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Business type solution

Nail Salon

Keep every station moving and every client coming back

A nail salon needs more than a card reader: it needs a calendar that reflects each technician and station, a client record that remembers preferences, and a checkout that works at the desk or beside the chair. Square brings booking, reminders, deposits, no-show policies, payments, tipping, retail inventory, and customer engagement into one connected workflow.

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A beauty-business owner works at her cream-and-gold salon counter
Representative photograph for Beauty; it does not depict Nail Salon specifically.

Built for your day-to-day

How it fits your business

Give clients a 24/7 way to book manicures, pedicures, fills, and nail art, then use profiles, rebooking tools, waitlists, and targeted campaigns to turn a first appointment into a regular visit. Start with a phone or reader and add a counter setup as the team grows.

Key capabilities

What you can do

  • Book by technician, service, and station

    Create staff calendars, assign chairs or stations to services, and let clients book online or from a website widget. Google Calendar sync, social booking, and multiple locations help prevent double-booking as the salon grows.

  • Protect valuable appointment time

    Use reminders, card-on-file details, deposits, cancellation rules, and no-show fees to reduce empty chair time. A waitlist can help refill openings created by late cancellations.

  • Check out at the chair or front desk

    Take tap, dip, swipe, digital-wallet, Cash App Pay, Afterpay, or card-on-file payments, and configure tipping so clients can recognize their nail technician. Tap to Pay can work without a separate reader.

  • Build repeat visits and retail sales

    Keep service and product sales together, track aftercare or polish inventory, sell gift cards, and use customer history, loyalty, and marketing campaigns to encourage rebooking and seasonal offers.

  • See team and salon performance

    Use appointment, sales, future-booking, team-performance, labor, and inventory reporting to understand utilization, commissions, retail movement, and upcoming revenue.

Explore the details

Product details

Plans for a one-person studio or a multi-tech salon

Square Free is $0 per month per location and includes online booking, reminders, unlimited calendars, and invoicing. Square Plus is $49 per month per location and adds lower processing rates, cancellation and no-show fees, multi-staff appointment booking, waitlists, and email/text marketing. Square Premium is $149 per month per location and adds the lowest listed card-present rate, 24/7 support, future-bookings reporting, service-cost tracking, and resource management. Plus and Premium offer a 30-day trial; features and pricing can change. Businesses processing more than $250,000 annually can ask Square about custom pricing and fees.

Hardware that fits the salon floor

A salon can start with Tap to Pay on a supported phone, then add Square Reader for contactless and chip ($59), Square Terminal ($299), Square Handheld ($399), Square Stand ($149 plus a compatible iPad), or Square Register (2nd generation) ($899). Square Stand requires a supported USB-C iPad and Wi-Fi or Ethernet; Terminal and Register are standalone countertop options, while Handheld supports mobile checkout. The first Square Reader for magstripe is free, subject to Square's one-redemption offer.

Published U.S. payment costs

For the published Appointments plans, card-present tap, dip, or swipe is 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium. Online or invoice card payments are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus or Premium. Manual entry or card-on-file payments are 3.5% + 15¢; Afterpay is 6% + 30¢; ACH via invoice is 1% with a $1 minimum (Plus/Premium cap the fee at $10). Cash and checks have no Square processing fee. Instant transfers cost 1.95% per transfer. These are standard published rates, not a guarantee of eligibility or a custom quote.

Important compatibility and operating limits

Tap to Pay on iPhone requires iPhone XS or later running iOS 15.5 or later and accepts contactless methods rather than every physical card type. Offline payments require reconnecting within 24 hours and leave the seller responsible for expired, declined, or disputed offline transactions. Square Stand requires a compatible iPad; its Kiosk Lite mode requires Square Plus or Premium and is designed for self-service ordering, so it is not a natural substitute for a technician-led nail-service booking flow. Afterpay has separate eligibility criteria and possible late fees.

Keep exploring

Explore related solutions

Recommended hardware

Hardware

Square Reader for contactless and chip

Square Reader for contactless and chip (2nd generation) gives mobile operators and small counters a compact way to accept EMV chip cards, contactless cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Afterpay through a compatible phone or tablet.

Explore Square Reader for contactless and chip
Square Terminal product image

Hardware

Square Terminal

Square Terminal gives a bakery counter, coffee bar, food truck, salon desk, or service checkout one compact device for taking tap, chip, and magstripe payments.

Explore Square Terminal
Square Handheld product image

Hardware

Square Handheld

Square Handheld puts a complete Square checkout in a staff member’s hand instead of tying every sale to a counter.

Explore Square Handheld
Square Stand product image

Hardware

Square Stand

Square Stand turns a compatible USB-C iPad into a tidy countertop POS with built-in contactless and chip payments.

Explore Square Stand
Square Register (2nd generation) product image

Hardware

Square Register (2nd generation)

Square Register (2nd generation) puts seller checkout and customer payment on two responsive screens, so a bakery can move a morning line, a specialty grocer can keep a large catalog moving, and a restaurant can send orders through a counter workflow without passing a device back and forth.

Explore Square Register (2nd generation)
Square Reader for magstripe product image

Hardware

Square Reader for magstripe

Square Reader for magstripe gives a mobile seller a simple way to take swipe payments through a compatible phone, tablet, MacBook, or Chromebook setup.

Explore Square Reader for magstripe

Hardware

Accessories — Printers

Square’s U.S. printer lineup covers the handoff points that keep a busy operation moving: customer receipts at the counter, heat-tolerant kitchen tickets, liner-free labels for takeout, barcode labels for retail stock, and compact mobile receipts away from the register.

Explore Accessories — Printers

Hardware

Accessories — Cash Drawers

Square cash drawers give a bakery, café, shop, or service counter a secure place for bills and coins while keeping cash transactions tied to the point of sale.

Explore Accessories — Cash Drawers

Related software

Software

Square Appointments

Square Appointments gives a service business one place to publish availability, let clients book online, coordinate staff calendars, and take payment.

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Software

Square Point of Sale

Square Point of Sale gives a small business one place to ring up products, services, menu items, or custom amounts, then track sales, inventory, customers, and reports as the business grows.

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Software

Square Payments

Square Payments gives a U.S. business one account for accepting card-present, online, phone, invoice, ACH, wallet, and eligible Afterpay payments.

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Software

Tap to Pay on iPhone

Tap to Pay on iPhone turns an eligible iPhone into a contactless checkout point for Square sellers.

Some availability details may be limited.

Explore Tap to Pay on iPhone

Software

Tap to Pay on Android

Tap to Pay on Android gives a mobile seller a practical second checkout lane: use the Square Point of Sale app on an eligible NFC-enabled Android phone, enter the sale, and let a customer tap a contactless card or wallet to the back of the device.

Explore Tap to Pay on Android

Software

Square Customer Directory / CRM

Square Customer Directory gives a U.S. business one place to organize customer contact details, purchase history, loyalty activity, preferences, and notes across Square sales channels.

Explore Square Customer Directory / CRM

Software

Square Dashboard & Reporting

Square Dashboard gives a U.S. business a web-based command center for sales, transfers, invoices, customers, items, and team activity.

Explore Square Dashboard & Reporting

Software

Square Inventory Management

Square Inventory Management connects stock counts to Square Point of Sale and Square Online, so a sale can reduce the available quantity instead of leaving staff to reconcile spreadsheets later.

Explore Square Inventory Management

Software

Square Customer Feedback

Square Customer Feedback gives a bakery, coffee shop, restaurant, salon, or service business a private way to hear what customers thought after a purchase.

Some availability details may be limited.

Explore Square Customer Feedback

Software

Square Marketing

Square Marketing gives a U.S. business a practical way to follow up after the sale without exporting its customer list to another system.

Explore Square Marketing

Software

Square Email Marketing

Square Email Marketing gives a bakery, café, shop, salon, or other local business a practical way to bring customers back without exporting sales data to a separate email platform.

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Software

Square Text Message Marketing

Square Text Message Marketing gives a bakery, salon, retailer, or service business a direct way to announce time-sensitive offers, bring back lapsed customers, and collect more reviews.

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Software

Square Gift Cards

Square Gift Cards gives a bakery, salon, café, retailer, or service business a branded way to sell value before the visit.

Explore Square Gift Cards

Software

Square Loyalty

Square Loyalty gives a U.S. business a practical way to recognize repeat customers without bolting on a separate rewards register.

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Software

Square Messages

Square Messages gives a U.S. small business one place to answer customer texts, emails, feedback, order questions, and service updates from Square Dashboard or the Square POS app.

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Software

Square Shifts

Square Shifts gives growing U.S. businesses one connected place to publish schedules, capture hours, and prepare payroll.

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Software

Square Payroll

Square Payroll gives a growing U.S. business one place to pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, import hours, tips, and commissions from Square tools, and keep federal and state filings on schedule.

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Software

Square Go

Square Go is Square Appointments' U.S. marketplace for beauty and personal-care businesses.

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Related business types

Business type

Beauty Salon

A beauty salon needs more than a checkout screen: it needs a live view of stylist availability, services, stations, client history, and the next opening.

Explore Beauty Salon

Business type

Hair Salon

Square gives hair salons a practical way to connect bookings, checkout, and client care.

Explore Hair Salon

Business type

Barbershop

Square gives barbershops one connected way to fill chairs, coordinate barbers, and get paid wherever the cut happens.

Explore Barbershop

Business type

Day Spa

Give guests an easier path from discovery to rebooking while your team keeps rooms, practitioners, services, and payments moving together.

Explore Day Spa

Business type

Med Spa

Med spas balance consultation time, treatment rooms, practitioners, consent paperwork, retail products, and repeat visits.

Explore Med Spa

Business type

Tattoo & Piercing

For tattoo studios and piercing shops, the hard part is coordinating artists, stations, deposits, walk-ins, touch-ups, and follow-up care without pulling the team away from clients.

Some availability details may be limited.

Explore Tattoo & Piercing

Plan details

Pricing, fees & eligibility

Explore pricing

U.S. Square Appointments plans are Free ($0/location/month), Plus ($49/location/month), and Premium ($149/location/month). Plus and Premium have 30-day trials. Hardware is optional; published examples range from $59 for Square Reader for contactless and chip to $899 for Square Register (2nd generation). Businesses processing over $250,000 annually may request custom pricing and processing fees.

Upfront hardware (USD)$59
Monthly software (USD)$0

Fees & eligibility

  • Card-present tap, dip, or swipe — Square Free

    U.S. Square Free plan; card present

    2.6% + 15¢ per transaction
  • Card-present tap, dip, or swipe — Square Plus

    U.S. Square Plus plan; card present

    2.5% + 15¢ per transaction
  • Card-present tap, dip, or swipe — Square Premium

    U.S. Square Premium plan; card present

    2.4% + 15¢ per transaction
  • Online or invoice card payment

    U.S. online or invoice card payment

    3.3% + 30¢ Free; 2.9% + 30¢ Plus/Premium
  • Manual entry or card on file

    U.S. manually keyed or saved-card payment

    3.5% + 15¢ per transaction
  • Afterpay

    Eligible U.S. Afterpay transaction; eligibility and late-fee terms apply

    6% + 30¢ per transaction
  • ACH bank transfer via invoice

    U.S. invoice paid by ACH

    1%, $1 minimum; $10 fee cap on Plus/Premium
  • Instant transfer

    Same-day/instant transfer option; linked bank account or supported debit card required

    1.95% per transfer

Requirements

  • Square account and U.S. payment-processing eligibility are required; Square may review or limit accounts.
  • Square Stand requires a compatible USB-C iPad, power, and Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  • Tap to Pay on iPhone requires iPhone XS or later with iOS 15.5 or later; Android requires a compatible device.
  • Plus and Premium monthly prices apply per location; custom pricing is only discussed for qualifying businesses, including those processing over $250,000 annually.

Verified against official Square U.S. pages on 2026-10-27; prices, rates, plan features, and hardware availability can change.

Hardware installment plans are subject to credit approval and other factors; published installment terms exclude some states and may require qualifying purchase amounts.

Offline payments must reconnect within 24 hours; the seller is responsible for expired, declined, or disputed offline payments.

Marketing, loyalty, payroll, banking, and some messaging capabilities may require separate subscriptions, eligibility, or additional fees.

Square Kiosk Lite and Square Kiosk require paid plans and are intended for self-service ordering; they are not presented as a nail-service-specific workflow.

Afterpay eligibility criteria and possible late fees apply; customers pay over time while the seller receives payment up front under Square's stated terms.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can a nail salon take payment without buying hardware?

Yes. Square says hardware is optional. A salon can use Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android, invoices, payment links, or Virtual Terminal. Tap to Pay on iPhone requires iPhone XS or later with iOS 15.5 or later and accepts contactless cards and digital wallets.

Which Square plan supports cancellation fees and multi-technician bookings?

Square Plus includes cancellation and no-show fees, multi-staff appointment booking, waitlists, and email/text marketing at $49 per location per month. Premium includes those Plus features and adds resource management, service-cost tracking, and future-bookings reporting at $149 per location per month.

Can clients book a nail appointment from the salon website?

Yes. Square documents a 24/7 online booking site plus website widgets or buttons, QR-code booking, and booking integrations. The nail-salon page also says clients can view availability by nail technician and can be asked for prepayment or card details to reduce no-shows.

Sources & product information

Ready when you are

Talk through the options for your business.

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