Stripe vs. Square: The Battle of 2 Credit Card Processors

You must process payments whether you are a brick-and-mortar store owner or an eCommerce merchant. With many payment options available, using a payment processor versatile enough to meet your business needs is essential.

Developers have created payment processors to help all business owners process payments seamlessly and at no charge. Stripe and Square are part of two popular ones that provide merchants easy access to receive payments through credit cards and other channels. But how do you decide the best one for your business? Don't look too far. We have compiled a Stripe vs. Square comparison so that you can determine the one that best suits your business needs.

What's Square?

Square's slogan, 'Make Commerce Easy,' targets Square's mission of providing easy payment methods for merchants. Square is an end-to-end payment processor that initially started to provide an easy and cheap payment processor for small business owners.

So far, Square has expanded to accommodate businesses of all types and sizes. Square is easy to use and has a point of sales (POS) system that allows eCommerce merchants to receive payments using a smart device to read credit cards. Some of the other upsides of Square include:

• Accepts every payment method like credit cards, apple or google pay, Cash App pay, etc. at the same rate
• Completes deposit as soon as the next business day
• No monthly charge
• Syncs with sales and inventory automatically
• Available customer support

Square offers benefits for many small business owners. First, Square has a flat fee option of 2.6% and $0.10 per transaction and does not charge users monthly. It is also fast and easy to operate, and you can get it running in no time.

What's Stripe?

Stripe is an internet payment processing service designed to help online business owners handle payment. Although Stripe has eventually launched a point-of-sale solution, it was not initially created for an in-person transaction, a core feature that sets it apart from Square.

Stripe operates by transferring money between merchant accounts and an available payment processor through credit or debit cards. These are other features and benefits that business owners enjoy by using Stripe.

• Available customer support
• Multiple payment options
• Integrations with accounting software
• Mobile compatible
• Developer-friendly API sites
• Integrations with third-party apps
• POS credit and debit card readers

Apart from its effortless payment option, Stripe is cloud-based and secured. It is compatible with both applications and business websites. Users benefit from its developer functions, such as easy integrations with online payment processing tools and plugins. Like Square, Stripe does not charge monthly. Instead, users are charged per transaction. Stripe charges a flat 2.9% and $0.30 per transaction.

What's the Difference between Stripe vs. Square?

Choosing the better payment processor for your business can be challenging, especially when you have more than one option. While small business owners that use POS to process payments tend to prefer Square, the features of Stripe seem more beneficial to online business owners. Business owners that use Stripe include Amazon, Shopify, Lyft, and Airbnb.

To help you make an informed choice, we will highlight the differences in both Square and Stripe so that you can best determine the best one for your business.

As mentioned earlier, both Stripe and Square are great options, but the one you choose depends on your business's needs. If you run a retail business or a brick-and-mortar store and need an accessible payment processor, then you should consider Square. Its POS software and management tools also come in handy for helping you run your day-to-day business and payment needs.

However, if your business is run online and you constantly use third-party to get work done, Stripe is the better option for you. It also helps if you have substantial knowledge in coding to use Stripe.

Related post: Square vs. PayPal: What You Need to Know

What's the Difference between Stripe vs. PayPal vs. Square?

When people compare Stripe vs. Square, there is always that possibility that they are considering Paypal. There is no denying that Paypal is a payment giant with over 400 million active users and, therefore, the most popular of the three. However, there are things you should know before making your decision. Let us consider these yardsticks.

Business Type

Of these three, Stripe is the best for businesses that operate online. Square is great for small businesses, while PayPal offers an excellent checkout option for existing sites.

Payment Solution

Here, we highlight the basic payment functions of Stripe, Square, and Paypal so that you can choose according to your business needs. As a payment solution, Stripe needs to be integrated with third-party tools. Square is an all-in-one solution that lets you accept payments via a payment link. On the other hand, Paypal offers POS options and allows you to add payments to your website.

Pricing

Both Stripe and Square charge 2.9% and 30 cents per transaction. While PayPal charges 1.99% and 49 cents to 3.49% and 49 per transaction.

Using Stripe vs. Square with Easyship

After comparing Stripe vs. Square, it is likely that you already know the best one that can provide the needed benefits for your business. While the functions of Stripe may outweigh that of Square, it might not be the best option for you if your business does need all the functions. On the other hand, if you always need to integrate with other apps, go for Stripe.

Easyship integrates perfectly with eCommerce stores and marketplaces, so you are assured of having a hassle-free logistics experience. So, whether you use Stripe, Square, or even PayPal to process payments, Easyship helps you perfect your customers' experience. From checkout to delivery, these Easyship tools are there to save the day.

Free Shipping Rates Calculator: Access high-volume discounts from major couriers. Plus, get instant access to delivery lead times from premium shipping couriers

Global Fulfillment: Easyship has warehouse partners on four continents to reach customers worldwide. Plus, Easyship helps scale up fulfillment capabilities without increasing overhead costs

Shipping Policy Generator: Our shipping policy generator helps merchants and crowdfunding campaigns generate their shipping policy by providing tracking and insurance options, plus other vital information for your shipping process

Ready to ship? Sign up for a FREE Easyship account and get instant access to high-volume discounts up to 91% off for hundreds of shipping companies.