Cheekypayments
vs Square.
A broad commerce platform — card readers, POS, online store, invoicing, payroll — aimed at hospitality and retail.
The rate card
Their rates unverified| Cheekypayments | Square | |
|---|---|---|
| In person | 1.4% + 10p · every plan (Stripe's rate) | Not yet verified |
| Online | 1.5% + 20p · every plan | Not yet verified |
| Monthly fee | £0, £19, £79 — for software, not a lower rate | Not yet verified |
| Hardware | Tap to Pay free · reader £29 outright · countertop machine via Verofy | Not yet verified |
| Payouts | Daily payouts | Not yet verified |
| Contract | No minimum term | Not yet verified |
We haven’t published Square’s rates because we haven’t verified them against their own pricing page. Quoting a competitor’s price from memory is how comparison pages end up wrong, and a wrong number that sits here for a year does more damage than a blank cell. Check Square’s current pricing directly, then use our calculator to work out what you’d pay here.
Built differently, not just priced differently.
Rates move. How a company is put together doesn’t, and it tells you more about what you’ll be dealing with in a year’s time.
- Scope
Cheekypayments: Payments, payouts and reporting, done properly. A till for cafés, pubs and restaurants is on the way.
Square: A very wide product suite, much of which you may never switch on.
- Complexity
Cheekypayments: One rate card, three software plans, one dashboard.
Square: Pricing varies by product, and the effective rate depends which parts you use.
- Hardware range
Cheekypayments: Phone, a £29 reader, or a PAX or Castles countertop machine on a Verofy account; a tablet running Cheeky Till when it launches.
Square: A large hardware range including full countertop and kitchen systems.
Table management and kitchen printing are exactly what Cheeky Till is being built for. It is not live yet; register interest and we will tell you when it is. About Cheeky Till
They’re the better choice if…
For a busy restaurant that needs table management, kitchen printing, staff rotas and online ordering in one place, Square is a serious platform and a payments-only provider isn’t competing with it.
We’d rather you went to them and stayed happy than came to us and left in three months. Churn costs us more than the sale is worth.
Switching from Square
Is Cheekypayments cheaper than Square?
It depends on your volume and average sale, and we won’t publish Square's rate here until we’ve verified it against their own pricing page. Cheekypayments charges Stripe's published UK rates on every plan: 1.4% + 10p in person and 1.5% + 20p online, with a £0 plan available. Put your own numbers into our calculator and compare that total against your current statement — that is the only comparison that means anything.
Can I switch from Square to Cheekypayments?
Yes. Cheekypayments has no minimum term and no exit fee, so you can run both side by side while you move over. Check your existing Square agreement first — if it has a minimum term or a hardware lease, those obligations continue regardless of whether you use the service.
What does Square do better than Cheekypayments?
For a busy restaurant that needs table management, kitchen printing, staff rotas and online ordering in one place, Square is a serious platform and a payments-only provider isn’t competing with it.
Do I need to buy a card reader to switch from Square?
No. Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android turns the phone you already own into a contactless card reader, and it is included on every Cheekypayments plan. A card reader is available for £29 as a one-off purchase, with no rental and no minimum term, and a traditional countertop machine can be arranged on your own Verofy account.
Work out what you’d actually pay.
Put in your monthly takings and average sale. The card rate is the same on every plan, so the only question is whether you want the software.
Open the calculatorSquare is a trademark of its respective owner. This page is an independent comparison published by Cheeky Payments Limited and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Square.