POS Systems
Square POS review
Free-to-start POS from Block that bundles its own card processing, with paid per-location plans for retail and restaurants.
Square POS at a glance
- Category
- POS Systems
- Starting price
- $0/month (Square for Retail Free)
- Pricing model
- per location
- Public pricing
- Yes
- Free plan
- Yes
- Contract
- No long-term contract stated on pricing page
- G2 rating
- 4.6 (1,208 reviews)
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- Oakland, US (Block, Inc. principal office; no formal headquarters)
- Employees
- About 6,000 (Block, Inc., 2026, after Feb 2026 layoffs)
- Funding or owner
- Public (Block, Inc.)
- Integrations
- Square Online, Square Payroll, QuickBooks, Xero
Who Square POS is for
Choose Square POS if
- Single-shop retailers and service businesses that want to start at $0 software.
- Merchants who want one vendor for hardware, payments and online store.
Look elsewhere if
- Businesses that want to choose their own payment processor.
- High-volume merchants sensitive to flat-rate processing.
Square POS pricing
| Plan | Price | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | per month | Retail POS app, online store, basic inventory; 2.6% + 10c in person |
| Plus | $89 | per location per month | 2.5% + 10c in person on Retail POS when signed in to Plus account |
| Premium | Custom | Custom pricing may be offered above $250K/yr processing |
Prices for Square for Retail (US). Restaurants and Appointments have separate plan ladders not verified here.
What Square POS really costs
- Billing
- Monthly.
Square POS features by buying criteria
| Criterion | What we found |
|---|---|
| Hardware and terminals | Square sells its own handheld, terminal, register, stand and kiosk hardware (hardware prices not verified) |
| Payment processing terms | Square-only processing; 2.6% + 10c in person on Free, 2.5% + 10c on Retail Plus. |
| Inventory management | Free plan includes basic inventory tools and unlimited items; G2 inventory sub-score 8.7/10. |
| Online and omnichannel sales | Free online store included on Retail Free plan. |
| Industry features | Separate Retail, Restaurants and Appointments products. |
| Reporting and analytics | Reviewers on G2 praise reporting (G2 summary) |
| Pricing model | Monthly plan per location plus flat-rate processing plus hardware. |
| Target company size | Micro and small businesses; custom Premium for larger. |
What reviewers say about Square POS
Praised for
- Easy to use and quick to set up.
- Strong card payment experience and reporting.
Common complaints
- Processing fees and upfront hardware costs add up.
- Support access complaints are common across POS vendors, check before buying.
Themes paraphrased from public reviews on G2 and similar sites, not quotes.
What most Square POS reviews leave out
- Retail Plus discount on in-person rate is only 0.1 percentage point (2.6% to 2.5%) and applies only on the Retail POS signed into Plus.
- Software and processing are tied: Square is the processor, so leaving means replacing hardware.
- Premium plan is quote-only and pitched at merchants above about $250K annual volume.
Square POS alternatives
CloverSmall restaurants and retailers wanting bundled hardware plus software.Varies by vertical; Standard bundle $130/month or $849 + $84.95/month (as listed by Clover)
Shopify POSMerchants already running a Shopify online store who add physical locations.POS included in every Shopify plan; Basic from $39/month (third-party), POS Pro $89/location/month
ToastRestaurants, bars and cafes needing table service, kitchen display and online ordering.$0/month on pay-as-you-go Starter Kit; $69/month standard Point of Sale plan (per a Toast article)
SumUpMicro-merchants and market stalls wanting no monthly fee.$0/month POS Lite; $499 bundle (Register + Solo reader)
LightspeedMulti-category retailers needing deeper inventory and reporting.Retail Basic $89/month billed annually or $109 monthly (third-party)
Epos NowSmall retail and hospitality shops wanting bundled hardware.$399 + $84/month (Epos Now US page)
Square POS compared
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from Square POS's own pricing, product or documentation pages, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Unknown values are left out instead of estimated.