Square vs PayPal fee calculator

Guide

About the Square vs PayPal Fee calculator

Square and PayPal are both household names for taking payments, but they're built around different needs — and their fees reflect that. This Square vs PayPal fee calculator settles the cost question: enter an amount, pick your country and the PayPal product you use, and it computes both processors' fees at once, shows what you keep on each, and names the cheaper option and the exact difference.

Comparing the right products

PayPal prices by product — Checkout (the branded online button), Goods & Services (receiving money), and a micropayments plan for very small sales — each with its own percentage and fixed fee. Square publishes online, in-person and keyed rates. To compare fairly, this tool puts Square's online rate against the PayPal product you select. That choice matters: PayPal Checkout and PayPal micropayments can give opposite verdicts against the same Square rate, so picking the product you actually use is what makes the answer trustworthy.

Why the fixed fee decides the winner

Both processors charge a percentage plus a fixed fee, and against PayPal's standard Goods & Services rate the two are remarkably close. Square is 3.3% + $0.30; PayPal Goods & Services is 2.99% + $0.49. PayPal's percentage is lower but its fixed fee is higher, so Square's smaller $0.30 fixed fee wins on small sales while PayPal's lower 2.99% wins on larger ones — the crossover sits around $60, and on a $100 sale PayPal edges it by about $0.12. (Against PayPal Checkout at 3.49%, Square wins outright; PayPal's micropayments plan, with its tiny $0.09 fixed fee, beats Square on very small sales.) Because the calculator shows each platform's effective rate, you can see exactly where the crossover happens for your order sizes — and the PayPal product you pick changes the answer, so choose the one you actually use.

Country differences and foreign cards

Neither processor charges one flat rate worldwide. Square operates in eight countries with distinct per-country rates, and PayPal's commercial rate varies by country too. Cards from another country add a surcharge on both — Square adds a foreign-card surcharge on its online rate, and PayPal adds a cross-border fee — and the amounts differ, which can change the winner. Select your country and toggle the foreign-card option to fold those costs in. In Ireland, Square adds VAT on top of its fee, which the calculator reflects.

Reverse mode for invoicing

If you quote a fixed take-home figure, switch to reverse mode. Each platform grosses the charge up independently using charge = (target + fixed) ÷ (1 − rate), and the calculator shows which one needs the smaller charge to land your net — the number to put on the invoice or the price tag.

Picking on more than price

Fees are only part of the story. PayPal offers instant brand recognition at checkout and buyer trust, which can lift conversion; Square is excellent if you also sell in person and want a free point-of-sale app and hardware, with no monthly fee. Square's online tools are simpler than Stripe's but cover most small-business needs, while PayPal is ubiquitous and easy for customers who already have an account. Use this calculator to settle the cost comparison with your real numbers, then weigh checkout experience, payout speed and the way you actually sell. These are standard published rates; negotiated or higher-volume pricing can differ, so confirm in each dashboard before deciding.