Booking Tools vs Payment-Only Processors - What's Actually Included

Booking, deposits, and payment all live in one flow on Artega, out of the box. Stripe and PayPal are payments-only: you'd need a third-party plugin just to take a booking. SumUp and Square both bundle scheduling in natively, same as Artega.

What "payments-only" actually costs you

If you're on Stripe or PayPal, a booking system isn't optional; it's a separate vendor you now have to choose, pay for, and integrate. That's an extra cost, extra setup time, and an extra point of failure: if the plugin changes its API or the company behind it shuts down, your booking flow breaks even though nothing about your payments changed.

What "native booking" means for Square and SumUp

Both genuinely include scheduling now. Square Appointments is free for solo users. SumUp launched its own Bookings product in May 2026. Worth knowing, though, that booking wasn't the reason most people originally chose either platform, so it's worth checking these are handling your specific reminder, cancellation, and deposit needs rather than the bare minimum.

Where Artega differs

Booking, deposits, and payment were built as one flow from the start, not stitched together from two products. Ask any provider you're comparing a direct question: is booking native, or do I need a plugin? The answer changes both your setup time and where your client's information ends up living.

Sources: Square Appointments · SumUp Bookings launch, GlobeNewswire