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Looking for a Square alternative?
Square's strength is the ecosystem: the reader, the software, the reporting and the online tools all fit together neatly, and the pricing is a single published rate with no contract. Businesses that use the wider Square stack often stay for the software rather than the processing.
If what you actually need is a card machine, the software premium shows up in the rate. We supply the terminal free, charge no monthly rental and process at 0.85% blended, which suits businesses whose payments are mostly face to face.
Square published pricing vs our 0.85% blended
| Square | Shift4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Debit card rate | 1.75% | 0.85% blended |
| Credit card rate | 1.75% | 0.85% blended |
| Monthly rental | £0 | £0 |
| Authorisation fee | None published | None |
| Card machine cost | Bought outright | £0 |
| Payouts | Next working day | Next working day, including Saturdays |
Our rate is 0.85% blended across debit, credit, Amex, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with £0 monthly fees and no charge for the machine. Square figures above are their published rates; a blended comparison assumes a typical 60% debit and 40% credit split.
What switching involves
Because Square is typically used without a fixed-term agreement, switching is mainly a question of what you would be leaving behind on the software side. It is worth listing which Square features you genuinely use before you move.
Where the answer is the card machine and basic reporting, the change is simple: apply, receive the terminal, run both for a few days, then retire the reader. Where you rely on Square's till, bookings or online store, plenty of businesses keep those and move only the in-person processing.
Contract-end considerations
Square's standard terms are pay-as-you-go with no minimum term, so there is usually no notice period or exit fee to plan around. Any paid software subscriptions you hold are separate and cancel on their own terms.
Our agreement is rolling, so you are not trading a flexible arrangement for a fixed one.
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Competitor pricing from publicly published rates, last checked August 2026. Always confirm directly.