Whether you’re a seasoned coffee shop owner or brand new to the cafe scene, you’ve probably spent a good chunk of time thinking about money.
The most strategic way to make it, the smartest way to spend it… and the best way to accept it from your customers.
That’s where picking a strong payment processor comes into the picture.
Now, it doesn’t take more than a quick Google search to determine that two main payment processors dominate the coffee shop scene — Stripe and Square.
But which one is better for your business?
Which one has more features and integrations?
Why would a coffee shop pick Stripe vs Square (or vice versa)?
That’s exactly what this blog is designed to explore.
Let’s get started!
Stripe vs Square: How They Work
Stripe
Stripe is a “financial infrastructure” platform that enables businesses to accept payments online and in person. With their “fully integrated suite of financial and payments products,” Stripe can help you optimize tasks from invoicing and billing to payments and sales tax automation.
Like Square, the first step to getting started with Stripe is creating a free account.
But once that’s done, you’re basically ready to go, because everything the platform offers can be done through your Stripe Dashboard.
For example, you can easily create invoices and facilitate online payments through your Stripe Dashboard, and all it takes is a few clicks on Stripe’s easy-to-use interface.
- Click “Create an invoice.”
- Fill in your customer and currency details
- Add products (one at a time or from a pre-populated product catalog)
- Choose whether you want to “Request payment” or “Autocharge customer”
- Choose whether you want to email the invoice to your customer and press “Send!”
Stripe’s easy-to-use interface is the same across all its other payment features, too, like adding and editing customers, creating your product catalog, managing payment links, and tracking your sales tax information.
Square
Square is “the largest business technology platform” on the market. From their point-of-sale (POS) system and loyalty software to their payment processor and kiosks, Square offers business owners a completely integrated operating platform that can basically do it all.
The first step to getting started with Square is creating a free account.
From there, you can choose which individual Square tools you want to add or select a pre-existing plan. And regardless of which one you pick, they’re all easy to use, with plug-and-play setups that require no tech expertise.
Take Square’s Restaurant POS system, for example.
It’s one of the platform’s most popular features (especially for coffee shops), yet it only takes two steps to set up:
- Sign up for Square Restaurant POS software on your existing account
- Link it to your existing countertop POS device or buy one from Square
… and that’s it.
Once you’ve downloaded the Restaurant POS software, you can customize how you use the POS system, like downloading the app for in-person sales, adding a Square reader for on-the-go, or setting up Square’s invoicing software for online payments.
Strip vs Square: Pricing
Stripe
Like Square, creating a Stripe account is free, but there are tools and features that you can pay extra for if you wish.
- Checkout — $0 (automatically included)
- Payment links — $0 (automatically included)
- Stripe Connect — $0 (automatically included)
- Billing — starting at $620 (monthly) or 0.7% billing volume (pay as you go)
- Tax Complete — starting at $90/month
Stripe also has similar per-transaction fees to Square, with different charges for different payment types.
| Type of payment | When it applies | Processing fee (in USD) |
| Cards and wallets | “Accept widely used credit and debit cards, prepaid cards, and digital wallets for online payments.” | 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards |
| Link | “Autofill your customers’ saved cards and US bank account information to deliver a frictionless customer experience.” | 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards 2.6% + 30¢ per successful transaction for Instant Bank Payments |
| Bank debits and transfers | “Accept large payments or recurring charges securely with ACH debit, ACH credit, or wire transfers.” | 0.8% ACH Direct Debit ($5.00 cap) |
| Buy Now Pay Later | “Let your customers buy something and pay for it in installments over time.” | Starting at 5.99% + 30¢ per successful transaction for Klarna |
Stripe’s online payment processes have long stood out as some of the best on the market. Their new checkout optimizations have helped brands see an average revenue uplift of 11.9%!
Square
Creating a Square account is free, but each tool has its own pricing and packages. Here are a few breakdowns for Square’s most popular features.
- Square POS — starting at $0/month
- Payroll — starting at $35/month
- Online Store — starting at $0/month
- Invoices — starting at $0/month
- Email marketing — starting at $15/month
- Online checkout — starting at $0/month
- Gift cards — starting at $0/month
- Loyalty — starting at $45/month
- Customer directory — starting at $0/month
You’ll also have to pay Square’s processing fees for every transaction.
| Type of payment | When it applies | Processing fee (in USD) |
| In person | “When a customer taps, dips, or swipes their card in person. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express all cost the same rate.” | 2.6% + 15¢ per transaction |
| Online | “When a customer makes a purchase through your Online Store or eCommerce API.” | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction |
| Manually entered | “When you manually key in your customer’s card details or use a card on file.” | 3.5% + 15¢ per transaction |
| Invoices | When a customer “[pays an invoice] online, in person, or from their phone with a credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or ACH bank transfer.” | 3.3% + 30¢ per transaction |
Despite the non-negotiable processing fees, you still get to keep more of your hard-earned money with Square than with competitors — merchants keep 97.05% of their sales on average!
→ For more details and per-tool price breakdowns, check out Square’s Pricing page.
Stripe vs Square: Integrations
Stripe integrations
Stripe’s ecosystem is a bit lighter on the integration capabilities than Square, especially for coffee-shop-specific apps. That said, there are still some app integrations on the Stripe App Marketplace you might be interested in.
Square integrations
Square has so many integrations that we can’t possibly name them all in one blog… because they offer over 1,300 “integrated and partner solutions.” That said, here are some of the most coffee shop-relevant apps available on the Square App Marketplace.
Stripe vs Square: Pros and cons
Stripe Pros
✅ Supports recurring online billing
✅ Makes international payments easy
✅ Flexible checkout options (with developer help)
Stripe Cons
❌ Fewer possibilities for integrations
❌ No built-in POS system for walk-in sales
❌ Some features require more tech expertise to implement
Square Pros
✅ Built-in POS software
✅ Great for in-person sales
✅ Super easy to set up and use
✅ Integrates seamlessly with other tools
✅ Solid customer support and reliability
Square Cons
❌ Limited customization options online
❌ Additional tool/feature fees can quickly add up
❌ Higher online fees for online vs. in-person sales
→ DID YOU KNOW: All Craver customers get 180 days of Square processing fees waived (on up to $2,000 in sales)!
Stripe vs Square: Who Wins?
Stripe wins if…
- You’re building an online-only business
- You have a developer or agency helping you launch
- You process a significant amount of international payments
Square wins if…
- You run a storefront with lots of foot traffic
- You want to get a platform up and running quickly
- You want a smooth, easy experience for staff and customers
- You already use (or plan to use) Craver for mobile ordering and loyalty
- You’ll be implementing everything yourself (no tech team or developers)
Stripe vs Square: Final Thoughts
In the Stripe vs Square game for coffee shops, both options have their own unique benefits for owners and operators.
However, Square’s ecosystem definitely comes out on top for us. From the platform’s range of tools and integrations to its transparent pricing structure and easy-to-use interface, Square quickly takes our #1 spot for coffee shop payment processors.
But, the truth of the matter?
Only you can decide which payment processor works best for your coffee shop or cafe.
Weigh each payment processor’s pros and cons, measure each processor’s pricing against your budget with our free Cost Calculator, and choose which options work best for your business and your customers.
Compare pricing in just a few clicks with Craver’s FREE Stripe vs Square Cost Calculator.
