Polar vs Square
Polar and Square are both payments & billing tools. Polar is aimed at developers, while Square is aimed at small businesses. Polar costs less, from $20/mo versus $49/mo for Square. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Freemium · $20 | Freemium · $49 |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers | Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web, ios, android |
| Country | SE · 2022 | US · 2009 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Polar if
Indie developers and small SaaS.
- Lower fees on paid plans
- Developer-friendly
- Open source
Look elsewhere if: Large SaaS needing enterprise invoicing (Paddle).
Choose Square if
Small brick-and-mortar businesses in supported countries.
- Free POS software
- Simple flat-rate pricing
- All-in-one for small businesses
Look elsewhere if: Online-only SaaS (Stripe).
Polar vs Square pricing
Polar
- Starter$05% + 50¢ per transaction
- Pro$20/mo3.8% + 40¢ per transaction, prioritized support
- Growth$100/mo3.6% + 35¢ per transaction
- Scale$400/mo3.4% + 30¢ per transaction, Slack support
Square
- Square Free$0In-person 2.6% + 15¢, online 3.3% + 30¢
- Square Plus$49/location/moIn-person 2.5% + 15¢, online 2.9% + 30¢
- Square Premium$149/location/moLowest fees: in-person 2.4% + 15¢, online 2.9% + 30¢
- Square ProCustomFor businesses processing over $250K/year
Polar · Key features
- Merchant of record with global tax
- Checkout and subscriptions
- Usage-based billing
- License keys
- Benefits: GitHub repo, Discord roles, downloads
- Open source with SDKs
Cons
- Young company
- Fewer enterprise features
- Smaller support team
Square · Key features
- POS software and hardware
- Online store and invoices
- Appointments and loyalty
- Payroll and team management
- Banking and loans
- Restaurant and retail features
Cons
- Limited country availability
- Fees higher than interchange-plus at scale
- Account holds possible
Polar vs Square: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Polar or Square?
Polar starts at $20/mo and Square at $49/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Polar and Square have a free plan?
Yes, both Polar and Square have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Polar or Square?
Square lists small businesses as a core audience, while Polar is aimed more at developers.