Square
POS System
Founded
2009
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, USA
Company Size
Enterprise (Parent: Block, Inc.)
Website
Visit WebsiteCategory Ratings
5/5
Pricing Transparency
4/5
Feature Set
5/5
Ease of Use
1/5
Customer Support
5/5
Contract Terms
4/5
Industry Reputation
TL;DR
Perfect for small businesses seeking easy payments with no contracts or hidden fees, but not ideal for high-risk or high-volume merchants due to risk of account holds.
About
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.
Products & Services
PAYMENT PROCESSING
Square Payments
2.6% + $0.15 in-person, 2.9% + $0.30 online, 3.5% + $0.15 keyed, 1% ACH transfers
Square’s core payment processing service, supporting in-person, online, and remote payments with flat-rate pricing and free POS software.
Key Features
- In-person card payments (EMV, contactless, magstripe)
- Online payments (eCommerce, invoices, virtual terminal)
- POS software (inventory, reporting, customer management)
- Next-business-day payouts
- Chargeback protection and dispute management
Pricing
Square Payments
PAYMENT PROCESSING
2.6% + $0.15 in-person, 2.9% + $0.30 online, 3.5% + $0.15 keyed, 1% ACH transfers
Platform Ratings
bbb
539 reviews
Reviewer Notes
Square holds an A+ BBB rating, but customer reviews are overwhelmingly negative, with complaints mostly focused on account holds and frozen funds.
trustpilot
5,700 reviews
Reviewer Notes
Trustpilot reviews are largely positive, praising ease of use and functionality, but a minority report frustrations with account holds and support responsiveness.
Industry Ratings
The Strawhecker Group
Top Innovator Award (2023)
The Strawhecker Group recognized Square for its innovation in POS technology and seamless payment integration. Square consistently scores well in TSG’s benchmarks for SMB-focused payment technology.
Payments Source
Positive Mention (No Formal Score)
Payments Source often references Square as a leader in innovation within the payments space. While no numeric rating is provided, they consistently cite Square’s influence in expanding small business access to card payments.
Card Payment Options
B-
Once rated an 'F' due to numerous complaints about withheld funds and poor customer service, Square's rating at Card Payment Options has improved after better communication practices and policy changes.
CardFellow
4/5
CardFellow commends Square’s pricing transparency and flexibility, but highlights that Square's flat rates are less competitive for high-volume merchants. The review also flags risk of sudden account termination.
Processing Rates
Online
2.9% + $0.30
In-Person
2.6% + $0.15
Keyed
3.5% + $0.15
International
No added fee
Payouts
Standard Time
Next business day
Expedited Time
Instant (1.5% fee)
Minimum Amount
$10
Contract Terms
Length
Month-to-month
Cancellation Process
Cancel any time via dashboard
Support Options
Channels
- Phone
- Help Center
- Community Forum
Hours
M-F 6am-6pm PT (phone)
Response Time
Within 1 business day (email)
Developer Tools
API Documentation
https://developer.squareup.com/docs
SDKs
- Node.js
- Python
- Ruby
- PHP
- Java
- C#
Webhooks
Supported
Testing Environment
Available
Security & Compliance
PCI Compliance
Level 1
Data Encryption
End-to-end encryption
Fraud Prevention
Real-time machine learning monitoring
Tokenization
Supported
Accepted Payment Types
Credit Cards
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- Discover
Digital Wallets
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
Bank Transfers
- ACH
Alternative Methods
- Cash App Pay
- Square Gift Cards
Integrations
E-commerce
- Square Online
- WooCommerce
- Wix
Accounting
- QuickBooks
- Xero
CRM
- Mailchimp
- Zoho
Other
- IFTTT
- Zapier
Special Features
Subscription Management
Supported
Invoicing
Supported
Virtual Terminal
Supported
Recurring Billing
Supported
Support & Contact
Support Types
phoneemailkb
Quality Assessment
Adequate for basics; poor for complex issues.