Best scheduling software for Canadian small businesses

Canadian small businesses do not all mean the same thing by “scheduling.” A Smithville HVAC truck needs dispatch and a taxable deposit. A clinic needs PIPEDA-aware intake. A coach needs a calendar hold that does not pretend to be a till. Mixing those jobs is how US roundups sell you the wrong product.

This comparison is four widely sold options: Jobber (Edmonton, field jobs), Square Appointments (Square Canada appointments), Jane (Victoria clinic software), and Calendly (calendar booking). Scheduling prices checked against public vendor pages, 31 August 2026.

I have not run a salon, clinic, or trades crew on these tools for NorthOffice. Fit is inferred from what each vendor’s Canadian or public pricing pages actually state — including what they do not publish. Client self-booking, deposits, and GST/HST on the slot itself are compared in online booking software for Canadian small businesses. Staff rotas for retail and hospitality — who works Tuesday close, not who booked a haircut — are a different job: employee shift scheduling. A dining-room till — not a booking widget — is restaurant POS. The SMS or email that tries to stop the no-show is appointment reminders— distinct from this dispatch page. The grid those invites sit on is calendar apps for Canadian small businesses. The business number that rings after they book is VoIP / business phone systems for Canadian small businesses.

Who each tool is actually for

• Jobber — home service and trades: quotes, jobs, crew calendar, field invoices. Deeper stack: software for Canadian trades. Versus Housecall Pro: Jobber vs Housecall Pro.
• Square Appointments — in-person services that already want Square’s Canadian card and Interac rates (salons, studios, sole-prop appointments at a counter). Related: POS in Canada and accepting cards.
• Jane — clinics and allied health (physio, counselling, similar). Charting and clinic payments, not a job board.
• Calendly — meetings on a calendar. You still send a GST/HST invoice from invoicing software.

Snapshot (public pages, 31 August 2026)

Jobber — field scheduling, CAD work, USD list

Jobber is the same Edmonton product covered in the trades guide. Public one-user figures re-checked 6 September 2026: Core from US$29/month billed annually (1 user; US$49/month no-commitment), Connect from US$99/month billed annually (1 user; US$139/month no-commitment), Grow from US$149/month billed annually (1 user; US$199/month no-commitment), Plus from US$399/month billed annually (1 user; US$499/month no-commitment). All subscription prices on getjobber.com/pricing are USD. The page says prices exclude sales tax where applicable. Confirm GST/HST on a Canadian bill at checkout — this site does not invent a CAD SKU. Source: https://www.getjobber.com/pricing/.

For scheduling specifically: two-way texting in Canada, a job calendar, and quotes that become invoices with tax. Put 13% Ontario HST (or the right place-of-supply rate) on the template and your GST/HST number on the invoice — how to invoice GST/HST in Ontario. Jobber does not file the return. Card-present Interac in a van is still a reader problem, not a calendar toggle.

Square Appointments — CAD plans, published Interac

Square’s Canadian appointments marketing page (retrieved 31 August 2026) listed $0/month for one location (Free plan), Plus at $35 CAD/month per location (Plus), and Premium at $85 CAD/month per location (Premium). Source: https://squareup.com/ca/en/appointments/pricing.

Payments are Square Canada, not a US Square account you “set to Toronto.” Published card-present rates: 2.5% in-person credit (same Square CA card table), Interac 0.75% + 7¢ Interac debit chip/PIN/tap (Square CA appointments pricing). CAD payouts to a linked Canadian bank account, as Square Canada. Same fee table as the POS guide (https://squareup.com/ca/en/payments/our-fees). That is the one product in this set with a clear public Interac number.

GST/HST is a location tax in Square. The appointment invoice is not a GST/HST return. If you also run a till, see Shopify vs Square vs Lightspeed. Square Payroll is still not a Canadian product.

Jane — clinic software, USD list, no Interac table

Jane is the usual Canadian clinic shortlist (booking, charting, reminders). Official list: USD $54/month (Balance), USD $79/month (Practice), USD $99/month (Thrive). Jane’s official pricing page lists Balance / Practice / Thrive at USD $54 / $79 / $99. Canadian blogs often quote the same numbers as CAD — confirm the currency at checkout; this page does not treat those blog figures as an official CAD list. Source: https://jane.app/pricing.

Jane Payments on that same page: Jane Payments online: 2.85% + $0.25 (as listed on Jane’s pricing page); Jane Payments in person: 2.6% + $0.10 (as listed on Jane’s pricing page). No published Interac debit table on Jane’s public pricing page we used Do not copy a Square Interac rate onto Jane.

Jane states PIPEDA-oriented privacy practices; it is a Victoria, B.C. clinic product. PIPEDA is a statute, not a hosting guarantee. Read Jane’s current privacy wording before you promise a patient that records never leave Canada.

Calendly — calendar holds, not a Canadian till

Calendly is the right tool when the job is “pick a slot on my Google Calendar,” not “tax a physio visit.” Public annual figures around Standard US$10/seat/month billed yearly (about US$12 on monthly display; page says save 17%) and Teams US$16/seat/month billed yearly. Calendly’s public pricing is USD per seat. Canadian subscribers are charged applicable GST/HST/PST/QST on the software invoice (Calendly help docs). That is tax on the SaaS, not tax you charge your clients. Source: https://calendly.com/pricing.

Calendar booking — not an Interac till. Do not treat Calendly as card-present Interac. Collect GST/HST on the actual invoice in Wave, FreshBooks, QBO, or Xero. Calendly charging HST on your subscription is unrelated to HST on your client’s invoice.

A practical pick

1. Trades or home service with deposits: Jobber, then a ledger.
2. Salon, studio, or appointment desk already on Square CA: Square Appointments Free, then Plus if you outgrow one location.
3. Clinic / allied health: Jane, and confirm checkout currency plus Jane Payments vs a separate till.
4. Consults and coaching with invoices elsewhere: Calendly plus invoicing software.
5. Need the booking widget on a brochure site: website builders for Canadian small businesses.
6. Need a newsletter to the same clients: email marketing for Canadian small businesses— not a substitute for the booking tool’s invoices.
7. Need a public calendar, deposits, and tax on the booking itself: online booking software for Canadian small businesses.
8. Need a Canadian business number that rings the phone, not just a calendar hold: VoIP / business phone systems for Canadian small businesses.
9. Need the no-show text, not another calendar: appointment reminders.