Square
POS System
2.7 / 5.0(6,239 reviews)
A
Expert grade
4.0/5
Fact-checked March 1, 2025
Founded
2009
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, USA
Company size
Enterprise (Parent: Block, Inc.)
Website
Visit websiteThe takeA
Reading Progress0%
3 min read
Chapter 1
Should you choose Square?
The headline take, the audiences it's right (and wrong) for, and the genuine differentiators behind the verdict.
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.
Pros, cons, and audience
Best for
- Small businesses
- New merchants
- Mobile and seasonal sellers
- Retail, food trucks, salons, and pop-ups
Skip it if you
- High-risk businesses
- High-volume businesses needing lower rates
- Merchants needing 24/7 support
- Businesses requiring custom contracts or pricing
Pros
- transparent, flat-rate pricing
- Ease of use
- Wide hardware selection
- Fraud and security features
Cons
- Can be expensive for high-volume or keyed-in/manual transactions
- Costs for add-on services
- Limited offline functionality
- Customer support issues
How we score it
5
Pricing Transparency
4
Feature Set
5
Ease of Use
1
Customer Support
5
Contract Terms
4
Industry Reputation
How we got there
Square offers excellent payment processing for small businesses with transparent pricing and robust features, but account stability and limited customer support reduce its score slightly.
Chapter 2
What it costs
Real-world cost at three volumes, plus the rates, fees, payouts, and contract terms that drive them.
What Square actually costs
Estimated annual cost at three realistic processing volumes, using Square’s published online rate plus monthly fees. Real costs vary with average transaction size, chargeback rate, and any negotiated terms.
Small business
$10K/mo volume · ~$75 avg transaction
$4.0K/year
≈ $330/mo · 3.30% effective rate
Growing merchant
$50K/mo volume · ~$100 avg transaction
$19K/year
≈ $1.6K/mo · 3.20% effective rate
High volume
$250K/mo volume · ~$150 avg transaction
$93K/year
≈ $7.8K/mo · 3.10% effective rate
Processing Rates
Online Transactions
Card-not-present, e-commerce, and online payments
2.9% + $0.30
Per transaction
In-Person Transactions
Card-present retail and point-of-sale transactions
2.6% + $0.15
Per transaction
Keyed Transactions
Manually entered card-not-present transactions
3.5% + $0.15
Per transaction
International Transactions
Cross-border and foreign currency transactions
No added fee
Per transaction
Payouts
Standard Payout Time
Next business day
Regular deposit schedule to your bank account
Expedited Payout Time
Instant (1.5% fee)
Faster deposit option (may have additional fees)
Minimum Payout Amount
$10
Minimum balance required before payout
Contract Terms
Flexible Contract Terms
This provider offers month-to-month terms with no long-term commitment.
Contract Length
Required commitment period
Month-to-month
Cancellation Process
How to terminate your account
Cancel any time via dashboard
Square Pricing Calculator
Estimate your monthly costs
Pick a published plan, enter your volume and transaction profile, and we’ll compute the math the same way an underwriter would. Real costs vary with card mix, chargeback rate, and any negotiated terms.
$
$
Estimated Monthly Cost
$350.00
Effective Rate
3.50%
Discount rate (2.9% × $10,000)$290.00
Per-transaction fees ($0.30 × 200)$60.00
Number of transactions200
Flat all-in rate (interchange built in)
Chapter 3
What you actually get
Products, integrations, payment-type coverage, security posture, and how their support holds up in practice.
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
Special Features
Subscription Management
Manage recurring subscriptions and billing cycles
Supported
Invoicing
Create and send professional invoices
Supported
Virtual Terminal
Accept payments manually via web interface
Supported
Recurring Billing
Automated recurring payment processing
Supported
Accepted Payment Types
Credit & Debit Cards
Visa
Mastercard
Amex
Discover
Digital Wallets
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Bank Transfers
ACH
Alternative Payment Methods
Cash App Pay
Square Gift Cards
Integrations
E-commerce Platforms
Compatible shopping cart and online store platforms
Square OnlineWooCommerceWix
3 integrations available
Accounting Software
Sync transactions with your accounting tools
QuickBooksXero
2 integrations available
CRM Systems
Connect with customer relationship management platforms
MailchimpZoho
2 integrations available
Other Integrations
Additional third-party integrations and tools
IFTTTZapier
2 integrations available
Developer Tools
API Documentation
https://developer.squareup.com/docs
SDKs and Libraries
Node.js
Python
Ruby
PHP
Java
C#
Webhooks
Supported
Testing Environment
Available
Security & Compliance
PCI Compliance
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard compliance level
Level 1
Fraud Prevention
Fraud detection and prevention tools
Real-time machine learning monitoring
Data Encryption
Encryption standards for data at rest and in transit
End-to-end encryption
Tokenization
Supported
Replace sensitive card data with secure tokens
Support Options
Available Support Channels
Phone
Available
Email
Available
Help Center
Available
Community Forum
Available
Support Hours
M-F 6am-6pm PT (phone)
Response Time
Within 1 business day (email)
Support & Contact
Support Types
phoneemailkb
Quality Assessment
Adequate for basics; poor for complex issues.
Chapter 4
What others say
Synthesis of third-party platform reviews and industry ratings — agreements, disagreements, and which signals to weight.
Platform Ratings
Aggregated Trust Score
Based on 6,239 reviews across 2 rating platforms
2.7
out of 5
Overall Rating
Better Business Bureau
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.
How we evaluated Square
We evaluate every payment processor independently — Payment Review does not accept paid placement. Our analysis combines hands-on product testing where possible, public pricing and policy documents, third-party reviews from BBB, Trustpilot, Google, and G2, and employee feedback from sites like Glassdoor and Indeed. We update reviews on a rolling cadence and flag the next review date so readers know how fresh the analysis is.
Reviewed by Payments Analyst
Was this review helpful?
Share this review
Found something inaccurate or out of date?
Suggest a correction. Our editorial team reviews every submission and updates reviews on a rolling cadence.