Square
Payment processing with point-of-sale hardware, online payments, and business tools.
Overview
Square is a payment processing with point-of-sale hardware, online payments, and business tools. It handles pos, online payments, invoicing, and hardware, and it's best suited for small businesses wanting pos and online payments. It has been around since 2009, giving it a 17-year head start in building out integrations and refining the product.
The free plan offers no monthly fees. It's designed for small teams, striking a balance between simplicity and collaboration features.
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
Quick info
- Category
- Payment Processing
- Starting price
- 2.6% + $0.10
- Free tier
- Yes — No monthly fees
- Open source
- No
- Best for
- Small teams
- Founded
- 2009
Last updated 2026-04-12
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