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Payment & Billing

Square vs Stripe: Pricing Comparison 2026

Side-by-side pricing comparison of Square and Stripe. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.

Bottom line: Stripe starts at $13/mo, making it $22/mo cheaper than Square ($35/mo). Square offers a free plan.

Last updated: May 26, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated May 26, 2026
Try Square freeTry Stripe free
Best Value

Stripe - Stripe offers a free plan, starts at $22/mo lower ($13/mo vs $35/mo), offers 9 tiers vs 2.

Square vs Stripe: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureSquareStripe
Starting Price$35/mo$13/mo
Number of Plans29
Free TierYesYes
Pricing Modelusage-basedusage-based
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

Stripe is the more affordable option, starting at $13/mo compared to Square's $35/mo. Both are Payment & Billing tools with 11 combined pricing plans and 33 features compared.

Both tools offer free plans, making them accessible for teams on a budget.

Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Payment & Billing needs.

Pricing Plans
Square
Square
Try free
Stripe
Stripe
Try free
Tier 1
Free
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • End-to-end encrypted payments
  • Active fraud prevention
  • Next day transfers
  • Offline payments
Start with Free
Free
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • No installation fees
  • No monthly fees
  • No hidden fees
Start with Free
Tier 2
Square Payroll
$35/monthCheapest
$5 / year
Includes
  • Full-service payroll
  • Starting at $35 per month
  • $6 per person paid
Start with Square Payroll
Standard Pricing
Custom pricing
Includes
  • 1.5% + €0.25 for EEA cards
  • 2.5% + €0.25 for UK cards
Start with Standard Pricing
Tier 3
-
Managed Payments
Custom pricing
Includes
  • 3.5% per successful transaction
  • Includes tax compliance
  • Fraud prevention
Start with Managed Payments
Tier 4
-
Billing
$500/monthCheapest
$42 / year
Includes
  • Flexible pricing models
  • Smart retries
  • No-code tools
Start with Billing
Tier 5
-
Tax Complete
$80/monthCheapest
$7 / year
Includes
  • Complete tax compliance
  • Threshold monitoring
  • Automated calculations
Start with Tax Complete
Tier 6
-
Stripe Sigma
$13/monthCheapest
$1 / year
Includes
  • Interactive SQL environment
  • Custom reports
  • Data synchronization
Start with Stripe Sigma
Tier 7
-
Data Pipeline
$57/monthCheapest
$5 / year
Includes
  • Automated data delivery
  • No-code setup
  • Access to Stripe Sigma
Start with Data Pipeline
Tier 8
-
Revenue Recognition
$20/monthCheapest
$2 / year
Includes
  • Automated financial reporting
  • Real-time audits
  • Compliance with ASC 606
Start with Revenue Recognition
Tier 9
-
Custom Pricing
Custom pricing
Includes
  • Tailored solutions
  • Volume discounts
  • Global pricing structures
Start with Custom Pricing

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Square

Payment processing for in-person and online transactions

View all Square plans

Stripe

Payment processing and financial infrastructure for the internet

View all Stripe plans

Frequently Asked Questions: Square vs Stripe

Is Stripe cheaper than Square for online payments?
Both charge 2.9% + $0.30 per online transaction (identical pricing). Stripe's in-person (card reader) is 2.5% flat. Square's in-person is 2.6% + $0.10. Both are competitively priced online; Stripe is slightly cheaper in-person. Monthly fees: Stripe has none, Square has none (unless using Invoices, $0). For pricing, they're nearly identical-choose based on features.
What are the differences between Stripe and Square's fee structures?
Stripe is online-first (e-commerce, SaaS, subscriptions). Square is in-person-first (retail, restaurants). Both charge 2.9% + $0.30 online. Stripe charges 2.5% flat in-person (card reader). Square charges 2.6% + $0.10 (slightly more). Stripe's ecosystem is better for developers; Square's is better for small retailers. Fees are nearly identical; differentiation is in features.
Which is cheaper for recurring subscription payments?
Stripe and Square both charge 2.9% + $0.30 per subscription charge. Stripe has better subscription management tools and developer-friendly APIs. Square is simpler but less flexible. For subscriptions, Stripe is the industry standard and better value due to features. Pricing is identical; Stripe wins on functionality.
Does Stripe or Square charge for setup or monthly fees?
Neither charges setup or monthly fees for basic online payment processing. Both are payment-per-transaction model. Stripe's ecosystem (Stripe Connect, Issuing, etc.) has premium features ($0–custom pricing). Square's ecosystem is similar. For basic payments, both are completely free to set up-you only pay on transactions.
Which is cheaper for a small online store?
Stripe and Square are identically priced (2.9% + $0.30). Stripe requires tech setup (API integration). Square has plug-and-play e-commerce (Square Online, Squarespace integration). For non-technical small business owners, Square's simplicity is worth the identical cost. For developers, Stripe is more flexible. Cost-wise, they're equal; choose by integration preference.
AI Recommendations

Sources

  1. Square Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page
  2. Stripe Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page

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