Head to head
Compared side by side on published facts and the same six criteria every review is graded on — generated from the live directory, not a sales page.
Adyen
Payment Processor · 4.4/5 mean
Adyen is a global, enterprise-grade payments platform that unifies acquiring, processing, routing and risk management into a single stack for merchants with international and omnichannel needs.
Read the full review →Square
POS System · 3.8/5 mean
Square offers simple, transparent payment processing ideal for small businesses. Flat-rate pricing, no monthly fees, and excellent software make it a top choice — but account holds and limited support are key concerns.
Read the full review →Square holds the higher standing — by grade, then mean category score. The row-by-row picture below is what should actually decide it for your business.
Both graded against the same six criteria. How we grade · Last fact-checked August 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026.
| Criterion | Adyen | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 5.0wins this criterion | 4.0 |
| Feature set | 5.0wins this criterion | 4.0 |
| Ease of use | 4.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Adyen | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | Not disclosed | 3.3% + $0.30 for Square Online and invoices on the free plan; 2.9% + $0.30 through the Payments API, or on Plus and Premium |
| Monthly fee | no universal monthly fees | Not disclosed |
| Payout | 1-2 business days (varies by currency, bank, payout model, and cut-off times) | Next business day |
| Contract | None for main merchant contracts. Specific services have specific commitment.s that renew automatically | Month-to-month |
| In-person rate | Not disclosed | 2.6% + $0.15 (free plan); 2.5% + $0.15 (Plus); 2.4% + $0.15 (Premium) |
| Keyed rate | Not disclosed | 3.5% + $0.15 |
From the Adyen review
Square offers instant signup, free POS software, and flat-rate pricing with no monthly fee — the simple setup Adyen explicitly does not serve for very small merchants. Adyen remains the stronger platform for international and enterprise merchants who need local acquiring, custom settlement logic, and platform-level risk management.
Pick Square if you are a small in-person business that needs simple, low-cost POS today
Ideal for
Not recommended for
Ideal for
Not recommended for
The full reviews carry the pricing narratives, contract analysis and everything else behind these numbers — or let the matching funnel score the whole directory against your business.
| 5.0wins this criterion |
| Customer support | 3.5wins this criterion | 1.0 |
|---|
| Contract terms | 4.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
|---|
| Industry reputation | 5.0wins this criterion | 4.0 |
|---|
| International rate | Not disclosed | Additional 1.5% on cards issued outside your account's country |
|---|
| PCI fee | No separate PCI fee | Not disclosed |
|---|
| Statement fee | No separate statement fee | Not disclosed |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | Regional per-dispute fees (exact amounts depend on contract) | None |
|---|
| Early termination | None. However, termination does not alter your liability under the Agreement, including those for processed payments, related chargebacks, or other liabilities in connection with the agreement. If there are negotiated custom term or commercial commitments in your agreement, you will be responsible for such terms or commitments. | Not disclosed |
|---|
| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | September 2, 2026 |
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