Square: pricing, free plan and alternatives
Card payments for in-person and online sales, with a free point-of-sale plan.
Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.
Square and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Paid plans | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Yes | No monthly fee | Businesses that take payments face to face as well as online. |
| Stripe | Pay per use | No monthly fee | Online businesses and freelancers who invoice by card. |
| PayPal | Pay per use | No monthly fee | Selling to clients who prefer paying with a PayPal balance or account. |
Square: what you get
Card payments for in-person and online sales, with a free point-of-sale plan.
- Price
- US Free plan: 2.6% + 15¢ in person; 3.3% + 30¢ online and on invoices; 3.5% + 15¢ manually keyed; invoice ACH 1% ($1 minimum). Cards issued abroad +1.5%.
- Free plan
- Square Free plan: no monthly fee, you pay per transaction.
- Best for
- Businesses that take payments face to face as well as online.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- Lowest in-person rate of the three
- Free POS app
Cons
- Online and invoice payments cost more than Stripe (3.3% + 30¢)
- Keyed-in cards cost 3.5% + 15¢
Key features
- Free point-of-sale app
- Card readers for in-person payments
- Invoices and online checkout
The alternatives
1. Stripe
Online payments with no monthly fee, plus invoices, payment links and subscriptions.
- Price
- US: 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic online card payment; 2.7% + 5¢ in person; ACH Direct Debit 0.8% capped at $5. International cards +1.5%, currency conversion +1%. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice (Starter).
- Free plan
- No monthly or setup fee; you pay per transaction.
- Best for
- Online businesses and freelancers who invoice by card.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- No monthly fee
- Cheap bank (ACH) payments, capped at $5
Cons
- Invoices sent with Stripe Invoicing cost an extra 0.4%
- International cards cost an extra 1.5%
Key features
- Payment links and hosted checkout
- Invoices and subscriptions
- ACH bank payments
- Works with most scheduling and invoicing apps
2. PayPal
The payment brand most clients already have an account with.
- Price
- US: PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49; card processing 2.99% + $0.49; invoice Pay by Bank 1% capped at $10; QR code 2.29% + $0.09. International +1.5%.
- Free plan
- No monthly fee for standard payments; you pay per transaction.
- Best for
- Selling to clients who prefer paying with a PayPal balance or account.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- Clients trust and recognise it
- Low QR-code rate for in-person sales
Cons
- PayPal Checkout's 3.49% + $0.49 is dearer than Stripe for online cards
- Fixed fee of $0.49 hurts on small payments
Key features
- PayPal and Venmo checkout
- Invoicing
- QR code payments
- Pay Later options for buyers
Sources
Official pages we checked for the prices, plans and limits on this page:
- Square: squareup.com, squareup.com (2), checked October 26, 2026
- Stripe: stripe.com, stripe.com (2), checked October 26, 2026
- PayPal: www.paypal.com, checked October 26, 2026