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Payment processor (in-person and online) · by Block

Square Payments

Square's card processing for in-person and online sales, with free POS software, developer APIs, and cheaper rates for API payments than for its hosted online checkout.

Visit squareup.com ↗ Alternatives Paid EU region
Square Payments homepage
§1

Overview

Square started with card readers for small shops and now covers in-person, online and invoice payments with free point-of-sale software. Developers can use the Web Payments SDK, In-App Payments SDK and Payments API to take cards inside their own app or site.

US pricing depends on how you take the payment and which Square plan you are on. Payments made through Square's APIs are 2.9% + 30¢ on every plan. Hosted online checkout and invoices are 3.3% + 30¢ on the Free plan and 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans, after a rate rise reported for January 2026. In-person payments are 2.6% + 15¢ on the Free plan.

Payment processing is available only to sellers in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Australia and Japan; sellers elsewhere can use the software but only record cash or external payments. Square is not a merchant of record.

§2

Pricing and plans

Plan Price What you get
Online API (US) 2.9% + 30¢ Payments inside your web or mobile app via Square APIs; same on all plans
Online / invoices (US, Free plan) 3.3% + 30¢ Square Online, checkout links and invoices; 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans
In person (US, Free plan) 2.6% + 15¢ 2.5% + 15¢ and 2.4% + 15¢ on the paid Plus and Premium plans
Online (Ireland) 1.4% + 25c + VAT EU/EEA cards; 2.9% + 25c + VAT for UK and non-EEA cards

US rates depend on the Square plan (Free, Plus or Premium, whose monthly prices were not shown on the fee page read). Manually keyed and card-on-file payments are 3.5% + 15¢; ACH via invoice 1% with $1 minimum; Afterpay 6% + 30¢. Custom pricing is offered above $250,000 a year. Irish fees are quoted plus VAT, with an extra 1.5% for cards issued outside the EU/EEA.

Source: squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

Payments APIs and SDKs
Web Payments SDK, mobile SDKs and REST APIs for cards, wallets and ACH.
In-person hardware
Readers, terminals and Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, with offline payments stored for 24 hours.
Invoices and subscriptions
Send invoices payable by card or ACH and bill recurring customers.
Instant transfers
Free next-business-day transfers, or instant for a fee.
Dispute management
Fraud prevention and dispute handling built into every payment.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • One provider for in-store and online sales
  • API payments stay at 2.9% + 30¢ even on the free plan
  • Free POS software and no monthly fee on the Free plan
  • Low EEA online rates for Irish, French and Spanish sellers

Limitations

  • Payment processing is limited to eight countries
  • Hosted online checkout on the Free plan costs 3.3% + 30¢ in the US
  • Keyed-in and card-on-file payments cost 3.5% + 15¢
  • Not a merchant of record; tax is your job
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Shops, cafes and service businesses that also sell online
  • Apps that take card payments through Square's APIs
  • Small businesses that want free POS software

Look elsewhere if

  • Online-only SaaS selling globally (see Stripe or a merchant of record)
  • Sellers outside Square's supported countries
§6

Pricing history

  • Square raises US online card rates on the Free plan

    Reported effective January 13, 2026: hosted online checkout and invoices on the Free plan rose from 2.9% + 30¢ to 3.3% + 30¢, and on paid plans from 2.6% + 30¢ to 2.9% + 30¢. API payments stay 2.9% + 30¢. Source ↗

§7

Alternatives to Square Payments

Tool From Free option Stages
Polar Merchant of record with usage billing
Usage-based Paid
Stripe Payments Payment processor (API-first)
Usage-based Paid
Dodo Payments Merchant of record with usage billing
Usage-based Paid
PayPal Checkout Payment processor and wallet
Usage-based Paid
Mollie Payment processor (Europe)
Usage-based Paid
Paystack Payment gateway (Africa)
Usage-based Paid

All payments and billing →

§8

Questions

What does Square charge for online payments?

In the US, 2.9% + 30¢ through the payments APIs, and 3.3% + 30¢ for hosted online checkout and invoices on the Free plan.

Which countries does Square support?

Payment processing is available in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Does Square have a monthly fee?

The Free plan has no monthly subscription; you pay processing fees only. Paid plans lower some rates.

Sources read for this page