Square pricing, published in full, never multiplied
Square deserves credit here. It publishes its entire rate card, which almost nobody else in this category does. What it never does is turn those rates into a monthly number, and that is where the surprise lives.
The published rate card
Free plan, $0 a month, 2.6% plus 15 cents
Per location, not per terminal, which genuinely helps multi terminal rooms.
Plus plan, $49 a location, 2.4% plus 15 cents
The rate is 0.2 points lower than the free plan.
Premium, $149 a location, 2.4% plus 15 cents
Adds further tooling at the same processing rate.
Keyed and card not present, 3.5% plus 15 cents
Same across all tiers. No contract, no early termination fee, no setup fee.
The free plan costs more than the paid plan
The free plan charges 0.2 points more per swipe. At around $25,000 a month in card volume, that 0.2% exceeds the $49 subscription and free becomes the more expensive choice. Above that point, every extra dollar of volume widens the gap.
The fifteen cent fixed fee is the other half of the story. On a $4.25 latte, 2.6% plus 15 cents is an effective 6.13%. Square publishes both numbers and never multiplies them together. Our calculator does.
Also worth knowing before you choose free: kitchen display screens and self order kiosks are not available on it, and per device charges apply once you add them.
Questions owners ask
Is Square good for restaurants?
For a small room with simple service and a decent average ticket, it is genuinely capable and the pricing transparency is real. Where it strains is coursing, complex modifiers, tip pooling across shifts and multi location reporting.
Does Square lock me into a contract?
No. That is a real advantage and we will not pretend otherwise. No contract, no early termination fee, month to month.
Have your own numbers checked
Send last month's statement. We read it with you, free, and tell you straight whether we are the ones to fix it.
Send your numbers
About a minute. It goes straight to the Equip team.
It reaches Judd Alsup and the Equip team. If we have a crew near you, that is who calls. If we do not, Judd handles it himself. We never ask for card or bank details on this site.