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Helcim vs Square: interchange-plus against a flat 2.6% + 15¢
Updated Oct 15, 2026
Neither has a monthly software fee or a long-term contract. Square Free charges a flat 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person sale, about $0.93 on $30. Helcim charges interchange plus a 0.40% + 8¢ margin and publishes no all-in rate; its own example is $1.51 on a $100 Mastercard. Helcim includes inventory on its free account; Square Free includes offline payments and a free first swipe reader.
At a glance, by our score
- Top scoreLowest price
#1 Square POS
A $0-a-month plan at 2.6% + 15¢ in person, no contract, and a free first magstripe reader
8.9/10Very goodOur scoreVisit Square POSOn squareup.com - Lowest price
#5 Helcim
Interchange-plus card pricing with no monthly fee or contract, and a $99 card reader
5.9/10PoorOur scoreVisit HelcimOn helcim.com
Side by side
| Criterion | Helcim | Square POS |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 5.9/10PoorOur score #5 of 8 | 8.9/10Very goodOur score #1 of 8 |
| Card rate (30%) | 0.0 / 10 | 8.2 / 10 |
| Monthly software fee (25%) | 10.0 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Contract (15%) | 10.0 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Cheapest card reader (15%) | 6.7 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Included on the entry plan (15%) | 6.0 / 10 | 6.0 / 10 |
| Price from | $0 / month | $0 / month |
| Best for | Interchange-plus card pricing with no monthly fee or contract, and a $99 card reader | A $0-a-month plan at 2.6% + 15¢ in person, no contract, and a free first magstripe reader |
| Visit | Visit HelcimOn helcim.com | Visit Square POSOn squareup.com |
Who should pick which
- Helcim: Interchange-plus card pricing with no monthly fee or contract, and a $99 card reader
- Square POS: A $0-a-month plan at 2.6% + 15¢ in person, no contract, and a free first magstripe reader
At a glance
| Helcim | Square POS | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Helcim POS, free account | Square Free |
| In-person card rate | interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ | 2.6% + 15¢ |
| Fee on a $30 card sale | $0.20 margin plus interchange | about $0.93 |
| Monthly software fee | $0 | $0 per location |
| Cheapest card reader | Card Reader $99 | first magstripe reader free; chip reader $59 |
| Contract | none; no fee named | none; cancel anytime |
| Inventory tracking | yes | not on Free (from Square Plus, $49) |
| Online store or ordering | Online Checkout, no extra charge | online site and ordering page |
| Offline payments | not described in its help centre | yes, if the device reconnects within 24 hours |
| Customer directory or loyalty | Customers tool; no loyalty described | customer directory; loyalty from Plus |
| Employee timecards | its pages don't say | not on Free (from Plus) |
Entry plans from Helcim's help centre and Square's pricing page, read Sep 27, 2026. Helcim's own website showed a bot check, so its facts come from its help centre.
Price
Both are $0 a month with no contract. The card fee is priced two different ways.
- Square Free charges a flat 2.6% + 15¢ in person, about $0.93 on a $30 sale and $2.75 on a $100 sale.
- Helcim charges the card network's interchange plus its own margin of 0.40% + 8¢ at up to $50K a month (volume discounts). Its help centre's example, a $100 standard Mastercard in person, totals $1.51. Interchange varies by card, so other cards will differ, and Helcim publishes no all-in rate. The margin falls to 0.15% + 6¢ above $1M a month.
Other fees: Square charges 3.3% + 30¢ for online and invoice payments on Square Free, 3.5% + 15¢ for keyed-in cards, and an extra 1.5% on cards issued outside the US. Helcim's Tap to Pay on iPhone needs no reader but adds $0.10 per transaction; Square's Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android needs no hardware.
Hardware: Square's first magstripe reader is free (one per account) and its chip and contactless reader is $59 (hardware). Helcim's Card Reader is $99 and its Smart Terminal $349.
For bigger sellers, Square Pro offers custom pricing above $250,000 a year in card sales.
Where they differ
- Inventory. Helcim's free account includes inventory management. On Square, inventory tracking starts at Square Plus, $49 a month per location; Square Free has low-stock alerts only.
- Offline payments. Square includes offline payments on every plan, declined unless the device reconnects within 24 hours. Helcim's help centre describes no offline mode.
- Staff. Square's timecards start at Plus. Helcim's help centre covers employee logins and permissions; its pages don't say it has a time clock.
- Support. Square Free has chat and email, with phone support for the first 90 days only. Helcim has phone support Monday to Friday 7am-5pm and Saturday 9am-5pm MST, plus dashboard tickets, and no live chat (contact support).
- Online selling. Both include one: Square an online site and ordering page, Helcim Online Checkout "with no additional charges".
Who should pick which
Pick Helcim if you want inventory at no monthly cost and processing priced close to what the card networks charge, and can budget without a single all-in rate.
Pick Square if you want one predictable rate per sale, offline payments, a free first reader and the option to add paid tools later without a contract.
See both in our POS ranking.