Payment processor head-to-head
Stripe vs Square
Stripe is built for selling online through code; Square for selling across a counter. Their published US rates differ by just enough to matter, so every fee below is computed from each company's own pricing, sale size by sale size, with where each one wins.
Updated October 2026. Figures from each company's published US pricing; where a figure is not published, we say so.
Stripe
$3.20
2.9% + 30¢
Square
$3.60
3.3% + 30¢
Anytime Capital
$3.05
2.75% + 30¢
Stripe costs less at every sale size.
Quick answer
Is Stripe or Square cheaper?
Online, Stripe: its standard 2.9% + 30¢ is below Square's Free-plan 3.3% + 30¢, so a $100 sale costs $3.20 on Stripe and $3.60 on Square. In person it flips above $100, where Square's 2.6% + 15¢ costs less than Stripe Terminal's 2.7% + 5¢. Square pays out free the next business day; Stripe's standard schedule is two days.
Online card payment: what a $100 sale costs
Percentage plus fixed fee, as a share of a $100 sale, at each published US rate
- Anytime Capital
- Stripe
- Square
Published US rates as of October 2026. Anytime Capital: 2.75% + 30¢, or 2.5% + 30¢ for the first 90 days with the launch offer. Excludes international, currency-conversion, dispute and payout fees, and any monthly plan.
Published fees
Stripe vs Square fees, line by line
| Fee | Stripe | Square | Anytime Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online card rate | 2.9% + 30¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ on Free; 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium | 2.75% + 30¢ (2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days with the launch offer) |
| In person | 2.7% + 5¢ on Stripe Terminal; Tap to Pay adds 10¢ per authorization | 2.6% + 15¢ Free, 2.5% + 15¢ Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ Premium | Customers scan and tap to pay on their own phone; no terminal to buy or rent |
| ACH bank payments | 0.8%, capped at $5 | 1% on invoices ($1 minimum; capped at $10 on Plus and Premium) | ACH bank debit on payment links and invoices; current rate on the pricing page |
| International cards | +1.5% on international cards | Not published for 2026 | May carry an extra fee, shown in your dashboard before you accept the payment |
| Currency conversion | +1% when currency conversion is needed | Not published | May carry an extra fee, shown in your dashboard before you accept the payment |
| Instant payout | 1.5% of the payout, 50¢ minimum (US) | 1.95% of the transfer | Instant, 24/7, to your Anytime Capital business account |
| Disputes | $15 per dispute, plus a counter fee to contest one (refunded if you win) | No dispute fee today; the processing fee is lost if you lose | Shown in your dashboard; pre-dispute alerts can refund small payments automatically |
| Monthly fee | $0 on standard pricing | $0 Free, $49 Plus, $149 Premium, per location | $0: no monthly, setup or PCI fees |
US pricing as of October 2026. “Not published” means no official figure was found, not that the fee is zero.
Sale by sale
What each one costs, at every sale size
01Online card payment
| Sale | Stripe2.9% + 30¢ | Square3.3% + 30¢ | Anytime Capital2.75% + 30¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.59 | $0.63 | $0.58 |
| $25 | $1.03 | $1.13 | $0.99 |
| $50 | $1.75 | $1.95 | $1.68 |
| $100 | $3.20 | $3.60 | $3.05 |
| $250 | $7.55 | $8.55 | $7.18 |
| $1,000 | $29.30 | $33.30 | $27.80 |
Stripe costs less at every sale size.
Square's Free plan. Square Plus ($49 a month per location) and Premium ($149) charge 2.9% + 30¢ online, the same as Stripe.
02In-person card payment
| Sale | Stripe2.7% + 5¢ | Square2.6% + 15¢ |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.32 | $0.41 |
| $25 | $0.73 | $0.80 |
| $50 | $1.40 | $1.45 |
| $100 | $2.75 | $2.75 |
| $250 | $6.80 | $6.65 |
| $1,000 | $27.05 | $26.15 |
Below $100 a sale, Stripe costs less; above it, Square does.
Stripe Terminal readers; Tap to Pay on phones adds 10¢ per authorization. Square's Free plan; Plus is 2.5% + 15¢ and Premium 2.4% + 15¢.
03ACH bank payment
| Sale | Stripe0.8%, capped at $5 | Square1%, $1 minimum |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $0.80 | $1.00 |
| $500 | $4.00 | $5.00 |
| $1,000 | $5.00 | $10.00 |
| $2,500 | $5.00 | $25.00 |
| $5,000 | $5.00 | $50.00 |
Stripe costs less at every amount shown.
Stripe's ACH Direct Debit. Square takes ACH on invoices; Plus and Premium cap it at $10.
The short version
Which to choose
Choose Stripe if
- You sell online or in an app and have developers: Stripe has the broadest payments API, with Connect for paying out sellers and Billing for complicated subscriptions.
- You sell in many countries and want local payment methods and currencies through one integration.
- Most of your card sales are online, where Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ is below Square's Free-plan 3.3% + 30¢ with no monthly plan.
Choose Square if
- You take most of your money in person and want free point-of-sale software, free Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, and a $59 reader.
- Your in-person sales average more than $100, where Square's 2.6% + 15¢ costs less than Stripe Terminal's 2.7% + 5¢.
- You want free next-business-day transfers to your bank without paying for instant payouts.
Online, Stripe costs less unless you pay for Square Plus
Square charges 3.3% + 30¢ for online and invoice payments on its Free plan, and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus ($49 a month per location) and Premium ($149). Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ needs no plan, so Square only matches it once you pay a monthly fee. At that point the choice is about tools: Stripe's checkout, API and subscription billing against Square's online selling tied to its point of sale.
Buyers abroad cost more on Stripe, which adds 1.5% on international cards and 1% when currency conversion is needed. Square does not publish an international surcharge for 2026, which is not the same as not charging one, so ask before you rely on it.
In person, Square's hardware against Stripe's integration
Square was built for the counter. Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android is free, Square Reader is $59 and Square Terminal $299 or $27 a month for 12 months, with point-of-sale, inventory and staff tools in the same app. Stripe Terminal suits businesses already running on Stripe that want in-person payments in the same account and reports; Tap to Pay on phones adds 10¢ per authorization.
On the published rates, Stripe Terminal's 2.7% + 5¢ costs less on sales under $100 and Square's 2.6% + 15¢ costs less above it. Square Plus (2.5% + 15¢) and Premium (2.4% + 15¢) go lower again for businesses paying those monthly fees.
Payouts, disputes and support
Square transfers sales to your bank free the next business day, and instant transfers cost 1.95% of the amount. Stripe's standard schedule is two days for many lower-risk US businesses, after a seven-day wait for a new account's first payout; Instant Payouts cost 1.5% (50¢ minimum) and usually land within 30 minutes.
Stripe charges $15 per dispute, plus a counter fee to contest one that is refunded if you win. Square charges no dispute fee today, though you lose the processing fee on a dispute you lose. Stripe offers free 24/7 email, chat and phone support; Square's 24/7 priority phone support comes with Premium.
At a glance
The two side by side
| Stripe | Square | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Developer-first online payments platform with the broadest API | Point of sale and payments for in-person sellers, from Block |
| Background | Founded 2010; headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin. | Founded 2009 in Oakland, California; part of Block, Inc. |
| Payout speed | A 2-day standard schedule for many lower-risk US businesses (up to 14 days for higher-risk ones), after a 7-day wait for a new account's first payout. Instant Payouts usually land within 30 minutes, up to 10 a day. | Free next-business-day transfers to your bank; instant transfers for 1.95% of the amount (up to $10,000; new sellers one a day, up to $2,000) |
| Payment methods | Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, Affirm, ACH Direct Debit, a long list of local payment methods, and stablecoin payments in the US | Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App Pay, Afterpay (6% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium), gift cards, ACH on invoices, and bitcoin for US sellers outside New York |
| Fraud tools | Radar machine-learning screening included; Radar for Fraud Teams adds custom rules and manual review for 2¢ per screened transaction on standard pricing; 3D Secure supported | Not priced on the pages we reviewed |
| Point of sale | Stripe Terminal card readers and Tap to Pay on phones | Free Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android; Square Reader $59; Square Terminal $299 or $27 a month for 12 months |
| Support | Free 24/7 email, chat and phone support; Premium Support with a dedicated manager, priced on request | 24/7 priority phone support on Premium |
The third option
Where Anytime Capital fits
If most of your sales are online, by invoice or by payment link, Anytime Capital Payments is a third option to price: 2.75% + 30¢ per US card or wallet payment with no monthly, setup or PCI fees (2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days), sales that sweep instantly into an Anytime Capital business account, nights and weekends included, and supplier payouts on local rails in 71+ countries.
It is not the right pick for everyone. Square's hardware and in-person rates suit a busy counter, and Stripe's API is broader. Anytime Capital is a fintech company, not a bank.
Launch offer
Try Anytime Capital Payments: 2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days
Then 2.75% + 30¢ per card or wallet payment, with no monthly, setup or PCI fees. Links, invoices and in-person payments from day one, payouts to your bank (instant where eligible), and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync.
- 2.75% + 30¢ online, 2.5% + 30¢ for 90 days
- No monthly, setup or PCI fees
- Payouts to your bank, instant where eligible
- Live US business team
Questions
Stripe vs Square: FAQ
Other head-to-heads
Where to go next
Important Disclosures
- Information about Stripe and Square is drawn from their own published US pricing and pages (stripe.com/pricing, stripe.com/terminal, stripe.com/radar/fraud-teams, stripe.com/support-plans, docs.stripe.com/payouts and Stripe's Sessions 2026 announcements; squareup.com/us/en/pricing, Square's help center articles on fees, deposit options and payment disputes, squareup.com/us/en/hardware and squareup.com/us/en/payments/instant-transfers) as of October 2026. Prices and features change; where a figure was not published, this page says so rather than giving a number. Check current pricing before you decide.
- Anytime Capital, Stripe and Square are independent companies. This page is not endorsed by, affiliated with or sponsored by Stripe or Square. Third-party names, logos and trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify the companies compared.
- This comparison is for information only and is not financial, tax or legal advice.
- Anytime Capital is a fintech company, not a bank. Payment processing, banking and payout services are provided by Anytime Capital's licensed partners. Rates shown are for US card payments; international cards, currency conversion and disputes may carry additional fees shown in your dashboard before you accept a payment.