Square offers a myriad of features and solutions for multiple verticals (Restaurant, Retail, Services) and in multiple tiers (Free, Plus, Premium). This can be confusing, so we've attempted to make sense of all these in terms of what each tier adds to the previous, while offering up some best fit scenarios for each.
Square Pricing, Details by Plan & Vertical, Hardware Pricing
Restaurant fast rules of thumb:
Free – 1 location, counter‑service or simple bar/casual, basic tables, minimal splitting.
Plus – 1–3 locations, full table service or busy bar, needs floor plan, split/reopen, KDS, better menu/shift reporting.
Premium – multi‑location or high‑volume full‑service, needs seats + courses + centralized control and stronger support.
(more details below)
Retail fast rules of thumb:
Free – 1 location, simple inventory, basic barcode scanning and reporting, mostly walk‑in traffic
Plus – 1–3 locations, larger catalog with variants, needs stronger inventory control (POs, vendors, stock alerts), and more detailed sales/margin reporting.
Premium – multi‑location or high‑volume retail, complex inventory across stores, needs centralized controls, advanced analytics, and tighter cost/profit visibility, and stronger support.
(more details below)
Services / Salon fast rules of thumb:
Free – solo or very small team, simple online booking, basic customer profiles, and straightforward check‑out.
Plus – growing staff (multiple providers), needs multi‑staff calendars, stronger no‑show protections, and built‑in tools to drive repeat visits (reminders, promotions, loyalty).
Premium – larger or multi‑location service/beauty business, needs advanced scheduling and staff controls, resource/physical space management, deeper reporting on utilization and revenue, and better support at higher volume.
(more details below)
Restaurant
Square Restaurant Free – numerous basic features
Menu & item library, fixed, variable, and per-unit pricing, modifiers & variations, basic order management (no floor plan), open checks tied to tables or tickets, auto‑gratuity (basic), discounts & promotions, item‑level tax controls, online ordering page (pickup & delivery), basic in‑person & online order management, basic kitchen/bar remote prep printing, basic inventory counts & low‑stock alerts, core sales reports, basic item performance reports, basic customer profiles, basic staff time tracking & permissions. Text and email support only after 90 days.
Square Restaurant Plus – added vs Free
Custom floor plans / visual table map, color‑coded table status indicators and timers, easier reopen of closed checks, flexible split/merge checks at item level, enhanced floor‑plan customization across areas (bar/patio/etc.), shift summaries & close‑of‑day tools, enhanced menu & category performance reports, enhanced labor/shift reports, integrated KDS support with advanced routing, stronger role‑based access control, expanded phone/support (M-F 6am-6pm PST).
Square Restaurant Premium – added vs Plus
Seat management tools (assign dishes to specific seats, track covers per table), course management tools (define courses, fire/hold courses for FOH/BOH coordination), multi‑location configuration & centralized menu/settings, advanced multi‑location and roll‑up reporting, more advanced labor & team‑management features for larger staffs, tools oriented to high‑volume/enterprise operations, priority/extended 24/7 support and account attention, deeper integration options including reservation‑platform integrations and more advanced online/omnichannel flows.
Retail
Retail Free – main inclusions
Basic item & variation library, basic inventory counts per item, manual stock adjustments, simple barcode scanning with compatible scanners, simple barcode labeling support, basic discounts & promos, item‑level tax controls, simple customer profiles, in‑store POS checkout with cards/tap/wallet, basic Square Online store connection, core sales reports, basic item performance reports, basic staff time tracking & permissions.
Retail Plus – added vs Free
Purchase orders & receive‑stock workflows, item cost tracking and margin/profit reporting, stronger multi‑location inventory tools (stock by location, transfers), richer barcode/label workflows (cleaner label printing, better GTIN/UPC handling), enhanced catalog import/export, more granular item & category performance reports, low‑stock & reorder reporting tuned for retail, more advanced role‑based access and staff controls, enhanced support entitlements suitable for growing multi‑employee shops.
Retail Premium – added vs Plus
Centralized multi‑location catalog and inventory management at scale, advanced multi‑location and consolidated reporting (location comparisons, roll‑up views), more sophisticated inventory tools for larger assortments and warehouses, more advanced team‑management and labor controls across locations, tooling geared to high‑volume and franchised/enterprise retailers, priority/extended support and higher‑touch account management, deeper integration options (e.g., richer connections to ecommerce, accounting, or ERP stacks).
If you tell me how many locations you’re planning, roughly how many SKUs you carry, and whether item‑level profit reporting is a must‑have or nice‑to‑have, I can recommend which tier is likely the best fit.
Services / Salon
Appointments / Services Free – main inclusions
Online booking site, unlimited staff calendars at one location, basic appointment calendar, client profiles & history, basic automated email/SMS reminders, integrated in‑person & online payments, basic no‑frills POS checkout, basic item/service catalog, basic sales & appointment reports, basic staff time tracking & permissions.
Appointments / Services Plus – added vs Free
Multi‑staff appointment booking controls, class/group bookings, waitlist functionality, no‑show protection & cancellation policies (deposits/fees), Google Calendar sync, configurable daily appointment limits, more advanced reminders & messaging, stronger reporting for growing teams, support for multi‑location setups, moderate monthly SMS bundle included for reminders, enhanced support entitlements (M-F 6-6 Phone Support).
- Automatically email customers with a reminder of the items left in their cart. Display accurate shipping rates at checkout based on weight, destination, and carrier
- Online - add badges to sale items, low or out of stock. Limit purchase quantity per order. Schedule product drops, price changes, and flash sales in advance. Offer subscriptions for items or services on your website. Sell multiple items as a single bundle.
Appointments / Services Premium – added vs Plus
Resource management (chairs/rooms/equipment scheduling), advanced multi‑location and complex scheduling tools, more powerful staff management & time tracking across locations, future bookings and advanced appointment analytics, larger included SMS bundle for reminders & marketing, additional reporting for forward‑looking schedules, tools oriented to higher‑volume salons/spas and multi‑location practices, priority/extended support and higher‑touch account management. 24x7 Phone support.