Square's 2026 US plans
Square Free has no monthly fee and charges 2.6% + 15¢ in person, 3.3% + 30¢ online and on invoices, and 3.5% + 15¢ for keyed-in or card-on-file payments. Square Plus ($49 per location per month) lowers in-person to 2.5% + 15¢ and online and invoices to 2.9% + 30¢. Square Premium ($149 per location per month) lowers in-person further to 2.4% + 15¢. Keyed-in payments cost 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan.
When does upgrading pay off?
A plan pays for itself when the rate saving on your volume exceeds the subscription:
- Free → Plus, in person: saves 0.1% of volume, so it only pays off above $49,000 a month of in-person sales.
- Free → Plus, online or invoices: saves 0.4%, so it pays off above $12,250 a month.
- Free → Premium, in person: saves 0.2%, so it pays off above $74,500 a month.
Paid plans also include software features (advanced reporting, staff tools, online-store features). If you need those anyway, the rate saving is a bonus. If you only want lower fees, the thresholds above are what matter.
Worked example
A café takes $20,000 a month in person across 800 payments (about $25 each). On Square Free it pays $20,000 × 2.6% + 800 × $0.15 = $640. On Plus it pays $500 + $120 + $49 = $669, and on Premium $480 + $120 + $149 = $749. Free is cheapest by $29 a month.
An online shop with $15,000 a month over 300 orders pays $585 on Free but $574 on Plus. Here upgrading saves money.
To see whether Square beats Stripe or PayPal at your volume, use the payment processing fee comparison. For individual payments, see the Stripe and PayPal fee calculators.
Limitations
Rates are Square's published US prices for the Free, Plus and Premium plans. Premium and high-volume businesses can negotiate custom rates. Afterpay (6% + 30¢), ACH bank transfers (1%, $1 minimum), EBT, hardware, instant transfers and add-on software are not included. Plan prices are per location.
Sources
Square pricing and Square processing fees (US), checked October 7, 2026.