Stripe Terminal VS Square Contactless Reader

Compare Stripe Terminal VS Square Contactless Reader and see what are their differences

Monitask

Employee Monitoring Software with Screenshots, Internet, Activity and Time Tracking featured

Contents:

» Base Details
» Videos
» Reviews
» Alternatives

Stripe Terminal

The programmable point-of-sale solution 💳🛠️

Square Contactless Reader

Accept Apple Pay + Chip cards, anywhere

Landing page //
2023-06-17

Landing page //
2023-06-24

Stripe Terminal features and specs

Integration with Stripe Ecosystem
Seamlessly integrates with other Stripe services, allowing businesses to unify online and offline payments into a single platform.
Customizability
Offers a high level of customization to fit specific business needs, including tailored payment flows and branded receipts.
Hardware Options
Provides a variety of hardware options that cater to different business needs, from mobile card readers to countertop smart terminals.
Developer-Friendly
Includes extensive documentation and SDKs for iOS, Android, and JavaScript, making it easy for developers to build custom POS solutions.
Global Availability
Available in multiple countries with support for numerous currencies, enabling businesses to operate globally with ease.

Possible disadvantages of Stripe Terminal

Cost
Costs can add up with transaction fees, hardware purchases, and potential development expenditures for custom setups.
Setup Complexity
Can be complex to set up and integrate without sufficient technical expertise, potentially requiring developer resources.
Limited Offline Capability
Dependent on internet connectivity for transactions; limited offline capabilities may not suit all business environments.
Geographic Limitations
Despite global reach, some specific features and hardware might not be available in all regions, which can hinder operations in certain countries.
Technical Support
Users report that while support is available, response times can vary, potentially causing delays if issues arise during business hours.

Square Contactless Reader features and specs

Ease of Use
The Square Contactless Reader is simple to set up and use, making it accessible for small business owners without extensive technical knowledge.
Versatility
The device accepts a wide range of payment methods including contactless (NFC) payments, chip card payments, and mobile payments such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Portability
Its compact and lightweight design allows business owners to easily carry it and accept payments on-the-go.
Security
The Square Reader is designed with security in mind, featuring encryption to protect payment data and ensure safe transactions.
Affordable
The price point of the Square Contactless Reader is relatively low, making it an economical option for small businesses looking to accept modern payment methods.

Possible disadvantages of Square Contactless Reader

Requires Internet Connection
The device requires a stable internet connection to process payments, which might be a limitation in areas with poor connectivity.
Limited to Square Ecosystem
The reader is integrated into the Square ecosystem, which might limit functionality for businesses that use multiple or different payment systems.
Transaction Fees
As with many payment processors, Square charges a transaction fee on payments processed, which can add up for businesses with large sales volumes.
Battery Life
While portable, the device relies on a battery which needs to be charged regularly, potentially causing interruptions if not managed properly.
Limited Offline Functionality
Without internet, the Square Contactless Reader has limited functionality, potentially leading to service disruptions during power or connectivity outages.

Stripe Terminal videos

+ Add

Dev Chats: Stripe Terminal

Square Contactless Reader videos

No Square Contactless Reader videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Stripe Terminal and Square Contactless Reader)

Square Contactless Reader

Online Payments

70 70%

Online Payments

30% 30

Productivity

73 73%

Productivity

27% 27

Fintech

64 64%

Fintech

36% 36

eCommerce

100 100%

eCommerce

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Stripe Terminal and Square Contactless Reader. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Social recommendations and mentions

Square Contactless Reader might be a bit more popular than Stripe Terminal. We know about 10 links to it since March 2021 and only 10 links to Stripe Terminal. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Stripe Terminal mentions (10)

Stripe Terminal iOS & Android SDK
Hey, I'm creating a POS system and want to integrate Stripe Terminal for accepting in-person payments. I need to have offline capabilities so the server-driven integration is no option sadly. So I'll need to use their iOS & Android SDK's. Can anyone help me with this? Or tell me how to integrate two SDK's into a flutter app? (I'll probably be using the BBPOS WisePad 3). Source: about 2 years ago
Gesture-based payments
Finally, using gestures solely would only work if a customer is part of a program that already possesses their credit card details. If a gesture is not used as a confirmation input but as the payment method itself, we need some way to match payment details to this gesture and this user. For example, let’s imagine that a customer wants to pay with gestures that they trained on their smartwatch. We could imagine a... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
Making a point of sale app
The short answer here is: there's companies which will provide you a cloud API to interact with a card reader they provide, and that's the least awful way to use one. These include Stripe (https://stripe.com/terminal), Square (https://squareup.com/us/en), SumUp (https://sumup.com/), and going towards the enterprise end, things like Adyen (https://www.adyen.com/pos-payments). Source: over 2 years ago
Can I integrate Stripe terminal with my POS system?
We'd love to have you! Make your way to stripe.com/terminal and go through the docs. There's a nice sample that uses a simulator to show you how to get it done. Source: about 3 years ago
Apple unveils contactless payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone
Stripe does have a physical terminal too (https://stripe.com/terminal) but I've never seen it at a merchant. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

Square Contactless Reader mentions (10)

selling my book at summer festivals
- if your phone lacks the capacity to process cards - Square's card reader - affordable, simple to use. Source: almost 2 years ago
Best alternatives to Square?
I have this Square contactless/chip reader so if a customer doesn't have tap-to-pay they just insert their card. I do keep my old magstripe reader handy just in case. There have been a few times my contactless/chip reader didn't work for a few minutes (maybe related to unstable con wifi?) and I used the magstripe reader instead. Source: about 2 years ago
Square mag stripe reader
I have this one - https://squareup.com/us/en/hardware/contactless-chip-reader. Source: over 2 years ago
Hypothetically speaking, is there any way to use mobile wallets with online shopping with the USBAR?
I thought you were “hypothetically” wanting to get something like a Square Reader/Terminal and use Google Pay, right? Source: about 3 years ago
What stops criminals from using Tap to Pay to just skim every passerby's card details?
While this is a new feature for iPhones, it is not a new concept at all. Square has offered a pocket sized wireless reader since 2015. Source: over 3 years ago