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Square Payments Review: Can It Give You an Edge in 2026?

Headshot of Alexandros Melidoniotis Written by: Alexandros Melidoniotis
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Square is a big name in the world of payment processing. It’s easy to sign up and begin processing payments right away. Square’s simple flat-fee pricing draws many merchants in, and its top-tier hardware is often offered at a discount to new applicants.

Our Score
4.8
Ranked 3 from 30 Credit Card Processing
Pricing plan
Pricing per transaction
Monthly subscription
Pricing per transaction
Square Plus for Retail
2.5% + 10¢
$89.00
Square Plus for Restaurants
2.6% + 10¢
$69.00
Square Free
2.6% + 10¢
$0
Monthly subscription
Square Plus for Retail
$89.00
Square Plus for Restaurants
$69.00
Square Free
$0
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Overview

POS equipment Free mobile reader, 4 devices available to purchase
Payments methods accepted Credit and debit cards, digital wallets
Payout times 48 hours as standard. Optional same-day payout
Contract length Monthly (no cancellation fees)
Customer support Phone and email support available Monday – Friday (24/7 on some plans)
Security PCI-compliant, end-to-end encryption, tokenization, two-factor authentication, handles PCI compliance for you

Square Isn’t Perfect, but It Gets Many Things Right

Square Review
Square offers payment and hardware solutions to all kinds of businesses

Square can help all kinds of businesses accept payments, from traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores to large e-commerce shops. Signing up for a new merchant account only takes about 3 minutes and is completely free.

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That’s because there are no contracts or monthly subscriptions for Square. Its per transaction fees start at 2.5% + 10¢, fluctuating based on how payments are received and processed. Naturally, this pricing model is more beneficial to those with a small to medium volume of sales proceeds.

Square also offers several hardware and software solutions, ranging from card readers and registers to reporting and integrated management tools.

That said, many customer reviews raise concerns about Square’s customer support. Are the low fees worth the trouble? Read on to find out if Square is the right merchant services provider for your business.

5.0

Features

Square’s Set of Features Is Quite Impressive

Square Payments is all about receiving and processing payments as quickly and painlessly as possible. Even on its free plan, Square includes useful features (e.g., next-day transfers, business checking accounts) that other payment processors charge a premium for.

Whether you’re in retail or looking to sell products online, Square’s diverse array of tools can help you succeed.

Free Mobile Reader for Your Business

Square's free reader

Square’s tiny reader is incredibly easy to set up and use

Once you sign up with Square, you can have a free mobile credit card reader mailed to your business. This tiny device connects to your headphone jack (for Android devices) or your Lightning port (for Apple’s iPhones and tablets) and allows you to accept credit card payments from virtually anywhere – as long as you’ve also installed the free Square Point of Sale app on your device.

The Square Reader is small enough to fit in your pocket, doesn’t have a battery, and can process Swipe payments even when the WiFi’s down. Each additional card reader will cost you $10. That’s a great deal by any metric.

Square sells a wide variety of other hardware. This includes a compact contactless and chip reader, a fully-featured card terminal, and a dual-screen POS register with all the necessary software. The latest addition is the Square Stand 2nd generation, which quickly turns a compatible iPad into a comprehensive POS system with easy setup, integrated payment options, and reliable offline operation.

For a limited time, you can get 20% off your first purchased Square device. If, after receiving your equipment, you decide you no longer need it, you can get a refund by returning all or part of your order within 30 days of shipment.

Speak to a Square Payments Agent >>

E-commerce Tools for Any Business

I have to admit I’m pretty impressed with Square’s e-commerce tools and capabilities. If you’ve ever wanted to sell your products online but didn’t know where to start, you’ll appreciate the various ways that Square simplifies the process.

Square lets you:

  • Create and launch an online store for free with Square Online. You can choose from a wide range of highly polished website designs that fit your business’s profile (e.g., retail, restaurant, services, non-profit).
  • Add payments to your existing site with easy integrations. By connecting to Square’s secure platform, you can accept online and app payments. If you need help to set up the API for your e-commerce experience, Square can connect you with a certified software agency.
  • Sell your products online without a website. Square creates links (or buy buttons/QR codes) that you can share through social media or email so your customers can pay with just the click of a button. This is ideal for donations, online services, memberships, and subscriptions.

There are no additional costs for any of these services, which is quite impressive. That said,