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Square POS is a smart, flexible, easy-to-use POS system designed to streamline business payment processes and provide other business solutions such as appointment scheduling, inventory, and ecommerce.
I’ve tested and researched Square POS, considering its features, pricing, usability, and pros and cons. In this comprehensive review, I’ll explore its functionalities so you can see whether it’s the right fit for your business.
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What is Square POS?
Square POS is a payment processing system designed by Block, Inc., to help businesses accept payments seamlessly and sell their products or services anywhere, in person, online, over the phone, or on the go.
As a POS system, Square supports multiple payment options, such as payment links, mobile payments, and contactless payments. It offers hardware for your specific needs, online ordering, and more capabilities through integrations.
Square also offers built-in tools like ecommerce, inventory, payroll, banking, loan financing, marketing, invoices, and hardware.
How Does Square Work?
Square’s Point of Sale service is a robust system that allows you to easily accept customer payments, keep track of your sales, and manage your inventory. It includes durable hardware and intuitive software, so you can start selling in minutes.
Its hardware stack includes a register, a receipt printer, a credit card reader, a barcode scanner, a kiosk, a terminal, and a cash drawer. The software works as your command center and lets you create a library of items you’re selling, upload product images, sort them into categories, and apply discounts and special offers with a single tap.
Similarly to other digital POS services, Square calculates the price, provides payment options, and finalizes the transaction when a customer buys an item. All the sale data is stored to easily monitor your business’s cash flow and inventory levels in real-time.
A Breakdown of the Square POS Pricing and Plans
Square POS is well-known for its generous free offer, allowing you to start without adding your credit card. However, if you look closer, you’ll notice it’s $0 + a Square processing fee for each transaction.
In addition to the free-to-use plan, Square offers a 30-day free trial for all paid plans, which allows businesses to test the platform before committing.
Below are the Square POS system’s transaction fees so you’ll know exactly how much money you’ll set aside each month if you opt for Square.
| Plans | Free | Plus | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (Lowest Price) From | $0 | $29/month | Custom |
| Transaction Fee | Starting from 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction | Starting from 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction | Starting from 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction |
| Recommended For | Small businesses with low transaction volumes | Growing businesses with advanced features need | Large organizations with complex needs |
Square Cancellation and Refunds
What I love about Square is that there’s no vendor lock-in, meaning you’re free to cancel at any time.
Regarding the hardware, the company offers a full refund for any hardware returned within 30 days of payment – though noting that iPads must be returned unopened.
This is fairly standard for the industry, so you won’t find drastically different terms with any other POS provider.
Square Pricing Key Takeaways
Processing fees vary depending on the type of payment being processed. For example, the Square credit card fee differs from the fees applied to online transactions. With average fees around 2.24% in 2024, Square is among the more expensive options out there.
Another thing to keep in mind is that certain modules are paid add-ons, so if you want to include something like text message marketing and loyalty programs, you’d have to set aside an additional $10/month and $45/month, respectively.
That being said, Square’s core plan – Plus – is more affordable than what its key competitors charge for the same service. Square’s paid plans start at $29/month, while alternatives like TouchBistro and Toast POS charge as much as $69/month for their cheapest pricing plans.
Additionally, with Square, you’re not boxed into one of the existing pricing plans. You can always talk to the company’s representatives, explain your business’s needs, and get a custom quote that takes into account all the features and functionality you’ll be using.
This way, you’ll be paying for just what you need rather than for a system that has dozens of features you won’t even be aware exist, let alone use.
Square POS Hardware
When it comes to hardware, Square is super-flexible. You’ll be able to pick and choose the hardware that you need and will have the option to pay in full or in monthly installments over 12 – 24 months. The pricing is also pretty reasonable, especially considering the quality of the registers, POS terminals, stands, and other accessories.
| Hardware | Price | What it Does |
|---|---|---|
| Square Reader for magstripe | Free at sign-up, $10 for an additional one | Connects to your smartphone or tablet. Allows you to take swiped card payments via any Square POS app. |
| Square Reader for contactless and chip | $59 | Allows you to accept contactless (including Apple Pay and Google Pay) and chip payments while on the go. |
| Square Stand | $149 (monthly financing available) | Plugs into your iPad, turning it into a checkout station. You can accept contactless and chip payments, manage your Square website, and get reporting all in one device. |
| Square Kiosk | $149 (monthly financing available) | Plugs into your iPad, turning it into a self-service kiosk station. It has built-in contactless and chip payments. |
| Square Terminal | $299 (monthly financing available) | A cordless, mobile POS terminal that takes contactless, chip, and magstripe payments and prints receipts. |
| Square Register | $799 (monthly financing available) | A fully-integrated POS system with a customer-facing display. You can process payments and manage backend work like inventory and staff management. |
You can also add accessories like receipt printers, cash drawers, and barcode scanners.
Square POS Key Features
Here’s a breakdown of all the critical features of the Square POS so you can see how well the system fits your business needs.
The Square POS system has built-in inventory management capabilities, so you’ll receive daily emails with in-depth information on items running short or out of stock. You can download or print out inventory reports, making managing your stock much easier and more time-efficient, especially if you have multiple store locations.
Square POS inventory is advanced, allowing you to track inventory across multiple stores. I also love its integration with other dedicated inventory management solutions, such as Shopventory, SKU IQ, and Stitch Labs. This integration unlocks more inventory functionalities and allows you to continue using your current inventory management software while having all the data you need in one place.
Square offers many modules as add-ons that can help you streamline every aspect of your business. If you add Square Team Management to your account, you can create shift schedules, track time, and let your team clock in and out using your Square POS.
I appreciated that all the information is in a single integrated calendar, which allowed me the option to assign a color to each employee to organize shifts. From the dashboard, you can also manage wages, calculate overtime, and generate valuable insights that’ll help reduce labor costs.
If you want to go a step further, you can integrate Square Payroll with your POS, use time tracking to generate payslips, pay your employees faster, and automate tax filing.
You can create automatic discounts that apply to specific items, item categories, daily deals, limited-time offers, and quantities through the Square Dashboard. This makes it much easier for your customers to know the exact amount they must pay, whether buying at the storefront or online.
Square also makes it easier to collect tips, especially from people paying by card. They can choose between preset amounts, such as 10%–25%, or select the “Custom” option and tip any amount they’re comfortable with.
While many POS systems like LightSpeed and Toast offer online ordering, Square POS is generous with its offer. The eCommerce functionality supports online ordering and is available across all free and paid plans with Square POS. You can build your ecommerce store, sync it with your Square POS, and sell in-store and online with all your sales and inventory synced at all times.
You’ll also be able to send your customers online checkout links and QR codes that they can send to complete the purchase. I think this is especially useful if you want to run cart abandonment email campaigns to nudge customers to finish their order by displaying the items in their cart, the total amount, and a quick link to the checkout.
When it comes to accepting customer payments, Square credit card processing is excellent. The POS supports Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express, as well as reward cards. The customer can insert the card into the chip reader or simply swipe the card to complete the transaction.
You’ll also be able to offer contactless payments with Square, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App Pay, and Tap to Pay.
Square lets you provide physical gift cards for your customers. They’re automatically integrated into your POS system and Square Dashboard, so you can start selling them right away. Customers can redeem, track, and reload their gift cards just as easily as any other payment method.
You’ll also be able to see all the funds in your account with Square Checking and transfer them to your external bank account for free in one to two business days or for a small fee instantly.
Square lets you customize your checkout to reflect your brand, streamline the process for your customers, and keep your line moving.
One of the things I loved during my testing is the fact that the checkout features item modifiers, which are essential for selling products and services with add-ons.
For example, it’s easy to modify an ice cream order with different flavors, modify a restaurant dish with extra toppings, or add special requests to any service. All applied modifiers are clearly displayed on the receipt, so customers will always know exactly what they’re paying for.
On your end, you’ll be able to create customized item grids for your staff so they can quickly access frequently sold items, apply discounts with a few taps, access the right product category in seconds, and complete the sale promptly.
You’ll be able to provide customers with both digital receipts by email and text and physical printouts with Square. All receipts show an itemized breakdown with whole numbers and decimals, as well as any applicable taxes and applied discounts.
You’ll also have the freedom to customize your receipts in your Square Dashboard to include brand colors, display the names of different store locations, feature your company logo, and more.
Digital receipts also allow you to collect customer feedback, which shows up directly in your Square Dashboard, so you’ll know if they’re satisfied with the service or a particular staff member.
You can also add a map with your store’s address on the digital receipts to help customers remember your store’s location. In addition, you can add a link to your website and social media pages to ensure your business stays top of mind.
Square Analytics provides you with lots of invaluable insights, so you’ll always be able to see how your business is doing. The reports include everything from sales summaries and trends to the most popular items and categories, sales by teams and location, and compensation across your entire team.
You’ll also get customer insights, with detailed information regarding your most frequent and recent visitors, so you’ll be able to see your customer lifetime value and understand exactly what sells best and why.
Square POS Integrations and Add-Ons
I’ve already mentioned add-ons, but it’s important to stress that Square doesn’t just offer a Point of Sale system. Instead, you can use the platform to handle virtually any aspect of your business, including payroll, online store creation, invoicing, email marketing, and team management.
Some of the most popular extensions are Square Invoices, Afterpay, which lets customers pay in installments; Square Marketing, for email and marketing campaigns; and Square Subscriptions, for businesses selling subscription-based services.
In addition to the add-ons, you can integrate your Square POS with hundreds of third-party apps. The most popular ones are WooCommerce, QuickBooks, Acuity Scheduling, Wix, Jotform, Trustpilot Reviews, and Maralytics.
If you opt for Square POS, you’ll essentially have a central hub that will provide you with quick and easy access to all the relevant data you need and allow you to manage all aspects of your business efficiently. You will have access to accounting, HR, marketing, team management, and ecommerce tools in one place. That means you won’t have to constantly check dozens of apps since you can seamlessly integrate them with your existing software stack.
Likewise, having your data in one platform saves valuable time by eliminating the need for duplicating data while minimizing the chance of human error.
Who is Square Best for?
The Square POS is suitable for any type of business, regardless of how big or small and whether you’re selling products and services in person or online. This flexibility and advanced capability makes Square an excellent option for anyone looking for robust general POS features and functionality.
In addition to the general POS, Square offers several industry-specific solutions:
- Square for Retail – Ideal for stores that sell both on-premises and online. It comes with built-in inventory management, sales, and staffing tools.
- Square for Restaurants – A streamlined solution for eateries, helping you handle everything from inventory costs and menu syncing to pickup, delivery, and online orders.
- Square for Appointments – Built for consulting services, fitness and health coaches, barbers, nail salons, and professional services. It has intuitive scheduling software that lets you manage your schedule, improve customer experience, and monitor your team’s performance.
Square’s flexibility is one of its main selling points. You can quickly adapt it to your business’s specific needs.
Here are the pricing plans for Square’s industry specific POS solutions:
| Plans | Free | Plus | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square for Retail | $0 | $89/location/month | Custom |
| Square for Restaurants | $0 | From $69/location/month |
From $165/location/month |
| Square for Appointments | $0 | $29/location/month | $69/location/month |
Square POS vs. Top Competitors
Here’s a quick comparison between Square POS and other POS systems on the market so you can get a better idea of exactly what you can expect for your money from different POS solutions:
| POS | Best For | Free Version | Monthly Starting Price | Transaction Fee | Hardware Cost | Built-in Payment Processing | Inventory Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square POS | Retail with online stores, restaurants, and service businesses | Free plan | From $29/month |
From 2.6% + $0.10 | $10 for card reader, terminals start at $299 | Yes | Yes |
| TouchBistro | Restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops | Free demo | From $69/month | Custom | Custom quote | Yes | Yes |
| Toast | Restaurants with multiple locations and online stores | Free plan | From $69/month | Custom | Custom quote | Yes | Yes |
| Lavu | Restaurants, bars, and eateries | Free demo | Custom | Custom | Included in the monthly fee | Yes | Yes |
| Clover | Retail stores, personal and professional services | N/A | From $14.95/month | From 2.3% + $0.10 | From $199 | Yes | Yes |
| Lightspeed | Retail stores and restaurants | 14-day free trial | From $89/month |
From 2.6% + $0.10 | Doesn’t offer its own hardware | Yes | Yes |
While Square does offer a dedicated solution for eateries, there are arguably better options that exclusively cater to restaurants, such as Toast and TouchBistro.
Is Square Legit? Square POS Customer Reviews
Yes. After testing the Square POS, I’m convinced that it’s not only legit but also one of the best POS systems on the market. To gain a better understanding of what other users say, I’ve analyzed hundreds of Square POS user reviews to give you an objective opinion of this point-of-sale system.
Most Square customers have expressed high satisfaction with using the POS for their business. Many of the positive reviews include ease of use, reasonable transaction fees, flexible payment options, and on-the-go access.
At the same time, Square POS has negative reviews regarding its reliance on an internet connection to function, poor customer support response, and poor account management.
Square POS offers 24/7 phone support across its paid plans with a restriction of M-F 6 a.m.–6 p.m. for the free plan. This phone support is an excellent advantage for quick resolutions, especially for paid plans.
How to Use Square POS - Quick Guide
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Square POS.
Create an Account
Right on the Square POS website, choose a preferred plan. Fill in your email and password.
Fill in Your Business Details
Enter your business information, including name, type, contact, address, and category.
Download and Install the Square App
Once you have your business details recorded, an interface will open with a piece of information to download the Square POS app from the App Store or Google Play Store. After downloading, log in to start using the POS on your device.Verify Your Identity
Square requires you to verify your identity before processing payment. All you need to do is provide your name, address, birthday, phone number, and last four digits of your Social Security number.
Link Your Bank Account
From the App dashboard, go to Settings, navigate to the Account and choose Bank Account. Click “Link Bank Account,” enter your Square account password and continue. Type in your new bank account information and tap Continue. Once you are done, wait for a verification email to arrive.
Create Your Items
To add inventory, click “More” on your Square POS app and select “Items.” Click the All items and Create Item. Type in the label, upload an optional image or choose the tile color that’ll appear on your item grid.
How We Review And Test POS Products
To provide our readers with accurate and well-informed recommendations, we test the most popular POS products on the market to find the best options for you. Our methodology consists of the following criteria:
- Scalability: We look at how many users can be added to a platform and how easy it is to do so to ensure companies can easily add more employees to their payroll as they scale their operations.
- Integrations: We evaluate each piece of software’s integrations to determine how well it fits in with other key pieces in a business’s software stack and whether its functionality can be expanded.
- Total Cost: We look at the features, integrations, customer service, and extras to determine if the price of the software matches the value it provides. We score a product higher if it offers customers a free trial.
- User Experience: We get hands-on with each product to put ourselves in the shoes of a new user, testing each platform to gain an understanding if the platform is easy to use or requires onboarding.
- Features: We examine the features offered by each POS software, how useful those features are, and how they compare to others on the market.
- Security: We delve into the security protocols of each company, assessing the measures in place to safeguard user data.
- Customer Reviews: We consider customer reviews from reputable third-party websites as a crucial aspect of our evaluation process.
Why You Can Trust Our Square POS Review
At Techopedia, we go to great lengths to ensure we provide you with a thorough, unbiased review of the product. To that end, I used Square’s free plan to test out both the hardware and the software elements of the POS in practice.
I’ve done this with all the leading POS systems to ensure I can compare them fairly and highlight their strengths and weaknesses. This means you’ll find all the key information in this guide, rather than having to read a separate Square card reader review, a Square online review, or a Square payroll review.
I’ve used the card reader, Square register, and Square stand to set up a fully point-of-sale system, connected it to a simple website I made with Square online, and thoroughly tested the UI both in terms of usability and customization options.
I’ve also performed a mock payroll run using Square’s payroll modules, tested the feedback and reporting functionality of the system, and integrated the POS with a handful of third-party apps and tools.
How to Choose the Best POS Software
Choosing the best POS software requires attention to critical details. Here are some key elements to consider when choosing POS software to meet your business needs.
Understand your business budget and how much you will spend on getting a POS system. Compare your budget with the features of the software plan that’s within your range and evaluate if it meets your needs.
Analyze your business’s unique features and see if they are available on the plan you can afford. Also, verify if certain features are restricted to higher-tier plans.
Will the POS system scale with your growing business, and how much is the cost to scale? Answer these questions to ensure the extra functionality you’ll need is available with the provider.
Evaluate the ease of use of the chosen POS before committing financially. Based on the customer’s review, as highlighted in this review, you should know if a POS requires a hefty setup or training before using it.
Nowadays, using a business tool that integrates with existing ones is critical as it saves data entry time and resources. Ensure the integrations you need are available on your budgeted plan and understand if the integrations are only available on higher-tier plans.
Evaluate the quality and availability of the POS software provider’s customer support. Consider factors such as support hours, communication channels, and user reviews to ensure you’ll have the assistance you need when required.
Additional POS Guides
I have provided other helpful resources below to help you fully understand the diversity of POS system usage and its functionalities.
Here are some more detailed POS guides from our network:
- Best POS System
- Best POS System for Restaurants
- Best POS System for Bars
- Clover POS Review
- Toast POS Review
- Best Restaurant Accounting Software
FAQs
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References
- Using Loyalty Programs to Attract Consumers to Value-Added Businesses (PennState Extension)
- Should Your Business Use QR Codes? (The Yale Ledger)
- Collecting customer feedback methods (Miro)
- Credit Card ‘Swipe’ Fees to Account for Nearly $3 Billion of 2024 Back-to-School Costs (Merchants Payments Coalition)
