Stripe vs Square: Which Payment Setup Is Right for Your Salon?
Both Stripe and Square work with Trimsy. Here is how to decide which to use — or whether to use both.
Trimsy supports both Stripe Connect and Square Terminal, and you can use one or both. Here is a practical breakdown of each and when to use them.
Stripe Connect: Best for Online Payments
Stripe is the gold standard for online payment processing. In Trimsy, Stripe handles:
- Booking deposits collected at the time of online booking
- Card-on-file for no-show protection
- Full online payment for services that are paid before the visit
Stripe fees (Australia): 1.7% + 30¢ per successful domestic card charge. International cards are higher.
If online bookings are a significant part of your business, Stripe is essentially required.
Square Terminal: Best for In-Person Payments
Square Terminal is the tap/chip/swipe reader that processes payments at your front desk or chair. In Trimsy, Square handles the in-person checkout after a service.
Square fees (Australia): 1.6% per tap/insert transaction with a Square Terminal.
If you run a predominantly walk-in or same-day booking salon, Square Terminal may be all you need.
Using Both Together
The most powerful setup is both. A client books online and pays a $20 deposit via Stripe. When they arrive, you charge the remaining balance via Square Terminal. Trimsy tracks both payments against the same booking and shows the outstanding balance automatically.
This combination also gives you the best fraud protection — the deposit discourages no-shows, and card-on-file gives you a backstop.
Getting Started
Both integrations are set up from Settings → Payments in your Trimsy admin. For Stripe, you connect an existing Stripe account or create one. For Square, you connect your Square account and pair your Terminal.
Neither requires any technical knowledge to set up — the connection is OAuth-based (click to authorise) and takes under five minutes.