# Stripe vs Square: Which Is Actually Cheaper?

URL: https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/stripe-vs-square-fees
Type: Free interactive calculator
Summary: Stripe publishes 2.9% + 30¢; Square publishes 2.9% + 30¢. Which costs less depends on your average transaction — see where the answer flips.

These two publish exactly the same online rate, which makes this one of the few comparisons where price genuinely is not the answer.

## Summary

Stripe publishes 2.9% + 30¢. Square publishes 2.9% + 30¢. Published online rates are identical — the decision is about product, not cost. Compare at your own average transaction — the headline rate alone does not decide it.

## Published rates

**Standard published rates for domestic online cards, September 2026**

|  | Stripe | Square |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Card rate | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| Fixed fee | 30¢ | 30¢ |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 |
| Pricing model | Flat rate | Flat rate, varies by channel |

## Which one is cheaper

Both publish 2.9% + 30¢ for online card payments with no monthly platform fee. At any volume and any ticket size the card cost is the same, so the comparison has to be made on something else.

> **The difference is in-person:** Square is a point-of-sale business with an API attached: hardware, a register, and card-present rates Stripe does not match. Stripe is a developer platform with a far larger online product surface. If any meaningful share of your volume happens across a counter, that settles it.

## What actually decides it

Channel mix. If you take payments in person, Square. If your payments are entirely online and you need Connect, Issuing or a deep API surface, Stripe. On price alone there is nothing to choose between them.

## For reference

The calculator above also shows Paydude, which publishes 2.6% + 25¢ improving with volume. It is there as a third data point rather than as the answer to a question about Stripe and Square — for every provider side by side see the [full processor fee table](https://www.paydude.io/resources/payment-processor-fee-comparison).

**Compare every provider at once** Published rates for 18 processors, with the effective rate at three ticket sizes. — [See the table](https://www.paydude.io/resources/payment-processor-fee-comparison)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stripe cheaper than Square?

Not for online payments — both publish 2.9% + 30¢ with no monthly fee, so the cost is identical. Square is generally cheaper for card-present transactions, which Stripe prices differently through Terminal.

### At what transaction size does the answer change?

It does not change on published online rates, because they are the same. It changes on channel: Square's card-present rate is lower than its online rate, so a business taking payments in person pays less with Square.

### What is the difference between Stripe and Square?

Square is a point-of-sale platform with payments built in; Stripe is a payments API with a large developer product surface. Square gives you hardware and a register; Stripe gives you Connect, Issuing and a deeper API. Neither is cheaper online.

### Where do these rates come from?

Both are publicly published standard rates for domestic card payments as of September 2026. Neither is a negotiated or promotional rate, and either provider may quote you something different from its list price.