Most booking software comparisons are about the calendar: online booking, deposits, the look of the booking page. Almost every system does those well now. In our scan of 536 Toronto-area clinic websites, only 9.3% couldn't be booked online [1].
What separates them is what happens after the first visit. Does the software remind a client when they're due again? Does it notice when someone stops coming? Can other tools, like an AI receptionist, add bookings to it?
This post compares the three systems we see most often at clinics in the Greater Toronto Area on exactly those questions. Of the 591 clinic websites we've audited, 96 book through Jane, 44 through Fresha and 43 through Square Appointments. For 274, we couldn't tell which system they use.
Features and prices were checked on each vendor's own website on 30 September 2026, in Canadian dollars. They change often, so confirm with the vendor before you decide. We're not affiliated with any of them.
What to look for
- Rebooking reminders. An automatic message when a client is due for their next visit, ideally with different timing for each treatment.
- Win-back messages. An automatic message for clients who haven't been in for a while.
- Text, not just email. Texts are read sooner. Check what each text costs.
- A client list you can export, with each client's last visit date, so you can see who's overdue even if the software can't message them.
- Whether other tools can book into it. It matters if you want an AI receptionist or another service to book appointments for you, not just send a link.
The comparison
| Jane | Fresha | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebooking reminders | "Return Visit Reminders." Sent automatically by email on the Thrive plan only; otherwise sent manually by email or phone [2][3] | Built-in "reminder to rebook" message [4] | No per-treatment rebooking reminder found in the Canadian plan list [7] |
| Win-back for lapsed clients | No built-in campaign found. The Unscheduled Patients report lists who hasn't rebooked, on all plans [5] | Built-in automated win-back message [4] | Automated "lapsed customers" email campaign, with the paid Square Marketing plan [6] |
| Text messages | Free, unlimited text appointment reminders (Practice and Thrive). Automatic return-visit reminders go by email [2][3] | Automated texts: 100 free a month, then CA$0.03 each. Marketing texts CA$0.08 each. Emails free [8] | Text and email appointment reminders on all plans [7]. Square Marketing's lapsed-customer campaign is email [6] |
| Can other tools book into it? | No. Jane's API is for approved partners only, and appointments are read-only [9] | No public API for bookings. We couldn't find one | Yes, on the Plus plan and above: the Bookings API allows other tools to create bookings [7] |
| Starting price | Practice CAD $79/month; Thrive CAD $99/month; plus a fee per practitioner [2] | CA$29.95/month for one team member, or CA$19.95 per team member [8] | Free; Plus $35/month; Premium $85/month, per location [7]. Square Marketing from $20/month [6] |
What this means for each system
Jane
Jane is built for health practices, and many physio, chiro and medical clinics already use it. For rebooking, it has two useful tools:
- Return Visit Reminders can be set per client. On the Thrive plan, Jane emails the client automatically on the date you choose, and only if they haven't already booked [3].
- The Unscheduled Patients report shows clients whose last visit was within a period you pick and who have nothing booked [5]. That's your overdue list.
What we didn't find is an automatic win-back campaign across all lapsed clients. So in Jane, someone has to run the report and send the messages, or you use an outside service. Jane's API doesn't allow other tools to create bookings [9], so an outside service can send a booking link but can't put the appointment in the calendar itself.
Fresha
Of the three, Fresha has the most built-in rebooking automation. It has an automatic "reminder to rebook" and an automatic win-back message for clients who haven't visited in a while [4]. Emails are free, and automated texts cost a few cents after the monthly allowance [8].
The limits: there's no public API for bookings, so other tools can't book into it. And Fresha pitches its win-back messages around special deals. That's fine for some groups, but check what goes to your top clients, who usually respond better to a personal note than a discount (see our templates).
Square Appointments
Square's appointment reminders cover text and email on every plan, including the free one [7]. Win-back is handled by Square Marketing, a separate paid plan: an automatic email to "lapsed customers", from $20 a month for up to 500 contacts [6].
Square is the only one of the three where other tools can create bookings directly. That needs the Plus plan or above [7]. If you want an AI receptionist or another service to book appointments rather than just send links, that matters.
The gap all three share
Built-in automations send the same kind of message to everyone who crosses a date. They don't usually split clients the way a good win-back campaign does:
- someone who stopped partway through a laser course
- a regular who's a couple of months overdue
- someone gone over a year
- a top client who should get a personal note, not a coupon
That split is what the rebooking calendar and the win-back templates cover. Whichever system you use, two rules still apply:
- Consent: in Canada, implied consent to message a past client lasts two years from their last purchase [10].
- Prescription injectables: messages should talk about the appointment, not what the drug does. More on the rules.
Does your system do enough?
If you're on Fresha and the win-back messages are switched on, you already have the basics. It's worth checking who they go to and what they offer.
If you're on Jane or Square without Square Marketing, the software won't chase lapsed clients for you. You can export your client list and work through it by hand, or have someone do it.
Either way, the first step is knowing how many clients have stopped coming. RelayOps' free lapsed-client report works from an export from Jane, Fresha, Square or any other system. It shows how many clients haven't been back in 3+ months, how long they've been away, and who to contact first. Get your free report →
Sources
- RelayOps, The State of Med Spa Websites: 536 GTA clinic and med spa websites, scanned 2026-08-14
- Jane, Pricing (checked 2026-09-30)
- Jane, Return Visit Reminders
- Fresha, Automated messages overview
- Jane, Unscheduled Patients report
- Square Canada, Square Marketing (checked 2026-09-30)
- Square Canada, Square Appointments pricing & plans (checked 2026-09-30)
- Fresha, Pricing (Canadian prices, checked 2026-09-30)
- Jane, Developer Platform API reference: appointments are get/list only (checked 2026-09-30)
- Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23), s. 10(10)