Is 3dcart or Square better?

Neither clearly leads. 3dcart starts at $19/month and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, 3dcart or Square?

Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for 3dcart and Free for Square.

Does 3dcart or Square run on more platforms?

3dcart runs on Web. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.

Can I use Square for free?

Yes. Square has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 3dcart starts at $19/month.

What is 3dcart best used for?

3dcart is most often used for building multi-channel stores across facebook, ebay, amazon in parallel, recovering abandoned shopping carts with automated email sequences, calculating real-time shipping costs and integrating carrier apis, protecting payment processing with visa pci certification. Of those, building multi-channel stores across facebook, ebay, amazon in parallel and recovering abandoned shopping carts with automated email sequences are not what Square is typically brought in for.

What can 3dcart do that Square cannot?

3dcart covers Store builder, Unlimited products, Shopping cart, Inventory management. Square covers Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll, Banking. Both handle Payment processing.

E-Commerce · head to head

3dcart vs Square

3dcart

E-Commerce

All-in-one ecommerce platform for online retailers

From: $19/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Square

E-Commerce

Powering the economy

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Square has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: 3dcart limited scalability compared to enterprise e-commerce platforms; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
They diverge on capability: 3dcart covers Store builder, Square covers Point of sale.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 3dcart and Square actually diverge.

Attributes where 3dcart and Square differ
Attribute	3dcart	Square
Starting price	$19/month	Free
Pricing model	Unknown	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web	POS (Mobile app), Web
Founded	1997	2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 3dcart

Store builder
Unlimited products
Shopping cart
Inventory management
Email marketing
SEO optimization
Mobile responsive

Only in Square

Point of sale
Invoicing
Payroll
Banking
QuickBooks
WooCommerce
Wix
PCI DSS

Both cover

Payment processing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

3dcart

Building multi-channel stores across Facebook, eBay, Amazon in parallelnot Square
Recovering abandoned shopping carts with automated email sequencesnot Square
Calculating real-time shipping costs and integrating carrier APIsnot Square
Protecting payment processing with VISA PCI certificationnot Square

Square

Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot 3dcart
Online ordering and basic website creationnot 3dcart
Invoicing and appointment bookingnot 3dcart
Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot 3dcart

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

3dcart

Limited scalability compared to enterprise e-commerce platforms
Payment processing tied to Shift4 Payments after acquisition
Fewer advanced marketing and analytics features than competitors

Square

Plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
Processing fees differ by tier but exact rates not detailed
Free plan pricing mentioned but specific features for Plus unclear
Text marketing charged at 3¢ per message after first 500 included

Pricing, plan by plan

3dcart

$19/month

Starter$19/month
- Unlimited products
- Basic templates
- Email support

Square

Free

FreeFree
- Accept payments with all-in-one POS app
- Online site builder (ordering profiles, basic websites, online stores, booking sites)
- Item library and inventory tracking
Plus$null/mo
- All Free plan features
- Advanced POS features for food, retail, and appointments
- Lower processing fees on card transactions

Which should you pick?

Choose 3dcart if

You need store builder.
You also want unlimited products.

3dcart review

Choose Square if

You need point of sale.
You want to start without paying.
You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
You also want invoicing.

Square review

Questions people ask

Is 3dcart or Square better?: Neither clearly leads. 3dcart starts at $19/month and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 3dcart or Square?: Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for 3dcart and Free for Square.
Does 3dcart or Square run on more platforms?: 3dcart runs on Web. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
Can I use Square for free?: Yes. Square has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 3dcart starts at $19/month.
What is 3dcart best used for?: 3dcart is most often used for building multi-channel stores across facebook, ebay, amazon in parallel, recovering abandoned shopping carts with automated email sequences, calculating real-time shipping costs and integrating carrier apis, protecting payment processing with visa pci certification. Of those, building multi-channel stores across facebook, ebay, amazon in parallel and recovering abandoned shopping carts with automated email sequences are not what Square is typically brought in for.
What can 3dcart do that Square cannot?: 3dcart covers Store builder, Unlimited products, Shopping cart, Inventory management. Square covers Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll, Banking. Both handle Payment processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

3dcart: What is the starting price for 3dcart?

3dcart (now Shift4Shop) starts at $19/month with no setup fees, transaction fees, or hidden fees.

Source

Square: Does Square offer a free plan?

Yes, Square's free plan includes an all-in-one POS app, online site builder, item library and inventory tracking, invoicing, appointment scheduling, staff calendars, and checking and savings account access. No subscription fees are charged.

Source

3dcart: Does 3dcart include hosting?

Yes. 3dcart includes web hosting, domain support, and built-in website building tools with no separate hosting costs.

Source

Square: What does Square Plus add compared to the free plan?

Square Plus adds advanced POS features for food and retail, lower processing fees on card transactions, custom loyalty programs, unlimited email marketing campaigns, text messaging, and staff scheduling and attendance tracking.

Source

3dcart: What happened to 3dcart?

Shift4 Payments acquired 3dcart in November 2020. The platform is now operated under the name Shift4Shop but maintains the same core functionality and pricing.

Source

3dcart: Does 3dcart offer free templates?

Yes. 3dcart provides dozens of professionally designed, industry-specific templates that are mobile-friendly, SEO optimized, and highly customizable.

Source

3dcart: What payment methods does 3dcart support?

3dcart integrates with multiple payment gateways including Shift4 Payments, Stripe, PayPal, and other major payment processors.

Source

3dcart vs Square

3dcart

Square

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in 3dcart

Only in Square

Both cover

What people use each for

3dcart

Square

Where each one falls short

3dcart

Square

Pricing, plan by plan

3dcart

Square

Which should you pick?

Choose 3dcart if

Choose Square if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on 3dcart

More on Square

Keep looking

Other head to heads