See exact Square processing fees by payment type and plan — tap/dip, online, manual entry. Compare Free, Plus ($49/mo) and Premium ($149/mo).
| Payment type | Free | Plus ($49/mo) | Premium ($149/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tap, dip, or swipe | 2.6% + 15¢ | 2.5% + 15¢ | 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Online checkout / invoice | 3.3% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Online API | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Manual entry / card on file | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| ACH (invoice) | 1% ($1 min) | 1% ($1 min, $10 cap) | 1% ($1 min, $10 cap) |
| Afterpay | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ |
| International card | +1.5% | +1.5% | +1.5% |
Square Plus ($49/mo per location) drops in-person from 2.6% to 2.5% and online from 3.3% to 2.9%. The savings on each transaction is small — roughly 0.1–0.4 percentage points — so you need meaningful volume for the monthly fee to pay off. For in-person sales, Plus breaks even vs Free at roughly $49,000/year in card volume. For online, the 0.4% drop on the Free plan means Plus saves you $49/mo once online volume exceeds ~$12,250/month.
Premium ($149/mo) adds another 0.1% off in-person (to 2.4%) but keeps online at 2.9% + 30¢ — same as Plus. Premium is only worth it if you do very high in-person volume or need the additional POS features (KDS, kiosk discounts, gift-card load waivers).
Square's Free in-person rate (2.6%+15¢) sits between PayPal's 3.49%+$0.49 and Stripe's in-person offering. Online, Square Free (3.3%+30¢) is the most expensive of the three — Stripe is 2.9%+30¢ and PayPal Checkout is 3.49%+49¢. For online-only sellers, Stripe usually wins. For in-person + online combined, Square's free plan and no monthly fee make it the easiest starting point.
On Square Free: 2.6% + 15¢ for in-person card payments, 3.3% + 30¢ for online checkout or invoice, 3.5% + 15¢ for manual entry. Square Plus and Premium reduce in-person rates but keep online at 2.9% + 30¢.
Yes. Square Free in-person went from 2.6%+10¢ to 2.6%+15¢, and online went from 2.9%+30¢ to 3.3%+30¢. The changes make Square slightly more expensive than older guides suggest.
For in-person, yes — Square Free 2.6%+15¢ vs PayPal 3.49%+49¢. For online, Square Free at 3.3%+30¢ is slightly cheaper than PayPal Checkout at 3.49%+49¢ but more expensive than Stripe at 2.9%+30¢.
Square Free has no monthly fee. Square Plus is $49/mo per location and Premium is $149/mo per location. Both offer lower processing rates on in-person card payments.
Yes, an additional 1.5% fee applies to all card types (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover) issued outside your account's country. This applies across all plans.
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