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Square is a payment processing company that offers merchants the ability to accept credit cards. It also provides businesses with tools for accepting payments, such as Square Register and Square Capital.
Square is a mobile payment firm that also provides business software, POS systems, payment hardware, and small business services. Unlike other payment processors, Square is open to all types of companies and provides the most complete free point-of-sale (POS) system available. As a consequence, Square is now used by millions of companies in their daily operations.
Jack Dorsey (co-founder and CEO of Twitter) and Jim McKelvey launched Square in 2009. Square went public in 2015 after numerous rounds of private financing. Square bought Weebly, a website builder and hosting provider, in 2018, allowing the company to enter the eCommerce market and compete with Shopify and PayPal.
Square is now a publicly listed corporation that trades under the ticker code SQ. More than 33 million people have downloaded the Square payment and point-of-sale app, and there are more than 2 million active merchants.
Is Square a Good Option?
Below, we’ll go through Square’s various goods in more depth. However, Square is the finest POS and payment processing solution for any small company processing less than $10,000 per month since it has no set monthly fees and provides great value with the free POS system. To get started, go to Square and sign up for a free account.
Why Small Businesses Love Square’s Services
The first mobile payment processing software and card reader is Square. Square had a high adoption rate when it initially debuted because it enabled companies to take card payments everywhere instead of relying on cash or peer-to-peer payment applications.
Square does not need an application or approval procedure, and there are no monthly fees or minimum criteria, unlike other credit card processing businesses. Payments, point-of-sale software, and online ordering are all included in every free Square account.
Square’s ecosystem includes a number of tools that work together to provide a comprehensive small company management solution.
Payments are processed quickly and at a flat rate.
Square may be used to process credit card transactions at your physical shop, online, and on the move using your mobile device.
Per credit card transaction, Square charges a fixed fee. The credit card company fee, the customer’s bank charge, and the merchant account processor cost are all rolled into one flat-rate price. Regardless of the kind of card you’re processing, this is true.
The simplicity of this pricing mechanism is a benefit. You won’t have to worry about calculating your credit card processing costs since you’ll know precisely how much you’ll have to pay ahead of time. Regardless of the kind of card your client uses, the flat fee remains the same.
Exceptional Merchant Services
One of the finest merchant services accessible for small companies is Square’s cheap and user-friendly payment processing. Every free Square account includes invoicing, a virtual terminal, online payments, and tools to track and fight chargebacks, in addition to mobile and in-store payments.
POS Software that is both free and low-cost
Square provides free POS applications that can be downloaded onto iOS and Android smartphones and tablets or used with one of Square’s own hardware devices, in addition to outstanding merchant services. The user-friendly app is free and includes an offline mode, so it can be used for both mobile and in-store sales.
Square provides free and premium POS software subscriptions for retail, restaurant, and appointment-based companies in addition to the basic free Square POS app. Payment processing, inventory management, basic personnel administration, customer relationship management (CRM), reporting, and analytics are all included in any POS software package, as well as industry-specific capabilities.
Square POS is a free, all-in-one point-of-sale system that lets you process transactions, monitor inventory, manage customers, and generate reports. Any iPad, iPhone, Android device, or Square hardware will operate with it. It’s ideal for budget-conscious individuals and small companies.
Square for Retail features a barcode-based user interface that makes it simple for merchants to ring up sales, handle orders, and keep track of inventory. For eCommerce and pickup orders, it also integrates with Square Online. It offers a free plan for life as well as a Plus plan that includes sophisticated inventory monitoring, analytics, and team management.
Square for Restaurants enables companies to manage menus, floor layouts, in-house customer orders, online orders, and kitchen displays, as well as manage front-of-house and back-of-house operations. There is a free plan that lasts indefinitely, as well as a Plus plan that includes improved front-of-house features and team management.
Square Appointments is comparable to Square POS, but with the additional benefit of being able to manage appointments. Manage client appointments for yourself or your staff, enable clients to schedule online, and send email or SMS confirmations automatically. With integrated payment processing, you may require each customer to have a card on file.
Website Builder for Online Ordering for Free
Every Square account comes with a third complimentary solution, Square Online. It’s a simple site builder that you can use to create a company website, a basic eCommerce site, or add online shopping or order-ahead capabilities to your existing firm. Square Online may also be used to schedule appointments online.
It has templates for shops, restaurants, events, appointments, and other kinds of businesses. It may be used to handle curbside pickup, shipping, or local delivery orders and instantly sync orders, inventory, and customers with your POS.
Solutions for Business Management
Square provides a variety of business management solutions that may be used as a solo tool or in combination with any of Square’s other products, in addition to its three free business tools: payments, POS, and online shop. One of the benefits of utilizing Square is that companies may mix and match whatever products they need to build the ideal configuration for their requirements.
The following are a few of the most common options:
- Square Payroll allows you to keep track of hours, pay workers, handle benefits, and submit tax forms effortlessly. To discover more, see our Square Payroll review.
- Square Capital provides up to $100,000 in small company financing. This service is only accessible to Square sellers, but it offers quick approval and financing without a credit check.
Email and SMS marketing, team management, customer loyalty programs, and sophisticated web sales are all available as paid add-ons with Square.
Conclusion
For pay-as-you-go flat-rate payment processing, Square has become the go-to option. Square adds new capabilities to its free POS software every year, including solutions tailored for retail, restaurants, and appointment-based companies like hairdressers, in addition to its general small company POS. Overall, Square is one of our favorite small company solutions.
