What is the difference between Square and Adyen?

Square is best for Small businesses wanting POS and online payments, while Adyen is best for Enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally. Square starts at 2.6% + $0.10 and Adyen starts at Custom pricing.

Is Square or Adyen cheaper?

Square starts at 2.6% + $0.10 with a free tier. Adyen starts at Custom pricing.

Is there a free alternative to Adyen?

Yes, Square offers a free tier (No monthly fees).

Square vs Adyen

Square is payment processing with point-of-sale hardware, online payments, and business tools, while Adyen is enterprise payment platform processing for global businesses with unified commerce. Square is built for small businesses wanting pos and online payments, whereas Adyen targets enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally.

At a glance

	Square	Adyen
Best for	Small businesses wanting POS and online payments	Enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally
Starting price	2.6% + $0.10	Custom pricing
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Fraud prevention	—	✓
Global payments	—	✓
Hardware	✓	—
In-store payments	—	✓
Invoicing	✓	—
Online Payments	✓	—
POS	✓	—
Payment processing	—	✓
Unified commerce	—	✓

Square

Strengths

Includes POS as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
Includes Online Payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
No monthly fees — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 17+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in payment processing
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Square → Full review

Adyen

Strengths

Single platform for online, in-app, and in-store payments
Supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries
Enterprise-grade fraud prevention with machine learning
Direct acquiring in major markets eliminates third-party processors

Weaknesses

Not suitable for small businesses — enterprise focus
Complex setup requiring significant developer resources
Non-transparent pricing — must contact sales
Minimum processing volumes may apply

Try Adyen → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Square and Adyen are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Square offers Hardware, Invoicing and Online Payments that Adyen lacks. Adyen brings Fraud prevention, Global payments and In-store payments that Square does not have.

Where each tool shines: Square's biggest strengths are: includes pos as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows. includes online payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows. Adyen's biggest strengths are: single platform for online, in-app, and in-store payments. supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries.

Watch out for: With Square, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Adyen, the main complaint is that not suitable for small businesses — enterprise focus.

Choose Square if...

You need a tool built for small businesses wanting pos and online payments
You specifically need Hardware and Invoicing
You care about includes online payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
The free tier works for you: no monthly fees

Choose Adyen if...

You need a tool built for enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally
You specifically need Fraud prevention and Global payments
You care about supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries