What a Square Online Store Really Costs Each Month
Square Online store fees come in two parts: a monthly plan fee and a processing fee on each payment. Here is what Square's own pricing page says about both.
What Square Online store fees cover
When people search for Square Online store fees, they usually mean two different costs rolled into one question. There is a monthly plan fee you pay to run the store. Then there is a processing fee taken from each payment a customer makes. Both apply to an online store, and they are billed separately. Mixing them up leads to bad math when you compare Square against another processor.
The monthly plan fee per location
Square's pricing page says the monthly fee per location is $0, $49 or $149, depending on which tier you pick. The free tier exists, so you can run a store with no subscription at all. Square Plus and Square Premium charge their fee per location.
Processing rates for online store payments
The bigger cost for most stores is the cut taken from each sale. Square's pricing page says online and invoice card payments run from 3.3% + 30¢ to 2.9% + 30¢, depending on the plan. So the plan you choose changes your processing rate, not just your monthly bill. Square's pricing page does not say which plan pays which end of that range, so check your plan's rate before you run the numbers.
Run your own numbers before picking a tier.
Square's pricing page also says processing fees vary based on the Square plan you choose. Square's pricing page says you can accept every major card, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, all for the same processing fees.
Other payment types and their rates
Customers do not always pay the same way, and each method has its own line on the sheet. Square's pricing page says manual entry or card on file payments cost 3.5% + 15¢. These are payments where the card details are entered by hand or kept on file rather than taken as a standard online card payment.
Square's pricing page says card payments through its payments APIs cost 2.9% + 30¢. These apply to card payments made inside a web or mobile app's workflow using Square's tools.
Square's pricing page says Afterpay payments cost 6% + 30¢. Compare that rate against your card rates when deciding whether to offer installments.
Square's pricing page says EBT card payments for SNAP-eligible items cost 1.8% + 5¢. That rate applies to EBT card payments for SNAP-eligible items.
At the other end, Square's pricing page says cash or check payments are free. A customer who pays by check costs you nothing in processing. Square's pricing page also says there are no additional fees when a gift card is redeemed.
Fees that can sneak up on you
Two items catch store owners off guard. First, Square's pricing page says an additional fee applies to payments made on credit or debit cards issued outside of the United States. If a customer pays with a card issued outside the United States, that payment costs more to process than one on a US card.
Second, transfer speed. Square's pricing page says you can transfer funds to an external bank account the next business day for free or instantly for a fee. The free option is fine for most weeks. The instant option carries a fee, which Square's pricing page does not spell out here. Check the fee on Square's pricing page before choosing the instant option. If you want a fuller look at what paying for speed does to your costs, see Paying to Be Paid Tonight.
What the plans include that you are not billed separately for
Square's pricing page says its plans start at no cost and have no hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Square's pricing page says you can cancel or switch plans anytime. Square's pricing page says with Square Free there are no monthly subscription costs, and you only pay processing fees when you take a payment.
Every plan includes end-to-end encrypted payments, active fraud prevention, next day transfers and offline payments. Square's pricing page says every plan includes these features.
Add-ons with their own pricing
Some tools carry their own charges on top of the plan fee. Text message marketing is one. Per Square's pricing page, the free tier does not offer this feature. With Square Plus, 500 texts are included per month per account, then you pay 3¢ per text. With Square Premium, 2,500 texts are included per month per account, then you pay 1.5¢ per text.
Kiosk software carries its own charge. Square's pricing page says you pay the monthly kiosk software fee per device in addition to your monthly Square Plus or Square Premium cost. Square's pricing page says kiosk software is not available in Square Free. Square's pricing page says the Square KDS app is not available in Square Free.
Square's pricing page says Square Payroll runs full-service payroll starting at $35 per month plus $6 per person paid. Square's pricing page says Square Hardware options start at $59.
Square's pricing page says businesses that process over $250,000 per year can talk to its team about custom pricing and processing fees.
Where to confirm before you sign up
Published prices change. Square has adjusted its pricing before, and every number here comes from its pricing page as published now. Before you commit to a plan, check Square's own pricing page for the current monthly fee and the current rates for each payment type. Match the rates to how your customers actually pay. If most of your sales happen in person, check the in-person rates on Square's pricing page too. See how they work in A Forty Dollar Sale at the Counter.