Overview
This report outlines recommended systems for handling two distinct types of bookings on your website:
- Consultations and one-to-one appointments (including follow-ups and a free 10-minute call)
- Workshops and group events
It also discusses whether a single system could be used for both purposes and the trade-offs involved.
1. Consultations and One-to-One Appointments
For individual appointments, it is important to have a system that can manage different appointment types, durations, and pricing. Two recommended solutions are:
- Pros:
- Seamless integration with Squarespace.
- Customisable appointment types – for example, an initial consultation at £75 (up to 1.5 hours), follow-ups at £35 (30 minutes) and a free 10-minute call.
- Built-in payment processing via Stripe, Square, or PayPal.
- Cons:
- Paid service after the trial period.
- Guide Pricing: Typically around £12–£15 per month (for the Essentials plan, billed annually).
- Pros:
- Offers a robust free plan covering basic booking needs.
- Easily embedded into Squarespace.
- Supports payment integrations if you upgrade.
- Cons:
- The free plan may have limitations if more advanced features are needed later on.
- Guide Pricing: Free plan available; premium plans typically start at around $12 per user per month (approximately £9–£10 per month).
2. Workshops and Group Events
Group events require features such as capacity management, ticketing, and sometimes waiting lists. Here are two solid options:
- Pros:
- Designed specifically for group events with features like capacity limits and waiting lists.
- Provides a dedicated ticketing system that can be embedded into Squarespace.
- Cons:
- For paid events, fees are typically applied – around 2% plus 50p per ticket, plus payment processing fees.
- Customers might be redirected to complete their purchase, although the embedded widget helps maintain your site’s look.
- Pros:
- Capable of handling both one-to-one and group bookings.
- Customisable and easy to embed into Squarespace.
- Cons:
- The free plan has limitations on the number of bookings and features; upgrading may be necessary as events scale up.
- Guide Pricing: Free plan available (with limitations); premium plans start at around $9.90 per month (roughly £8 per month when billed annually).
Alternatively, you could consider using Squarespace Commerce for workshops by listing each workshop as a product with limited stock (i.e. available places). This method integrates payment processing and automated confirmation emails, though it functions more like a product purchase rather than a traditional booking interface.
Guide Pricing: Squarespace Commerce plans in the UK typically start at around £20–£30 per month (billed annually), though many businesses already have a suitable Squarespace plan in place.