Wise
Multi-currency accounts and international money transfers.
Alternatives · 2026
Alternatives to Square
Payments and POS for in-person and online sellers.
8 hand-curated alternatives from MintedSaaS's directory. See the Square listing →
Square is an all-in-one payments and POS platform for in-person and online sellers. Founded in 2009, it processes card transactions at physical registers, via online checkout, and through its mobile app. The product targets independent merchants—coffee shops, boutiques, salons, food trucks—who need to accept payments and track sales in a single system, rather than piecing together separate tools. Square's appeal lies partly in its combined hardware-software approach: you can buy or lease physical card readers, touchscreen registers, and iPad-based POS systems from the same vendor.
Buyers shop for Square alternatives for several reasons: they want lower processing rates, prefer a payments provider without POS bundled in, need better international support, or are evaluating category leaders like Stripe and Braintree that work across online and mobile channels. Some sellers migrate to pure-payments players like Wise or Adyen because they don't need inventory management or table service features. Others choose software-first POS systems that integrate with their preferred payment processor rather than locking into a single vendor. The 8 alternatives listed below range from global payment networks (Adyen, PayPal) to online-focused checkout platforms (Lemon Squeezy, Paddle) to cash-flow platforms that double as payment hubs (Mercury).
What we offer that competes
Braintree
PayPal-owned payment gateway for online and mobile apps.
Adyen
Unified commerce payments platform for global enterprises.
PayPal
Global online payments for businesses and consumers.
Paddle
Merchant-of-record billing platform for SaaS companies.
Lemon Squeezy
Merchant of Record for selling digital products and SaaS.
What to look for
- Whether the processor publishes its transaction fees per card type (standard rate, keyed-in rate, online rate, international rate).
- Whether payment deposits occur daily or weekly, and whether you can withdraw funds early without penalty.
- Whether the processor supports your target markets and currencies without requiring a local bank account.
- Whether the API documentation includes sample code and whether you can test in sandbox mode before going live.
- Whether the processor integrates natively with your POS system, accounting software, or e-commerce platform.
- Whether you can white-label the payment flow, branded checkout page, or receipts, or whether they're always processor-branded.
FAQ
What's the difference between a payment processor and a POS system?
A payment processor like Stripe or Braintree handles card transactions and deposits funds to your bank account. A POS system like Square or Toast adds inventory, staff management, and reporting on top of payments. Square bundles both; Stripe focuses on processing and leaves POS to partners.
Are there free alternatives to Square?
Most payment processors and POS systems charge per-transaction fees (1.5%–3.5% plus $0.25–0.30 per card payment). Wise and PayPal offer lower rates for specific use cases (international transfers, high volume), but no processor is truly free if you're accepting payments.
Which Square alternative is best for online sellers?
Stripe, Braintree, and Adyen excel at online checkout and API-first integrations; Lemon Squeezy and Paddle are purpose-built for digital product sales with built-in affiliate and subscription handling. Square's strength is in-person sales, so online sellers usually outgrow it.
Do Square alternatives work with my existing POS?
Yes. Stripe, Braintree, Adyen, and PayPal all integrate with third-party POS systems via API or payment terminal plugins. Mercury works as a payments hub that connects to accounting software. Lemon Squeezy and Paddle are for digital products only and don't integrate with traditional POS.
What are the best Square alternatives for international payments?
Adyen and Stripe support the most currencies and countries (190+), Wise specializes in cross-border transfers and is ideal for freelancers and small exporters, and PayPal covers most regions but with higher fees. Mercury focuses on USD domestic payments.
Can I switch from Square to another processor without losing sales history?
You can export transaction reports from Square, but you'll typically start a new merchant account with your new processor. The transition is operational, not technical—you'll update your payment terminal, update API keys in your online store, and set up new deposits. Most switches take 1–2 weeks.
What's the learning curve for switching payment processors?
If you're moving from Square to Stripe or Braintree, expect 2–5 days to update hardware, reconfigure your online checkout, and test. Moving to Adyen or PayPal is similar. Lemon Squeezy and Paddle have straightforward dashboards with less setup for digital-product sellers.
Do I need a separate merchant account for each Square alternative?
Yes, each processor issues its own merchant account and deposits funds to your bank on their schedule (usually daily or weekly). You can run multiple processors in parallel during a transition, or switch cleanly by updating your checkout once everything is configured.