Teddy vs Square Appointments for Dog Groomers

A lot of groomers start on Square. It's free for one person, the card reader is already in the drawer, and it does the job on day one. The question of Square Appointments for dog groomers usually comes up around month eight, when the client list passes a hundred dogs and the notes field starts to look like a ransom letter.

This comparison is a bit unusual because Teddy doesn't compete with Square on payments. Teddy takes cards through Square. So this is really about the calendar and client side, and whether a general booking tool or a grooming-specific one suits you better.

The basic difference

Square Appointments is made for any appointment business: barbers, nail techs, tutors, massage therapists. Its client record describes a person.

Teddy is made for groomers. Its client record describes a household with one or more pets, and each pet has its own breed, weight, coat notes, vaccine dates, behavior alerts, saved price and saved appointment length.

Everything else follows from that.

Side by side

Square prices are from third-party listings in 2026, after a reported price drop on its top tier early in the year. Check Square's site for current figures.

Where Square Appointments wins

It's free to start. For a brand-new solo groomer with twelve clients, $0 beats $49. No argument from us.

Instant online booking. Clients pick a slot and it's theirs. Square's booking site is clean and works well on a phone.

The wider Square system. Payroll, loyalty, gift cards, email marketing, a retail POS and an online store are all available. If you sell a lot of products, that's valuable.

Hardware. Readers, stands and registers that work out of the box.

Where it gets awkward for groomers

One client, three dogs

The Hendersons have a shih tzu, a Lab and a senior poodle with a heart murmur. In Square, that's one client. Which dog is Tuesday's booking for? You type it in the appointment note and hope whoever reads it scrolls down.

In Teddy, you book the pet. The poodle's heart condition shows as an alert on her appointment every time.

Instant booking and unknown dogs

Instant booking is great for haircuts on humans, who are all roughly the same size. A new client booking a 45-minute "small dog groom" for what turns out to be an unbrushed sheepadoodle can sink your afternoon. Teddy's request-based booking puts you in the middle: you see the pet details and approve, adjust or decline.

Paperwork

A grooming business needs a signed service agreement and an intake form per pet. With Square, most groomers bolt on a separate form tool. Teddy includes both and attaches them to the record.

Texting

Square sends reminders. Real conversation, photos, "can we go shorter?", "she's ready," is where a grooming day lives. Teddy's texting is unlimited and two-way on every plan.

You don't have to choose on payments

This surprises people. Moving to Teddy doesn't mean leaving Square. Teddy's checkout runs on Square, so your reader, your deposits and your payout schedule stay as they are. Tips, card on file and split payments are supported. See the payments page.

What changes is the calendar and client side moving somewhere built for dogs.

Who should stay on Square Appointments

• Solo groomers in their first year with a small client list
• Anyone for whom $49 a month is a stretch right now
• Businesses where retail is as big as grooming
• Groomers happy with notes-based records who rarely get booking surprises

That's a legitimate place to be. Stay until it hurts.

Signs you've outgrown it

• You've double-booked or under-booked a big dog more than once this quarter
• You keep a separate spreadsheet or notebook for vaccine dates
• You scroll through notes to find blade lengths
• Staff quote different prices for the same pet
• You text clients from your personal phone because the software can't

If three of those are true, try a grooming-specific tool for two weeks. MoeGo, GrooMore and Teddy all handle pet profiles properly. Our round-up of pet grooming CRM software compares how each one stores pet records.

Moving from Square Appointments to Teddy

1. Export your customer list from Square as a CSV.
2. Send it to us. We import clients for free.
3. Add pets to each client. If your notes include pet names and breeds, we'll help split them out.
4. Connect your existing Square account for payments.
5. Send clients your new booking link.

Most solo groomers are done in an afternoon.

[ADD TEDDY CUSTOMER QUOTE: a groomer who moved from Square Appointments]

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Square Appointments good for dog groomers?

It's a good free starting point for a solo groomer. It lacks pet profiles, vaccine tracking and grooming forms, so many groomers move on as they grow.

Can I use Teddy and Square together?

Yes. Teddy processes payments through Square, so you keep your Square account and hardware.

Is Square Appointments really free?

The single-user, single-location plan is free. You still pay Square's card processing fees, and team features need a paid plan.

Does Square Appointments have pet profiles?

No. You can add notes or custom fields to a client, but there's no separate record per pet.

What does Teddy cost compared with Square Appointments?

Teddy starts at $49 a month per location with a 14-day free trial. Square's paid tiers are listed at about $29 and $69. Full details are on our pricing page.