Square Appointments alternative for solo and home-based groomers
Last checked 2026-10-17.
Short answer: Pawdmin is the Square Appointments alternative built for one groomer working from home or a small studio: a free plan, time-based billing, client tiers for raising prices, and a client portal that never shows your calendar.
Square Appointments is built for any appointment business; not pet-specific. Square Appointments is a free general-purpose booking tool that many solo groomers start on. It handles a calendar, a booking site and card payments, but knows nothing about dogs, coats or grooming workflows.
Why groomers look for a Square Appointments alternative
- •There is nowhere to keep pet records, vaccines, coat notes or behaviour flags.
- •Clients book straight into your calendar with no estimate and no vetting.
- •You have outgrown a generic scheduler and want grooming-specific pricing and workflows.
What changes with Pawdmin
- ✓Hourly billing. Prices on estimates and invoices are calculated from time. Flat-fee services and add-ons still work.
- ✓Client tiers. Start new clients at your new rate and move existing clients up gradually.
- ✓Order before schedule. Review the client and dog, send a one-click estimate, then offer a few penciled-in times. Clients never see your calendar.
- ✓Unlimited reminders. Email and SMS confirmations and reminders with no per-message fees on Grow and above.
- ✓Free to start. Unlimited clients, pets, appointments, invoicing and payments on the Basic plan, no credit card.
What you give up
- •Stay with Square Appointments if: you only need a free calendar and card reader and keep pet notes elsewhere.
- •Stay with Square Appointments if: you already use Square for retail and want everything on one dashboard.
Side by side
| Feature | Pawdmin | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Solo, home-based groomers who charge by time | Any appointment business; not pet-specific |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price (paid) | $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) | Free plan; paid plans reported from about $29 to $49 per month |
| Priced per | Per business, 1 groomer included | Per location or seat |
| Time-based (hourly) billing Prices on estimates and invoices calculated from time, not a flat or per-breed menu. | Yes | Fixed-duration services; no time-based invoice calculation |
| Client tiers (rate groups) Keep new and existing clients at different rates while you raise prices. | Yes | No |
| Offer several time options, client picks one | Yes | No |
| Clients never see your calendar | Yes | Booking site shows open availability |
| Every booking needs your approval | Yes | Optional: accept or decline requests |
| Build the order and estimate before scheduling | Yes | No |
| Email and SMS reminders | Unlimited email and SMS on Grow and above, no per-message fees | Email and SMS reminders included |
| Client portal / app | Yes | Booking site; no pet records or portal |
| Website builder | Included on Advanced and Plus | Free booking site |
| Multi-groomer staff, payroll or commissions | Extra staff accounts on paid plans; no payroll or commissions | On paid plans |
| Route optimization for mobile | No | No |
| Boarding and daycare | No | No |
| Card payments | Stripe, paid straight into your account, no markup | Square, about 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online |
| Contract or setup fee | None. Cancel anytime, 30-day refund | None |
Moving your data
Clients and pets import from CSV, and we help with the migration. Future appointments are re-created in Pawdmin (one per client, then copy or rebook) because every system structures services differently. Most groomers finish in a few hours, or a weekend if the book is full.
Questions people ask
Is Pawdmin free like Square Appointments?
Yes. Pawdmin's Basic plan is free forever with unlimited clients, pets and appointments, invoicing and payments. Paid plans add reminders, the client portal, automated messages and the website builder.
Can I keep taking payments with Square if I move to Pawdmin?
Pawdmin integrates with Stripe for card payments and payment links, and also supports Square as a processor. Check the current integrations list in the app for details.
Who is Pawdmin for?
Solo, home-based pet groomers first, plus solo studio groomers and mobile or house-call groomers. It is not built for multi-groomer salons that need payroll or for boarding and daycare facilities.
Is the pricing on this page current?
Pawdmin prices come straight from our live pricing configuration. Competitor prices were taken from their public pricing pages and software directories on 2026-10-17 and can change; confirm on the vendor's site before deciding.
See the full Pawdmin vs Square Appointments comparison →
Start free. Charge what you are worth.
Pawdmin’s Basic plan is free forever, no credit card. Upgrade when reminders, the client portal or the website builder start paying for themselves.
Competitor names are trademarks of their owners. Competitor details were taken from their public pricing pages and software directories on 2026-10-17 and may have changed; confirm on the vendor’s site. Pawdmin prices are read live from our pricing configuration. Spotted an error? Email support@pawdmin.com and we will fix it.