Shopify vs Square
Square scores higher overall (81 vs 79), but the right choice depends on your size and card mix. The best starting point in payments — unbeatable free tooling and effortless setup, at a flat rate you will eventually outgrow.
Updated 2026-09-10Shopify
The ecommerce platform with payments built in
79/ 100
1.5Merchant Score
- Pricing
- 3.2
- Features
- 4.7
- Ease of use
- 4.4
- Customer support
- 3.5
- User reviews
- 4.1
- Pricing model
- Flat rate, tiered by plan
- Headline rate
- 2.9% + $0.30 online · 2.6% + $0.10 in person
- Monthly fee
- $39/mo
- Contract
- None — monthly or annual plans
- Payouts
- 2-3 business days
- Hardware
- POS Go $299, reader $49
Strong fit for
- Online-first brands of any size
- Merchants selling internationally
- Stores that want checkout conversion above all
Square
Flat-rate simplicity with free POS software
81/ 100
4.0Merchant Score
- Pricing
- 3.5
- Features
- 4.5
- Ease of use
- 4.8
- Customer support
- 3.3
- User reviews
- 4.0
- Pricing model
- Flat rate
- Headline rate
- 2.9% + $0.30 online · 2.6% + $0.15 in person
- Monthly fee
- None
- Contract
- None — month to month
- Payouts
- 1-2 business days
- Hardware
- Reader free, terminal $299
Strong fit for
- New businesses taking their first card payment
- Sellers under ~$10k/month who value predictability
- Pop-ups, markets, and mobile sellers
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Which one is cheaper for your business?
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