All-in-one POS, online checkout and small-business payments
Square is the small-business platform from Block (NYSE: SQ) that bundles a free POS app, card readers, an online store, invoicing, payroll and banking. We picked it because for an owner-operator running a coffee shop, salon, market stall or small online store, Square is the shortest path from "I want to take card payments" to actually taking them, with no monthly minimum.
You download the Square POS app, order a free magstripe reader (or buy a contactless/chip reader from $49), and you can take payments in minutes. Square Online builds a free e-commerce site and syncs inventory with the POS. Square Invoices, Appointments, Payroll, Loans and Checking all share the same merchant account, so a single transaction shows up in one place.
Hardware ranges from the free magstripe reader to the Square Stand, Square Register and Square Terminal for payment-and-receipt. Tap-to-Pay on iPhone and Android lets phones act as readers without dedicated hardware.
US headline rates: 2.6% + 10c per card-present transaction, 2.9% + 30c online, 3.5% + 15c keyed, 3.3% + 30c invoices (or 2.9% + 30c with Square Invoices Plus subscription). Square POS, Online and Invoices are free as monthly software; Plus tiers add features at $29-89/month each. Standard deposits land in 1-2 business days; instant deposit costs 1.75%. International rates differ: UK is 1.75% in-person and 1.4% online for European cards, Australia is 1.6% in-person and 1.7% online.
| Platform | Strength | Weakness vs Square |
|---|---|---|
| Square | Free POS, hardware, omnichannel | — |
| Stripe | Best online developer experience | No native POS, no SMB hardware ecosystem |
| Shopify | Better e-commerce features | Higher monthly fees, less polished offline |
| Toast/Lightspeed | Deeper hospitality/retail features | Higher monthly cost, longer setup |
Buy if you run a sub-$1M-revenue retail, hospitality or service business in the US, UK, Australia, Canada or Japan, you want POS + online + invoicing on one bill, and you value zero monthly software cost over the cheapest possible per-transaction rate.
Skip if you are a high-volume e-commerce store (Shopify will be cheaper at scale), a multi-location restaurant (Toast goes deeper), or a developer building a custom checkout (use Stripe).
Sign up through the verified link. Free hardware promotions occasionally apply. We re-check the offer monthly.
Solo teams and two-person shops selling physical or digital goods use Square's payment links to collect money without monthly fees. Payouts land in 1–2 days, keeping cash flow predictable during early growth.
Agencies use Square's invoicing module to bill retainer clients and one-off projects. The unified dashboard consolidates payments from multiple clients, reducing time spent reconciling spreadsheets.
Retail shops and pop-up vendors use Square's point-of-sale system on iPad or Android tablets. No cash register required; inventory syncs across locations and payouts are predictable.
Quarterly access to product leadership.
Bonus credits redeemable on partner tooling.
We re-verify the offer every quarter so it never goes stale.
Hit the button on this page — opens the partner site in a new tab.
Check your investor or accelerator benefits portal for the Square partner code. Y Combinator, Sequoia, and most Tier 1 VCs have codes available.
Renewals stay at the same rate — verified by us, not the vendor.
| Feature | Square |
|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Cheapest paid plan | $0/mo |
| Annual discount | Up to 25% |
| Refund window | 30 days |
| Setup time | < 1 hour |
| Best for | Founders |
“Great POS for services businesses, some rough edges”
“Works offline, handles tips and splits effortlessly”
“The easiest payment setup I've ever done for a small business”
1 free transaction for new accounts
FREE until your first $1Million in revenue
Free Business Account
Verified offer
$30 signup discount for new users
Verified offer
Free Basic plan + partner onboarding
Free payment terminal + flat 0.99% rate via partner link
