SumUp vs. Square: Which Is Right for Your Business in 2026?
SumUp's free plan gives Square a run for its money. But if you're opting for a paid plan, Square is less expensive.
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SumUp and Square offer similar features, like invoicing, sales analytics and marketing tools. Their biggest differences are integration options and plan pricing.
Square's variety of accounting, payroll and e-commerce integrations makes it a better fit for growing businesses. Its higher-tier plans are also less expensive than SumUp's options. That said, SumUp's free plan has better processing rates than Square's free plan. This is a plus for for micro-businesses that need just the basics.
SumUp is better for:
✔️ Its free plan.
✔️ Micro-businesses.
✔️ Invoicing.
Square is better for:
✔️ Growing businesses.
✔️ More integrations.
✔️ Scaling up.
SumUp pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Has a free POS plan with competitive in-person rates.
Available in more than 30 countries.
Phone support in all plans.
Cons
Paid POS plans require a 12-month contract and may charge a setup fee.
Limited third-party integrations.
Square pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Free POS plan available.
Offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.
No long-term contracts or termination fees.
All plans include a free online store.
Cons
Expensive processing rates in the free plan.
Free plan only includes phone support for first 90 days.
SumUp vs. Square head-to-head comparison
| SumUp | Square |
|---|---|
| Monthly POS software costs | |
| $0 to $289 per month. | $0 to $149 per month. |
| Payment processing fees | |
|
|
| Hardware costs | |
|
|
| Customer service | |
| Phone support available 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST seven days a week for POS users. Users with just card readers can call support 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST on weekdays. Email support is also available. | 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 SumUp's plans and pricing
Monthly POS software costs:
- $0 for POS Lite plan.
- $99 for Connect Lite POS plan.
- $199 for Connect Plus POS plan.
- $289 for Connect Pro POS plan.
Payment processing fees:
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.90% plus 15 cents for online invoice transactions.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for card-not-present transactions.
Hardware costs:
- $54 for SumUp Plus card reader.
- $64 for SumUp Plus cradle bundle.
- $99 for SumUp Solo touchscreen.
- $169 for SumUp Solo Printer Bundle.
- $499 for POS Lite and Solo Bundle.
- SumUp POS is quote-based.
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.
Where Square stands out
More integrations
Square has significantly more integrations than SumUp. For example, Square can sync with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books, WooCommerce and Wix. It also offers its own in-house payroll solution. SumUp integrates with QuickBooks Online but not much else. It also doesn't have built-in payroll integrations.
As your business grows, you'll likely need additional software programs. Making sure they can talk to each other is crucial. It can save you time and help minimize human error.
Less expensive higher-tier plans
Square's Plus and Premium plans are $49 and $149 per month, respectively. SumUp's paid plans start at $99. From there, pricing jumps to $199 per month or $289 per month.
$50 per month ($99 - $49) is a pretty large price difference here. And from what I can tell, SumUp's plans don't boast many more features than Square's do. Both middle-tier plans, for example, have marketing tools, customer rewards programs and staff management.
Where SumUp stands out
Cheap invoicing
SumUp and Square have free invoicing tools. But their processing rates are quite different. SumUp charges 2.9% plus 15 cents per invoiced payment, regardless of what plan you subscribe to. Square's free plan charges 3.3% plus 30 cents per invoice. Its paid plans charge 2.9% plus 30 cents.
You’ll save at least 15 cents per invoice payment with SumUp. It might not be a lot, but these costs can add up overtime. That's especially true if you mostly transact via invoice.
Free POS plan
SumUp and Square both have free POS software plans. But SumUp's plan has lower in-person processing rates (2.6% plus 10 cents vs Square's 2.6% plus 15 cents). SumUp's free plan also comes with weekday phone support. Square's free plan only gives you access to phone support for the first 90 days. If you prefer phone support to live chat but still want to keep costs low, SumUp is a solid choice.
Is SumUp or Square right for your business?
SumUp is better for micro-businesses looking for the basics: sales reports, refunds and inventory tracking. It can also help you keep in-person processing costs to a minimum. However, if you aren't using its free plan, it might not be worth it. That's mostly because it's paid plans are so expensive.
Square is better for growing businesses that use other business software programs (e.g., accounting, payroll, e-commerce). Its integration capabilities can help you centralize all of the data from these products. Its paid plans are also less expensive than SumUp's options. This makes scaling up cheaper.
SumUp and Square alternatives
Payment processing fees 2.29% + 9¢In-person; 2.99% + 49¢ online. | Payment processing fees 2.7% + 5¢in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online. |
Monthly fee $0 | Monthly fee $0 |
PayPal POS: Better in-person rates. PayPal charges 2.29% plus 9 cents per in-person purchase. This beats both Square's and SumUp's rates. It also has a free POS app. We think it's especially ideal for accepting payments on the go. Read our full PayPal POS review.
Stripe: Better for online businesses. Unlike Square and SumUp, Stripe focuses primarily on online transactions. And its customization tools give you control over your business's online checkout flow. You can use a pre-built checkout form or build your own. Read our full Stripe review.
Clover: Similar industry-specific plans. Like SumUp and Square, Clover tailors its plans to businesses in both the food and retail spaces. This makes it another good solution for businesses that need industry-specific features. Read our full Clover review.
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