Square Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Square alternatives: Helcim, SumUp, Loyverse, Shopify and 2 more. Prices and licenses checked October 22, 2026.
•3 min read•Accounting & Payments
Verdict:Square's Free plan has no monthly fee, which makes it the default for small shops, and the rates are the reason people look elsewhere: 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online add up as sales grow. If you are card-present most of the time, SumUp is the closest swap and shaves 5¢ per in-person sale, though its extra POS plans start at $49 a month. Helcim is the one to price if you process more than a few thousand dollars a month: its interchange-plus markup falls as volume rises, and it charges no monthly fee, but it only serves the US and Canada. Loyverse is the pick when you want a free till and already have, or can attach, your own card processor, since its pricing page lists no processing rates. If your business is really an online store with a small physical side, Shopify Basic at $29 a month billed yearly gives you a better storefront than Square Online, at the cost of a monthly bill. Stripe and PayPal fit best when the physical till is an afterthought. The trade-off is the bundle: Square puts payments, booking, invoicing and banking in one login, and replacing it usually means gluing two or three tools together. Hardware also does not carry over, so budget for new readers.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helcim | Free (no monthly, PCI or statement fees; interchange plus 0.40% + 8¢ in person and 0.50% + 25¢ online at $0-$50K monthly volume) | Web, iOS, Android | Shops whose card volume is growing | Docs only |
| SumUp | Free (Free plan at $0/month; in-person 2.6% + 10¢, online or manual entry 3.5% + 15¢); paid from $49 per month (POS Plus plan) | Web, iOS, Android | Small shops that mostly take card-present payments | Docs only |
| Loyverse | Free (core POS free; paid add-ons per store); paid from $5 per month per store (unlimited sales history add-on) | Web, iOS, Android | Cafes and retail shops that want a free POS | Docs only |
| Shopify | Paid from $29 per month, billed yearly (Basic; $39 billed monthly) | Web, iOS, Android | Businesses where the online store matters most | Docs only |
| Stripe | Free (no setup or monthly fee; 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction) | Web API | Online sellers who need a flexible API | Docs only |
| PayPal | Free (no monthly fee for standard checkout; 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout, 2.99% + $0.49 for standard card payments (US domestic)) | Web | Online sales where buyers want PayPal | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You run a cafe or small shop and want a free POS (Loyverse is the pick)
- Your card volume has outgrown flat rates (Helcim is the pick)
- You mostly take cards in person and want slightly lower rates (SumUp is the pick)
- Your store is mainly online (Shopify is the pick)
- You sell mostly online and want a developer-friendly API (Stripe is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Square features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Square today: Free (Free plan with no monthly fee; in-person 2.6% + 15¢, online 3.3% + 30¢, keyed-in 3.5% + 15¢) (Square pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for Square alternatives
On Square's Free plan, in-person card payments cost 2.6% + 15¢, online payments and card invoices 3.3% + 30¢, and keyed-in or card-on-file payments 3.5% + 15¢, a rate that is the same on every plan listed. ACH bank transfers through invoices cost 1% with a $1 minimum. Paid plans lower some in-person and online rates, but the page gave no plan prices, so the saving cannot be weighed against the monthly cost.
Helcim
Compared with Square: Helcim has no monthly or PCI fees and prices at interchange plus 0.40% + 8¢ in person at low volume, against Square's flat 2.6% + 15¢. You can pay less as volume grows; you lose Square's broad hardware and free-plan extras. US and Canada only.
Price: Free (no monthly, PCI or statement fees; interchange plus 0.40% + 8¢ in person and 0.50% + 25¢ online at $0-$50K monthly volume) (Helcim pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Shops whose card volume is growing.
Worth knowing: US and Canada merchants.
SumUp
Compared with Square: SumUp's Free plan charges 2.6% + 10¢ in person, 5¢ less per sale than Square's 2.6% + 15¢. Online it is 3.5% + 15¢ against Square's 3.3% + 30¢. A Plus POS plan costs $49 a month; Square's business tools are broader.
Price: Free (Free plan at $0/month; in-person 2.6% + 10¢, online or manual entry 3.5% + 15¢); paid from $49 per month (POS Plus plan) (SumUp pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Small shops that mostly take card-present payments.
Loyverse
Compared with Square: Loyverse's core POS is free with paid add-ons, such as advanced inventory at $25 a month per store. It does not list its own processing rates, so you connect a separate payment provider. Square bundles payments; Loyverse is cheaper if you already have a processor.
Price: Free (core POS free; paid add-ons per store); paid from $5 per month per store (unlimited sales history add-on) (Loyverse pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Cafes and retail shops that want a free POS.
Shopify
Compared with Square: Shopify Basic is $29 a month billed yearly and bills card payments at 2.6% + 10¢ in person and 2.9% + 30¢ online. You lose Square's no-monthly-fee Free plan, but gain a much stronger online store builder.
Price: Paid from $29 per month, billed yearly (Basic; $39 billed monthly) (Shopify pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Businesses where the online store matters most.
Worth knowing: Basic plan card rates: online 2.9% + 30¢, in person 2.6% + 10¢. Trial is 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months.
Stripe
Compared with Square: Stripe has no monthly fee and charges 2.9% + 30¢ online, a better developer platform than Square. It is weaker as a ready-made till: if you need a full POS, Square's hardware and in-person tools are easier to start with.
Price: Free (no setup or monthly fee; 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction) (Stripe pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web API. Proprietary.
Best for: Online sellers who need a flexible API.
Worth knowing: Pay-per-transaction pricing; international cards add 1.5%, manually entered cards add 0.5%.
PayPal
Compared with Square: PayPal charges 2.99% + $0.49 for standard online card payments and has no monthly fee for checkout, so it costs more per small sale than Square online. You gain the PayPal wallet; you lose Square's integrated in-person and booking tools.
Price: Free (no monthly fee for standard checkout; 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout, 2.99% + $0.49 for standard card payments (US domestic)) (PayPal pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Online sales where buyers want PayPal.
Which one to pick
- You run a cafe or small shop and want a free POS: Loyverse
- Your card volume has outgrown flat rates: Helcim
- You mostly take cards in person and want slightly lower rates: SumUp
- Your store is mainly online: Shopify
- You sell mostly online and want a developer-friendly API: Stripe
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Helcim, SumUp, Loyverse, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Square. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked 2026-10-22: Square, Helcim, SumUp, Loyverse, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.