What is Square POS?
If you’re running a small business and need to accept credit card payments, this Square POS review will help you understand why this system has become so popular. Square POS is a complete point-of-sale system that turns your smartphone or tablet into a powerful business tool. It handles everything from payment processing to inventory management, making it ideal for retail stores, restaurants, food trucks, and service businesses.
What makes Square stand out is its incredible simplicity and affordability. You can start with their free plan that requires no monthly fees – you only pay when you make sales. The system processes all major payment types including credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and contactless payments. Setting up takes just minutes: download the free app, connect Square’s card reader, and you’re ready to accept payments.
This comprehensive Square POS review examines all the features that make Square valuable for business owners. Beyond basic payments, Square helps you track inventory levels, manage employees, build customer loyalty programs, and generate detailed sales reports. Everything syncs automatically between devices, so you can check your business performance from anywhere.
Retail stores, restaurants and cafes, salons and spas, food trucks, pop-up shops, small business owners , first-time business owners
Key Features
Payment Processing
Take every major payment type including credit cards, debit cards, contactless payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay), gift cards, and cash. Works with chip cards, swipe cards, and tap-to-pay.
Inventory Management
Track stock levels in real-time across all locations. Create unlimited products with variations (size, color, style), set up automatic low-stock warnings, create purchase orders, manage suppliers, and use barcode scanning for fast checkout.
Sales Reporting and Analytics
See detailed reports on sales patterns, best-selling products, employee performance, busy business times, and customer behavior.
Employee Management
Create staff accounts with special permissions, track hours worked with time clock feature, watch individual sales performance, set different access levels for managers and cashiers, and stop unauthorized discounts or refunds.
Multi-Location Management
Manage multiple business locations from one account. Move inventory between stores, compare location performance, run combined reports, and keep separate employee lists while maintaining central control of the whole operation.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- No monthly fee to start
- Easy setup in minutes
- Fast deposits next day
- Good customer support
- Grows with your business
- No long-term contracts
Cons
- Fees add up with high sales
- Support not available 24/7 by phone
- Chargeback fees even if you win
- Not available in all countries
- Some features need paid plans
Pricing Plans
Free Plan
- Take all major payment types
- 2.6% + 10¢ per card payment
- Use on unlimited devices
- Digital receipts
- Sales reports
- Free basic card reader with account
Plus Plan
- Everything in Free plan, plus: Special permissions for staff
- Better inventory management
- Supplier management
- Purchase orders
- Unlimited registers
- Loyalty program connection
Premium Plan
- Everything in Plus plan, plus: Personal account helper
- Faster support
- Advanced team management
- Multi-location management
- Volume discounts on payments
- Custom connections
How It Compares
Clover POS
• Square POS offers a completely free plan, while Clover requires a monthly fee from the start
Shopify POS
• Square POS costs $0-$29/month compared to Shopify's required $89/month minimum
Toast POS
• Square POS works for any type of business, while Toast is designed only for restaurants