Square Appointments alternative
A Square Appointments alternative built for UK service businesses.
Nextro is a UK-native booking and payments platform. Flat £29/month — no per-transaction percentage fees, your own booking website URL, designed for nail technicians, hairdressers, barbers, lash techs, and beauty businesses.
14-day free trial · £29/month · No contract
Why businesses switch from Square Appointments
Square charges a percentage on every card payment
Square Appointments' free plan takes 1.75% on in-person card payments and 2.5% on online bookings paid by card. On a £60 appointment booked online, that's £1.50 taken per transaction. At 80 bookings per month, it's £120/month in transaction fees. Nextro is £29/month flat — the checkout fee is added to the client's total, not deducted from yours.
Square is US-first
Square was built for the US market and expanded internationally. Its UK product, pricing, and support reflect a secondary market. Nextro is built specifically for UK service businesses, priced in GBP, and designed around how UK booking and payment flows work.
No dedicated booking website URL
Square Appointments-powered booking pages live inside Square's URL structure. Nextro gives you a clean booking website at nextroapp.com/book/yourname — a link you add to your Instagram bio, share on WhatsApp, or put on a business card as your own booking page.
Features built around beauty and wellness
Square is a point-of-sale and payments company that added appointments. Nextro is built from the ground up for appointment-based service businesses — nail techs, hairdressers, barbers, lash artists, personal trainers, massage therapists. Portfolio display, review collection, credit packs, and no-show protection are all native.
The transaction fee difference
Square charges a percentage of every online card payment. At typical UK service business volumes, the monthly cost comparison looks like this:
| Monthly booking revenue | Square fee (2.5% online) | Nextro |
|---|---|---|
| £800/month | £20/month | £29/month flat |
| £1,200/month | £30/month | £29/month flat |
| £2,000/month | £50/month | £29/month flat |
| £3,500/month | £87.50/month | £29/month flat |
| £5,000/month | £125/month | £29/month flat |
On Nextro, the secure checkout fee is added to the client's total — it never comes out of your listed price. Your earnings are always your full rate.
Feature comparison
Your own booking website URL
Square Appointments uses a Square-hosted URL structure
Flat monthly pricing in GBP
Square pricing is USD-first; UK plans vary
No percentage fee per booking
Square charges per-transaction card fees on bookings
Designed specifically for UK service businesses
Square is US-first; UK is a secondary market
Upfront payment at booking
Automated email reminders
Booking credit packs
Portfolio display on booking page
Automatic review collection
No competitor discovery alongside your business
Payouts to UK bank account via Stripe
Feature comparison based on publicly available information. Square's offerings may vary by plan, region, and time. Always verify current terms with each provider before switching.
Who Nextro is designed for
Common questions
Answers about booking, payments, and getting started with Nextro.
Does Square Appointments charge a fee per booking?
Yes. Square Appointments charges per-transaction card fees — 1.75% for in-person card payments and 2.5% for online payments on the free plan. On paid plans, these rates vary. Nextro charges a flat £29/month; the secure checkout fee is added to the customer's total and never deducted from your earnings.
Is Square Appointments available in the UK?
Yes, Square Appointments is available in the UK. However, Square is a US-first product and its UK offering reflects a secondary market — pricing is sometimes shown in USD, support covers a US timezone, and the feature set is built around US business practices. Nextro is built specifically for UK service businesses, priced in GBP.
What is a Square Appointments alternative for UK nail technicians?
Nextro. UK nail technicians on Nextro get their own booking page, upfront deposit collection, portfolio display, and automated reminders for £29/month flat — no per-transaction fee deducted from their earnings. Square's transaction fees can reach £100+/month at typical nail tech volume.
What is a Square Appointments alternative for UK hairdressers?
Nextro. Hairdressers on Nextro pay £29/month flat with zero transaction fees on bookings. At £65/appointment and 10 online bookings per month, Square's 2.5% online fee costs £16.25/month just in transaction fees — on top of any subscription cost. Nextro's checkout fee is paid by the client, not the business.
Can I use Nextro instead of Square for booking and payments?
Yes. Nextro handles booking and card payments together via Stripe. Clients book through your page, pay upfront or leave a deposit, and you receive your full listed price directly to your connected UK bank account. Setup takes around 15 minutes.
Is Nextro cheaper than Square Appointments?
For UK service businesses taking online bookings, Nextro is typically cheaper. Square's 2.5% online transaction fee at £1,500/month in bookings costs £37.50/month in fees alone. Nextro is £29/month flat with the checkout fee added to the client's payment — not deducted from yours.
Does Square Appointments work for barbers in the UK?
Square Appointments works technically for UK barbers, but it's not built with barbershops in mind. Nextro is designed for barbers — quick slot booking, upfront payment, no marketplace listing alongside competitors, and a booking link that works from Instagram bio or Google Business.
What happens to my money when clients book through Square?
Square holds funds briefly before transferring to your bank account — transfer timing varies by plan and region. With Nextro, payments are processed by Stripe and paid out to your connected UK bank account on Stripe's standard payout schedule (typically 2 business days). Your full listed price is what you receive.
Create your independent booking website
14-day free trial. Then £29/month — no percentage fees, no US-first pricing.