Short answer
The best Squire alternative for a barbershop depends on what you want to stop paying for. If you bought Squire for payroll, commission splits and booth rent, stay or look at a full suite. If you mainly need booking, a floor calendar, walk-ins and a flat bill, Hairdressers.io covers a shop of up to eight barbers for $89 a month with no fee on new clients.
Squire is built for the owner of a barbershop. Its higher tiers add commission handling, rent collection, loyalty and a branded app, and that is a lot of software for a shop that only wanted a calendar that stops walk-ins from colliding with booked cuts. Owners who go looking for a Squire alternative usually fall into one of two groups. Some find the tier they need costs more than the shop uses. Others are a single chair or a small shop and discover Squire is organized around a business bigger than theirs.
This page is for those owners. It says plainly where Squire is the better product, where a flat booking plan is, and how to decide in ten minutes.
What is the best Squire alternative for a barbershop?
The best Squire alternative depends on which part of Squire you actually use. For payroll, commission and rent collection, a full barbershop suite or your accounting tool does that job better than a booking app. For booking, the floor calendar and walk-ins, Hairdressers.io barbershop booking software gives every barber a personal link, one day view for the shop and a flat $89 for up to eight barbers.
Squire against a flat booking plan
Vendors change their numbers, so this table compares what each bill is built on rather than quoting figures. Read Squire's pricing page on the day you decide.
| Question | Squire | Hairdressers.io |
|---|---|---|
| How the bill is built | Tiers by location, with higher tiers adding features | $49 for one chair, $89 for up to eight, $199 for a large team |
| Commission and payroll | Yes, on higher tiers | No. Use your bookkeeper or payroll tool |
| Booth rent collection | Yes, on higher tiers | No |
| Barber links and shop calendar | Yes | Yes, one link per barber and one day view |
| Walk-ins next to bookings | Waitlist on higher tiers | Typed into the calendar in one tap, the slot closes online |
| Fee on new clients | Check current terms | None, 0% commission |
| Best for | Owner who wants one system for money and booking | Owner who wants booking and walk-ins on one fixed bill |
Where Squire wins
If you split commission with your barbers, collect chair rent every week or sell product at the counter, Squire's higher tiers do real work that a booking plan does not. Hairdressers.io has no card reader, no payroll, no rent collection and no inventory. A shop that needs those in one login should keep a suite and ask what the fifth and sixth barber cost.
The honest middle path is common. Many shops keep a payments tool at the counter and move booking onto a flat plan, so the monthly bill does not step up each time a chair is filled. Chasing late chair rent is its own job, and an accounts receivable tool that follows up on unpaid invoices handles it without making the booking software bigger.
Where a flat plan wins
It wins when the shop's real week is cuts and walk-ins. Each barber gets a personal link and set hours. The shop gets one day view with every chair as a column. A walk-in is typed against the barber taking him, confirmed at once, and that time disappears from online booking, so nobody books the chair you just filled.
New clients arrive through the booking link and a city listing. Nothing is taken from the first visit, and nothing rises when you hire. Six barbers cost the same $89 as three. If you are a solo barber on one chair, the $49 plan gives you the same link, client cards and a listing.
How to decide in ten minutes
- Do you run commission splits or collect rent in the app? Stay with a suite and price the tier you need at your headcount plus one.
- Is the calendar and walk-in desk what you use all day? A flat plan covers it and the bill stops moving.
- Is a marketplace sending you clients? Compare the fee on a new client with a listing that charges none. See the Booksy alternatives for barbers if that is the tool you are really leaving.
- Still comparing the field? The management software for small barber shops guide sets the options side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a cheaper alternative to Squire for a small barbershop?
A flat booking plan is usually cheaper if you do not use Squire's commission, payroll or rent tools. Hairdressers.io is $89 a month for a shop of up to eight barbers and $49 for one chair, with no fee on new clients. Compare it with the Squire tier you would need at your current headcount, not the entry tier.
Can I move my clients out of Squire?
Yes. Ask Squire for your client list export, then import it as a spreadsheet when you set up your account, or add regulars as they book. Your clients are your own, and you can download the list from Hairdressers.io whenever you want.
Does Hairdressers.io handle walk-ins?
Yes. The desk types a walk-in into the day for the barber taking him, it is confirmed at once and the time closes on the booking page. It does not run a text queue, so a shop with a long waiting room may want a separate check-in tool beside it.
Ready to try it? See barbershop booking software and set up your first barber link in a few minutes.