Square Review, Pricing & Features

Square pricing has a free plan plus Plus and Premium tiers from $49/month. Compare processing fees, features, pros and cons of Square POS.

Category
Payments
Pricing
freemium, from Free (pay-as-you-go processing fees apply)
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2009
Headquarters
Oakland, California, USA
Free PlaniOSFree TrialAndroidFreemium

What Is Square

Square is a payments and point-of-sale platform that gives businesses the hardware and software to accept card payments in person and online, alongside tools for inventory, invoicing, payroll, and banking.

Founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey, Square's parent company rebranded to Block, Inc. in 2021 to reflect its expansion into Cash App, Afterpay, and other fintech products, though the Square brand and product line continue to operate under the Block umbrella from its Oakland, California headquarters.

Key Features

At its core, Square offers point-of-sale software paired with card readers and terminals for retail, restaurant, and service businesses, plus a free online store and checkout for e-commerce sales.

Beyond payments, Square offers inventory tracking, digital invoicing, appointment booking, payroll, team management, and Square Banking tools like business loans and a business debit card, all accessible from the same account.

Pricing

Square uses a freemium, transaction-fee-based pricing model: the Free plan has no monthly fee and charges 2.6 percent plus 15 cents per in-person transaction, while Square Plus (49 dollars per month per location) and Square Premium (149 dollars per month per location) lower per-transaction processing rates in exchange for the subscription fee.

Online transactions are charged 3.3 percent plus 30 cents on the Free plan, dropping to 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on Plus and Premium, and manually keyed payments are a flat 3.5 percent plus 15 cents across every plan. Businesses processing over 250,000 dollars annually can negotiate custom processing rates.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Free plan with no monthly subscription fee to get started
  • Transparent, publicly listed processing rates with no long-term contract
  • Wide ecosystem covering payments, payroll, banking, and inventory in one account
  • Backed by a large public company (Block, Inc.) with continuous product investment
  • Custom pricing available for high-volume merchants

Cons

  • Per-transaction processing fees can be costly at high sales volume compared to negotiated merchant accounts
  • Monthly subscription required to unlock the lowest processing rates
  • Manually keyed payments carry the highest fee across all plans
  • Block, Inc. underwent significant layoffs in 2026, which may affect support resourcing
  • Some advanced features are gated behind Plus or Premium plans

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Square free to use

Yes, the Free plan has no monthly subscription cost; you only pay processing fees per transaction.

What are Square's processing fees

In-person transactions are 2.6 percent plus 15 cents on the Free plan, dropping to 2.4 percent plus 15 cents on Premium; online transactions range from 3.3 percent plus 30 cents down to 2.9 percent plus 30 cents depending on plan.

Who owns Square

Square is a product line of Block, Inc., the publicly traded fintech company (NYSE: SQ) headquartered in Oakland, California.

How much does Square Plus cost

Square Plus costs 49 dollars per month per location and lowers per-transaction processing rates compared to the Free plan.

Does Square offer custom pricing

Yes, businesses processing over 250,000 dollars per year can contact Square's sales team for custom processing rates.

Can Square be used for online sales

Yes, Square includes a free online store and checkout that syncs inventory with in-person sales.

Does Square require a long-term contract

No, Square has no locked-in contracts and merchants can cancel or switch plans at any time.

When was Square founded

Square was founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey.

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