Stripe vs Square

Stripe and Square both offer online and in-person payment tools. For a UK SME, the useful distinction is the setup you need: a configured sales system, a custom payment workflow, or a mixture of the two. Compare actual products and the work needed to run them rather than declaring a universal winner.

Consideration	Stripe	Square
Pricing	Published processing rates and custom offers	Processing fees plus Free, Plus or Premium plan choices
Online sales	Checkout, Payment Links and integration options	Check the online-selling tools and plan required
In-person sales	Check the Terminal integration and compatible hardware	Check the POS plan and compatible hardware
Extra costs	Additional products, software and development where needed	Paid plan, additional features and hardware where needed
Selection test	Demonstrate your payment workflow	Demonstrate your sales and checkout workflow

For a shop or cafe, test the counter workflow

Try an ordinary sale, refund, receipt and end-of-day reconciliation using the exact proposed setup. List inventory, staff access, appointments or table-service requirements separately. Confirm which need a paid plan or another application; a card-processing account is not automatically a complete till system.

For a website, establish who maintains it

Identify your ecommerce platform and ask whether the required integration is supported. If you need bespoke subscriptions, platform payments or unusual checkout logic, price the build and ongoing maintenance. If a ready-made workflow meets your needs, include that route in the comparison too.

Use a realistic cost comparison

Compare in-person and online payments separately, then add subscriptions, devices and any implementation work. Use the same card mix and transaction count. For an existing business, include the cost of changing software or hardware you would otherwise keep.

We don't declare a winner. The right provider for your business depends on your turnover, card mix, transaction values and existing contract position. We can review your current deal and compare suitable options from our selected network. No statement or competing quote is needed to get started.

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Sources and checks

Public information checked 2026-10-11. This is a practical comparison guide, not a personalised quote. Your product, sales channel and existing agreement may have different terms.

Provider names and trademarks identify the products discussed; their inclusion does not imply endorsement of this page. Card Payment Connect compares suitable options from a selected provider network, not the whole market. If you choose a provider we introduce, that provider may pay us a referral fee.