Verdict
Square is the easiest way for a new or small in-person business to start taking cards. The Free plan has no monthly fee and no contract, and deposits land in your bank the next business day at no charge. Skip it if you sell mostly online on the Free plan, where cards cost 3.3% + 30¢, or if your volume is large enough to pay for interchange-plus pricing. In our cost engine Square is never the cheapest option at $10K, $50K or $250K a month in card sales; you pay a little more for the speed of setup and the free software.
How we did this: prices checked Oct 2026 on Square's own pricing page and rechecked Nov 2026, along with Square's dispute help page and its US payment terms. We read pricing pages and terms. We did not open an account or test hardware.
Square fees in 2026
Square has three plans. The plan changes your card rates and your support hours. The monthly fee for Plus and Premium is charged per location.
| Fee | Free | Plus | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $0 | $49 per location | $149 per location |
| In person (tap, dip or swipe) | 2.6% + 15¢ | 2.5% + 15¢ | 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Online store and invoices | 3.3% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Online API (your own app or site) | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Manual entry or card on file | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| ACH on invoices | 1%, $1 minimum | 1%, $1 minimum, $10 cap | 1%, $1 minimum, $10 cap |
| ACH through the API | 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap | 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap | 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap |
| Afterpay | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ |
| Cards issued outside the U.S. | +1.5% | +1.5% | +1.5% |
| Gift card load | 2.5% | 2.5% | 0% |
| Phone support | 6am to 6pm PT, Monday to Friday, first 90 days | 6am to 6pm PT, Monday to Friday | 24/7 |
Fees that do not depend on the plan:
- Payouts: next business day, free. Instant or same-day transfers cost 1.95% (prices checked Oct 2026).
- Hardware: from $59. Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android needs no extra hardware.
- Chargebacks: Square says there are no fees for its dispute management. If you win, the disputed funds come back with the processing fees. If you lose, the processing fees are not refunded.
- Contract: none. Square says you can cancel or switch plans any time.
- Custom pricing: offered only if you process over $250,000 a year.
When a paid plan pays for itself
This is plain arithmetic on the published rates, per location. Plus takes 0.1 percentage point off in-person sales for $49 a month, so it breaks even at $49,000 a month in card-present sales. Premium takes 0.2 points off the Free rate for $149, which breaks even at $74,500 a month. Premium over Plus costs $100 more for another 0.1 point, which breaks even at $100,000 a month.
Online is different. Plus cuts the online store rate from 3.3% to 2.9%, a 0.4 point drop, so $49 a month pays for itself at about $12,250 a month in online store or invoice sales. If you sell online through Square's own store, the Free plan is rarely the cheap one. These break-even points count fees only, not the extra software features the paid plans include.
Three questions before you pick a Square plan
- How much do you sell in person at each location? Under $49,000 a month per location, Free has the lowest card fees. Plan fees are charged per location, so run this for each one.
- Where do your online sales happen? Payments through Square's online store and invoices cost 3.3% + 30¢ on Free. Payments through your own site or app on Square's Online API cost 2.9% + 30¢ on every plan, Free included.
- How often do you key in cards or charge cards on file? Those payments cost 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan, so no plan upgrade lowers them.
What Square costs at $10K, $50K and $250K a month
These numbers come from our ranking engine, the same one behind our best payment processors ranking. It assumes a $50 average sale and a card mix of 60% credit and 40% debit, and it picks each provider's cheapest plan at each volume. For interchange-plus providers like Helcim it adds an interchange estimate of 1.55% in person and 1.70% online, because their price is network cost plus a markup. Hardware is not counted for anyone. Prices checked Oct 2026.
| In-person sales | $10K a month | $50K a month | $250K a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | $290 (2.90%, Free) | $1,450 (2.90%, Plus) | $6,900 (2.76%, Premium) |
| Stripe Terminal | $280 (2.80%) | $1,400 (2.80%) | $7,000 (2.80%) |
| Helcim | $211 (2.11%) | $1,020 (2.04%) | $4,850 (1.94%) |
| Online sales | $10K a month | $50K a month | $250K a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square (Online API) | $350 (3.50%) | $1,750 (3.50%) | $8,750 (3.50%) |
| Stripe | $350 (3.50%) | $1,750 (3.50%) | $8,750 (3.50%) |
| Helcim | $270 (2.70%) | $1,275 (2.55%) | $6,125 (2.45%) |
Three things stand out. First, Square's 15¢ fixed fee is why its Free plan lands at 2.90% on a $50 sale, a little above Stripe Terminal's 2.80%. Second, at $50K the Plus plan only ties the Free plan, because $50K sits right at the $49,000 break-even. Third, the gap to Helcim grows with volume: $79 a month at $10K, $430 at $50K and $2,050 at $250K for in-person sales.
The Helcim figures include our interchange estimate, so its real cost moves with your card mix. A month heavy in premium rewards cards costs more than a month of debit. Square's flat rate does not move.
What works
- A real $0 plan. No monthly fee, no contract, and free next-day deposits. The Free plan includes the POS app, a basic online site, invoicing and booking.
- Simple, flat pricing. You know the rate before the sale. A $50 in-person sale on Free costs $1.45, every time, whatever card the customer uses.
- Disputes cost nothing extra. Square charges no dispute management fee, and it returns the processing fees when you win.
- Start without buying hardware. Tap to Pay works on iPhone and Android phones, and readers start at $59.
- Room to grow. Premium cuts the in-person rate to 2.4% + 15¢ and adds 24/7 phone support, and custom pricing opens up above $250,000 a year.
What to watch
- The Free plan's online rate. 3.3% + 30¢ on online store and invoice payments, 0.4 points more than the same sale on Plus or through the Online API.
- Keyed and card-on-file payments. 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan. Businesses that bill saved cards, like salons with no-show fees or service businesses taking cards over the phone, pay this rate.
- Instant money costs 1.95%. On a $1,000 day that is $19.50 to get it today instead of tomorrow.
- Plan fees are per location. Two locations on Premium cost $298 a month before any card fees.
- Support on the Free plan. Phone support runs 6am to 6pm PT on weekdays, and only for the first 90 days.
- Square can hold your money. Its US payment terms say Square "may defer payout or restrict access to your Proceeds, temporarily or indefinitely" and "may require a Reserve for any reason related to your use of the Services." When a chargeback is filed, Square places an immediate hold on the disputed funds, and you have seven days to respond. If you plan a large one-off sale that is unusual for your account, read the payment terms first.
Who should use Square
- New businesses that want to take cards this week with no monthly fee and no contract.
- In-person sellers under about $49,000 a month per location, where the Free plan is the cheapest Square plan.
- Cafes, shops, pop-ups and service businesses that want POS, invoices and booking in one free app.
- Owners who value one flat, predictable rate over saving a few tenths of a percent.
Who should skip Square
- Businesses processing $50K a month or more that are comfortable with interchange-plus, where Helcim cost $430 less a month in person in our engine.
- Online sellers on the Free plan. Either move to Plus or use a provider built for online checkout.
- Businesses that key in most cards or bill cards on file, at 3.5% + 15¢.
- Anyone who needs instant payouts every day, at 1.95% a transfer.
Square alternatives
- Helcim: interchange-plus with no monthly fee, from interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ in person, and the lowest in-person cost in our engine at $10K and $50K. See Square vs Helcim.
- Stripe: 2.7% + 5¢ in person with Terminal and 2.9% + 30¢ online, with the deepest developer tools. See Square vs Stripe.
- PayPal: 2.29% + 9¢ in person with PayPal POS, the lowest flat in-person rate in our data, though its PayPal Checkout button costs 3.49% + 49¢ online. See PayPal vs Square.
If you want countertop POS hardware for a restaurant or shop, compare Square vs Clover. If you sell on Shopify, read Square vs Shopify Payments first.