Square POS Review 2026: Features and Pricing
Square is a simple yet capable solution for brick-and-mortar businesses in a range of industries.
The bottom line:
Square stands out for its low barrier to entry. It's a strong choice for new brick-and-mortar businesses in the retail, restaurant and services spaces. The system offers a free point-of-sale (POS) software plan, a free card reader and reasonably priced POS hardware setups. It helps that most people are familiar with Square, too. The downside? Its free plan’s processing costs are higher than competitors’ prices.
Software details
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
and up.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free plan option available.
Offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.
No long-term contracts or termination fees.
All plans include a free online store.
Cons
Free plan processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
Complex industries might prefer a more specialized system.
Compare to other products
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.5% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.29% + $0.09
Online: 2.99% + $0.49
Payment processing fees
2.49% + $0.15
if you buy hardware upfront; 3.09% + $0.15 for pay-as-you-go option.
Need more options? Check our picks for best payment processing systems
Clover: Better for choosing your own processor. Unlike Square, Clover is compatible with third-party payment processors. This gives you the freedom to compare processing rates across providers to find the best fit for you. Just make sure you purchase your Clover hardware from that processor so that it’s programmed correctly. Read our full Clover review.
» MORE: Square vs. Clover
PayPal POS: Cheaper in-person rates. Similar to Square, PayPal POS has free POS software. It has fewer add-ons (marketing, loyalty, etc.) than Square. But its in-person rates are less expensive at 2.29% plus 9 cents per transaction. Read our full PayPal POS review.
» MORE: Square vs. PayPal
Toast: Better for full-service restaurants. Toast has more features for restaurants than Square does. For example, it has its own in-house reservation management platform. Square users need to integrate with a third-party app to access similar capabilities. Read our full Toast review.
» MORE: Toast vs. Square
Full review
If you own a small cafe, retail shop or service-based business, it’s hard to go wrong with Square.
When it comes to the fees it does and doesn’t charge, it’s one of the most transparent companies we’ve interacted with. Its free plan also comes with an online shop, invoicing, basic sales reports and low-stock alerts. And it integrates with popular accounting software options, like QuickBooks Online, for free. All that earned Square a top spot in our editorial team's best POS systems lineup.
Square’s main downside is the high processing rates in its free plan. Online rates jumped from 2.9% plus 30 cents to 3.3% plus 30 cents in early 2025. In-person transaction rates also rose from 2.6% plus 10 cents to 2.6% plus 15 cents. Options from our list of Square competitors offer lower rates.
Square made those changes amid a larger reshuffling of its subscription tiers. Our guess is that its parent company (Block, Inc.) wanted more people to opt for the $49-per-month Plus plan.
That plan does offer good value for the price. It has more competitive processing fees, staff management tools and phone support. But Square isn’t robust enough for some businesses, like full-service restaurants and larger e-commerce stores, that need more specialized POS features. In those cases, Toast or Shopify may be better fits.
Square is best for:
✔️ New businesses.
✔️ Free POS software.
✔️ No-frills functionality.
Own a retail shop or restaurant? Read our industry-specific reviews of Square:
Square POS overview
| Payment processing model | Flat-rate. |
| Payment processing fees |
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| Monthly fee |
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| Hardware cost |
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| Contract length | No contract. |
| Customer support | Chat and email support in all plans. Free plan includes phone support only for the first 90 days. Plus plan subscribers can access phone support weekdays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. Premium plan subscribers receive 24/7 phone support. |
What’s new with Square?
Square’s POS system has long been ubiquitous. But Block’s sights seem set on being everywhere business owners are, period.
In recent years, Block has grown its in-house bank, Square Financial Services. It offers business savings accounts and business loans. Square has a built-in checking account, too, though its services come from a third party (Sutton Bank, Member FDIC).
Square makes it easy to sign up for checking and payments together. Our small-business writer Rosalie Murphy says there’s little downside to getting both. Square Checking has no fees and gives you instant access to your revenue, after all. However, she cautions that it shouldn’t be your only business banking option.
» READ MORE: Should you bank with Square?
Where Square stands out
Low barrier to entry
Square makes it easy to sign up for its services and start accepting payments. You can get set up in minutes — no contract required. Square’s fees are reasonable overall. Unlike lots of competitors, for example, it offers a free POS software plan.
Square will also send you a free card reader that plugs into your phone. You can download the software to an existing iPad or Android tablet as well. This can help minimize your hardware costs.
No chargeback fees
Square is one of the only providers on our list that doesn’t have chargeback fees. Typically, payment processing companies charge at least $20 per chargeback. Ideally, you won’t have to deal with chargebacks often. But if you do, at least you won’t have extra fees adding to the headache.
Ease of use
Square’s simple user interface is a big plus. I can attest that it’s easy to learn — even if you’re new to working with POS systems. I created the menu for my husband’s brewery with no prior experience. Employees and customers alike also seem to be familiar with it.
» MORE: Why I chose Square
Where Square falls short
More specialized POS systems exist
Square supports lots of business types. It offers different versions of its POS system for food and beverage, retail, beauty and professional services. But that breadth means it’s not always the best option overall for any single type of business — especially if they’re complex.
For example, Toast is often a better POS system for restaurants. It has its own reservation management platform, 24/7 support and more in-depth food cost analytics.
Lightspeed Retail can also be a better solution for larger retailers than Square. That’s because it has detailed inventory management tracking plus the ability to import vendor catalogs. This can help minimize manual data entry.
Expensive processing rates in free plan
Square hiked up its free plan processing rates back in early 2025. In-person fees jumped from 2.6% plus 10 cents to 2.6% plus 15 cents per purchase. Online rates increased from 2.9% plus 30 cents to 3.3% plus 30 cents per transaction.
Square’s free plan still offers a lot of value. But these rates make its paid plans (and the lower processing rates that come with them) more worthwhile for higher volume businesses.
What small-business owners think of Square
NerdWallet checked online forums like Reddit and reviews from sites like TrustPilot, G2, the App Store and Google Play to gauge how users feel about Square. We used an AI tool to help analyze this feedback. Here are the major trends we spotted.
👍 Simple user interface
Multiple reviewers appreciate that Square is easy to use and set up. One user said it helps keep their bookings organized. Another mentioned that it’s user-friendly even if you’re not great with technology.
Commenters also confirm it doesn’t take long to build a website. Businesses can pick from various website themes and customize their colors, logo and fonts from there.
👍 Mobile payments
Commenters like that you don’t need hardware to accept mobile payments with Square. All Square subscribers can accept payments on the go using compatible phones. The customer just needs to tap their digital wallet or card to your device.
Other reviewers prefer using the card reader over Tap to Pay. Square sends new merchants free swipe card readers that plug into their phones. But it also sells more robust readers for $59. These ones accept chip and tap payments.
» MORE: Best card readers
👎 Processing fees
Unsurprisingly, people aren’t pleased with Square’s costs. That aggravation grew in particular after Square increased its free plan processing rates in 2025. Some business owners are even asking Reddit how they can pass processing fees to the customer to increase savings.
No one is happy when products raise prices. The larger issue is if a company does this frequently. Square’s biggest change to its processing rates before 2025 was back in 2019. That said, businesses should always try to budget for potential price hikes.
👍/👎 Customer support
Online reviews are mixed on Square’s customer support. Some people say they had a great experience and rarely required support. Others say they scheduled calls but never received callbacks. Or, they lament being transferred from one representative to another, only to not have their problem solved.
Again, it’s rare to come across mostly positive customer support feedback, regardless of your POS system. But if you opt for Square’s free plan, it’s important to consider that you only receive phone support for the first 90 days.
» MORE: Best Square competitors
How we evaluated Square POS
NerdWallet’s writers and editors independently review POS systems, like Square, by analyzing more than 30 data points. We collected data from Square’s public-facing website, help articles and company representatives.
Our evaluations also take user sentiment into account. This involves looking through individual reviews and feedback on sites like Trustpilot, the App Store, Google Play and Reddit. Then, we use AI tools to help spot larger trends within those comments. Since we cannot verify each user’s individual experience, we don’t incorporate user reviews in our star ratings. For more information on how we score POS systems, see our full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Square POS has a lot of strengths compared with many of its competitors. However, it's not compatible with Windows devices, so it's not a good fit for businesses that don’t use iOS or Android devices. It also lacks some of the features and functionality that more specialized systems offer.
Square and Clover have many similarities, including their flat-rate payment processing model, a variety of hardware options, a known and trusted brand name, and offerings designed for specific industries, including restaurant and retail. Unlike Square, however, Clover offers merchants flexibility in the merchant service provider they use for payment processing; and Clover charges slightly more competitive transaction rates. Clover may require a contract, though. Deciding which POS provider is a better fit for your business will ultimately come down to considering each company’s offerings alongside your specific business needs.