Luminate and Square Appointments compared

How Square Appointments prices it

Square Appointments structures its pricing around locations rather than individual staff members, so you don't pay extra for a six-stylist team. You can start on the Free plan for a single location, which has no monthly subscription cost and allows unlimited calendars. If you need features like booking confirmations, a waitlist, or custom text notifications, you'll have to move to the Plus plan at £29 a month per location. For advanced tools like staff scheduling, commission automation, and time tracking, you'll need the Premium plan at £69 a month per location. Because plans change, you should check their own pricing page to confirm the exact details.

Beyond the monthly subscription, you pay processing fees on every transaction. For in-person card payments, the rate is 1.75% on the Free plan, which drops slightly to 1.6% if you're on the Plus or Premium plans. When clients book and pay online, including any prepayments or deposits, the fee is 1.4% plus 25p for UK cards, and rises to 2.5% plus 25p for non-UK cards. If you ever have to type a card number in manually on the system, that transaction costs a flat 2.5%.

If you want to run automated marketing campaigns, you'll need to pay for a separate marketing subscription. Moving your business over is only partially free; you can import client and inventory lists yourself, but transferring other database records requires paid onboarding and implementation services. The exact cost of these migration services is not published on their pricing page, so you'll need to contact their sales team directly to get a quote. If you want clients to find you through the mobile marketplace app, Square Go, that service is currently free.

How Luminate prices it

Luminate prices software on a flat monthly rate of £69. This single subscription includes every feature, with unlimited staff accounts and unlimited tills and terminals. You don't pay extra when you hire another stylist, and your monthly bill stays the same whether you have two team members or ten.

The monthly price includes 300 SMS credits each month, and you can send unlimited email and WhatsApp messages without extra charges. This subscription runs on monthly billing without contracts, minimum terms, or exit fees, so you can cancel at any time. There's also a 30-day free trial that gives you access to every feature with no credit card required.

When you take payments through the online booking system, you pay 2% plus 20p for each online payment to cover card processing. For example, a £20 online payment costs 60p, and a £50 online payment costs £1.20. You don't pay a monthly gateway fee or setup costs, and you're only charged when a customer pays online.

Where Square Appointments is the better choice

Square Appointments is the better choice if you're a solo stylist starting a new business and need to keep your overheads as low as possible. The free entry tier lets you manage your calendar and bookings without a monthly software bill, which is helpful when you're building your first client list.

This platform is also an excellent fit if you already use Square hardware for card payments in your salon. Because the booking system is built to work with this specific payment hardware, you don't need to purchase new card terminals or set up a separate payment account. Everything connects directly to your existing payment terminal, which makes your daily checkouts fast and straightforward.

Where Luminate fits better

Luminate fits better if you run a busy hair salon that requires tools designed specifically for hair services. The software tracks and flags skin test records, so you can see if a client has a valid skin test before they arrive for a colour appointment. You can also store detailed colour formulas with notes on overage billing, which helps your team mix the exact shade every time.

Managing your team is also simpler with hair-salon features like rostering, leave management, and staff levels. You can use commission automation to calculate what each stylist has earned, which saves you hours of manual work on payroll day. The staff performance reporting feature lets you monitor how each team member is performing, so you can see who's booking the most clients or selling the most retail products.

For your diary, Luminate includes a drag-and-drop calendar and multi-service bookings, which are useful when a client wants a cut, colour, and blow-dry in one visit. If your columns are full, the waitlist management system helps you fill empty slots when someone cancels. Clients can book online with card deposits, and the software sends smart reminders to reduce no-shows.

What moving involves

Switching software is a major decision for any salon, and you'll want to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible for your team and your clients. Because there's no automated migration service, you'll need to enter your existing client profiles, staff rosters, and upcoming appointments into the new system. You can use the free onboarding call, video tutorials, and the online documentation to help you set up your account.

The 30-day free trial lets you run Luminate in parallel with your current booking software before you make the final switch. You don't need a credit card to sign up, and you can test every feature in the app to make sure it works for your salon. Running both systems together gives you time to train your staff on the drag-and-drop calendar and the quick POS checkout till before you start taking live bookings.

Questions to ask before you decide

Before you make your final choice, you should ask yourself a few questions about your salon's daily needs.

The right software should make your daily booking and till tasks easier from your first day. If you want a free starting point or already use compatible card terminals, Square Appointments is a strong option. If you're looking for a flat monthly price and specific tools to manage hair salon clients, staff, and colour records, you can sign up for the 30-day free trial on the Luminate website.

• How many bookable staff do you have? If you have a growing team of stylists, a system with a flat monthly fee is more predictable than one that increases in cost as your business expands.
• Do you need specific hair-salon features? Hair salons have distinct needs, so you should check if the booking software includes tools for tracking colour formulas, recording skin test compliance, and setting up staff levels.
• What hardware do you want to use? If you already have card readers and till terminals from one provider, check if you need to buy new equipment to use the software you're considering.
• How will you manage client communication? Look at whether the system includes SMS credits and WhatsApp messaging in the monthly price, or if you'll have to pay extra for every booking reminder you send.
• What are the contract terms? Check if you're signing up for a fixed contract with exit fees, or if the software runs on a monthly subscription that you can cancel at any time.