Square is well-known as an all-in-one commerce solution that provides businesses with various sales tools: a powerful POS system with built-in payment processing and online store capabilities. Nevertheless, Square isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. But the good thing is there are now tons of Square competitors in the market that cater to different use cases.
If you are looking for the best Square alternatives, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top 8 alternatives to Square:
#1. Shopify POS
#2. Toast
#3. Lightspeed
#4. Clover
#5. Stripe
#6. Payment Depot
#7. PayPal
#8. Helcim
In this article, we will break down each platform to determine if it’s the best fit for your business. Let’s explore!
Why Look For Square Alternatives?
Square is famous for many things: a powerful point-of-sale (POS) system, a convenient payment processor, and, recently, an eCommerce website builder. However, as versatile as it sounds, Square comes with certain setbacks.
After enabling thousands of businesses to migrate from Square to another platform, here are the top reasons why people look for Squareup alternatives:
- Lower transaction fees: As businesses grow, they seek more competitive pricing structures. For example, some Square competitors offer subscription-based models with lower per-transaction fees, which can result in significant savings for high-volume stores.
- More advanced features: Many businesses outgrow Square's functionality as they expand. Alternatives like Lightspeed offer more robust inventory management systems, while Shopify provides superior e-commerce capabilities for businesses focusing on online sales.
- Customization options: Square's one-size-fits-all approach doesn't always meet the needs of specialized industries. Competitors like Clover offer more flexible solutions that can be tailored to specific business types, such as full-service restaurants or complex retail operations.
- Improved customer relationship management (CRM): Many Squareup competitors offer more advanced CRM features, loyalty programs, and marketing tools to help businesses build stronger relationships with their customers.
Square Competitors: A Quick Glance
No | Square competitors | Pricing | Suitable for |
1 | Shopify POS | Included in Shopify plan Shopify POS Pro is $89/month | Stores that want to integrate Shopify POS with Shopify’s advanced eCommerce features |
2 | Toast | From $69/month per location | Restaurants, food trucks, or F&B businesses want a specialized POS system for the food industry |
3 | Lightspeed | From $89/month for one location | Businesses looking for Square competitors with strong inventory management features |
4 | Clover | From $13/month (different services might have different pricing system) | Those seeking a system with versatile payment options and hardware options |
5 | Stripe | In-person: 2.7% + $0.05 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | Brands that need extensive customization options and accept multiple currencies. |
6 | Payment Depot | From $79/month | Stores that process large numbers of transactions |
7 | PayPal | In-person: 2.29% + 9¢ Online: 3.49% + 49¢ | Businesses that have a strong focus on eCommerce |
8 | Helcim | In-person: from 1.83% + 8¢ Online: from 2.77% + 25¢ | Those who want to benefit from lower rates as your business expands. |
#1. Shopify POS: Best Square competitor for eCommerce
| 💡When to choose Shopify POS over Square?You should opt for Shopify POS over Square if your business primarily focuses on eCommerce or if you're planning to scale rapidly. |
Pricing:
POS has two versions: POS Lite vs POS Pro. The POS Lite is free. However, to use POS Lite, you need to use one of Shopify’s pricing plans, which start from $39 to $399 per month.
For Shopify POS Pro with more advanced in-person selling functionalities, you’ll need to pay $89/month per location setting.
Highlight features of Shopify POS:
- Awesome multichannel capabilities: You can sync your Shopify POS products with the online store, Google Merchant Center, Amazon, etc., and manage your inventory in one place.
- Extensive App Store: The Shopify App Store is crowded with over 8,000 robust apps, allowing you to extend your store functionality without the technical hassle
- Various payment methods: You can accept various payment methods with Shopify POS like credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), etc.
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#2. Toast: Best Square alternative for restaurant
| 💡When to choose Toast POS over Square?Toast is an incredible Square competitor if you need a specialized POS system for restaurants. |
Pricing:
Toast’s standard plan costs $69/month per location. For advanced features, you'll need to opt for higher-tier plans or custom pricing. For instance, you must be on The New Restaurants Plan ($110/month) for payroll and scheduling tools. Or, if you want online ordering, you might need to pay $165/month for the Growth plan.
And if you need to use certain add-ons, you’ll have to pay separate fees. For instance, the loyalty program add-on will cost you $50/month.
It’s also noteworthy that payment processing fees range from 2.49% + $0.15 to 3.39% + $0.15 per transaction, depending on your chosen plan (higher plans have lower fees).
Highlight features:
- Restaurant-specific functionality: Toast provides comprehensive tools tailored for food businesses, including table management, menu management, and kitchen display systems.
- Integrated online ordering: The platform offers built-in online ordering capabilities with commission-free in-house ordering.
- Advanced hardware options: Toast's hardware is specifically designed for restaurant environments, offering durability and functionality for busy kitchens and dining areas.
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#3. Lightspeed: Best Square competitor for inventory management
| 💡When to choose Lightspeed POS over Square?Lightspeed is the best alternative to Square if you are looking for an advanced POS solution with ‘pro’ inventory management features. |
Pricing:
Lightspeed offers flexible pricing plans to suit different business needs. The basic plan starts at $89/month per location and one cash register. For more advanced features, Lightspeed Standard and Advanced cost $149 and $269 per month, respectively.
Highlight features:
- Great multi-location features: Lightspeed POS enables you to seamlessly manage inventory across various store locations. Specifically, you can transfer stock or compare store performance between different locations
- Supplier management functionality: With Lightspeed, you can keep close records of your suppliers, track orders, and manage relationships with them efficiently
- Automated re-ordering: With the automatic reordering feature, you can set reorder points for each variant. For instance, you can set an automatic reorder for a white T-shirt if the stock level for this unit hits 50 items.
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#4. Clover: Best Square POS competitor for flexible payment options
| 💡When to choose Clover over Square?Clover POS is the ideal alternative for Square when you're seeking a versatile system with flexible payment options and robust hardware choices that cater to various business types and sizes. |
Pricing:
Clover offers 5 pricing plans:
- Payments Plus: Starts at $14.95/month
- Register Lite: Starts at $14.95/month
- Register: Starts at $39.95/month
- Counter Service Restaurant: Starts at $54.95/month
- Table Service Restaurant: Starts at $84.95/month
Clover’s hardware costs range from $99 for the Clover Go mobile card reader to $1,799 for the Clover Station Duo.
Highlight features:
- Flexible payment processing: You can accept payments in-person, online, over the phone, and through various methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets.
- Integrated scale support: For businesses that sell products by weight, Clover's built-in support for weight scales is a significant advantage, streamlining the checkout process for delis, produce markets, and similar establishments.
- Advanced restaurant features: Clover provides more comprehensive table management tools, making it a stronger choice for full-service restaurants compared to Square's more basic offerings in this area.
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#5. Stripe: Best Square competitor for customization
| 💡When to choose Stripe over Square?Stripe is one of the best Square payment alternatives if you need extensive customization options, require robust developer tools, or operate globally with multi-currency requirements. |
Pricing:
Stripe offers a simple, transparent pricing structure:
- Online transactions: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card charge
- In-person transactions: 2.7% + $0.05 per transaction (with Stripe Terminal)
- No monthly fees for the standard plan
Highlight features:
- Global payment support: With Stripe, you can accept payments in 135+ currencies, which is ideal for international businesses.
- Robust subscription management: Stripe comes with powerful tools for handling recurring billing and subscription-based business models.
- Customizable checkout experience: Stripe offers extensive options to tailor the payment flow to your brand
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#6. Payment Depot: Top Square competitor for high-volume stores
| 💡When to choose Payment Depot over Square?As one of the best Square competitors, Payment Depot would best fit established businesses with stable, high monthly transaction volumes, especially those processing $20,000 or more monthly. |
Pricing:
Payment Depot’s entry-level plan costs you $79/month. They also offer custom pricing if you process over $250,000 per year. For in-person transactions, you'll pay the interchange rate plus a flat fee of $0.08 per transaction. Online transactions are slightly higher, with a fee structure of interchange plus $0.18 per transaction.
Highlight features:
- ACH payment processing: Payment Depot is a great choice for businesses that need to accept bank transfers.
- Free equipment: Depending on the plan, Payment Depot may offer you a free POS equipment setup.
- Transparent pricing: Payment Depot has no hidden fees or markups on interchange rates
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#7. PayPal: Best Square payment processor for eCommerce
| 💡When to choose PayPal over Square?PayPal stands out as one of the best Square competitors. It’s indeed the preferred choice for businesses that have a strong focus on eCommerce and are looking to leverage a globally recognized payment solution. |
Pricing:
PayPal offers a straightforward pricing structure for accepting payments:
- In-person: 2.29% + 9¢ per transaction
- Online: 3.49% + 49¢ per transaction
For businesses processing over $3,000 per month, PayPal allows merchants to apply for preferred rates and get their own custom pricing plans, potentially having lower fees.
Highlight features:
- eCommerce integration: PayPal offers ready-made integrations for popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce.
- Pay Later options: Integrated installment payment solutions like Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly at no additional cost to merchants.
- Recurring payments: For subscription-based businesses or those offering recurring services, PayPal supports automated recurring billing
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#8. Helcim: Best budget-friendly Square competitor
| 💡When to choose Helcim over Square?Helcim is the ideal choice when you're a small to medium-sized business looking for transparent, cost-effective pricing that scales with your growth. It's particularly suitable if you have consistent monthly sales volumes and want to benefit from lower rates as your business expands. |
Pricing:
Helcim costs you nothing to get started, which makes it one of the most economical Square competitors in this list. However, using Helcim to process payment certainly comes with fees depending on your sales volumes.
As of the time being, if you process less than $50,000 a month, your rates would be:
- In-person: 1.83% + 8¢ (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) and 2.61% + 8¢ (American Express)
- Online: 2.77% + 25¢ (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) and 3.01% + 25¢ (American Express)
The best part is that as you reach the higher transaction tiers (100K, 500K, 1M), the lower rates you’ll get.
Highlight features:
- Affordable pricing: Helcim has different pricing tiers based on monthly processing volume. As your business processes more transactions, you automatically move into a lower-cost tier.
- Low stock alerts: You can set custom thresholds for low stock notifications to help with timely reordering.
- Great variant tracking: Helcim lets you easily manage products with multiple options (e.g., sizes, colors) and their respective stock levels.
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Things to Consider When Replacing Square
Doing a cart-to-cart store migration isn’t an easy task. So make sure you choose the optimal Square competitor if you plan to replace Square with another solution.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Will switching to the new platform address your current issue? When considering a switch from Square, it's crucial to clearly identify the specific problems you're facing with Square. For example, if you're looking for more advanced inventory management, make sure the new platform offers robust features in this area.
- How much will the new platform cost? Carefully evaluate the pricing structure of the new platform. Consider not just the processing fees but also any monthly subscriptions, hardware costs, and potential hidden fees if you don’t want to break the bank.
- Is the new platform compatible with your existing hardware and software? Check if the new platform works with your current POS hardware, card readers, and other equipment. Also, consider its compatibility with any third-party software you use for accounting, inventory management, or customer relationship management.
- How will the transition affect your customers? Consider the impact on your customers' experience. Will they need to update payment information or create new accounts? How will recurring payments be handled?
Frequently Asked Questions 150w
Who is Square's main competitor?
Square doesn't have a single main competitor, as it offers a wide range of services. Sp, different Square up competitors will compete with Square in various aspects. For example:
- For payment processing: PayPal and Stripe
- For eCommerce: Shopify
- For inventory management: Lightspeed
What is the downside of Square?
Here are top potential downsides of Square that make people search for Square competitors:
- Higher costs for businesses processing over $25,000 per month
- Limited customization options compared to some competitors
- Risk of account holds or terminations due to less thorough vetting process
- Fewer third-party integrations compared to some alternatives
- Less specialized features for specific industries
Is Square the best payment processor?
Square is not necessarily the best payment processor for every business. While it's an excellent choice for small businesses, startups, and those with low transaction volumes, other processors may be better suited for different needs:
- For high-volume businesses: Helcim or interchange-plus providers
- For online-focused businesses: PayPal or Shopify
- For businesses needing specialized features: Industry-specific solutions like Toast for restaurants
Final Thoughts
Square provides businesses with tons of services, including POS, payment processing, and eCommerce. However, Square isn’t suitable for certain brands, especially brands that do large-volume transactions or need a more industry-specific solution.
That’s why we hope our list of the best Square competitors can help you choose the alternative solution that better suits your demand and budget.
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