Square

squareup.com
Point of Sale
1-2 Weeks

Power your entire business

How to Replace Square

Overview

Square is an all-in-one business platform that enables companies to accept payments, manage operations, and grow their business. It provides point-of-sale systems, payment processing, team management, customer engagement tools, and financial services designed for businesses of any size across multiple industries.

Features

111 features across 29 categories

AI(1)

Square AIAI

AI-powered tool to ask questions and get immediate insights about your business

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Administration(2)

Advanced AccessPremium

Advanced team member access controls

Remote Device Management

Manage all your POS devices from anywhere through your Square Dashboard

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Smartsheet

Automation(1)

Automate and Save Time

Automate business processes to save time

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Banking(7)

Checking Accounts

Business checking account with instant fund access

Credit Card

Business credit card offerings

Fast Transfers

Transfer funds to external bank account for free the next business day or instantly for a fee

Instant Payouts

Get real-time access to earnings from online marketplace and ordering platforms in your Square Checking account

Loans

Access to business loans with flexible terms

Manage Your Cash Flow

Bring revenue under one roof with checking, savings, loans, and credit cards for business

Savings Accounts

Business savings accounts for planning future expenses

Business Management(3)

Improve Operations

Automate and streamline daily business operations

Scale Your Business

Grow your business with tools designed for multi-location management

Stay Organized

Stay organized with invoicing, estimates, and contracts

Also in: Jobber, Setmore, Acuity Scheduling

Checkout(4)

Age Verification Prompts

Set age restrictions on items like alcohol and tobacco and verify the age of customers at checkout

Bottle Deposits

Set up a bottle deposit per item that is automatically added to the order at checkout

Exchanges

Process product exchanges for customers

Receipts

Send digital receipts over email or text and offer printed receipts with customizable branding

Communication(3)

Messages

Send messages to customers

Order-Ready Texts

Collect guest phone number to automatically send text when order is marked complete in KDS

Team Communication

Tools for communicating with your team

Also in: Jobber, Jira, Insightly

Customer Engagement(5)

Built-in Loyalty Program

Create custom loyalty program, let customers enroll, and redeem rewards right from POS

Customer Insights

Understand customers better by seeing your most frequent and most recent visitors and average spend

Keep Clients Coming Back

Use loyalty programs and customer engagement to retain clients

Keep Customers Coming Back

Set up loyalty programs and customer engagement to welcome new customers and retain existing ones

Loyalty ProgramsPremium

Create custom rewards programs that connect to POS

Customer Management(1)

Customer Directory

Manage and view customer information and history

Developer Tools(1)

APIs

API access for developers to build integrations

E-Commerce(2)

Online Ordering Profiles

Build an online ordering profile for your business

Websites

Build a basic website or online store

Hardware(7)

Square Handheld

Powerful, feature-packed POS that fits in your pocket

Square Kiosk

iPad-run kiosk to reduce lines and free up staff

Square Reader for Contactless and Chip

Portable reader for every tap and dip

Square Reader for Magstripe

Bite-sized reader that plugs in and never needs charging

Square Register (2nd generation)

Two responsive screens for lightning-fast checkout

Square Stand

Intuitive, swiveling iPad POS

Square Terminal

Fully integrated POS with built-in payments and receipt printer

Integrations(3)

App Marketplace

Marketplace of apps that integrate with Square

Marketplace

Access to marketplace of integrations and apps

Reservation Integrations

Take reservations by integrating your system with apps like OpenTable and SevenRooms

Inventory(10)

Bulk Edit Items in Menus

Update multiple items using bulk editing tool from Square Dashboard to easily make changes to menus at scale

Categories

Group items together in categories to organize item library and fine-tune sales reports

Cross-Location Returns and Fulfillment

Accept returns at any location, regardless of where the purchase was made

Inventory Management

Know what is in stock across all locations with low-stock alerts and inventory reports you can export anytime

Item and Menu Management

Update on-premise and online menus in real time and sync changes to all locations and channels including POS, online, kiosks, and delivery apps with bulk editing capabilities

Item Availability

Mark items as sold out in real time across every sales channel to keep teams aligned

Item Modifiers

Customize menu with toppings, add-ons, or special requests that show up on receipts

Low-Stock Alerts

Get alerts when inventory levels are low across all locations

Order Guide

See vendor prices side-by-side and compare costs per unit in real time, and turn your menu into an ingredients list instantly

Track Inventory

Track inventory across multiple locations and sales channels

Invoicing(1)

Invoices

Send estimates, contracts, and invoices to customers

Marketing(4)

Attract New Clients

Use marketing and appointment tools to attract new clients

Email and Text Message MarketingPremium

Send unlimited email marketing campaigns with free initial texts then pay per text

Marketing

Marketing tools and campaigns to drive business

Showcase Your Brand

Build websites and online profiles to showcase your brand

Orders(7)

Advanced Modifiers

Capture complex orders with step-by-step flows, quantity controls, and smart sequencing for toppings or sides to reduce mistakes and speed up service

Kiosk Ordering

Set up kiosk-based ordering for customers

Manage Orders

Manage orders from one place

Open Checks and House Accounts

Create, edit, and save an order before completing the sale, and manage customer accounts to keep running balance of purchases

Orders Tab

Manage all on-premise and online orders including delivery-partner sites in one place, filterable by order status and source

Split or Reopen Checks

Split check by items or seats, split amount into equal payments, or reopen check to adjust and comp/void items with choice to keep original payment method or refund

Third-Party Order Management

Consolidate all online menus and orders from delivery partners like Grubhub and DoorDash in one platform sorted by order status and source

POS(1)

Custom Item Grid

Quickly access frequently used items, discounts, or categories to speed up checkout

Partnerships(1)

Partner Directories

Directory of Square partners and specialists

Payments(19)

ACH Bank Transfers

Let customers pay directly from their bank account with a secure invoice using bank account and routing number

Afterpay

Let customers pay in four interest-free installments over six weeks while you receive full payment up front

Automatic Discounts

Create automatic discounts for specific items, categories, quantities, daily specials, or limited-time offers

Automatic Gratuity

Add fixed-percentage gratuity to customer checks manually or automatically, with gratuity based on party size

Bitcoin

Accept Bitcoin payments and manage Bitcoin accounts

Cash App Pay

Allow customers to pay with Cash App Pay by scanning a QR code

Custom Tip Amounts

Give customers preset tip options on-screen or with printed receipts

Discounts and Refunds

Create percentage or dollar amount discounts and issue full or partial refunds to the original payment or as store credit

Itemized Refunds

Refund specific items from transaction with amount reflecting applicable taxes and discounts

Lower Processing FeesPremium

Save on in-person and online card processing fees with premium tiers

Manual Entry or Card on File

Manually enter customer card details or securely add cards to customer profiles for future use

Offline Payments

Keep making sales even when you lose service or Wi-Fi connection with offline payment storage for 24 hours

Point of Sale (POS) System

Accept payments in person, online, over the phone, or in the field with an all-in-one POS app personalized for your business type

Preauthorize Bar Tabs

Temporarily preauthorize customer credit card for set amount to ensure validity and allow payment when closing tab

QR Code Payments

Enable QR code payments on receipts to speed up table turnover and free up staff time

Service Charges

Add percentage-based or fixed-amount service charge to transactions to offset operational or overhead costs, visible as line item

Take Payments

Accept major credit cards, contactless payments, keyed-in payments, cash, and Square Gift Cards

Tap to Pay on Android

Accept contactless payments and digital wallets on Android devices without additional hardware

Tap to Pay on iPhone

Take payments with just your phone using Tap to Pay on iPhone for contactless cards and digital wallets without additional hardware

Reporting(7)

Advanced ReportingPremium

Access deeper insights into all sides of business

In-App Reporting

Access top-line metrics by time period including gross sales, sales count, and refunds right from app

Reporting

Comprehensive reporting and analytics on all business metrics

Square Dashboard

Track business performance and manage sales and POS settings from any computer

Top-Selling Items

See complete breakdown of sales in organized reports to know what items are most popular

Track Performance

Track business performance with real-time reporting and analytics

Vendor Sales Reports

Pull detailed vendor sales reports anytime to learn where to grow

Restaurant Operations(4)

Course Management

Organize checks and kitchen tickets so items are prepared and served at the right time with customizable course settings per device

Custom Floor Plans

Customize restaurant floor plans with click-and-drag layouts and color-coded labels to show table wait times

Seat Management

Add cover count to tables with optional or required seat positions for dishes so staff knows where to deliver each dish

Square KDS App

Connect front and back of house with features for ticket routing, customizable ticket layouts, real-time order updates, and ticket timing

Sales(6)

Add Revenue Streams

Add online ordering, gift cards, and other revenue generating features

Contracts

Send contracts and agreements to customers

Gift Cards

Sell physical and digital gift cards with no load fees on premium tier

Integrated In-Person and Online Sales

See all in-person, online, and third-party app sales from your POS

No Gift Card Load FeesPremium

Add funds to physical and eGift cards with no load fees

Win More Business

Use invoicing and online tools to win more business

Scheduling(2)

Booking

Schedule appointments and manage staff calendars

Manage Your Appointments

Manage appointments and bookings for service-based businesses

Security(1)

Built-in Security

Fraud protection, data security, dispute management, and PCI compliance built into POS

Setup(1)

Link Your Catalog and Set Up Fast

Link your catalog across channels and set up quickly

Staff Management(5)

Payroll

Run payroll for your employees

Schedule and Pay Your Team

Manage team scheduling and payroll functions

Shifts

Schedule employee shifts and track attendance

Staff ManagementPremium

Schedule shifts and track team attendance

Team Access and Permissions

Let team clock in at POS with personal passcode and set permissions to view all activity

Support(1)

24/7 Priority SupportPremium

24/7 phone support for urgent issues

Tools(1)

Photo Studio

Photo tools for your business

Pricing

Square Free

Free
  • POS app for any payment
  • Online site with basic website or online store
  • Item library
  • Invoicing
  • Booking
  • Checking and savings accounts
  • Processing fees based on transaction type

Square Plus

Popular
Free trial available
  • Everything in Square Free
  • Advanced POS features for food and beverage, retail, appointments, and invoicing
  • Lower processing fees
  • Loyalty rewards program
  • Email and text message marketing (500 texts free, then 3¢ per text)
  • Staff management and shift scheduling

Square Premium

Free trial available
  • Everything in Square Plus
  • 24/7 priority phone support
  • Advanced reporting
  • Lowest processing fees
  • More text message marketing (2,500 texts free, then 1.5¢ per text)
  • No gift card load fees

Square Pro

Custom pricing
  • Custom pricing for businesses processing over $250,000 per year
  • Custom processing fees
  • Hardware discounts
  • Onboarding and implementation support
  • Technical specialists
  • Account management

Cost Calculator

Pricing data not available for Square. Check their website for current pricing.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Square alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 111 features.

Buy Square

Better Value
Monthly costContact Sales
3-year totalVaries
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$132,000
Maintenance$1,980/mo
3-year total$203,280
Dev time~11 months

Buying Square saves ~$203,280 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 111 features and a BuildScore of 3/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

4 known integrations