GlossGenius vs Square Appointments

GlossGenius and Square Appointments, much like two particularly ambitious life forms on the evolutionary ladder of business software, have discovered that scheduling things is an excellent way to keep humans from panicking. They both let people book appointments without the existential dread of calling anyone, process payments with the quiet efficiency of a butler who knows all your secrets and remind clients about their appointments before they have a chance to pretend they forgot. They also offer various ways to track business performance, though whether this knowledge brings enlightenment or just mild despair depends entirely on the user. And, of course, both can be accessed via a mobile app, ensuring that even while stranded on a distant, featureless landscape (such as the waiting room of a government office), one can still reschedule a haircut.

GlossGenius, which materialized in 2016, seems to have been built with the assumption that beauty professionals require not just scheduling software but also an artistic statement. It allows users to tailor their booking pages with meticulous precision, presumably to ensure that even their appointment confirmation emails exude an air of effortless elegance. Unlike its competitors, it adopts a refreshingly simple approach to pricing—one flat rate, no tiered plans, no sudden existential crises about whether “premium” really means anything. However, it remains exclusively available in the United States, perhaps due to an unseen force field preventing it from venturing beyond its homeland.

Square Appointments, appearing in 2014 with the backing of Square’s already formidable financial empire, takes a more inclusive approach. While beauty professionals are welcome, so too are personal trainers, consultants and anyone else who has realized that scheduling things is the only way to maintain civilization. It integrates seamlessly with the vast and sprawling Square ecosystem, meaning one could theoretically run an entire empire of haircuts, yoga sessions and dog-training workshops without ever needing another app. It also has the nerve to offer a free plan, which means that somewhere out there, an accountant is crying softly into their coffee. Unlike its more domestically inclined counterpart, Square Appointments has ventured into multiple countries, proving that even software is sometimes better at international travel than the average human.

See also: Top 10 Beauty Salon software