integrates tightly with Square's broader ecosystem, including its card readers, POS terminals, and inventory management. It has a free plan for individual operators (Square's card processing fees apply) and paid plans starting around £29/month for teams. It is a general-purpose scheduling tool — not specific to any industry.
Key differences
Hardware ecosystem vs purely online
Square Appointments is designed to work alongside Square's physical hardware — card readers, tap-to-pay terminals, receipt printers. If your business involves in-person payment at a till, that integration is useful. Nextro is entirely online: clients pay via Stripe when booking, meaning there is no till, no hardware, and no in-person payment step.
Upfront payment as the default
Nextro requires full payment at the moment of booking — every confirmed appointment arrives already paid. Square Appointments supports optional online payment and card-on-file, but does not enforce upfront payment by default. Businesses that rely on pay-at-appointment workflows still carry no-show risk.
Industry focus
Square Appointments is a general-purpose scheduling tool used across industries: accountants, dog groomers, tutors, and beauty professionals all use it. Nextro is specifically built for service businesses in the UK — personal trainers, therapists, beauty professionals, coaches, and similar independent operators. The feature set reflects that focus.
Automatic forward-scheduling
Nextro automatically fills your calendar forward as availability opens — you set your working hours once and bookings populate without manual calendar management. Square Appointments requires you to manage your own availability manually, which is standard across most general-purpose scheduling tools.
Credit packs and prepaid bundles
Nextro supports prepaid booking credit packs — clients can buy a bundle of sessions in advance, which are redeemed against future appointments. Square Appointments does not have an equivalent feature; multi-session clients would need to pay for each appointment individually.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Nextro | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | £29/month flat | Free for individuals; from ~£29/month for teams |
| Commission on bookings | None | None (card processing fees apply) |
| Upfront full payment at booking | Optional | |
| Booking credit packs | ||
| Automatic forward-scheduling | ||
| 24-hour appointment reminders | ||
| Multi-staff scheduling | ||
| POS system | ||
| Hardware / card reader integration | ||
| Inventory management | ||
| Industry-specific features (beauty/wellness) | ||
| UK-focused product |
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Common questions
Common questions
Answers about booking, payments, and getting started with Nextro.
Is Square Appointments free?
Square Appointments has a free plan for individual operators that charges no monthly subscription fee. However, Square's card processing fees apply to every payment — typically around 1.75% for in-person card readers and higher for online transactions. For businesses with high booking volume, those processing fees can be significant. Nextro charges a flat £29/month with Stripe's standard processing fees.
Does Nextro work with Square's hardware?
No. Nextro is an online booking and payment platform — clients pay via Stripe when they book online. There is no integration with Square card readers, terminals, or any other payment hardware. If your business relies on in-person payments via Square hardware, Square Appointments is the better fit.
What industries use Square Appointments?
Square Appointments is a general-purpose scheduling tool used across many industries — beauty, wellness, pet services, professional services, education, and more. It is not designed for any specific industry, which means it lacks the service-specific features that Nextro includes, such as automatic session scheduling and booking credit packs.
Can I use Nextro without any card reader hardware?
Yes — Nextro is entirely software-based. Clients book and pay online via their browser or phone before they arrive. There is no hardware to buy, no card reader to set up, and no in-person payment step. Payment is handled by Stripe at the time of booking.
Does Square Appointments have automatic scheduling like Nextro?
Square Appointments requires manual availability management — you set your open slots and clients book into them. Nextro's automatic scheduling works differently: you define your working hours once and the system automatically makes slots available on a rolling basis as time moves forward, without you having to manually open new days or weeks.