Square vs Stax, a percentage or a subscription.
Square charges 2.6% + 15¢ on every card. Stax charges $99 to $199 a month plus 8¢ and passes interchange through at cost. Above roughly $12,000 to $15,000 a month in card volume, the subscription usually wins.
What this page settles.
Three questions, in the order most people ask them.
The short answer
Stax wins earlier than most people assume, because Square’s 2.6% is a long way above interchange.
Square charges 2.6% + 15¢ for every card-present transaction. Stax charges $99 a month (up to $150,000 of annual processing), 8¢ per card-present transaction, and interchange passed through at cost with no percentage markup.
Typical card-present interchange for a mixed consumer card base runs somewhere around 1.7% to 2.1% all in, depending heavily on your debit share and how many premium rewards cards your customers carry. Call it 1.9% plus assessments. Square’s 2.6% is therefore roughly 0.7% above what the networks charge — and $99 is 0.7% of about $14,000.
So somewhere in the region of $12,000 to $15,000 a month in card volume, Stax starts costing less, and the gap widens from there. A business at $50,000 a month is likely saving $200 to $300 a month on Stax; at $150,000 a month the saving is substantial even after Stax’s higher subscription tier.
The number that settles it is your own interchange, which Square will never show you. That is the real argument for moving: not the saving, the visibility.
Published pricing, side by side
| Square | Stax | |
|---|---|---|
| In person | 2.6% + 15¢ tapped, dipped or swiped on the free plan; 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium |
interchange at cost + 8¢ per transaction the page says 0% markup on direct-cost interchange; the subscription is the margin |
| Keyed | 3.5% + 15¢ | interchange at cost + 15¢ per transaction |
| Online | 3.3% + 30¢ 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium |
interchange at cost + 15¢ per transaction |
| Pricing model | Flat rate | Subscription plus interchange |
| Monthly | $0 on the free plan; $49/mo per location (Plus); $149/mo per location (Premium) | $99/mo up to $150,000 a year; $139/mo from $150,000 to $250,000; $199+/mo above $250,000 |
| Contract | No contract. The page says “no hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Cancel or switch anytime.” | No term stated. The page lists “no cancellation fees (long term contracts)” as a feature. |
| Monthly minimum | Not stated | Not stated |
| Funding | Next business day free; instant transfer for a fee | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Chargeback fee | Not published on the pricing page | Not published |
| Hardware | Sold outright; prices on a separate page | Priced separately; terminal protection plan $19/mo |
| Account type | Aggregator (sub-merchant under Square) | Own merchant account, underwritten |
Square: squareup.com — read 2026-10-08. Stax: staxpayments.com — read 2026-10-08.
Published prices change. These were read on the dates above and are list prices for a business buying direct — a quote you are given may differ, and should be compared as a quote rather than against a price list.
Square, also published:
- ACH via invoice 1%, $1 minimum
- Afterpay 6% + 30¢
- EBT 1.8% + 5¢
- Custom pricing available above $250,000 a year
Stax, also published:
- ACH 1% per transaction, capped at $10
- Surcharging starts at $99/mo; debit surcharge 1.25% + $0.25
Where they actually differ
What you can see. On Square you see one blended number and cannot tell what interchange cost, so you cannot tell whether a transaction downgraded or whether your card mix shifted. On Stax interchange is itemised. Interchange-plus pricing.
How the cost behaves as you grow. Square takes 2.6% of every additional dollar forever. Stax’s subscription is close to fixed, so its effective margin falls continuously as you grow. For a growing business that difference compounds.
The software. Square is a business platform — till, inventory, staff, reporting, invoicing, appointments, payroll. Stax is a payments company. If you need the operational tooling, Square’s is far deeper, and you would be comparing Stax plus a separate point-of-sale against Square.
The downside risk of a subscription. You pay $99 whether you process $40,000 or $4,000. For a seasonal business that is a real cost in the quiet months, and Square’s $0 floor is genuinely valuable there.
Disclosure. Square publishes its full fee table including ACH, EBT and Afterpay, and next-business-day funding. Stax does not publish a chargeback fee, a funding timetable or a monthly minimum. Three things to get in writing.
The account. Stax underwrites you as a merchant in your own right; Square is an aggregator and you are a sub-merchant. Merchant account versus aggregator.
Hardware. Square sells outright. Stax prices hardware separately and publishes a $19-a-month terminal protection plan with unlimited swaps.
Who each one suits
Square suits a business under roughly $12,000 a month in card volume, a seasonal business whose volume collapses for part of the year, a brand-new business, and any business that wants the operating software as much as the payment.
Stax suits an established business comfortably above the crossover that wants interchange visible and its margin fixed rather than proportional — particularly one that already has its point-of-sale sorted and needs processing rather than a platform.
Check Stax against Helcim too. Helcim charges a percentage margin over interchange and no monthly fee, which beats a subscription below roughly $25,000 a month. The three-way comparison is the useful one. Helcim versus Stax.
What the comparison does not show
Work out your own interchange before trusting the crossover. The 1.9% figure above is a reasonable mixed-card assumption and your business may be well either side of it. A debit-heavy business pays much less interchange, which moves the crossover down and favours Stax earlier. A premium-rewards-heavy business pays more, which favours it even more strongly. Debit versus credit and what rewards cards cost.
Stax’s subscription tiers are annual, not monthly: $99 up to $150,000 a year, $139 to $250,000, $199+ above. A business at $30,000 a month is at $360,000 a year and in the top tier.
Interchange-plus means a longer statement. More lines, interchange broken out. That is the point, and it is also why some people conclude they are being charged more. Compare effective rates, not line counts. What an effective rate is.
Moving away from Square means new hardware. Square’s readers are proprietary and do not move. Budget for it; it is usually recovered in a couple of months at these volumes. Switching from Square.
How to settle it with your own numbers
These two are not the same kind of price, which is why comparing the headline numbers gets you nowhere. Square quotes one rate covering everything; Stax passes interchange through at cost and charges its margin separately. Until you know what interchange your own card mix attracts, the two are not on the same scale.
Your effective rate puts them on it: total fees for a month divided by total card volume. Work out what you pay now, then apply Stax’s published margin to the same volume and average ticket. The gap between those two figures is the whole decision.
Flat rate against interchange-plus is the model comparison in general terms, and the calculator does the arithmetic on yours.
What we charge
Interchange + 0.50% + 10¢ in person, interchange + 0.75% + 25¢ keyed, with no contract, no monthly fee and no monthly minimum.
Send us one page of a statement and we will work out your effective rate on what you pay now, and what Square, Stax and we would each cost on the same volume and card mix. Three figures of the same kind. If one of the other two wins, that is what we will tell you.
While we are on the subject
Is Stax cheaper than Square?
Above roughly $12,000 to $15,000 a month in card volume, usually yes, and the gap widens as you grow. Below it, Square’s $0 monthly floor wins.
What happens on Stax in a slow month?
You pay the subscription regardless. For a seasonal business that is the main argument against it.
Can I keep my Square hardware?
No. Square’s readers only work with Square, so moving means buying new hardware.
Is a subscription model legitimate?
Yes — it is a normal way to charge for interchange-plus, and above the crossover it is genuinely cheaper. Below the crossover it is simply dead weight.