Stripe vs Square Fees 2026: Which One Costs Less for Your Business?

Quick answer — Stripe vs Square (and Square vs Stripe) fees

For online sales, Stripe is cheaper than Square's Free plan: 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card (per Stripe pricing, Sept 2026) vs 3.3% + 30¢ (per Square pricing, Sept 2026); Square Plus and Premium match Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢. In person it depends on ticket size: Stripe Terminal is 2.7% + 5¢ and Square Free is 2.6% + 15¢, so Stripe costs less on sales under $100 and Square costs less above that (our math on the published rates). Pick Square if you want a ready-made POS for a counter, truck or restaurant; pick Stripe if you sell online, bill subscriptions or have a developer building checkout. Neither charges a monthly fee on its base plan.

US standard rate	Stripe	Square
Online card	2.9% + 30¢	3.3% + 30¢ (Free) · 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus, Premium)
In-person card	2.7% + 5¢ (Terminal)	2.6% + 15¢ (Free) · 2.5% + 15¢ (Plus) · 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium)
Keyed-in / card on file	see vendor	3.5% + 15¢ (all plans)
Invoices	Invoicing fee 0.4% of total, $2.00 cap (card processing: see vendor)	Card: 3.3% + 30¢ (Free) · 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus, Premium)
ACH / bank transfer	0.8%, $5.00 cap (ACH Direct Debit)	Invoice ACH: 1%, $1 min (Free) · 1%, $1 min, $10 cap (Plus, Premium)
International cards	+1.5% (+1% if currency conversion)	see vendor
Monthly fee	$0 — no setup or monthly fees	$0 (Free) · Plus & Premium: see vendor (30-day free trial)
Instant payouts	1.5%, 50¢ minimum	see vendor
Dispute fee	$15.00	see vendor

Stripe figures per Stripe pricing, Sept 2026 (stripe.com/pricing). Square figures per Square pricing, Sept 2026 (squareup.com fees · plans). "See vendor" = not shown on the vendor page we checked.

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TL;DR: Stripe vs Square Fees 2026 — direct read from a single operator. Below: the actual answer (no fluff), what most articles miss, and the path forward — including when to skip the rest of the read and just text PJ at 858-461-8054.

Helped people with this exact issue recently · single operator · no funnel

I'm in Encinitas and I help North County San Diego businesses set up payments the right way. Square vs Stripe is the question I get most — here's the honest answer, no fluff.

💬 Text PJ — I'll Tell You Which One in One Reply

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Stripe vs Square fees — head-to-head

Feature	Stripe	Square	Winner
In-person swipe/tap rate	2.7% + 5¢	2.6% + 15¢ (Free plan)	Stripe under $100 · Square over
Online card rate	2.9% + 30¢	3.3% + 30¢ (Free) · 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus)	Stripe (vs Square Free)
Monthly fee	$0	$0 (free plan)	Tie
Tap-to-pay on iPhone	Yes (via Reader app)	Yes (native — simpler)	Square
Instant payouts	1.5% (50¢ min)	see vendor	—
Developer API quality	Best in class	Good, not great	Stripe
POS hardware ecosystem	Limited	Excellent	Square
Subscriptions / recurring billing	Excellent	Basic	Stripe
Invoicing	Good	Good	Tie
Account freeze risk	Can freeze without warning	More predictable	Square
Customer support	Slow, developer-focused	Much easier to reach	Square

Stripe vs Square fees — FAQ

Is Stripe or Square cheaper?

Online, Stripe is cheaper than Square's Free plan: 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card payment (per Stripe pricing, Sept 2026) vs 3.3% + 30¢ (per Square pricing, Sept 2026); Square Plus and Premium match Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢. In person, Stripe Terminal charges 2.7% + 5¢ and Square Free charges 2.6% + 15¢, so on those published rates Stripe costs less on sales under $100 and Square Free costs less above $100.

Do Stripe or Square charge a monthly fee?

Stripe says it charges no setup fees or monthly fees (per Stripe pricing, Sept 2026). Square Free is $0/month; Square Plus and Premium are paid plans with lower card rates and a 30-day free trial (per Square pricing, Sept 2026). Check Square's pricing page for the current Plus and Premium monthly price.

What does Square charge for keyed-in cards, invoices and ACH?

Per Square pricing (Sept 2026): manually keyed or card-on-file payments are 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan. Invoices paid by card are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. Invoices paid by ACH bank transfer are 1% with a $1 minimum, plus a $10 fee cap on Plus and Premium.

What does Stripe charge for ACH, invoicing and international cards?

Per Stripe pricing (Sept 2026): ACH Direct Debit is 0.8% capped at $5.00. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% of the invoice total, capped at $2.00 per invoice. International cards add 1.5%, plus 1% if currency conversion is required. Instant Payouts are 1.5% of volume (50¢ minimum) and each dispute costs $15.00.

When to text PJ about Stripe vs Square Fees 2026

Yes — text now

You've read 2-3 articles, still don't know what to do
About to spend $500+ on a tool / contractor / build
Want a 30-second sanity check from someone not selling you
Local to North County San Diego (faster routing depth)

No — figure it out

You haven't tried the obvious built-in fix yet
Looking for a free template you can DIY in 10 min
Just casually browsing, no real decision pending
Need a service we don't actually route (we'll say so)

📲 Text PJ · 858-461-8054

Questions people ask about Stripe or Square

Square vs Stripe — which has lower fees for in-person payments?
Can I use both Stripe and Square at the same time?
Stripe vs Square vs PayPal — which should I actually pick?
Which is better for a contractor or mobile service business?
Does Square or Stripe work better for Shopify and WooCommerce?
Which one pays out faster — Square or Stripe?
Is Stripe or Square better for invoicing clients?

Which one wins for your situation

Square wins Contractors & trades Tap-to-pay on your phone, no hardware needed, clean invoicing. Most HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses in North County use Square.

Square wins Retail & restaurants Square's POS hardware — register, terminal, KDS — is purpose-built for physical retail and food. Stripe has no equivalent hardware ecosystem.

Stripe wins Online store / ecommerce Lower online card fees than Square Free (2.9% + 30¢ vs 3.3% + 30¢), better Shopify and WooCommerce integration, cleaner checkout flows. Stripe or Square for online? Stripe every time.

Stripe wins SaaS & subscriptions Stripe Billing handles trials, proration, dunning, and metered billing. Square doesn't come close. No contest for recurring revenue businesses.

Stripe wins Custom dev builds If a developer is building your checkout, payment flow, or connecting to your system — Stripe's API is the industry standard. Square is a distant second.

Either works Service business + invoices Both do invoicing well. Square is faster to set up. Stripe is more customizable. Pick based on whether you're also taking in-person payments or running online.

💬 Still deciding between Stripe or Square? Text me your business type, average transaction size, and whether you take payments in person or online. I'll tell you which one to use — and which settings to change on day one — in a single reply.

Stripe vs Square — just tell me your setup

I'm PJ, based in Encinitas. I set up payment systems for small businesses across North County San Diego. Text me your situation and I'll give you a straight answer — no forms, no sales pitch, no waiting.

💬 Text PJ — 858-461-8054