Software solution

Square Point of Sale

A flexible U.S. checkout hub for selling in person, online, and on the move

Square Point of Sale gives a small business one place to ring up products, services, menu items, or custom amounts, then track sales, inventory, customers, and reports as the business grows. The free Square Free plan can start without a monthly subscription or dedicated hardware: sellers can use the app, key in a card, or accept contactless payments with Tap to Pay on a compatible phone.

Contact Sales Create Free Account

Built for your day-to-day

How it fits your business

Businesses that need lower card-present rates or deeper industry tools can move to Square Plus or Premium. Food sellers can use restaurant modes for quick orders, tables, courses, or bar tabs; retailers get advanced inventory tools; and service businesses can connect bookings, invoices, estimates, and contracts.

Key capabilities

What you can do

Start with the essentials
The Square Free plan provides the core POS app, item library, payments, website builder with SEO tools, and essential sales workflows without a monthly subscription; you pay when you take a payment.
Use an industry-ready checkout mode
Square Point of Sale can switch between standard, restaurant, retail, bookings, and services modes. That lets a quick-service counter prioritize fast order entry, a full-service restaurant manage tables and courses, or a service business follow invoices and estimates instead of forcing every business into the same screen layout.
Take payments where the sale happens
Accept tap, dip, or swipe payments with Square hardware, or use Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android without an additional reader. Square also supports remote payment routes such as invoices, payment links, virtual terminal, manual entry, and card on file, with different processing rates.
Connect checkout to day-to-day operations
The platform combines an item library, inventory visibility, discounts and refunds, sales reporting, customer data, and optional marketing, online selling, staff, and banking products. Retailers can use low-stock alerts and vendor sales reports, while food businesses can connect front- and back-of-house workflows.
Add hardware as volume and layout demand it
Square offers a portable Reader, counter-focused Terminal or Register, mobile Handheld, iPad-based Stand, and a self-service Kiosk. Hardware is optional for starting, but a dedicated device can make a busy counter, table-side service, retail floor, or self-ordering area more consistent.

Explore the details

Product details

Plans, subscriptions, and transaction costs

Square Free is $0 per month per location. Square Plus is $49 per month per location and Square Premium is $149 per month per location; Square states that Plus and Premium offer a 30-day free trial and that plans can be changed or canceled. On the published new-plan schedule, card-present tap, dip, or swipe pricing is 2.6% + $0.15 on Free, 2.5% + $0.15 on Plus, and 2.4% + $0.15 on Premium. Online or invoice card payments are 3.3% + $0.30 on Free and 2.9% + $0.30 on Plus/Premium. Manual entry or card-on-file payments are 3.5% + $0.15 on all three tiers. ACH by invoice is 1% with a $1 minimum; Plus/Premium show a $10 fee cap, while ACH via API is 1% with a $1 minimum and $5 cap. Afterpay is 6% + $0.30. Cash and checks are free. An additional 1.5% applies to cards issued outside the U.S. Gift-card load fees are 2.5% on Free/Plus and 0% on Premium. Rates can differ on legacy plans or custom pricing.

Hardware and compatibility

Official U.S. list pricing is $59 for Square Reader for contactless and chip, $149 for Square Stand, $299 for Square Terminal, $399 for Square Handheld, $899 for Square Register (2nd generation), and $1,999 including a counter stand for Square Kiosk. The Reader connects by Bluetooth LE to iOS 16.0+ or Android 9.0+; Stand requires a compatible USB-C iPad; Terminal, Handheld, Register, and Kiosk are standalone devices with Wi-Fi, with Ethernet options noted for Terminal, Register, and Kiosk. Square Kiosk requires an active Square Plus or Premium subscription; Kiosk Lite requires Plus or Premium and runs on supported Stand setups. Financing is subject to credit approval and stated state, amount, APR, and term restrictions.

Eligibility and meaningful limitations

Square card processing must be used in the country where the account was activated, and Square Point of Sale cannot change an existing account's country or process multiple currencies in the app. The U.S. is a supported processing country, and the account's country controls currency formatting. Offline payments are supported on eligible setups, but they are automatically processed after reconnection and will be declined if the device is not reconnected within 24 hours of the first offline payment; the seller carries the risk of expired, declined, or disputed offline payments. Offline payments are not supported on older first-generation Square contactless-and-chip Readers. Hardware is country-certified and U.S.-intended hardware is not approved for use in other listed countries.

Plan details

Pricing, fees & eligibility

Explore pricing

Square Free is $0/month per location; Square Plus is $49/month per location; Square Premium is $149/month per location. Plus and Premium have a 30-day free trial. Published rates depend on plan and payment method; legacy plans and sellers processing over $250,000 annually may have different or custom pricing.

Upfront hardware (USD)$59

Monthly software (USD)$0

Fees & eligibility

Card-present tap, dip, or swipe — Square Free
New Square Free plan; card present in person
2.6% + $0.15
Card-present tap, dip, or swipe — Square Plus
Square Plus subscription; card present in person
2.5% + $0.15
Card-present tap, dip, or swipe — Square Premium
Square Premium subscription; card present in person
2.4% + $0.15
Online or invoice card payment
Card-not-present online or invoice payment
3.3% + $0.30 Free; 2.9% + $0.30 Plus/Premium
Manual entry or card on file
Card number manually entered or saved card used
3.5% + $0.15
ACH via invoice
Invoice paid by ACH bank transfer
1%, $1 minimum; $10 cap on Plus/Premium
Afterpay
Afterpay transaction; fixed across subscription types
6% + $0.30
International card surcharge
Card issued outside the U.S. account country
Additional 1.5%
EBT SNAP
Supported in-person EBT SNAP transactions; eligibility and device support apply
1.8% + $0.05
Cash or check
Cash or check tender
Free

Requirements

A U.S. Square account activated in the country where payments are processed.
A compatible iOS or Android device for app-based use, or supported Square hardware.
Square Plus or Premium subscription for Square Kiosk and Square Kiosk Lite.
Internet reconnection within 24 hours when accepting eligible offline payments.
Hardware financing requires credit approval and is not available to merchants in AL, DE, MO, MS, NH, and TN under the cited installment offer.
Sellers processing over $250,000 annually should request Square custom pricing rather than assume published rates.

Prices and fees were checked on official Square U.S. pages on 2026-10-27 and can change; the Square Dashboard rate shown for the seller's location controls the applicable rate.

The $59 hardwareUSD field represents the lowest listed dedicated POS hardware price, Square Reader for contactless and chip; other listed devices cost more.

Square's new Free/Plus/Premium schedule coexists with legacy Restaurant, Retail, and Appointments plans, which may use different rates and feature packaging.

Square says processing fees are deducted from the transaction total, including tax and tip; custom rates may apply after annual sales exceed $250,000.

Offline payments create seller risk for expired, declined, or disputed payments and are not supported on older first-generation contactless-and-chip Readers.

No claim is made here about the site's cash-discounting or surcharge program terms; any such program needs separate agreement and administrator/legal review.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Square Point of Sale without buying Square hardware?

Yes. Square says hardware is not required. A seller can start with the POS app, use Tap to Pay on a compatible iPhone or Android phone, accept remote payments, or manually key a card. A Reader, Terminal, Stand, Handheld, or Register can be added when the workflow needs dedicated checkout equipment.

Which Square plan is required for a small business?

Square Free is the no-monthly-subscription starting point. Plus costs $49 per location per month and Premium costs $149 per location per month, with 30-day trials stated on the pricing page. Plus and Premium can make sense when industry features, lower card-present rates, advanced reporting, or paid Kiosk/KDS functions justify the subscription.

What is the main operational limitation to plan for?

Account country and currency are fixed boundaries: payment processing must occur in the country where the account was activated, and the POS does not support switching currencies inside an account. For outages, eligible offline payments must be brought back online within 24 hours, and the seller assumes the risk of payments that later expire, decline, or are disputed.

Sources & product information

Information as of 2026-10-27. Product details date: 2026-10-27.

Ready when you are

Talk through the options for your business.

Contact Sales Create Free Account

A flexible U.S. checkout hub for selling in person, online, and on the move

How it fits your business

What you can do

Start with the essentials

Use an industry-ready checkout mode

Take payments where the sale happens

Connect checkout to day-to-day operations

Add hardware as volume and layout demand it

Product details

Plans, subscriptions, and transaction costs

Hardware and compatibility

Eligibility and meaningful limitations

Pricing, fees & eligibility

Fees & eligibility

Requirements

Frequently asked questions

Explore related solutions

Recommended hardware

Square Reader for contactless and chip

Square Reader for magstripe

Square Terminal

Square Handheld

Square Stand

Square Register (2nd generation)

Square Kiosk — new 21.5-inch AI self-service kiosk

Related software

Square Restaurant POS

Square Retail POS

Square Appointments

Square Kitchen Display System

Square Websites

Square Marketing

Square Payroll

Square Shifts

Related business types

Bars & Breweries

Full Service

Quick Service

Barbershop

Beauty Salon

Hair Salon

Professional Services

Talk through the options for your business.