Stripe vs Square: Which Is Better for Your Business?

Stripe and Square are both payment processors, but they're built for different businesses. Square is the all-in-one POS system for in-person sales. Stripe is the developer-friendly platform for online payments. Here's how to choose.

Quick Comparison

	Stripe	Square
Online fee	2.9% + $0.30	2.9% + $0.30
In-person fee	2.7% + $0.05	2.6% + $0.10
Invoice fee	2.9% + $0.30 + 0.4%	3.3% + $0.30
Monthly fee	Free	Free (basic POS)
Hardware	Limited (Stripe Terminal)	Extensive (readers, stands, registers)
Payment links	Yes	Yes
Subscriptions	Built-in	Yes (with Square Subscriptions)
POS software	No	Yes (free)
Setup complexity	Moderate (more technical)	Easy (plug and play)
Best for	Online-only businesses	In-person + online businesses

Choose Stripe If:

• You're primarily online (no in-person sales)
• You need a professional, customizable checkout
• You want subscription/recurring billing
• You're comfortable with a slightly more technical setup
• You need international payment support

Choose Square If:

• You do in-person work and need card readers
• You want POS + payments + invoicing in one ecosystem
• You want the easiest possible setup
• You need appointment scheduling (Square Appointments)
• You're a restaurant or retail store

For Service Businesses: You Might Need Neither

If you're a freelancer, cleaner, tutor, or contractor who mostly collects payment after completing work, you probably don't need Stripe's developer tools or Square's POS hardware.

What you need is a simple way to share payment options and follow up on unpaid requests. Payable.at gives you a payment page with card (Stripe-powered), Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, and more, plus automated payment requests and reminders. Simpler than both Stripe and Square for the "client owes me money" use case.

Related Guides

• Stripe Fees Explained
• Square Fees Breakdown
• PayPal vs Stripe
• Square Alternatives