Square
squareup.comBuild Difficulty: 3/5
Plan for 1-2 weeks of building with AI assistance
Power your entire business
How to Replace SquareOverview
Features
111 features across 29 categories
AI(1)
AI-powered tool to ask questions and get immediate insights about your business
Administration(2)
Advanced team member access controls
Manage all your POS devices from anywhere through your Square Dashboard
Automation(1)
Automate business processes to save time
Banking(7)
Business checking account with instant fund access
Business credit card offerings
Transfer funds to external bank account for free the next business day or instantly for a fee
Get real-time access to earnings from online marketplace and ordering platforms in your Square Checking account
Access to business loans with flexible terms
Bring revenue under one roof with checking, savings, loans, and credit cards for business
Business savings accounts for planning future expenses
Business Management(3)
Automate and streamline daily business operations
Grow your business with tools designed for multi-location management
Stay organized with invoicing, estimates, and contracts
Checkout(4)
Set age restrictions on items like alcohol and tobacco and verify the age of customers at checkout
Set up a bottle deposit per item that is automatically added to the order at checkout
Process product exchanges for customers
Send digital receipts over email or text and offer printed receipts with customizable branding
Communication(3)
Send messages to customers
Collect guest phone number to automatically send text when order is marked complete in KDS
Tools for communicating with your team
Customer Engagement(5)
Create custom loyalty program, let customers enroll, and redeem rewards right from POS
Understand customers better by seeing your most frequent and most recent visitors and average spend
Use loyalty programs and customer engagement to retain clients
Set up loyalty programs and customer engagement to welcome new customers and retain existing ones
Create custom rewards programs that connect to POS
Customer Management(1)
Manage and view customer information and history
Developer Tools(1)
API access for developers to build integrations
E-Commerce(2)
Build an online ordering profile for your business
Build a basic website or online store
Hardware(7)
Powerful, feature-packed POS that fits in your pocket
iPad-run kiosk to reduce lines and free up staff
Portable reader for every tap and dip
Bite-sized reader that plugs in and never needs charging
Two responsive screens for lightning-fast checkout
Intuitive, swiveling iPad POS
Fully integrated POS with built-in payments and receipt printer
Integrations(3)
Marketplace of apps that integrate with Square
Access to marketplace of integrations and apps
Take reservations by integrating your system with apps like OpenTable and SevenRooms
Inventory(10)
Update multiple items using bulk editing tool from Square Dashboard to easily make changes to menus at scale
Group items together in categories to organize item library and fine-tune sales reports
Accept returns at any location, regardless of where the purchase was made
Know what is in stock across all locations with low-stock alerts and inventory reports you can export anytime
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
Mark items as sold out in real time across every sales channel to keep teams aligned
Customize menu with toppings, add-ons, or special requests that show up on receipts
Get alerts when inventory levels are low across all locations
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 across multiple locations and sales channels
Invoicing(1)
Send estimates, contracts, and invoices to customers
Marketing(4)
Use marketing and appointment tools to attract new clients
Send unlimited email marketing campaigns with free initial texts then pay per text
Marketing tools and campaigns to drive business
Build websites and online profiles to showcase your brand
Orders(7)
Capture complex orders with step-by-step flows, quantity controls, and smart sequencing for toppings or sides to reduce mistakes and speed up service
Set up kiosk-based ordering for customers
Manage orders from one place
Create, edit, and save an order before completing the sale, and manage customer accounts to keep running balance of purchases
Manage all on-premise and online orders including delivery-partner sites in one place, filterable by order status and source
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
Consolidate all online menus and orders from delivery partners like Grubhub and DoorDash in one platform sorted by order status and source
POS(1)
Quickly access frequently used items, discounts, or categories to speed up checkout
Partnerships(1)
Directory of Square partners and specialists
Payments(19)
Let customers pay directly from their bank account with a secure invoice using bank account and routing number
Let customers pay in four interest-free installments over six weeks while you receive full payment up front
Create automatic discounts for specific items, categories, quantities, daily specials, or limited-time offers
Add fixed-percentage gratuity to customer checks manually or automatically, with gratuity based on party size
Accept Bitcoin payments and manage Bitcoin accounts
Allow customers to pay with Cash App Pay by scanning a QR code
Give customers preset tip options on-screen or with printed receipts
Create percentage or dollar amount discounts and issue full or partial refunds to the original payment or as store credit
Refund specific items from transaction with amount reflecting applicable taxes and discounts
Save on in-person and online card processing fees with premium tiers
Manually enter customer card details or securely add cards to customer profiles for future use
Keep making sales even when you lose service or Wi-Fi connection with offline payment storage for 24 hours
Accept payments in person, online, over the phone, or in the field with an all-in-one POS app personalized for your business type
Temporarily preauthorize customer credit card for set amount to ensure validity and allow payment when closing tab
Enable QR code payments on receipts to speed up table turnover and free up staff time
Add percentage-based or fixed-amount service charge to transactions to offset operational or overhead costs, visible as line item
Accept major credit cards, contactless payments, keyed-in payments, cash, and Square Gift Cards
Accept contactless payments and digital wallets on Android devices without additional hardware
Take payments with just your phone using Tap to Pay on iPhone for contactless cards and digital wallets without additional hardware
Reporting(7)
Access deeper insights into all sides of business
Access top-line metrics by time period including gross sales, sales count, and refunds right from app
Comprehensive reporting and analytics on all business metrics
Track business performance and manage sales and POS settings from any computer
See complete breakdown of sales in organized reports to know what items are most popular
Track business performance with real-time reporting and analytics
Pull detailed vendor sales reports anytime to learn where to grow
Restaurant Operations(4)
Organize checks and kitchen tickets so items are prepared and served at the right time with customizable course settings per device
Customize restaurant floor plans with click-and-drag layouts and color-coded labels to show table wait times
Add cover count to tables with optional or required seat positions for dishes so staff knows where to deliver each dish
Connect front and back of house with features for ticket routing, customizable ticket layouts, real-time order updates, and ticket timing
Sales(6)
Add online ordering, gift cards, and other revenue generating features
Send contracts and agreements to customers
Sell physical and digital gift cards with no load fees on premium tier
See all in-person, online, and third-party app sales from your POS
Add funds to physical and eGift cards with no load fees
Use invoicing and online tools to win more business
Scheduling(2)
Schedule appointments and manage staff calendars
Manage appointments and bookings for service-based businesses
Security(1)
Fraud protection, data security, dispute management, and PCI compliance built into POS
Setup(1)
Link your catalog across channels and set up quickly
Staff Management(5)
Run payroll for your employees
Manage team scheduling and payroll functions
Schedule employee shifts and track attendance
Schedule shifts and track team attendance
Let team clock in at POS with personal passcode and set permissions to view all activity
Support(1)
24/7 phone support for urgent issues
Tools(1)
Photo tools for your business
Pricing
Square 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- ✓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
- ✓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 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 ValueBuild Your Own
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