Our content is funded in part by commercial partnerships, at no extra cost to you and without impact to our editorial impartiality. Click to Learn More
Square POS is free to install, making it a super cost-effective option for small businesses. It charges a percentage per transaction, rather than a monthly fee – typically 2.6% + 10¢ for swiped or tapped card transactions, or 3.5% + 15¢ for transactions where the card number is keyed in – and provides a smart and sleek payment solution for growing business. 5 gallon mixing bucket
Square hardware costs extra, however. You can start things off with a free iPad compatible card reader, though you’ll need to pay $49 for a contactless, chip or Apple Pay version – plus further costs for stands and full Square cash registers, though our research did find these to be among the best cash registers available.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Square POS’s transaction fees, its monthly plans, and how much they cost per month, to help you understand how much the POS will set you back.
It's absolutely free to start with, and has almost unmatched sales and reporting features.
Square offers dedicated Restaurant and Retail plans, which both cost $60 per month plus a further 2.5% + 10¢ per sale. If you don’t want to be tied down with monthly fees, Square POS also offers a free plan which charges 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction.
Scroll down for a more granular break down of Square’s pricing.
Anyone can download Square’s POS software and begin selling immediately, though you’ll likely need to grab a card reader as well (a single dongle comes for as little as $10). However, the main cost of the POS system kicks in when you make a sale.
Here are the key points you should know:
Some software add-ons also cost an additional percentage or a small monthly fee, but the core fees we’ve listed above are charged on Square’s free POS system.
As a result, using Square POS will mean that most businesses will see a small percentage of their total monthly revenue go towards paying their POS costs, but that’s it.
For small operations, such as market stalls, food trucks, and small coffee shops, it’s a great deal – and the secret to Square’s market dominance. Most POS vendors bill for their service annually, which can be tough for a business on a budget.
For a huge operation or a business that makes many sales, the costs of using Square POS will scale up at a rate faster than most other POS services, which typically charge a set monthly fee in order to process unlimited sales.
Square does offer upgraded plans for retail and restaurant businesses, which can be used to augment the features you already get from your free POS software.
Square for Retail Plus costs $60 per month, per location. Transaction fees are reduced to 2.5% + 10¢ for in-person sales and 2.9% + 30¢ for online sales. You get everything from the free plan, plus product exchanges, advanced inventory tools, advanced retail reports, and Square Team Management.
Square for Restaurants Plus costs $60 per month, per location as well, but you get a 30-day free trial, and it costs just $40 per month per added POS device.
In return, you get all the features from the regular free plan, plus more advanced features including advanced discounts, cash management, and the ability to open checks. You also get extra kitchen display features, including ticket routing and real-time order updates. User support also becomes available 24/7.
Large businesses aren’t out of options, however: Square Premium offers custom rates to businesses with enough sales volume to qualify. If your business processes over $250,000 in card sales and sees an average ticket size over $15, it may be eligible.
Read our full guide to learn even more about how much POS systems cost.
Free software is all well and good, but if you’re a bricks-and-mortar store looking to use Square POS, it’s inevitable you’ll need to take on some Square POS hardware costs, too.
Except for Square Register – Square’s fully integrated POS system – all of its hardware options require a smartphone or iPad to operate. This makes its hardware costs a lot more reasonable than competitors like Toast or Vend, but it also means that businesses will have to factor in the cost of these devices on top of Square’s listed hardware costs.
Here’s a summary of Square’s main hardware prices below:
The above list isn’t exhaustive, but covers most of the main ways you can take payments on a Square POS system. See below for more on each type of Square POS hardware, and their associated costs.
Take payments on your iPhone or Android device with a free card reader and software.
Square Stand for iPads (second gen)
One of the most affordable ways to get started with Square POS is to use a portable card reader, connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Square’s basic card reader is free for new customers and only costs $10 per unit afterward. However, it’s restricted to swipe payments and doesn’t accept PIN and tap payments. If you want to unlock more payment options, however, you can buy Square’s Contactless Card Reader for $49 per unit.
Square’s highly recognizable little white square of a card reader can be plugged into an iPad or iPhone headset jack for a quick and easy way to accept a credit or debit card.
Square’s POS terminal is an all-in-one device that takes payments, tracks orders, and manages inventory, all for $299 per unit. The device is versatile, compact, and can be used by every industry. But if you’re looking to keep costs down you can also utilize your existing technology with Square’s iPad stands. Square’s second-generation iPad stand only costs $149 per unit, and comes with a built-in integrated contactless and chip card reader for businesses to take payments with.
Square also offers a Stand Mount for the same price, which can be mounted onto any surface in your business for extra convenience.
Here’s where prices start to escalate – if you’re looking for a POS system kit, including an all-singing, all-dancing Square Register (or a register for an iPad setup) then costs can get into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
For instance, Square’s Stand Kit, which includes a 2nd gen Square Stand, Printer-Driven Cash Drawer, and a USB Receipt Printer, costs $579. Square’s Stand Restaurant Station with a Square Terminal includes a Square Stand, a Printer Driven Cash Drawer, Kitchen Printer, Receipt Printer Paper, and USB Receipt Printer, and costs $1,389.
While you can certainly get started with Square POS for free, there are numerous additional software add-ons to consider. It’s likely your business will need to factor in at least a few of these.
Some of these features (such as employee management) are essential to running a mid-size business, though a small operation likely won’t need them.
“If you’re only interested in one or two of these add-ons, Square POS likely remains the more cost-effective option.”
Several of these features are packaged directly into other leading POS vendors’ main services, so depending on how essential these features are, you may want to weigh other POS software options more highly. However, if you’re only interested in one or two of these add-ons, Square POS likely remains the more cost-effective option.
As with any massive software company, “feature bloat” can be a concern with Square, as the service continues expanding with features that might overwhelm you more than is justified by the value they provide. Square’s software alone offers variations for 18 different industries, including Apparel, Groceries, Leisure & Entertainment, and Spas. Still, too many features is a good problem to have, and the system’s interface and abilities remain some of the best in the POS industry.
Square POS throws in a CRM system free of charge. You can use it to let customers give their thoughts on their experiences, by asking them on their digital receipt.
Managers can see the feedback paired with that customer’s transaction history, letting them know how highly to prioritize the information. They can also look at data visualizations showing which elements of their experience were the most or least satisfying. Plus, managers can respond to the feedback if they’d like, starting a private message chat with the customer in question.
Next to PayPal by Zettle, Square is the best value POS we’ve reviewed. Our researchers were so impressed with its bang for its buck they awarded Square a perfect price score of 5/5.
Unlike other big POS names like Clover and Lightspeed, Square’s features and smart interface are made available for free. Businesses will need to cover the cost of transaction fees and hardware to get by on the platform, but these fees fall well within the industry average.
If you’re still unsure if the POS is a good pairing for you, we break down its value offering for different business sizes below:
Managing a small team? See what other options are available in our guide to the best POS systems for small businesses.
With integrated payment processing and no start-up fees, it might very well be.
Square is a modern point-of-service solution designed for businesses across multiple industries. Boasting a simple, easy-to-navigate interface and an excellent free plan, the POS is currently used by 64 million businesses across the globe – and it’s not hard to see why.
Our team of researchers gave Square a perfect 5/5 score for its business management, stock management, and help and support features – a feat that no other point-of-sale we tested was able to achieve. It’s also one of the most affordable systems out there, which is why we think it’s the best POS system for restaurants, as well as the top option retail stores can get their hands on.
Square POS is primarily aimed toward small and medium-sized businesses, but thanks to its scalable paid plans and versatile features, the software can also be an asset to larger organizations. Unlike many other POS providers, Square also retails a range of hardware options in addition to its user-friendly software. This hardware can be bought independently or in bundles and includes devices like registers, terminals, card readers, and tablet stands.
Due to its advanced inventory tools and diverse service options, Square takes our crown for top restaurant POS, narrowly beating industry titans Clover and Zettle. However, while the system also has excellent online and brick-and-mortar selling features, it’s not strong enough to secure the top spot for retail businesses. That title goes to Vend.
Square offers an extremely competitive array of features. We take a look at some of them below.
With Square POS, you can accept credit and debit, contactless, and chip payments, all within seconds. It sends a digital receipt, and prompts customers to add an optional tip. If you’re on the go, Square’s card reader can plug into an iPhone, iPad, and Android phone or tablet.
You can create and send custom invoices through Square POS as well. Managers can track the status of each invoice online, see when they’ve been read, and send reminders for those that remain unpaid. Square can forecast sales, too, helping you plan for the future and set your business up for success.
Payment processing is a piece of cake with Square’s own integrated system. This means that payments won’t be lost, and you won’t have to pay two companies to do two essential business functions.
Square also accepts payments in its offline mode – useful if your internet drops out or you’re running a mobile food truck, for example.
Square POS has class-leading analytics and reporting tools, with more than 20 detailed options for both business and staff performance.
Like most POS providers, Square tracks sales, but it also breaks them down item-by-item so you can tell at a glance which products are out-performing expectations. Square can help you identify which payment methods are the most popular, and how discounts are performing.
Sales performances can be easily compared to performance over the past week, month, or six-month period. In addition, summary reports can be auto-delivered to your email on a daily basis.
Customer purchase histories are also monitored. You can track new customers against returning ones, or see the average spend per visit and average visits per month.
Square’s support is largely online. A database of explainers, FAQs, and user guides is available for free.
There’s also a community forum filled with real business users asking and answering questions surrounding the daily use of a Square POS system. Categories within the forum include subforums such as “New to Square”, “Hardware”, and “Product Updates”.
Phone support is available from Monday to Friday during the hours between 6 am and 6 pm, PT. However, this support is only for “active Square sellers” who can provide their 12-digit customer code in order to talk to a specialist. Specialist availability may vary, and users are encouraged to look up their issues through the support center or forum first. Email support and live chat are also available.
It might be our favorite POS provider on the market, but Square is far from the only choice. There are plenty of great providers, offering great options, and many with great iPad POS apps that can help.
Square is an all-rounder, and our top choice for both retail POS users and those who need a restaurant POS but we’d recommend Clover POS as a close second in both industries – it’s easy to use, with a strong range of hardware accessories and a 30-day free trial. It also has a useful customer loyalty app for driving repeat visitors.
When you compare Square vs Shopify, Shopify is the best option if you’re integrating a POS with an ecommerce online store. Zettle has the strongest free plan besides Square, making it excellent value for (no) money and Toast has the edge vs Square when it comes to Android hardware.
Check out our Toast vs Square guide to see how the POSs compare head to head.
Ultimately, it depends on your business priorities. See some of our top-rated options, below.
Best help and support center
Best overall for restaurants
Best POS system for food trucks
Best POS system for onboarding
Best POS system for scaling restaurants
Best POS system for restaurant chains
Free (but transaction fees apply)
Free (but transaction fees apply)
Free (but transaction fees apply)
Additional terminals cost $50 per month
Marketing, customer loyalty, and employee management features all cost extra
Accounting integrations cost $19.95 per month
First card reader costs $29, and Zettle docking station costs $49
Shopify POS Pro is available for $89 per location, per month
Extra registers cost $49 per month
Reservations cost $229 per month, online ordering costs $50 per month
Single training costs $175 or $35 per month for unlimited sessions
Unlimited — but each till requires a new license
Unlimited — but each till requires a new license
Single user per license across all plans
1 (Lean) or Unlimited (Standard/Advanced)
Single user per license across all plans
Looking for a new POS for your store? Learn how Square compares to the competition in our guide to the best retail POS systems.
Yes – if you’re a retail or restaurant business, then Square POS is an excellent solution. In fact, after testing the product firsthand and analyzing it against hundreds of data points, we think Square’s point of service is one of the best options on the market.
The software’s robust features – combined with its ease of use, and a pricing plan designed to cut down on upfront costs – make it an attractive option to small businesses everywhere. Even when you factor in Square’s paid-for hardware and sales costs, we think it still provides businesses with a great bang for their buck.
For businesses that don’t want to be tied down with monthly fees, Square’s free plan offers an excellent way to get up and running too. Basically, there’s a reason everyone uses this service, and why you keep seeing that little card reader around – we recommend getting one for yourself, too.
However, PayPal charges extra for non-US cards, charges you the original transaction fee for refunds, and charges $20 for chargebacks.
All told, Square might just come out a little bit cheaper. Plus, Square’s POS platform is stronger than PayPal Here.
If you click on, sign up to a service through, or make a purchase through the links on our site, or use our quotes tool to receive custom pricing for your business needs, we may earn a referral fee from the supplier(s) of the technology you’re interested in. This helps Tech.co to provide free information and reviews, and carries no additional cost to you. Most importantly, it doesn’t affect our editorial impartiality. Ratings and rankings on Tech.co cannot be bought. Our reviews are based on objective research analysis. Rare exceptions to this will be marked clearly as a ‘sponsored’ table column, or explained by a full advertising disclosure on the page, in place of this one. Click to return to top of page
Get the latest tech news, straight to your inbox
Stay informed on the top business tech stories with Tech.co's weekly highlights reel.
By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
3l square paint can We're sorry this article didn't help you today – we welcome feedback, so if there's any way you feel we could improve our content, please email us at contact@tech.co