Square

The Square POS app is free with no monthly software fee (£0/mo (Plus tiers £49-69)). You pay only when you take a card payment, so it suits businesses with variable trade volumes.

Square charges 1.75% per tapped, dipped or swiped card transaction in the UK, with no separate per-transaction fee on top of the percentage. Keyed-in and online transactions carry a higher rate. Software is £0/mo (Plus tiers £49-69) and there is No lock-in, which is why it suits businesses that want to start without a commitment.

Square hardware starts from Reader £19 / Stand £99 / Terminal £149 / Register £699 for a card reader. Additional terminals can be added at no extra monthly software charge, so the incremental cost of adding a second register is low.

Yes. Square supports an offline mode that queues card transactions locally and processes them once connectivity returns. Payments taken offline are accepted at your own risk: they are only authorised once the connection is restored, so a card that would have been declined can still fail after the customer has left. Square caps how long it will hold offline transactions.

Square is month-to-month with no lock-in contract. You can start, pause, or cancel at any time without early-termination fees.

Square connects with over 300 third-party apps including Xero, QuickBooks and WooCommerce. Most accounting integrations sync sales, taxes and refunds automatically.

Square for Restaurants is a dedicated hospitality module that adds table management, course firing, and floor-plan views. The same Square account covers both retail and restaurant modes, making it versatile for mixed-format venues.