Shopify vs Square Online for a Local Shop

October 24, 2026·Nataliia· 7 min read All posts

A local shop that already takes cards on Square and sells a modest amount online can usually start on Square's Free plan, which has no monthly software fee. A shop that wants a larger online catalog, more sales channels or its own growth tools is better placed on Shopify, which charges a monthly plan fee from $29 on annual billing.

The cheaper option changes with your monthly online sales, and the math is below.

All prices come from vendor pages opened on 24 October 2026. Square's own plan page showed no price figures to our fetcher, so Square's numbers come from its October 2025 pricing announcement and its help-center fee table, both opened directly.

$39→

Shopify Basic, monthly billing

Shopify pricing page, 24 Oct 2026

$29→

Shopify Basic, billed yearly

Shopify pricing page, 24 Oct 2026

$0→

Square Free plan

Square announcement, 6 Oct 2025

$49→

Square Plus, per location

Square announcement, 6 Oct 2025

Estimates for illustration; actual numbers vary.

What Do the Plans Cost?

Shopify's pricing page lists four plans. Basic is $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly. Grow is $105 ($79 yearly) and Advanced is $399 ($299 yearly). Plus starts from $2,300 a month. The trial reads "3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months", and the FAQ says the trial needs no credit card.

Square moved to unified plans in October 2025: Free at $0, Plus at $49 and Premium at $149 per location per month. Free includes point of sale, websites, online ordering, invoicing and Square Banking with no software subscription. Plus adds advanced inventory, loyalty and staff management. Premium adds 24/7 phone support and advanced reporting. Square's blog says Plus includes a 30-day free trial.

What Are the Card Fees?

Neither platform's plan price is the whole cost. Shopify's table shows online card rates of 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced. In person, Basic is 2.6% + 10¢ and Grow is 2.5% + 10¢.

Square's help center lists online and invoice payments at 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. In person it is 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium. Manually entered cards and cards on file are 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan.

Shopify also adds a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced if you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments. Most small shops should plan to use Shopify Payments.

Which Is Better for Selling Online?

Shopify is built around the online store. Square Online is one part of a payments and point-of-sale system, and its Free plan offers a website builder with SEO tools, pickup, local delivery and shipping. Square's plan page lists real-time shipping rates and advanced reporting only on Premium, and expanded site customization on Plus.

For a shop that mostly serves walk-in customers, the website is a catalog plus a pickup button. Square's single dashboard for in-store and online stock is a real convenience there.

For a shop growing a shipped product line, Shopify's higher plans cut card rates and add selling features. Our guide on whether local businesses should use Shopify goes through what it does well and where it is too much.

Do You Need In-Person Sales Too?

Shopify's in-person tool, POS Pro, is $89 a month per location according to the pricing page. Our fetch did not show a free tier for point of sale on that page, so check it if you sell at a counter.

Square's Free plan already includes point of sale, which is why many shops that start at the till end up adding an online store there. If your register is already Square, the online store shares its catalog and inventory.

A shop that sells only online, or mainly online with an occasional pop-up, should compare Shopify against the Square online rate. A shop that does most of its sales at the counter should price its in-person volume first.

If you are still deciding on a site builder at all, Wix vs Squarespace covers the non-store options. Before launching any site, run the local business website checklist.

Who Should Pick Which?

Use this rule:

Counter sales are most of your revenue, and online is under about $7,250 a month: Square Free. There is no software fee, and the card rate difference is small at that volume.
Online sales above about $7,250 a month (see example), and you can pay yearly: Shopify Basic is cheaper than Square Free on fees plus plan.
Online sales above about $12,250 a month on Square: move from Free to Square Plus, or compare Shopify Grow.
You need a large catalog, variants or many sales channels: Shopify, regardless of the break-even.
You are on a third-party card processor you cannot change: Shopify's 2% extra fee on Basic can erase its advantage. Price it first.

These thresholds apply only to the plans and rates listed above. Recheck when either company changes pricing.

Worked Example: $8,000 a Month in Online Orders

All inputs are assumptions: 200 online orders a month at a $40 average, $8,000 in online card sales, no in-person sales counted, no taxes or shipping, and Shopify Payments on Shopify.

	Shopify Basic (yearly)	Shopify Basic (monthly)	Square Free	Square Plus
Plan fee	$29	$39	$0	$49
Percentage fee	$232 (2.9%)	$232 (2.9%)	$264 (3.3%)	$232 (2.9%)
Per-order fee	$60 (200 x 30¢)	$60	$60	$60
Monthly total	$321	$331	$324	$341

At this volume the four options sit within $20 of each other. The break-even between Shopify Basic yearly and Square Free is the plan-fee gap divided by the 0.4% rate gap: $29 divided by 0.004 is $7,250 a month. For Square Plus over Square Free, $49 divided by 0.004 is $12,250. Below those volumes, the free plan is cheaper.

Do This Today

Open your last three months of online sales, take the monthly average, and plug it into the break-even figures above. Then check whether your current payment processor is tied to your website.

FAQ

Is Square Online really free?

The Free plan has no monthly software subscription, but card payments carry fees: 3.3% + 30¢ online and 2.6% + 15¢ in person, per Square's help center.

Is there a Shopify free plan?

The pricing page lists a 3-day free trial, then $1 a month for 3 months. The cheapest paid plan is Basic at $39 monthly or $29 billed yearly.

Which has lower online card rates?

Square Plus and Premium list 2.9% + 30¢, the same as Shopify Basic. Square Free lists 3.3% + 30¢. Higher Shopify plans go to 2.7% and 2.5%.

Can I use another payment provider on Shopify?

Yes, but the pricing page says third-party transaction fees may apply: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced.

Can I start on Square and move to Shopify later?

Possible, but neither vendor page opened for this article describes migration. Check both help centers for export and import steps first.

Sources

Shopify: Pricing (opened 24 Oct 2026)
Square: Unified pricing and packaging, press release of 6 Oct 2025
Square: The thinking behind our new pricing plans
Square Help: What are Square's fees?
Square: Online Store plans (feature list only; no prices were visible to our fetcher)

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Nataliia

Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.

About Nataliia