How Much Does Square Take? (2026 Processing Fees by Plan)
By the Profitvana Editorial Team · Updated September 2026
The short answer: on Square's free plan, an in-person tap, dip or swipe costs 2.6% + 15¢, an online or invoice card payment costs 3.3% + 30¢, and a manually keyed card costs 3.5% + 15¢ — so $2.75, $3.60 or $3.65 on a $100 sale. The paid Plus and Premium plans lower the rates in exchange for a monthly fee per location, and the break-even is higher than most small sellers expect. All rates below were read from Square's US pricing page on 22 September 2026.
The rate depends on how the card is taken
Square prices by risk. A card physically present at your reader is the cheapest; a card typed in over the phone is the most expensive; online sits in between. Payments through Square's own APIs get a slightly better online rate than the standard checkout and invoice rate, and Afterpay through Square costs 6% + 30¢. Cash and cheque are free to record.
| Payment type | Square Free ($0/mo) | Square Plus ($49/mo) | Square Premium ($149/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| In person: tap, dip, swipe | 2.6% + 15¢ | 2.5% + 15¢ | 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Online checkout / invoice card | 3.3% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Online via Square APIs | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Manually keyed / card on file | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| Afterpay through Square | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ |
| Cash or cheque | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Worked examples on the free plan
The fixed component makes small in-person sales cost proportionally more — a $5 coffee pays 5.6% — while a $100 sale lands near the headline rate:
| Sale | In person | Online | Keyed |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $0.28 (5.6%) | $0.47 (9.3%) | $0.33 (6.5%) |
| $20 | $0.67 (3.4%) | $0.96 (4.8%) | $0.85 (4.3%) |
| $100 | $2.75 (2.75%) | $3.60 (3.6%) | $3.65 (3.65%) |
| $500 | $13.15 (2.63%) | $16.80 (3.36%) | $17.65 (3.53%) |
When Plus or Premium pays for itself
Plus saves 0.1 percentage points on in-person payments and 0.4 points online for $49 a month per location. On in-person volume alone that needs $49,000 a month through the reader to break even; on online volume it needs $12,250. Premium adds another 0.1 point in person for $100 more a month, which only pays at $100,000 of monthly in-person volume. The plans are sold on software features — inventory, bookings, staff — and that is how they should be evaluated. The processing discount alone rarely justifies them below six figures of monthly card volume.
| Upgrade | Monthly cost | Rate saving | Break-even monthly volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free → Plus, in-person only | $49 | 0.1 pt | $49,000 |
| Free → Plus, online only | $49 | 0.4 pt | $12,250 |
| Plus → Premium, in-person only | $100 | 0.1 pt | $100,000 |
Square against Stripe and PayPal
Online, Square's free-plan rate of 3.3% + 30¢ is more expensive than Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ and cheaper than PayPal Checkout's 3.49% + 49¢. In person, Square's 2.6% + 15¢ is the benchmark the others are compared against. Square's strength is not the rate but the absence of a monthly fee for hardware-backed in-person selling. Run your own mix in the Square fee calculator, and compare against Stripe in the Stripe vs Square calculator.
| $100 online sale | Fee |
|---|---|
| Stripe | $3.20 |
| Square Plus / Premium online | $3.20 |
| Square Free online | $3.60 |
| PayPal Checkout | $3.98 |
Frequently asked questions
How much does Square take from a $100 sale?
$2.75 for an in-person tap, dip or swipe (2.6% + 15¢), $3.60 for an online or invoice card payment (3.3% + 30¢), or $3.65 for a manually keyed card (3.5% + 15¢) on the free plan.
Does Square charge a monthly fee?
Not on Square Free. Square Plus is $49 a month per location and Square Premium $149, and both lower the in-person rate (2.5% and 2.4% + 15¢) and the online rate (2.9% + 30¢).
Why did my Square online rate go up?
Square raised its free-plan online and invoice card rate to 3.3% + 30¢ in October 2025. In-person and keyed rates were unchanged, and the paid plans keep online at 2.9% + 30¢.
Is Square cheaper than Stripe?
In person, Square's 2.6% + 15¢ has no Stripe equivalent without Stripe Terminal. Online, Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ is cheaper than Square Free's 3.3% + 30¢ and equal to Square's paid plans.
Sources
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Written and reviewed by the Profitvana Editorial Team
Last reviewed September 2026
We research marketplace, payment, and finance fees directly against each platform’s official, published rates, re-check every platform monthly, and stamp each calculator with the date it was last verified. We publish exactly how we work — and never let ads change a result.
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