Flat-rate card processing for in-person and online with no monthly fees or contracts.
Best for
Small retail, hospitality, and pop-up businesses wanting the simplest way into US card payments.
Every fee we track, grouped by where it applies.
In-person terminal and tap-to-pay transactions.
Flat rate, Free plan. Live page shows 2.6% + 15c on some flows; treat as approximate. Plus 2.5%, Premium 2.4%.
Free plan $0. Plus $49/mo, Premium $149/mo per location.
Online checkout and keyed-in card transactions.
Online checkout / invoices. Keyed and card-on-file: 3.5% + 15c.
Free plan $0. Plus $49/mo, Premium $149/mo per location.
Square absorbs dispute admin cost; no per-chargeback fee.
"You can accept every major card, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, all for the same processing fees." Source: squareup.com/us/en/pricing FAQ and squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5068, read 2026-07-16.
Cards issued in a different country than the Square account location incur a 1.5% international transaction fee in addition to base processing fees. Source: squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5068-what-are-square-s-fees, read 2026-07-16.
No lock-in contract.
Instant and same-day transfers to a linked bank account or debit card both cost 1.95% per transfer. Source: squareup.com/help/us/en/article/3807-deposit-options-with-square, read 2026-07-16. Note: a separate hardware product-page footnote states 1.5%; the dedicated deposit-options help article (1.95%) is used as the primary source since it is the more detailed, purpose-built reference.
Original processing fee is not returned (industry standard).
PCI compliance handled by Square at no charge.
Native Subscriptions API.
Cards, wallets, and other methods supported by Square for US merchants.
Square offers integrated card readers, terminals, and online payment processing for US businesses. Pricing is flat-rate per transaction with no monthly fee on the free plan and no lock-in contract, which makes it the most common starting point for small US merchants accepting card payments.
The free POS app, free magstripe reader, and same-day onboarding remove most of the friction of getting set up. Paid plans add advanced features per location, and the rate is higher than a negotiated interchange-plus deal at scale, but for most small businesses the simplicity wins.
Square was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco, USA.
Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.
Assumes $15,000/mo volume, $50 average transaction, 70% in-person and 30% online.
Square
$451.50/mo est.
Stripe
$451.50/mo est.
Chase Payment Solutions
$447/mo est.
PayPal
$438/mo est.
The same questions US merchants ask before signing up.
Square uses flat-rate pricing with no monthly fee on its free plan. In-person card payments are charged at 2.6% + 10c, and online or invoice payments are charged at 2.9% + 30c. Keyed-in and card-on-file payments cost a little more. There is no setup fee and no contract, so you only pay when you take a payment.
Square's monthly fee is Free on the free plan, which covers the POS app and basic payment processing. Paid plans (Plus and Premium) add advanced features per location and lower the in-person rate slightly, but most small businesses start and stay on the free plan.
Square settles funds on a Next business day schedule by default, at no extra cost. If you need the money sooner, Square Instant Transfer moves it to a linked debit card or bank account immediately for a small percentage fee per transfer.
Yes. Square has native AI built in: Square AI is a business-insights assistant that answers questions about your sales in plain language, and Square Assistant handles automated customer messaging and reminders. Square also publishes an official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, so you can connect Square to AI assistants and agents directly.
Square is one of the most popular options for US small businesses because there is no monthly fee on the free plan, no lock-in contract, and a free magstripe reader to get started. It suits retail, hospitality, and pop-up businesses that want the simplest path into card payments. At high volume an interchange-plus processor like Helcim can work out cheaper, which the calculator on this page will show.
We may earn a commission when you click through to a provider. This never affects ranking or data shown. Read our terms.
Work at Square? Claim this listing
Compare Square against every other US provider on price, contract terms, and features.