How we rank these tools — 4-step process
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1
European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and processes customer data in Europe. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
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Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
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Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
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Position on this page
Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. It never buys a good review: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Paid placement can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. Editorial policy
Key takeaways
- Square operates in only eight countries, of which three are in the European Union: France, Ireland and Spain.
- Block, Inc. is a US corporation in Oakland; the Irish subsidiary European sellers contract with, Squareup International Limited, does not change that.
- Irish rates are quoted plus VAT, so 1.75% in person and 1.4% + 25c online are not the figures that reach your invoice.
- Cards issued outside the EEA add 1.5% to every Square rate, which matters most to tourist-facing businesses.
- Leaving Square usually means replacing hardware as well as an account, and that cost belongs in the comparison from the start.
Why people leave Square
The first thing to establish about Square in Europe is whether you can use it at all. Square operates in eight countries: the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Spain. Inside the European Union that is three. A café in Berlin, a shop in Amsterdam, a studio in Milan or a bakery in Warsaw cannot open a Square account, and no amount of comparison will change that.
For the merchants who can use it, Square is a good product with an American owner. Block, Inc. is a United States corporation with its business address in Oakland, California, and European sellers contract with its Irish subsidiary, Squareup International Limited in Dublin. That is a US company operating in Europe through a subsidiary rather than a European company you are choosing between, and the CLOUD Act reaches Block the way it reaches any US corporation.
The third thing is the rate card, which needs reading twice. Square’s Irish prices are quoted excluding VAT: 1.75% + VAT in person, 1.4% + 25c + VAT online for EEA cards, 2% + VAT for a manually keyed card and 2.5% + VAT on invoices, with a further 1.5% on cards issued outside the EEA. The number advertised is not the number on the invoice, and for a tourist-facing business the non-EEA surcharge applies more often than anyone expects.
- Three EU countries is not European coverage France, Ireland and Spain are the whole of Square’s European Union footprint. If you trade in more than one EU market, Square cannot be your single counter system, and if you trade in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Poland or the Nordics it cannot be your counter system at all. Every alternative on this page covers considerably more of the continent than that.
- The advertised rate excludes VAT A merchant reading 1.75% and budgeting 1.75% has already made an error. On the Irish pricing page every processing rate carries "+ VAT", which changes the real cost of taking a payment. VAT-registered businesses reclaim it and feel nothing; those that cannot — some medical, educational, cultural and small exempt businesses — pay the whole of it.
- Foreign cards cost 1.5% more Cards issued outside the EEA add 1.5% to every rate, in person, online and keyed alike. For a hotel, a souvenir shop, a museum café or anything near an airport, that surcharge applies to a large minority of transactions and turns a competitive headline rate into an ordinary one.
- The hardware is a commitment Square sells its own terminals, registers and stands, priced in Ireland at €118 for a Terminal and €13.30 for a Reader under a 30% promotion, with a Register at €699, a Stand at €119 and a Handheld at €199. Hardware ties a business to a provider more firmly than any contract does, because switching means replacing objects rather than changing a setting. Buy it knowing that.
What you have to replace, not just match
Work out which half of Square you depend on, because the counter and the till are not the same purchase.
One half is acquiring: taking the card, settling the money, handling the chargeback. Every provider on this page does that, and two of them do it across far more of Europe than Square reaches. The other half is the point-of-sale software — the register interface, the item library, staff accounts, the restaurant floor plan, the kitchen display, the stock counts.
That second half is where Square is genuinely strong and where the European alternatives are more varied. Square for Restaurants at €69 a month per location, Square Online from €14 and the kitchen display at €15 are a retail software suite with payments attached. If that suite is what you would miss, plan for a till system and a payment provider as two separate choices rather than one.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mollie | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Per method, from €0.29 (iDEAL); cards from €0.29 + 1.8% | EU (Netherlands) |
| #2 | Adyen | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Interchange-plus; about €0.11 + scheme fee per transaction | EU (Netherlands) |
| #3 | SumUp | Berlin, Germany | From 1.69% per transaction | EU (Germany) |
| #4 | Payrexx | Thun, Switzerland | From 1.25% + CHF 0.18 (TWINT); cards 1.65% + CHF 0.18 | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
How each alternative compares to Square
- Which law reaches it. EU (Netherlands). Square is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU data centres.
- Source code. Closed source, as Square is.
- Independently checked. PCI DSS, PSD2/SCA.
Best for: Merchants selling mostly online in markets Square never opened
Mollie is an Amsterdam company built for online payments that has since added in-person selling, with staff able to take payments at a table or on the move alongside the webshop. For a business whose revenue is mostly online with a market stall or a showroom attached, that order of priorities is the right way round, and it is the opposite of Square’s.
The coverage argument does most of the work here. Mollie serves European markets Square does not reach at all, and it prices the methods those markets use: an iDEAL payment is a flat €0.32 and an EEA consumer card 1.8% + €0.25, with nothing monthly on the pay-as-you-go plan. A Dutch or Belgian merchant is not choosing between Mollie and Square; only one of them is available.
What it does not have is a till. There is no restaurant floor plan, no kitchen display and no item library of Square’s depth, so a hospitality business needs a separate point-of-sale product. Judge Mollie on the checkout and the payout, not on the counter.
What Mollie does better than Square
- Available across European markets where Square cannot be opened at all
- Per-method pricing, with an iDEAL payment at a flat €0.32, where Square charges a card percentage on everything
- Dutch company supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank, against a US corporation selling through an Irish subsidiary
- No VAT surprise: rates are published as the merchant will be charged them
- Online payments are the core product rather than the companion to a till
Where Mollie is a step down from Square
- No point-of-sale software comparable to Square for Restaurants or Square Online
- No hardware ecosystem of registers, stands and kitchen displays
- In-person selling is newer and narrower than Square’s, which has been the whole product for years
- Coverage outside Europe is thin, where Square spans four continents
Standout against Square. It is the option here most likely to be available where you actually trade, which for most EU merchants settles the Square comparison before features are discussed.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Netherlands). Square is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU data centres.
- Source code. Closed source, as Square is.
- Independently checked. PCI DSS Level 1.
Best for: Chains and multi-location businesses that outgrew a till-in-a-box
Adyen designs its own terminals — countertop, mobile, unattended and tap-to-pay on a phone — and runs them on the same platform as the online checkout, so a purchase made on the website and returned at a till leaves one record rather than two. That is the same promise Square makes to a small merchant, made to a business with fifty locations.
It is also available across European markets that Square has never entered, under a full banking licence from De Nederlandsche Bank, with funds held in segregated accounts. For a retail group whose finance function has to explain where the money sits between the till and the bank, that is a materially clearer answer than a US processor with European subsidiaries.
The trade is the opposite of Square’s. There is no self-serve signup, no €13 reader and no app you configure yourself on a Sunday; onboarding is a project with a salesperson, an integration and a pilot. Below a few locations, that overhead is not worth carrying.
What Adyen does better than Square
- Its own terminal range including unattended and tap-to-pay, across far more European countries than Square serves
- A full Dutch banking licence with funds in segregated accounts, against a US-regulated parent
- Interchange-plus pricing that improves with volume, where Square charges one published rate plus VAT
- Online and in-store reconcile as a single data layer for a whole estate, not one location
- Local payment methods on its own acquiring licences, which matters the moment you cross a border
Where Adyen is a step down from Square
- No self-serve signup, so a single shop cannot simply start on Monday
- No point-of-sale software suite: it expects you to have a till system already
- Hardware and integration costs are far above a €13 reader
- Historically a minimum volume, which excludes most businesses that chose Square
Standout against Square. It is the only provider here that puts an entire estate of terminals and websites on one banking-licensed platform, which is the problem a growing Square merchant eventually runs into.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Square is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU.
- Source code. Closed source, as Square is.
- Independently checked. GDPR, PCI DSS.
Best for: Single-till shops, traders and mobile merchants anywhere in Europe
SumUp is the direct European answer to what Square sells: a reader you buy outright for about €39, a flat 1.69% on in-person transactions, no monthly fee, no minimum volume and no contract. It is a Berlin company, and it operates across the European markets that Square has never opened.
On paper Square’s 1.75% and SumUp’s 1.69% are almost the same number, and the real differences sit around them. Square quotes its rate before VAT and adds 1.5% on non-EEA cards; SumUp sells a cheaper first device; and Square’s software subscriptions — €69 a month per restaurant location, €15 for a kitchen display — have no SumUp equivalent at that depth.
That is also the limitation. SumUp’s POS app handles a simple shop or a small café competently and does not pretend to run a multi-site restaurant group with floor plans and stock. Above roughly €10,000 a month, the flat percentage also becomes expensive with no volume discount to soften it.
What SumUp does better than Square
- Available throughout European markets where Square cannot be used at all
- A reader from about €39 against a €118 Square Terminal, with no per-location software fee
- German company with European supervision, rather than a US corporation selling through an Irish subsidiary
- A flat 1.69% quoted as charged, with no VAT line to add afterwards
- Same-day start with no contract, matching the part of Square merchants actually like
Where SumUp is a step down from Square
- The POS software is far simpler than Square for Restaurants, with no floor plans or kitchen display
- No online store product comparable to Square Online at €14 a month
- Once monthly card volume passes roughly €10,000 the flat rate turns expensive, and nothing is negotiable
- Multi-location stock, permissions and analytics are thin for a growing business
Standout against Square. It is the only provider here that copies Square’s actual proposition — one-off hardware, flat rate, no contract — in the countries where Square is not an option.
- Which law reaches it. Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA). Square is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Switzerland.
- Source code. Closed source, as Square is.
- Independently checked. PCI DSS.
Best for: Swiss merchants, where the payment method decides more than the rate
Square does not operate in Switzerland, so for a Swiss shop this is not a migration but a first choice. Payrexx AG is based in Thun and built around TWINT at 1.25% + CHF 0.18 and cards at 1.65% + CHF 0.18, with the Swiss QR-bill treated as a proper payment method rather than an afterthought.
The practical point is that a Swiss customer reaching for TWINT and finding it absent does not pay another way; a share of them abandon the purchase. That risk is worth more attention than the difference between one card rate and another, and it is invisible in any comparison that only counts percentages.
It is the narrowest option on this page. Outside Switzerland and the DACH region the coverage thins quickly, there is no terminal range approaching Adyen’s or Square’s, and Switzerland sits outside the EEA under an adequacy decision — lawful for EU transfers without standard contractual clauses, and not the same as processing inside the single market.
What Payrexx does better than Square
- TWINT and the Swiss QR-bill built in as proper methods, neither of which Square supports at all
- Available in Switzerland, where Square has never launched
- Servers and stored transaction data stay in Switzerland, under neither US nor EU law
- A 30-day free trial of the full product, where Square asks you to buy hardware first
- Published rates with no setup fee, monthly minimum or VAT line to add
Where Payrexx is a step down from Square
- Narrow coverage outside Switzerland and the DACH region
- No terminal range or point-of-sale suite comparable to Square’s
- Switzerland is not in the EEA, so a Commission adequacy finding carries the transfer rather than the single market
- Prices in Swiss francs, which is awkward for a euro-based business
Standout against Square. It is the only provider here that makes TWINT a first-class method, which for a Swiss counter decides more sales than any percentage on this page.
What actually breaks when you switch
The hardware is the first cost and the one people forget. Square terminals, registers and stands work with Square, so a move means new devices on every counter and an old set written off. Time the switch with a refresh rather than against one, and pilot a single location before committing an estate.
The second is the software gap. Item libraries, staff accounts, floor plans, kitchen displays and stock counts live inside Square, and none of the payment providers here replaces them. Export the catalogue and the staff setup before you close the account, and decide whether the replacement till system is a purchase or a spreadsheet, because that decision usually lands on a manager who was not in the meeting.
The third is the reporting your accountant already knows. Square settles and reports in one way, the replacement in another, and the first VAT return after a switch is where mismatches surface. Run both in parallel through one full reporting period if the business can stand it.
Can I use Square where my business is?
Only if you trade in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France or Spain. That is Square’s published list, and it has grown slowly: the UK in 2017, Ireland and France in 2021, Spain in 2022.
For most of the European Union the question therefore never reaches price or features. There is no German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Polish or Nordic Square, and the Irish subsidiary that European sellers contract with is a base for an American company rather than a signal about which markets open next.
If you are reading this page because a supplier, a consultant or an American article recommended Square, that is the answer: check the country list first, then read the rest.
What does Square actually cost once VAT and foreign cards are counted?
Take the Irish card rates as published and add the parts that are stated but easy to skip. In person is 1.75% + VAT; online is 1.4% + 25c + VAT for an EEA card; a keyed card is 2% + VAT; an invoice is 2.5% + VAT. Every one of those rises by 1.5% when the card was issued outside the EEA.
For an ordinary VAT-registered shop selling to local customers, the effective cost stays close to the headline, because the VAT is reclaimed and most cards are European. For a business that cannot reclaim VAT, or one whose customers are visitors, the same rate card produces a materially higher bill.
Then add hardware, which is a real cost rather than an accessory: a Terminal at €118, a Register at €699. Compare that with a provider selling a reader outright for around €39 and the first-year arithmetic looks different from the per-transaction one.
What does Square do that a payment provider alone does not?
The till. Square is a point-of-sale system that happens to process payments, and the software is the reason merchants like it: item libraries, staff permissions, a restaurant floor plan, a kitchen display at €15 a month, reporting that a shop owner can read, and an online store from €14 a month wired into the same stock.
None of the providers on this page is a replacement for that software. Adyen brings terminals and unified reporting for businesses that already have a till system; SumUp has a competent POS app aimed at simpler operations; Mollie and Payrexx come from the online side and meet the counter halfway.
The honest advice for a busy hospitality business is to treat the till and the payments as two purchases. That is more work than one Square account, and it is the price of operating in a market Square does not serve.
Does leaving Square mean replacing the hardware?
Usually yes, and this is what makes the decision heavier than a payment switch normally is. Square’s terminals, registers and stands are built for Square, so a business leaving writes off the hardware it bought and buys new hardware from whoever it moves to.
That reframes the comparison. A €39 reader with no subscription is not just cheaper per month than a €118 terminal, it is cheaper to be wrong about. For a single till the write-off is an annoyance; for a chain with a device on every counter it is a capital decision that should go through the same approval as any other.
The mitigation is to time the move with a hardware refresh rather than against it, and to pilot on one location before the fleet.
Which one to pick
For most European merchants the decision is made by the map. Square covers France, Ireland and Spain inside the EU and nothing else, so if you trade elsewhere this page is a list of what to use instead rather than a comparison.
Where Square is available and the objection is cost or ownership, SumUp is the closest match in shape: buy a reader, pay a flat rate, owe nothing monthly, and deal with a German company rather than a Californian one.
If the business has grown past one counter, Adyen is the honest recommendation despite the heavier onboarding, because it is the only option here that runs an estate of terminals and a website on one banking-licensed platform.
And if you are Swiss, none of the above applies: Payrexx wins on TWINT before the rate card is opened, and Square was never in the running.
Frequently Asked Questions
SumUp if you want the same shape of product — a reader you buy once, a flat rate, no contract — across far more of Europe. Adyen if you run several locations and want terminals and online on one platform. Mollie if the payments are mostly online with some in-person. Payrexx if you are Swiss, where TWINT decides more than the card rate does.
Eight: the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Spain. Inside the European Union that is France, Ireland and Spain only. Merchants in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Austria and the Nordics cannot open a Square account at all, which makes most European comparisons academic.
No. Square is a product of Block, Inc., a United States corporation with its business address in Oakland, California. European sellers contract with Squareup International Limited, an Irish company registered at 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in Dublin, which gives the group a European subsidiary rather than European ownership or supervision. The CLOUD Act applies to it as it does to any US company.
In-person payments are 1.75% + VAT, online payments 1.4% + 25c + VAT for EEA cards, manually keyed cards 2% + VAT and invoices 2.5% + VAT. Cards issued outside the EEA add 1.5% to each of those. Software is separate: Square for Restaurants is free or €69 a month per location, Square Online free or from €14 a month, and the kitchen display €15 a month standalone.
On the Irish pricing page, a Square Terminal is €118 + VAT and a Square Reader €13.30 + VAT, both under a 30% promotional discount, with the Register at €699 + VAT, the Stand at €119 + VAT and the Handheld at €199 + VAT. Hardware is the part that makes leaving expensive later, because it only works with Square.
On the headline percentage Square is lower — 1.75% against 1.69% is close, and Square quotes its figure before VAT. The differences that decide it are elsewhere: SumUp operates across far more of Europe, sells a reader outright for about €39, and has no per-location software subscription. For a single trader the total first-year cost is usually lower with SumUp; for a multi-till restaurant Square’s software may still earn its fee, where Square exists.
Not with a payment provider alone, and that is the gap to plan for. Square bundles an item library, staff accounts, restaurant floor plans, a kitchen display and an online store with the payments. European merchants generally buy a till system and a payment provider separately, which is more procurement but also means one bad choice does not have to be unwound twice.
Because interchange and scheme fees are higher on cards issued outside the EEA, and Square passes that through as a flat 1.5% added to every rate. Most European providers price the same underlying cost differently — some blend it, some expose it as interchange-plus — but nobody absorbs it. If your customers are tourists, ask any prospective provider for its non-EEA rate specifically.
Square settles to your bank account on a schedule and offers faster payouts for a fee, which is the ordinary acquirer shape. The structural difference with the alternatives here is who is supervised where: Block is regulated in the United States with European subsidiaries, while Adyen holds a Dutch banking licence and Mollie B.V. is licensed to provide payment services under the Dutch Financial Supervision Act, both supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank.
Who worked on this review
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