Square vs Stripe
Square and Stripe both take a percentage plus a fixed fee per card payment. Square bundles a point-of-sale system into plans from $0 a month, while Stripe publishes pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly fees. Everything below comes from each provider's own published pricing, checked on 2026-10-15.
Quick verdict
Choose Square if…
- You take cards in person and want a plan with no monthly fee (the Free plan is listed at $0 per location) and a point-of-sale app included.
- You want phone support: Square lists phone support hours on its plans and 24/7 phone support on Premium.
- You want published in-person rates that fall on higher plans (Plus and Premium) if your volume justifies the monthly fee.
Choose Stripe if…
- You mostly sell online or through payment links and prefer pay-as-you-go pricing with "no setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden fees".
- You want a published dispute fee up front: Stripe lists it, and Square's pricing page does not.
- You want options such as ACH Direct Debit with a fee cap, instant payouts and recurring billing listed on one pricing page.
Side by side, from published data
| Feature | Square | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| In-person card rate | 2.6% + $0.15 (Free) | 2.7% + $0.05 |
| Online card rate | 3.3% + $0.30 (Free) | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Manually entered card (Stripe: extra added to the online rate) | 3.5% + $0.15 (Free) | 0.5% |
| Bank payment (ACH) | 1% (min $1.00) (Free) | 0.8% (cap $5.00) |
| Monthly fee on the base option | $0/mo | None: Stripe lists no monthly fees for its standard pricing |
| Dispute fee | Check current pricing on Square's site | $15.00 per dispute (network fees can also apply) |
| Instant payout option | Square Checking is listed with instant access to funds | 1.5% (min $0.50) |
| Overall score | 7.4/10 | 8.3/10 |
Limitations to know about
Square: limitations
Scores from our methodology
Scores come from a public checklist applied equally to both providers. They measure what each publishes, not product quality, and a high score does not mean it fits your business. Read the methodology.
Square
Score breakdown: Overall score 7.4/10
| Category | Weight | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 30% | 7.5/10 | 3 of 4 checks |
| Total cost for a typical small business | 25% | 6.1/10 | $390 → 6.1 |
| Features | 20% | 10/10 | 6 of 6 checks |
| Contract and fee fairness | 15% | 7.5/10 | 3 of 4 checks |
| Support and reputation signals | 10% | 5/10 | 1 of 2 checks |
Cost input: Estimated monthly fees on $10,000 of card-not-present sales at a $50 average sale, using the provider's published base rate (online or keyed-in) with no plan fee: $390
Stripe
Score breakdown: Overall score 8.3/10
| Category | Weight | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 30% | 10/10 | 4 of 4 checks |
| Total cost for a typical small business | 25% | 6.5/10 | $350 → 6.5 |
| Features | 20% | 10/10 | 6 of 6 checks |
| Contract and fee fairness | 15% | 7.5/10 | 3 of 4 checks |
| Support and reputation signals | 10% | 5/10 | 1 of 2 checks |
Cost input: Estimated monthly fees on $10,000 of card-not-present sales at a $50 average sale, using the provider's published base rate (online or keyed-in) with no plan fee: $350
The checklist behind the scores
- Base card rates are published on the provider's page
- The dispute or chargeback fee amount is published
- Monthly or plan fees (or their absence) are published
- Amounts for extra fees (international, keyed-in, instant payout and similar) are published
- In-person card acceptance
- Online payments or payment links
- Invoicing
- Bank (ACH) payments
- Recurring billing or subscriptions
- A faster payout option is published
- No monthly fee on the base option
- No long-term contract or cancellation fee is stated
- No setup fee is stated
- How the pricing works (flat vs interchange-based) is explained on the page
- A phone number, hours or support channel is published on the page
- Dispute or chargeback tools or protection are described
Cost: Estimated monthly fees on $10,000 of card-not-present sales at a $50 average sale, using the provider's published base rate (online or keyed-in) with no plan fee. Each $100 subtracts one point from 10 (floor 0).
Where to go next
Go to StripeFrequently asked questions
Is Square or Stripe cheaper?
It depends on how you take payments. In person, the published base rates are close; online, Stripe's published base rate is lower than Square's Free plan. Use our card processing fee calculator with your own sales and average ticket.
Does Stripe have a monthly fee?
Stripe's pricing page says its standard pricing has no setup fees, monthly fees or hidden fees. Some add-on products have their own pricing.
Does Square charge a monthly fee?
Square's Free plan is listed at $0 per location per month; Plus and Premium are paid plans with lower processing rates on some payment types.
Which is better for an online store?
Stripe publishes online payment, invoicing, subscription and payout pricing on one page. Square also lists online and invoice payments. Compare the rates in the table and the limitations below.
How current is this comparison?
We read both pricing pages on 2026-10-15. Providers change prices, so confirm on their sites.
Related tools and guides
Sources
- Square: pricing (checked 2026-10-15)
- Square: our fees (checked 2026-10-15)
- Stripe: pricing (checked 2026-10-15)
Last updated: · Prices verified: