Square Point of Sale vs PayPal Commerce Platform

PayPal

Venmo

Stripe

Square Payments

Payoneer

Clover

Compare Square Point of Sale and PayPal Commerce Platform based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Clover is an all-in-one platform designed to help on and offline retailers, quick service restaurants, and other service businesses manage their point-of-sale operations, with secure payment solutions and reliable business management features

Venmo is a digital wallet and payment gateway that allows customers to send money and make purchases via mobile device, and share activity via the purchase feed

PayPal provides an end-to-end suite of tools that can integrate with a business's existing systems and service providers. Its network of shoppers and businesses provides AI-driven data insights to help businesses reach new customers and drive results.

Square Point of Sale is a POS solution for Android and iOS devices which includes tools for managing payments, digital receipts, inventory, reports, and more.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Activity Dashboard

Alerts/Notifications

Barcode/Ticket Scanning

Billing & Invoicing

Cash Management

Clock In/Out

Commission Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Credit Card Processing

Custom Cake Orders

Customer Accounts

Customer Database

Customer History

Customer Management

Customizable Branding

Customizable Invoices

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Data Synchronization

Delivery Management

Device Enrollment

Discount Management

Document Storage

eCommerce Management

Electronic Payments

Electronic Signature

Email Marketing

Employee Management

For Bakeries

For Bars/Clubs

For iPad Devices

For Liquor Stores

For Restaurants

For Retail

Fraud Detection

Gift Card Management

Inventory Control

Inventory Management

Inventory Tracking

Invoice Creation

Invoice History

Invoice Management

Invoice Processing

Item Management

Labor Cost Calculator

Layaway Management

Loyalty Program

Menu Builder

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Mobile Payments

Multi-Location

Offline Access

Online Invoicing

Online Ordering

Online Payments

Order Entry

Order Management

Ordering Automation

Partial Payments

Payment Processing

PCI Compliance

Point of Sale (POS)

Point of Sale (POS) Integration

Price/Margin Management

Pricing Management

Promotions Management

QR Codes

Quotes/Estimates

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Reporting

Real-Time Updates

Receipt Management

Recurring Invoicing

Recurring/Subscription Billing

Reminders

Remote Access/Control

Reporting/Analytics

Restaurant POS

Retail Inventory Management

Retail POS

Returns Management

Sales History

Sales Reports

Sales Tax Management

Sales Trend Analysis

Search/Filter

Security Management

Separate Checks

SMS Marketing

Split Checks

Stock Management

Square Point of Sale

Android

Web-based

iPad

iPhone

Antique sales associate

The greatest benefit that came from this software, for me, is the ability to conduct business, specifically, complete a payment transaction, no matter where you are located.

IT Systems Admin

Square is an awesome piece of software to use. The retail side has great capabilities for sales, inventory, gift cards, rewards, and much much more.

Managing Partner

Square is very simple to learn and use as an end user, and it has gain a lot of popularity recently, customers feel more and more comfortable with this system.

Office Manager

If I am to complain about something I would complain about the percentage I am giving back to square but that it the cost of doing business.

Production Manager

Easy and inexpensive way to take credit card payments for my small business. This provider is awesome, and helps my small business to easily accept cards.

owner

I love being able to create different locations and taylor the products, pricing and taxes to each location individually. Integration with Craftybase is excellent.

Owner

The only thing that has ever been slightly frustrating is the traditional card reader being sensitive when swiping cards. Sometimes I'll have to try 3-4 times to get it to register.

Administrative

Good pricing and customer support available. Great hardware options - Android and IOS Capability.

CEO and Founder

My overall experience with Square Point of Sales has been extremely positive. Not only was is easy to use reliable as a business owner, but it was intuitive and simple for customers to use as well.

Communications Director 

I dislike that it fails sometimes and it is not accessible at many different vendors and restaurants.

Network Admin

I like that all you need is a reader and a phone or tablet that is internet connected. The option of using Bluetooth for select readers was very nice.

Owner Operator 

I enjoyed the ease of use that Square provided in the initial setup and ease of use.

Office admin

Overall, as both a person who as used Square as a customer and vendor, I find it very easy to use, set up, and maintain. It is also very inexpensive, which is great for small businesses.

Catering Lead

Easily integrated for payment, great interface and very easy to use software. Easy to edit and amend items on the menu.

Manager

When we were just in the beginning stages of POS systems, Square was the best option. It's easy and small and doesn't require paying for a large software system.

Managing Director

By watching the videos, it looked like Square is the ideal option for a Coffee shop, and when it comes to ease of use, then.

I have never had to use customer service for any issues I have had because I've never had any. It is very simple to use and it is great for taking customer transactions over the phone.

Entrepreneur 

There were also times where it appeared that the sale went through and then later after checking my sales reports I could see that several transactions were missing and I was never paid.

Square Point of Sale screenshot: The point of sale that's so much more than a point of sale.

Square Point of Sale screenshot: Sell at the counter, on the go, or online, so you never miss a sale.

Square Point of Sale screenshot: Customize your checkout to keep your line moving and your customers happy.

Square Point of Sale screenshot: Accept every way your customers want to pay.

Square Point of Sale screenshot: Track customer’s preferences and purchases with every card swipe.

Square Point of Sale screenshot: Keep track of your sales, inventory, and locations, all in one system.

Freelancers

Large Enterprises

Mid Size Business

Non Profit

Public Administrations

Small Business

Square Point of Sale vs PayPal Commerce Platform: Why they switched from PayPal Commerce Platform to Square Point of Sale

Mario F.:                                              My name's Mario. I'm a manager. We were using PayPal Commerce Platform, but we switched to Square Point of Sale. And for more reviews like this click on the link below.
                                                       One business problem that both of these providers helped us with was accepting credit cards from our clients and customers, wherever we went. They had that point of sale. They'd have the little reader and you can swipe your card. Or if they had chip, it was chip enabled. We can do that and that's the main reason that we appreciate both of those platforms.
                                                       Square Point of Sale, things are best for small businesses I would say. They come out with the whole cashier thing. They have the reader. Everything you need, whether it's a donut shop or if you're a window cleaner. And that's one thing that it's good for.
                                                       So PayPal Commerce Platform is better for bigger businesses. It's great for international selling. That's something that you can do on PayPal that you wouldn't be able to do on Square. But knowing that, it is more expensive, but only if it's under $100. So if you're kind of looking at less than $100 charges, that's great for Square. If you're kind of a bigger business, maybe international seller, over $100 charges, then that's probably what PayPal is best for.
                                                       The onboarding for each product, you got Square and you got PayPal, right? Square was great. I mean, it was pretty easy. If you have a reader, just stick it in. If you have a iPhone, you stick it in the microphone slot, at least back then. Now you probably use the USB or dongle. Easy. If you're as far as like a donut shop or whatever, it's pretty still user friendly. PayPal I would say it's still user friendly. It's also still quick, but you just have to be a little bit more careful, pay a little bit more attention. Because there are wider things that you can start doing, but you may not know how so you would have to look into it a little bit. But I wouldn't necessarily say it's super difficult either.
                                                       So one of the top considerations you'd want to definitely take into account for both of these softwares is price and price points because in the end it is merchant services, hopefully, that you're using this for. And whether it's on the spot point of sale with a chip reader in your phone or a donut shop with your whole setup the cashier's going to have every transaction you make, you want to get the best price because pennies add up. So if PayPal's charging you a little bit more, whether it's $0.05 or $0.02 for every transaction and you're under $100, then you switch over to Square. If you're doing bigger transactions and now Square's kind of taking a couple cents more than PayPal would be, then you want to switch over to that. In my opinion, that's something definitely you want to consider. Because you always want the best price because over time that does add up.

Payoneer is a cross-border payments platform available in over 200 countries and 150 currencies, with multiple payout options

Square Payments is an online payment processing solution which integrates with Square hardware & POS software to allow businesses to accept payments

Stripe is a comprehensive financial infrastructure platform that enables businesses to accept payments online and in person. It offers a suite of APIs for payment processing, subscription management, fraud prevention, and financial services integration, supporting over one hundred payment methods across multiple currencies. Stripe provides both developer-focused tools with extensive documentation and no-code solutions for businesses without technical staff.

PayPal Checkout is an online checkout solution that can be integrated with eCommerce marketplaces and business websites to allow customers to use a range of payment methods on websites, in-app, or on mobile. The tool aims to increase conversions and reduce cart abandonment by streamlining checkout.

Multiple Payment Options

PayPal Commerce Platform

President

It is highly intuitive, has good support and community help modules, and has been very responsive when i had problems. I also really appreciate the below-market rate for nonprofit donation processing.

I love how fast and easy it is to use. It's also great that you don't have to wait for your money like other payment processors.

Director

Full of bugs that could not be recreated, losing us sales and worse - really bad customer feedback due to their. Being overcharged, 2. not being able to check out.

Founder

This can be a fabulous experience the ease of use is great its the most common option at MOST online sites.

cashier

My customers love it that I have this option what makes them happy makes me happy.

Teacher

Overall, I have had a great experience with using PayPal Checkout to pay for items. I love being able to use this safe and secure website to pay without having to put in my card information.

Project Manager

PayPal has been a real asset for customers who have eCommerce business platforms. Their customers love the ability to pay with PayPal.

Head of Practice

If you are buying or selling online definitely best payment solution in the industry. Especially buyer protection feature is seamless.

There have been times that it can be difficult to get the proper API Keys in PayPal, but this is more on user error than PayPal itself.

designer

It gives you the best money transfer and receipt service faster and easier for the user, giving him a very fast and enjoyable experience.

Assistant Manager

The worst part about PayPal was getting our money out of the account.

Accountant 

It's easy to use and highly effective. I will definitely recommend this platform so we'll done guys.

Accounts Payable Specialist

Its easy to implement and provides a stream lined way to have online purchases. Its also great that it can connect to QuickBooks online directly as if it was a bank.

Also the disputes side of things on the part of the customer can sometimes leave you high and dry.

health care 

I enjoy that knowing my earned money is well protected and easily accessible.it integrates very well with many survey sites and I find that there are always another survey site signing up with PayPal.

Quality Engineer

User interface is user friendly, and easy to use. Very convenient for both users.

Director of Media Services

Our experience has been positive from the start. During the setup phase the PayPal support team were always on hand, and never seemed to rush through any of the steps.

Square Point of Sale vs PayPal Commerce Platform Comparison (2026)

Square Point of Sale

PayPal Commerce Platform

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives