Square Reader and POS review: the all-in-one solution for card payments?

What is Square’s hardware like?

One of Square’s major strengths is its wide range of card machines, POS terminals and accessories. We’ll take you through a detailed overview of each option.

Square Reader

Costing just £19 plus VAT, the Square Reader is a light and simple solution for taking card payments from your customers. Once you’ve paid for the reader itself, you just need to pay the 1.75% transaction fee for every card payment you take. 

• It accepts payments from credit cards, debit cards, American Express, and mobile payment apps – all for one fixed rate (meaning no hidden costs)
• The pocket-sized reader is super-easy to set up; you just have to connect using your phone’s Bluetooth.
• It can last all day on a single charge, which is especially handy for on-the-go businesses, and it can also take payments offline.
• There’s no screen or PIN pad, meaning all inputting is done via the Square POS app (all you need to do is select which items your customer wishes to purchase, or simply type in the sum of the transaction)

What’s it like to use the Square Terminal?

The modern and sleek interface of the Square Terminal really stood out during our testing. Source: Startups.co.uk

The Square Terminal costs £149 plus VAT – a big jump in price from the Square Reader. If you want to add the Hub (you use it to connect to the internet via Ethernet, and it also allows you to add USB accessories), then this will cost you an extra £39 plus VAT. The Square Terminal is subject to the same 1.75% card present fee as the Square Reader.

• The terminal has a large display screen that you can manage your inventory from, and comes equipped with a receipt printer.
• Its large display screen makes it easy for customers to see what their total is, which we found was much more efficient than some of the smaller devices we’d tried out.
• Due to its large size, Square Terminal works better on a countertop rather than being held and carried around for the working day.
• Offers an option for mobile data connection – something that many of its competitor devices support, like the Clover Flex and takepaymentsplus.

We were impressed with the Square Terminal in our testing, but it is on the chunkier end of things. Source: Startups.co.uk

What is Square’s software like?

Square is one of the few POS platforms that offers a completely free POS app for its customers to use, which you can download to a smartphone or tablet. Not only is it free of charge, but we ranked it as our number one choice for free POS software for your small business, thanks to its sophisticated, sleek design.

Square POS has a user-friendly interface that makes getting setup a painless process. Source: Startups.co.uk

Square is a great fit for smaller and micro businesses, like food trucks or pop-ups, that need to process payments but keep overheads lean. There are no monthly charges or setup fees, so it’s great for keeping costs low.

The free software gives you everything you’ll need to get going, including team management tools, cash management features, invoicing and detailed sales reporting.

However, we wouldn’t recommend the free option for more established businesses, as it’s lacking advanced features that a slightly more sophisticated business, or multi-location enterprise, will need.

Square’s user-friendly system makes everyday tasks like adding new items and products a breeze. Source: Startups.co.uk

Square also breaks its POS plans into two separate types based on industry: Square for Retail and Square for Restaurant. These both have free versions, but you can also pay for the expanded “Plus” tiers.

What’s it like to use Square for Retail?

Square for Retail offers almost everything you’ll need in a POS system. You can use the free version of Square for Retail, or upgrade to the Plus plan. The Plus will also unlock 24/7 help and support, which could be critical for all-hours businesses.

The multi-site stock management was a standout feature in our testing, which is great for managing multiple stores. Source: Startups.co.uk

The exceptional employee management tools give you unlimited employee time tracking when paying for the Plus plan. You’ll also get barcode label printing, which will be critical for a lot of retail outlets.

With Square POS you can quickly access sales reports to get a speedy look at your businesses financial health. Source: Startups.co.uk

The Plus plan gives you all the advanced features your store will need to thrive, like:

• Inventory scanning tools
• Smart stock forecasts
• In-depth reporting features
• Cross-location returns: so your inventory is synced up across different outlets

During testing, both the front end and back end proved to be equally easy to use. The back end was just a nose easier to navigate around than the front end, though, thanks to its clearly defined menu headings. All the features we needed were readily accessible and easy to find, making it reassuringly fast and efficient to use.

How much does Square for Retail cost?

You can use Square for Retail on a free plan, but Square for Retail Plus costs £49 per month, per location. While this might seem expensive when there’s an option for a free plan, when compared against similar competitor paid tiers it’s actually quite a competitive monthly cost.

You’ll also unlock slightly lower transaction fees. Instead of the standard 1.75% transaction fee, you’ll be subject to a lower 1.6% fee. So if you’re taking in a large amount of sales, this could save you some money in the long run.

What’s it like to use Square for Restaurants?

Square for Restaurants emerged as our favourite POS system for restaurants. Similar to Retail POS, a huge benefit you’ll get from the Plus plan is access to 24/7 help and support.

We found that getting the backend setup on Square for Restaurants was reassuringly simple in our tests. Source: Startups.co.uk

The other features that separate it from the free tier are:

• Seat management functionality
• Course management
• Ability to re-open closed bills (so you can void an accidental item, for example)
• Floor plan customisation
• Square for Restaurants mobile POS
• Option to add unlimited kitchen display systems

The mobile ordering features and the detailed stock management tools were one of the main reasons we picked it as the best POS for pubs and bars.

That said, there was a lack of in-depth cost management tools, including a comprehensive ingredient-tracking tool. Moreover, you can only change or update floor plans in the back end, so there will be a lot of back and forth if you’re doing this a lot. Meanwhile, a platform like Epos Now can do this directly from the till.

The intuitive interface is well suited to small, single location restaurants who need speed and simplicity. Source: Startups.co.uk

Square for Restaurants was extremely simple to use, with menu creation being particularly easy both from the back office and in the front end. Overall, it’s a really intuitive system, so you should have no trouble managing orders that are flying into the kitchen.

How much does Square for Restaurants cost?

Square for Restaurants Plus costs more than the Retail Plus, at £69 per month, per location. The reason being that Square for Restaurants Plus incorporates all the same features as Retail, but with additional F&B-specific tools like the table planning and kitchen display systems.

However, unlike the Retail Plus plan, you unfortunately won’t get access to the lower transaction rates. Square for Restaurants Plus is subject to the standard 1.75% fees that you get with the free plan.