Is GIMP or Square better?

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

Which is cheaper, GIMP or Square?

GIMP starts at Free and Square at Free.

Does GIMP or Square run on more platforms?

GIMP runs on GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.

Can I use GIMP for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is GIMP best used for?

GIMP is most often used for photo editing and retouching with professional colour management, digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformation, icon and ui element design for application development, batch image processing through python, c, c++, and scheme scripting. Of those, photo editing and retouching with professional colour management and digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformation are not what Square is typically brought in for.

What can GIMP do that Square cannot?

GIMP covers Photo editing, Digital painting, Image processing, Batch editing. Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.

Print & Publishing · head to head

GIMP vs Square

GIMP

Print & Publishing

Free and open-source image editor

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Square

E-commerce & Retail

Powering the economy

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: GIMP gPLv3 licence requires derivative works to be open-source and freely distributed; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
They diverge on capability: GIMP covers Photo editing, Square covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GIMP and Square actually diverge.

Attributes where GIMP and Square differ
Attribute	GIMP	Square
Pricing model	open-source	freemium
Platforms	GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows	POS (Mobile app), Web
Category	Print & Publishing	E-commerce & Retail
Founded	1995	2009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 GIMP

Photo editing
Digital painting
Image processing
Batch editing
Filters
Color correction
Layer support
Script-fu automation

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.

GIMP

Photo editing and retouching with professional colour managementnot Square
Digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformationnot Square
Icon and UI element design for application developmentnot Square
Batch image processing through Python, C, C++, and Scheme scriptingnot Square

Square

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

Where each one falls short

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

GIMP

GPLv3 licence requires derivative works to be open-source and freely distributed
Community-driven development with no commercial support tier
No native CMYK support for professional print workflows
Ecosystem depends on community plugins and scripts for advanced features

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

GIMP

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the GIMP review.

Square

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Square review.

Which should you pick?

Choose GIMP if

You need photo editing.
You want to start without paying.
You work on GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows.
You also want digital painting.

GIMP 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 GIMP or Square better?: Neither clearly leads. GIMP starts at Free and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GIMP or Square?: GIMP starts at Free and Square at Free.
Does GIMP or Square run on more platforms?: GIMP runs on GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
Can I use GIMP for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is GIMP best used for?: GIMP is most often used for photo editing and retouching with professional colour management, digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformation, icon and ui element design for application development, batch image processing through python, c, c++, and scheme scripting. Of those, photo editing and retouching with professional colour management and digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformation are not what Square is typically brought in for.
What can GIMP do that Square cannot?: GIMP covers Photo editing, Digital painting, Image processing, Batch editing. Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.

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GIMP vs Square

GIMP

Square

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in GIMP

Only in Square

What people use each for

GIMP

Square

Where each one falls short

GIMP

Square

Pricing, plan by plan

GIMP

Square

Which should you pick?

Choose GIMP if

Choose Square if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on GIMP

More on Square

Keep looking

Other head to heads