# PayPal Zettle vs Square for Retail

**Leader by Vioscale score:** PayPal Zettle

| Attribute | PayPal Zettle | Square for Retail |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 60.9 (37% (low)) | 51.2 (36% (low)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A payment acceptance system combining a free mobile app with optional hardware. Charges a percentage fee on each transaction with no monthly subscriptions or long-term contracts. | Cloud-based retail management system that integrates checkout, inventory, online sales, and customer data across multiple store locations and sales channels. |
| features.capabilities | `{"pricing_model":"saas_plus_mandatory_payment_processing_rake","integrated_gift_cards_and_store_credit":true}` | `{"pricing_model":"saas_plus_mandatory_payment_processing_rake","deployment_model":"cloud_web_client","hardware_and_payment_processor_agnostic":false,"customer_crm_profiles_and_purchase_history":true,"multi_location_store_transfers_and_lookups":true,"matrix_inventory_variant_support_size_color":true,"omnichannel_bopis_buy_online_pickup_in_store":true,"barcode_scanner_and_thermal_receipt_printer_sync":true}` |
| integrations.count | 16 | 24 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Adobe Commerce"},{"name":"BigCommerce"},{"name":"ePages"},{"name":"ExtendaGO"},{"name":"HIOPOS"},{"name":"JTL-POS"},{"name":"Lightspeed"},{"name":"modified-shop"},{"name":"nopCommerce"},{"name":"Pickware"},{"name":"plentyPOS"},{"name":"PrestaShop"},{"name":"roc.Kasse"},{"name":"Shopify"},{"name":"Shopware"},{"name":"WooCommerce"}]` | `[{"name":"Uber Eats"},{"name":"QuickBooks Online"},{"name":"Wix"},{"name":"WooCommerce"},{"name":"Jotform"},{"name":"Shippo"},{"name":"SKU IQ"},{"name":"Thrive Inventory"},{"name":"Bookkeep"},{"name":"INFI"},{"name":"Stream"},{"name":"KioskBuddy"},{"name":"OpenTable"},{"name":"Resy OS"},{"name":"Web Accessibility"},{"name":"Whoosh"},{"name":"SmarterSign"},{"name":"SyncPenguin"},{"name":"Trustpilot"},{"name":"Printful"},{"name":"Kliken"},{"name":"Poptin"},{"name":"Weglot"},{"name":"Fomo"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["GB"],"availabilityScope":"regional","availableCountries":["GB"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US","GB"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":["US","GB"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Card Payments","summary":"1.75% per card/contactless transaction","features":["Card and contactless payments","Cash payments","Gift card management","Inventory management","Sales reporting","Receipt options"],"components":[{"of":"transaction","kind":"percentage","plus":null,"rate":1.75}],"contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"PayPal Reader","components":[{"kind":"one_time","amount":29,"currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"Additional PayPal Reader","components":[{"kind":"one_time","amount":69,"currency":"GBP"}]}],"summary":"1.75% per transaction. Free app. Hardware from £29.","currency":"GBP","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.zettle.com/gb/help/articles/1084775-pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-24T21:10:48.486Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free"},{"free":false,"name":"Plus"},{"free":false,"name":"Premium"}],"currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://squareup.com/signup/en-US?square_one_tier_token=free&login_only_return_to=%2Fdashboard%2Fpricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-24T10:23:45.201Z","freeTrialDays":30}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |

## Capabilities (Retail POS)

| Capability | PayPal Zettle | Square for Retail |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | - | Cloud web client |
| Offline mode transaction queuing | - | - |
| Hardware and payment processor agnostic | - | ✗ |
| Matrix inventory variant support size color | - | ✓ |
| Barcode scanner and thermal receipt printer sync | - | ✓ |
| Customer CRM profiles and purchase history | - | ✓ |
| Integrated gift cards and store credit | ✓ | - |
| Omnichannel bopis buy online pickup in store | - | ✓ |
| Employee time clock and commission tracking | - | - |
| Multi location store transfers and lookups | - | ✓ |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | - | - |
| Pricing model | Saas plus mandatory payment processing rake | Saas plus mandatory payment processing rake |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:14:38.074Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*