Square vs PayPal
Which payment processing platform is best for your business? Our Square vs PayPal comparison will help you choose the right solution for you.
Online, on the go, over the phone, in your store.
Retail or restaurant. Beauty or bakery. Bricks and mortar, online or a bit of both. Businesses big and small choose Square over PayPal because it helps them solve their trickiest challenges.
Square can help you process all kinds of payments, any way you want, integrating seamlessly with all the tools to help you run your business. Simplicity is a necessity for any business that’s getting started. You can start taking payments without worrying about contracts or hidden fees, no matter whether you sell in person, online or on the go.
Customer relationships
Keep new and existing customers coming back with tools that grow your business.
Omnichannel solutions for your business
Business solutions to sell anywhere and get paid anytime.
Integrate with Square APIs
Leverage our APIs for online, in-app and in-person payments.
How Square compares to PayPal.*
Fees
| Trustpilot scores | SQUARE: 4.1 | PAYPAL 1.3 |
| Online payments cost: | 1.4% + 25p for UK card transactions or 2.5% + 25p for non-UK card transactions | 2.9% + 30p |
| In-person payments cost: | 1.75% for all cards | 1.75% (via Zettle) |
| Recurring transactions: | Transaction cost | Transaction cost + £20 per month |
| Chargeback fees: | none | £14 |
| Next-business-day transfer as standard: | Yes |
Yes |
| Instant transfers – access funds in minutes (for a fee): | Yes |
Yes |
Features and solutions
| SQUARE | PAYPAL | |
| Buy Now, Pay Later: | Yes, with Clearpay | Yes |
| Business financing: | Yes |
Yes |
| Free POS App: | Yes |
Yes |
| All-in-one till system with customer display and built-in software: | Yes |
No |
| Physical and eGift cards: | Yes |
No |
| Free online store: | Yes |
No |
| Website templates: | Yes |
No |
| Payment links: | Yes |
Yes |
| Bespoke retail POS system: | Yes |
No |
| Bespoke restaurant POS system: | Yes |
No |
| Kitchen display system: | Yes |
No |
| Connects with 100+ apps in the app marketplace including popular accounting, order ahead, eCommerce and booking platforms: | Yes |
Yes |
| 25+ APIs for custom online, mobile and in-person workflows: | Yes |
Yes |
Sign up for Square.
Why businesses choose Square over PayPal.
Know what you’ll pay up-front.
With Square, what you see is what you’ll get. We keep things simple across all payment types with one price per in-person contactless or chip and PIN payment. No chargebacks or hidden fees.
Run your business, your way.
Get your online store up and running in minutes. Start a loyalty programme. Manage shifts and inventory. Features like Buy Now, Pay Later, gift cards and appointments are there if you need them.
Omnichannel features in just one platform.
Square makes switching between online and in-store a breeze – and keeps all your data in one place. From real-time reports to customer contacts, it’s all there at your fingertips so you can make accurate business decisions faster than ever before.
Hardware for selling anywhere.
We design and build our hardware in-house, so it all works together seamlessly.
Take contactless payments anywhere with a card reader that pairs directly with your device.
Take payments, print receipts and run your business with a powerful and portable payment terminal.
Get an all-in-one POS register with a dedicated customer display that lets you start selling straight out of the box.
Turn your iPad into a point of sale and take every type of payment.
Square business solutions.
Point-of-sale solutions
The flexible and customisable POS system built for UK businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Online booking software
An app that turns your device into an appointment scheduling powerhouse.
Frequently asked questions
(by people thinking about switching from PayPal to Square)
Switching to Square from PayPal is easier than you think. A Square implementation expert will help you set up hardware and software, connect your existing apps and services, train your staff and get the most out of Square.
Although Square was one of the first to sell mobile card readers and PayPal was known primarily for its online payments, they now offer similar services. It can be hard to know how to choose between them, particularly now that PayPal has its own card reader through Zettle.
But Square offers much more than secure payment processing. Flexibility and scalability are already built in, allowing you to add features if and when you need them. Things like staff management, invoices and appointments will let you expand your business online, at the tap of a screen.
Square easily integrates with other tools and lets you build custom experiences with our APIs and SDKs.
Square is also known for its simple and transparent pricing with no hidden fees or nasty surprises. With Square, what you see is what you get and you only pay for what you need.
Yes, you can accept payments with PayPal on Square Online. And with PayPal’s payment processor, you’ll have access to a more global customer base, allowing a wider range of customers to purchase from your website where their cards may not be accepted.
Taking PayPal payments requires an upgrade on your Square Online site and this walks you through the process step by step. The only things your customers won’t be able to pay for via PayPal are appointments, gift cards and local delivery.
The opposite – they’re free to use. You just pay transaction fees when you process payments at one rate for in-person card payments at 1.75%. For online and in-app payments you pay 1.4% + 25p for transactions with UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for transactions with non-UK cards.
Learn more about how our fees work. There are no other fees or long-term contracts. We also have custom pricing for businesses that make over £200,000 in annual sales – connect with us for more information.
You can go from downloading Square POS to making your first sale by signing up for your free account here. Our hardware works out of the box with no configuration required. You can create your own site with our website builder on Square Online or leverage our Developer APIs to integrate with your existing website or system.
Our Support Centre can help with general questions, and once you have signed up for an account, you can contact our highly trained customer support team via phone or email.
Resources to keep you up to date and on top.
It’s your business. We just want to help you keep doing it.
How Square works
Square connects all sides of your business with easy-to-use tools designed to give you time to focus on what you do best.
Business types
Square business software offers solutions that are essential for all business types, no matter what shape or size.
Compare Square
Learn more about how Square stacks up against other payment providers and business solution tools.
*Competitive data on this page was collected as of 22nd June 2023 and it is based on information found on paypal.com/uk. This information is subject to change or update without notice. Square does not make any representations as to the completeness or accuracy of the information on this page.