Stripe vs Square(2026)
Stripe is better for teams that need best developer experience. Square is the stronger choice if best in-person payment hardware. Stripe is paid (from 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction) and Square is paid (from 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
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Stripe
Stripe is a suite of payment APIs that powers commerce for online businesses of all sizes.
Starting at 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
Visit StripeSquare
Square is a payment platform for both in-person and online payments, popular with retail and food businesses.
Starting at 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction
Visit SquareHow Do Stripe and Square Compare on Features?
| Feature | Stripe | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction | 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction |
| Card payments | ✓ | — |
| Subscriptions | ✓ | — |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connect (marketplaces) | ✓ | — |
| Radar (fraud) | ✓ | — |
| Terminal (in-person) | ✓ | — |
| Stripe Checkout | ✓ | — |
| In-person POS | — | ✓ |
| Online payments | — | ✓ |
| Inventory management | — | ✓ |
| Payroll | — | ✓ |
| Appointments | — | ✓ |
Stripe Pros and Cons vs Square
Stripe
Square
Should You Use Stripe or Square?
Choose Stripe if…
- •Best developer experience
- •Excellent documentation
- •Webhooks and APIs
Choose Square if…
- •Best in-person payment hardware
- •Free POS app
- •Good for retail/food