Stripe vs Square: Fees Compared, and What Beats Both
Stripe and Square both sell simplicity at a flat rate. Here is what each one actually charges, sale by sale and month by month, and why the cheaper of the two is still not cheap.
On a $100 sale in person, Stripe and Square both take $2.75. Online, Stripe takes $3.20 and Square’s Free plan takes $3.60. The same $100 on interchange plus 5 basis points costs about $2.46. Choosing between Stripe and Square is choosing between two flat rates. The real saving is in leaving flat-rate pricing behind.
Stripe vs Square fees in brief
- In person: Stripe charges 2.7% plus 5 cents on Stripe Terminal. Square charges 2.6% plus 15 cents on its Free plan, less on its paid plans.
- Online: Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents. Square charges 3.3% plus 30 cents on Free, and 2.9% plus 30 cents on Plus and Premium.
- Keyed in: Stripe adds 0.5% to its online rate, for 3.4% plus 30 cents. Square charges 3.5% plus 15 cents.
- Monthly fee: none on Stripe’s standard pricing. Square Free is $0, Plus is $49 and Premium is $149, each per location.
- Disputes: Stripe charges $15 per dispute. Square does not charge a chargeback fee.
- Neither passes through the actual cost of each card. Both charge the same rate on a cheap debit card as on a premium rewards card.
Stripe vs Square fees, side by side
Both companies publish their standard US prices. Here they are as we checked them in September 2026.
| Fee | Stripe | Square |
|---|---|---|
| In person | 2.7% + 5¢ (Terminal) | 2.6% + 15¢ Free, 2.5% Plus, 2.4% Premium |
| Online | 2.9% + 30¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ Free, 2.9% + 30¢ Plus and Premium |
| Keyed in or card on file | 3.4% + 30¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| International card | +1.5%, plus 1% if converted | Not listed separately on Square’s US pricing page |
| ACH bank payment | 0.8%, capped at $5 | 1% on invoices, $1 minimum (capped at $10 on Plus and Premium) |
| Dispute or chargeback | $15.00 | No fee |
| Monthly plan | None | $0 Free, $49 Plus, $149 Premium, per location |
| Contract | None | None |
Sources: Stripe’s and Square’s published US pricing pages, checked September 2026. Custom pricing is available from both to larger businesses.
What Stripe and Square take from a $20, $100 and $500 sale
Because the two split their fees differently, which one costs less depends on the size of the sale. Stripe’s in-person per-sale fee is 5 cents to Square’s 15, so Stripe costs less on small sales. Square’s percentage is lower, so Square costs less on large ones. At $100 they meet.
| Sale | $20 | $100 | $500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe, in person | $0.59 | $2.75 | $13.55 |
| Square Free, in person | $0.67 | $2.75 | $13.15 |
| Stripe, online | $0.88 | $3.20 | $14.80 |
| Square Free, online | $0.96 | $3.60 | $16.80 |
| Interchange + 5 bps | $0.51 | $2.46 | $12.22 |
Interchange-plus figures use the 2.25% blended interchange we typically see in audits, plus about 0.14% in card network fees, about 2 cents per sale in network per-item fees, and a 0.05% markup. Your own interchange depends on your card mix. In-person sales usually carry lower interchange than online sales.
Which is cheaper, Stripe or Square?
In person, it depends on your average sale. Below $100, Stripe’s lower per-sale fee makes it slightly cheaper than Square Free. Above $100, Square’s lower percentage wins. Square’s paid plans lower its in-person rate further, but only pay for themselves at high volume. Square Plus needs about $49,000 a month in person per location before its lower rate covers its $49 fee.
Online, Stripe is cheaper than Square Free. Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents to Square Free’s 3.3% plus 30 cents. Square Plus matches Stripe’s online rate, for $49 a month per location.
Keyed in, they are nearly identical. On a $100 sale, Stripe takes $3.70 and Square takes $3.65.
The gap between Stripe and Square is a few cents a sale. The gap between either one and interchange plus 5 basis points is much wider, and it grows with every sale.
What $50,000 a month costs on each
Here is a business taking $50,000 a month in card sales at a $50 average sale, which is 1,000 sales a month.
| How the business is priced | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe, all in person | $1,400 | $16,800 |
| Square Free, all in person | $1,450 | $17,400 |
| Stripe, all online | $1,750 | $21,000 |
| Square Free, all online | $1,950 | $23,400 |
| Interchange + 5 bps | $1,240 | $14,880 |
Moving between Stripe and Square changes this business’s costs by $600 to $2,400 a year. Moving off flat-rate pricing onto interchange plus 5 basis points saves roughly $1,900 to $8,500 a year, depending on how it takes payments.
Why both are easy, and why that costs you
Stripe and Square grew for the same reason: they are easy. Programmers and IT departments push for Stripe because it connects in an afternoon. Square’s reader arrives in the mail and works in minutes.
But easy is not the same as affordable. Choosing a processor because it is easy is like doing your Thanksgiving shopping at the corner convenience store. Everything is right there, and you pay a premium on every item in the cart. The setup happens once. The premium is paid every month, on every sale, for as long as you stay.
Both are also bundled platforms. The payments, the gateway and often the software are fused into one stack, with no interchange line to negotiate against. When the business grows, getting out means rebuilding the stack, and that switching pain is what bundled platforms count on.
The timing matters too. With some economists forecasting a 2030 Great Depression, now is the time to fix your cost structure before the storm arrives, not lock in a higher one because it was easier to set up.
A low rate is not the same as a low cost
The interchange-plus figures on this page assume an account priced honestly: real interchange, network fees passed through at cost, and a 5 basis point markup. That is the benchmark, explained in full in our guide to interchange plus pricing. It is not what most merchants get, even when the rate they were quoted looks this good.
Processors can quote a low discount rate and win the money back elsewhere. They mark up the network fees that are supposed to pass through at cost. They add fees with official-sounding names that no card network charges. They raise fees a few months after the contract is signed, when nobody is watching the statement.
Card processing pricing is largely unregulated, and overbilling is common. Negotiating a lower rate does not stop any of it.
We explain how that works in How can I have the lowest discount rate and the worst deal?
Run your own numbers
The Stripe fee calculator and the Square fee calculator take your own monthly sales and average sale, and show what interchange plus 5 basis points would save. On another processor, use the credit card processing fee calculator. For every Stripe charge line by line, see our page on Stripe fees. For how each company behaves, including holds, reserves and complaints, see our Stripe rating and Square rating.
Common questions
How much is the Stripe fee for $100?
Stripe’s fee on a $100 online payment is $3.20, which is 2.9% plus 30 cents. In person on Stripe Terminal it is $2.75, which is 2.7% plus 5 cents. If the card is keyed in by hand it is $3.70.
How much does Square take from a $100 sale?
On the Square Free plan, Square takes $2.75 from a $100 in-person sale, which is 2.6% plus 15 cents. Online it takes $3.60 on Free, or $3.20 on Plus and Premium. Keyed in or card on file, it takes $3.65.
Is Stripe cheaper than Square?
Online, yes: Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents to Square Free’s 3.3% plus 30 cents. In person, Stripe is slightly cheaper on sales under $100 and Square is slightly cheaper on sales over $100. Both cost more than interchange plus 5 basis points at any volume.
What are the downsides of using Stripe?
Stripe charges one flat rate on every card, adds separate fees for keyed, international and converted payments, disputes and optional products, and bundles payments into one stack that is hard to leave as a business grows. There is no interchange line to negotiate against on its standard pricing.
What are the downsides of using Square?
Square also charges one flat rate on every card, and its lowest rates require a monthly plan per location. It is a payment aggregator, so your business processes under Square’s master account, and Square’s terms give it wide discretion over holds, reserves and payouts.
Is there anything cheaper than Stripe and Square?
Yes. An interchange-plus account priced at interchange plus 5 basis points, with network fees passed through at cost, costs less than either flat rate at every volume. The catch is that many interchange-plus accounts are not priced honestly, so the statement has to be checked.
Cite this page
How these figures were built. Stripe and Square rates are taken from each company’s published US pricing page as checked in September 2026. Worked examples apply those rates to the sale amounts shown. Interchange-plus figures use the blended interchange weAudit typically sees in client audits, with estimated network fees. Results are estimates, not quotes.
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