Square vs Stripe Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
Square Free
- POS app for any payment
- Online site
- Item library
- Invoicing
- Booking
- Checking and savings accounts
Square Plus
Popular- POS features for every industry
- Lower processing fees
- Loyalty rewards program
- Email and text message marketing
- Staff management
Square Premium
- 24/7 priority support
- Advanced reporting
- Lowest processing fees
- More text message marketing
- No gift card load fees
Square Pro
Standard
Custom
- IC+ pricing
- Volume discounts
- Multi-product discounts
- Country-specific rates
Square vs Stripe FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Square has a free plan. Stripe doesn't — you'll need to pay from day one.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. Square uses flat-rate pricing, while Stripe goes with usage-based. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Square: Square sits in the accessible middle — not as cheap as Stripe for pure online processing, not as enterprise-heavy as Adyen or Worldpay. They're clearly targeting SMBs and brick-and-mortar businesses who want an all-in-one POS ecosystem without a complex contract. Stripe: Stripe sits at the premium end of payment processing — Square and PayPal can undercut on rate for certain use cases, but Stripe is targeting developers and scaling startups who prioritize API quality and ecosystem over squeezing every basis point. They're not trying to win on price; they're winning on infrastructure.
Still deciding? See the best Square alternatives or the best Stripe alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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