POS Systems
Square POS: features, pricing and who it fits
Square POS is free to start and comes with Square's own card processing, so readers, software and an online store share one vendor. Retail, Restaurants and Appointments are separate products. Because Square is also the processor, a later switch means buying new hardware.
Who Square POS is for
Best for
- Single-shop retailers and service businesses that want to start at $0 software
- Merchants who want one vendor for hardware, payments and online store
Look elsewhere if
- Businesses that want to choose their own payment processor
- High-volume merchants sensitive to flat-rate processing
Fit by company size
| Category | 1-10 people | 11-50 people | 51-500 people | 500+ people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS Systems | Strong fit | Strong fit | Workable | No data |
Strong fitWorkablePoor fitNo data from the vendor
Square POS features
- Hardware and terminals
- Square sells its own handheld, terminal, register, stand and kiosk hardware (hardware prices not confirmed by the vendor)
- Payment processing terms
- Square-only processing; 2.6% + 10c in person on Free, 2.5% + 10c on Retail Plus
- Inventory management
- Free plan includes basic inventory tools and unlimited items; G2 inventory sub-score 8.7/10
- Online and omnichannel sales
- Free online store included on Retail Free plan
- Industry features
- Separate Retail, Restaurants and Appointments products
- Reporting and analytics
- Reviewers on G2 praise reporting (G2 summary)
- Pricing model
- Monthly plan per location plus flat-rate processing plus hardware
- Target company size
- Micro and small businesses; custom Premium for larger
Square POS pricing
| Plan | Price | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | per month | Retail POS app, online store, basic inventory; 2.6% + 10c in person |
| Plus | $89 | per location per month | 2.5% + 10c in person on Retail POS when signed in to Plus account |
| Premium | Custom | Custom pricing may be offered above $250K/yr processing |
Prices for Square for Retail (US). Restaurants and Appointments have separate plan ladders not confirmed by the vendor here.
Prices as published by Square POS on the date above. Quotes for larger teams often differ, which is what a request on SaaSBid surfaces.
Pros and cons
What users like
- Easy to use and quick to set up
- Strong card payment experience and reporting
Common complaints
- Processing fees and upfront hardware costs add up
- Support access complaints are common across POS vendors, check before buying
Integrations, security and hosting
Worth knowing before you buy
- Retail Plus discount on in-person rate is only 0.1 percentage point (2.6% to 2.5%) and applies only on the Retail POS signed into Plus
- Software and processing are tied: Square is the processor, so leaving means replacing hardware
- Premium plan is quote-only and pitched at merchants above about $250K annual volume
