Is FastSpring or Square better?

Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Square?

Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for FastSpring and Free for Square.

Does FastSpring or Square run on more platforms?

FastSpring runs on web, api. 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. FastSpring starts at On request.

What is FastSpring best used for?

FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Square is typically brought in for.

What can FastSpring do that Square cannot?

FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.

E-commerce · head to head

FastSpring vs Square

FastSpring

E-commerce

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Square

E-commerce & Retail

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: FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
They diverge on capability: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Square covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FastSpring and Square actually diverge.

Attributes where FastSpring and Square differ
Attribute	FastSpring	Square
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	transaction	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	web, api	POS (Mobile app), Web
Category	E-commerce	E-commerce & Retail
Founded	2006	2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 FastSpring

Global online payments
Subscription billing
Branded checkout
Tax compliance
Fraud prevention
Digital invoicing and quotes

Only in Square

Payment processing
Point of sale
Invoicing
Payroll
Banking
QuickBooks
WooCommerce
Wix

What people use each for

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

FastSpring

Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Square
B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Square
Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Square
Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Square

Square

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

Where each one falls short

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

FastSpring

Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

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

FastSpring

On request

Custom$undefined/mo
- All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
- No subscription fees or per-feature charges
- Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Square

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Square review.

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

You need global online payments.
You work on web, api.
You also want subscription billing.

FastSpring review

Choose Square if

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

Square review

Questions people ask

Is FastSpring or Square better?: Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Square?: Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for FastSpring and Free for Square.
Does FastSpring or Square run on more platforms?: FastSpring runs on web, api. 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. FastSpring starts at On request.
What is FastSpring best used for?: FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Square is typically brought in for.
What can FastSpring do that Square cannot?: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source

FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source

FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source

FastSpring vs Square

FastSpring

Square

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in FastSpring

Only in Square

What people use each for

FastSpring

Square

Where each one falls short

FastSpring

Square

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

Square

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

Choose Square if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on FastSpring

More on Square

Keep looking

Other head to heads