Strata vs Square Appointments
Strata vs Square Appointments: a scheduler, or software that knows the car
Square Appointments is free to start, has a 4.9 app with 195,000 ratings, and knows nothing about a vehicle. Size pricing is typed by hand into every service, there is no membership product, reminders come from a Square number the customer can't reply to you through on Free, and the Free plan takes 3.3% + 30c on every online card payment. Strata Pro is $89 list with the car at the centre.
30-day free trial · Cancel anytime · Plans from $39/month
Many automotive businesses start on Square because it is already in their pocket. This page is for the day it stops fitting. Everything about Square below was read from Square's own pricing, fees and help pages on one day, with the page each line came from. Where Square is ahead, and it often is, the table says so.
What you would pay
The month's bill, with texting and the add-ons counted
Strata Pro, month to month
$89/month
Square Appointments Plus, per location
$49/month
- Strata:
- Vehicle records, booking priced by vehicle size, estimates with customer-picked options, two-way texting on Strata's line, memberships, review requests after every job, the AI assistant. 5 logins. Stripe's published card rates, nothing added.
- Square Appointments:
- Cheaper than Strata Pro. The plan where confirmations, two-way Messages with your own number, multi-package estimates and Google review campaigns begin. Online card payments 2.9% + 30c. The Free plan is $0 with 3.3% + 30c online and reminders only.
Side by side
How Strata compares, line by line
| Capability | Strata | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| The vehicle | Strata Year, make, model, plate, VIN and history on every customer; the booking page prices by vehicle size; the estimate and invoice know which car. | Square Appointments No vehicle record, VIN or plate. Up to 5 optional custom fields at booking on Plus and Premium. Size pricing is a variation typed into each service by hand. |
| Texting | Strata Two-way on Pro and Premier: replies land in your inbox, Reply C confirms, STOP is handled. Own number on Premier. | Square Appointments Reminders from a Square number on Solo, Pro and Premier, and the customer can reply to confirm or cancel. To text with them, Free can only answer inbound; Plus gets a dedicated number after carrier verification. Square's own help says reminder replies don't reach you. |
| Estimates | Strata One estimate: the customer ticks options and add-ons, watches the total move, signs, pays the deposit at approval. | Square Appointments Estimates on Solo, Pro and Premier; on Plus the customer picks one of two to nine packages. Optional line items the customer ticks: not found. No estimate templates. |
| Memberships | Strata Membership plans on Solo, Pro and Premier, charged on your own Stripe, with covered visits kept off the invoice. | Square Appointments No service-membership product. Prepaid packages on Plus; item subscriptions on Plus with no custom billing dates. |
| Where Square is ahead | Strata No payment reader of its own, no loyalty program, no classes, no 195,000-rating app. | Square Appointments Free to start, a reader in your hand, unlimited staff on Solo, Pro and Premier, loyalty and email marketing on Plus, and the most-reviewed scheduling app there is. |
4 more rows
| Capability | Strata | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Review requests | Strata Solo, Pro and Premier, after each completed job, with your Google or Yelp link. | Square Appointments Google review campaigns on Plus and up, triggered when a customer becomes a regular (three purchases in twelve months) or leaves positive feedback. Nothing fires after an appointment. |
| What a card payment costs | Strata Stripe's published rates, in your own Stripe account; Strata adds nothing. | Square Appointments Online or invoice card: 3.3% + 30c on Free, 2.9% + 30c on Plus and Premium. Keyed or stored card: 3.5% + 15c on Solo, Pro and Premier. |
| The AI assistant | Strata Solo, Pro and Premier, answering with your own numbers and naming the screen; $15 to $50 in AI tokens a month. | Square Appointments Square AI, a beta chat over your business data, on Solo, Pro and Premier. |
| Trial | Strata 30 days of the full product; a card added on web and iPhone before the trial starts, none on Android. | Square Appointments Free is free. Plus and Premium have a 30-day trial. |
Square Appointments’s prices and terms were read from its own pages on 29 October 2026. If something here has changed since, tell us and we will correct it.
See Square Appointments and Strata side by sideOn the record
What Square Appointments charges, gates and leaves out
- 1
Free $0, Plus $49 and Premium $149 a month per location, with no per-staff charge.
Source: Square Appointments pricing - 2
Online and invoice card payments cost 3.3% + 30c on Free and 2.9% + 30c on Plus and Premium; keyed and stored-card payments 3.5% + 15c on Solo, Pro and Premier.
Source: Square processing fees - 3
Appointment reminders send from a Square toll-free number; the help article on customer communications says replies to it don't reach the business.
Source: Square help: troubleshoot customer appointment communications
4 more, each with its source
- 4
On the Free plan, Messages can only reply to inbound texts and send payment links; Plus and Premium can start conversations and get a dedicated number after carrier verification.
Source: Square help: your dedicated business number - 5
Google review requests are automated campaigns on Plus and up, triggered when a customer becomes a regular (three purchases in twelve months) or leaves positive feedback.
Source: Square help: collect Google reviews - 6
Custom booking fields, the closest thing to a vehicle record, are limited to five, optional for the customer, and available on Plus and Premium only.
Source: Square help: collect customer profile fields in online booking - 7
Multi-package estimates, where the customer picks one of two to nine packages, are Plus and up.
Source: Square Appointments pricing, the plan table
Why businesses choose Strata
The car is the record
Vehicles on file with history, booking priced by size without retyping a service, the estimate and the invoice tied to the right car. Square gives you five optional text fields.
Texts the customer can answer
Confirmations and reminders go out on Strata's line and the reply lands in your inbox. Square's reminders come from a Square number; texting with the customer on your own number starts at $49 and a verification wait.
2 more reasons
Reviews after the job, memberships on Solo, Pro and Premier
The review ask goes out when the job is done, not after a third purchase. A customer buys a monthly plan on your own Stripe and the covered visit stays off the invoice.
Plain about where Square is ahead
Free to start, a reader in your hand, unlimited staff, loyalty, and an app with 195,000 ratings. For a business that takes cards in person and books by the hour, Square is a fair choice.
Bring your data with you
Bring your Square customers with you
Export customers from the Square Dashboard and import them by CSV, then add their vehicles as the next jobs come in. Strata previews the file before writing anything, and the trial runs long enough to keep both open.
See how import worksCommon questions
Isn't Square free?
The Free plan has no monthly fee and charges 3.3% + 30c on every online or invoice card payment, against 2.9% + 30c on the $49 Plus plan. Strata Pro is $89 list with payments in your own Stripe account at Stripe's rates.
Can I keep using my Square reader?
Strata takes payments through Stripe, in your own account. It has no payment reader of its own today, so a business that takes most of its money in person by tap should weigh that.
Does Square track vehicles?
No. Its booking page can ask up to five optional custom questions on Plus and Premium, and vehicle-size pricing is a variation typed into each service. Strata keeps the vehicle on the customer and prices the booking by its size.
How does the import work?
Export customers from the Square Dashboard and import by CSV. Strata previews the file first.
Get started
Try Strata next to Square
30-day free trial, the full product, month to month after. Import your Square customers and take a booking priced by vehicle size the same day.
