Stripe and Square are both payment processors that allow businesses to accept credit and debit cards, digital wallets and more. The main difference is that Square prioritizes in-person payments. Stripe, on the other hand, is better for online sellers.
Stripe supports a wide variety of currencies and international payment methods online. It offers a fully customizable checkout experience, too. The downside is that it has relatively limited point-of-sale (POS) hardware options. Square offers specialized software and POS hardware to support brick-and-mortar businesses’ needs.
Stripe is better for:
✔️ Customizable checkout flow.
✔️ Global sales.
✔️ Competitive online rates.
Square is better for:
✔️ Brick-and-mortar businesses.
✔️ Industry-specific features.
✔️ POS hardware options.
Stripe pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Highly customizable online checkout options.
24/7 chat support.
Can process transactions in more than 135 currencies.
No monthly subscription and Competitive processing fees.
Cons
Doesn’t sell full countertop POS setups; hardware is limited to handheld terminals and card readers.
Developer experience may be necessary to unlock product's full potential.
Square pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Offers a free mobile card reader and free POS software plan.
Can subscribe to related services, such as payroll, that integrate with its POS system.
No chargeback fees.
Has industry-specific features.
Cons
Free plan processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
Complex businesses might prefer a more specialized POS system.
Stripe vs. Square: Head-to-head comparison
| Stripe | Square |
|---|---|
| Monthly POS software costs | |
| $0 per month. | $0 to $149 per month. |
| Payment processing fees | |
|
|
| Hardware costs | |
|
|
| Customer service | |
| 24/7 chat support. | Chat and email support in all plans. Free plan includes phone support only for the first 90 days. Plus plan subscribers can access phone support weekdays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. Premium plan subscribers receive 24/7 phone support. |
More details on Stripe's plans and pricing
Monthly POS software costs:
- $0 for standard services.
Payment processing fees:
- 2.7% plus 5 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 3.4% plus 30 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- 4.4% plus 30 cents for international card transactions.
Hardware costs:
- $59 for Stripe Reader M2.
- $249 for BBPOS WisePOS E card reader.
- $349 for Stripe Reader S700.
More details on Square's plans and pricing
Monthly POS software costs:
- $0 for Square Free plan.
- $49 for Square Plus plan.
- $149 for Square Premium plans.
Payment processing fees:
- 2.6% plus 15 cents for in-person transactions with Free plan.
- 3.3% plus 30 cents for online transactions with Free plan.
- 2.5% plus 15 cents for in-person transactions with Plus plan.
- 2.4% plus 15 cents for in-person transaction with Premium plan.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions with Plus and Premium plans.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
Hardware costs:
- $0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).
- $59 for Square Reader contactless and chip card reader.
- $149 for Square Stand iPad POS or Square Stand Mount (iPad not included; monthly financing available).
- $149 for Square Kiosk for self-serve ordering.
- $299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).
- $399 for Square Handheld portable POS system with built-in barcode scanner (monthly financing available).
- $799-$899 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).
- $1,189 and up for Square Register hardware kit with cash drawer and printer.
» MORE: Want to consider another option? Compare Stripe vs. Paypal vs. Square.
Where Stripe stands out
International transactions
Stripe accepts more than 135 currencies and supports more than 30 languages. Additionally, customers can make payments in their home currency, and Stripe will convert that amount into your currency. It just costs an extra 1% of the transaction amount.
Online customization options
Business owners with coding experience will get the most out of Stripe. They can design their own checkout flow with pre-built UI components. Then, they can customize it using CSS. Some components include credit card autofill features and location-responsive input fields. These can all make the checkout process easier for your customers.
Pricing
Stripe charges a competitive 2.9% plus 30 cents for all online sales and doesn’t have a monthly fee. Square only offers those rates to paid plan subscribers. Otherwise, online transactions cost 3.3% plus 30 cents each in the free plan.
» MORE: Learn more about Square's fees
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Where Square stands out
More in-person checkout experiences
Square has more than card readers. It also sells full countertop register setups with two touchscreens. Or, you can turn an existing tablet into a POS system to save money. Card readers are perfect for mobile payments at popups or while making deliveries. But businesses with a brick-and-mortar location will need more on the hardware front.
Industry-specific features
Square's plans offer valuable features for both retailers and restaurants. Here are some highlights.
Square for restaurant users can:
- Create a menu that hosts and servers can use to input orders for in-person dining or takeout.
- Remove items from the menu when you run out for the day.
- Create a floor plan of the restaurant and use it to track where people are sitting.
- Automatically add gratuity to checks for large parties.
Square for retail users can:
- Track inventory.
- Create barcode labels.
- Offer discounts.
- Process exchanges.
E-commerce with brick-and-mortar in mind
Square lets users set up an e-commerce website for free without knowing any code. And if you upgrade to the Plus plan, you can connect to a custom domain. Restaurants can accept online orders for pickup or delivery or create a QR code for in-person ordering.
Is Stripe or Square right for your business?
For businesses that make most of their sales online, Stripe is likely the better choice. It also handles international transactions with ease. And every business can make the checkout flow their own.
For mostly in-person businesses, Square comes out ahead. If you only need to accept cards and digital wallets, you may not need Stripe's huge library of payment methods. Square's software features for retailers and restaurants also set it apart. You can manage tables or inventory from the same dashboard you use to track your sales revenue.
Stripe and Square alternatives
Payment processing fees 2.29% + 9¢In-person; 2.99% + 49¢ online. | Payment processing fees 0.40% + 8¢plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online. |
Monthly fee $0 | Monthly fee $0 |
PayPal: Better in-person rates. PayPal has some of the lowest in-person rates we've seen at 2.29% plus 9 cents per transaction. It also makes it easy to accept payments on the go. Read our full PayPal Business review.
Helcim: Different pricing structure. Helcim uses interchange-plus pricing instead of a flat-rate model. That, on top of its volume discounts, can result in significant savings for high-volume businesses. Read our full Helcim review.
Shopify: Stronger focus on online retailers. Shopify is built for online retailers. And it lets you choose from hundreds of pre-built website templates so you don't have to build your own. Read our full Shopify review.
Methodology
NerdWallet independently reviews payment processing companies before determining our top picks. We collect the data for our software ratings from products’ public-facing websites and from company representatives. Our editorial team reviews information on a regular basis for consistency and accuracy.
We also periodically update our scoring system to reflect changing industry norms and business needs. For instance, in 2026, we dropped the “free trials” category from our rubric. Payment processing systems can be time-consuming to set up. Testing out multiple products isn’t an ideal approach. Instead, we recommend taking cost and features into consideration.
NerdWallet’s ratings of payment processing providers rewards companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria.
Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including overall cost, hardware and software options, system capabilities, customer service, contract requirements and integrations. Learn more about how we rate payment processing providers.
These ratings are a guide, but fees, hardware, software and contract requirements can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
