The short answer
Square Appointments is booking software inside Square's payments system, for any service business. Walk-Ins Welcome runs the walk-in line.
They solve different halves of the day. Square's waitlist fills appointment slots that open up from cancellations. It isn't a line of walk-ins waiting right now. Walk-Ins Welcome is that line: customers check in from their phone, see the wait, and follow their place. Your page shows you as taking walk-ins only after someone on your team taps "I'm here." Plenty of shops will be best off using Square for bookings and payments and Walk-Ins Welcome for walk-ins.
Side by side
| Walk-Ins Welcome | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Walk-ins | Booked appointments |
| Free plan | Yes: 500 finished visits a month per location | Yes: one location |
| Paid plans | One plan, $39 per location a month (at launch) | Plus $29 and Premium $69 per location a month |
| Live walk-in line with wait times | Yes | Not found on Square's pages |
| Waitlist | Walk-ins join the line now | Fills open appointment slots (Plus and Premium) |
| When customers see "open" | Only after a team member taps "I'm here" | Not described on Square's pages |
| Kiosk and waiting-room TV for walk-ins | Free | Not found on Square's pages |
| Card payments | Not yet | Yes, with Square hardware and fees per payment |
| Customer app needed | No | No |
| Free web page for your business | Yes, built from your Google listing | Online booking site |
Walk-Ins Welcome prices are our launch plan. Square facts are from its own pages on the date at the top.
Where Square Appointments is stronger
- Payments. Card readers, online payments and payouts are Square's core. We don't take payments yet.
- Booking. Real calendar booking, staff schedules and reminders, with unlimited staff on every plan.
- A trusted name with a full set of business tools around it.
- A real free plan for one location.
Where Walk-Ins Welcome is stronger
- A real walk-in line. Customers join from their phone, see how many are ahead and the estimated wait, and follow their place. A request in Square's community forum for walk-in check-in on an iPad with a big queue screen has been open since 2022.
- "Open" means someone's there. Your page says "taking walk-ins" only after a team member taps "I'm here," and stops when they close for the day.
- Waiting-room TV and kiosk, free, showing the line by ticket number.
- No phone tag. Fewer "are you open?" and "how long's the wait?" calls, because the answer is on your page.
Choose Square Appointments if
- Most of your customers book ahead.
- You want booking, payments and hardware from one company.
- Walk-ins are rare enough that a paper list or a quick text works fine.
Choose Walk-Ins Welcome if
- Walk-ins are a big part of your day, alone or alongside bookings.
- You want customers to see the live wait before they come over.
- You'd like to keep Square for payments and add a walk-in line next to it.
Walk-Ins Welcome is opening soon. See how other apps compare, or leave your email below and we'll tell you the day it opens.
