Accounting · head to head
Medius vs Square

Medius
Accounting
Accounts payable automation and supplier payments for mid-market finance teams, Marlin Equity owned
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Square has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Medius the sourcing, contract and procurement modules are considerably less developed than the AP core, so buying Medius as a full source-to-pay suite means accepting weak upstream tooling.; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
- They diverge on capability: Medius covers Invoice capture and coding, Square covers Payment processing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Medius and Square actually diverge.
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 Medius
- Invoice capture and coding
- Matching and exception handling
- Fraud and anomaly detection
- Supplier payments
- Approval workflow
- ERP integration
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.
Medius
- A mid-market finance team where most spend arrives as an invoice with no purchase order to match againstnot Square
- A group with several legal entities on different ERPs that wants one AP process across all of themnot Square
- Reducing invoice fraud exposure with automated detection of supplier bank detail changesnot Square
- Replacing a scanning bureau and a shared AP inbox with automated capture and exception-based reviewnot Square
Square
- Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot Medius
- Online ordering and basic website creationnot Medius
- Invoicing and appointment bookingnot Medius
- Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot Medius
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Medius
- The sourcing, contract and procurement modules are considerably less developed than the AP core, so buying Medius as a full source-to-pay suite means accepting weak upstream tooling.
- Pricing is quote-only and driven by invoice volume, so a business with many low-value invoices pays disproportionately relative to the spend being controlled.
- Payments are billed on transaction volume separately from the AP subscription, which is easy to omit from a cost comparison against a licence-only AP tool.
- Private equity ownership since 2017 has produced an acquisition-driven product line, so payments and adjacent capability come from bought-in technology rather than the original platform.
- ERP integration depth varies sharply by system, and organisations on less common or heavily customised ERPs face integration work that lengthens the implementation.
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
Medius
On request- Medius AP Automation$undefined/year
- Two packaged AP automation tiers
- Priced by invoice volume and entity count
- Sourcing, contracts and procurement modules sold separately
Square
Free- FreeFree
- Accept payments with all-in-one POS app
- Online site builder (ordering profiles, basic websites, online stores, booking sites)
- Item library and inventory tracking
- Plus$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 Medius if
- You need invoice capture and coding.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want matching and exception handling.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Medius or Square better?
- Neither clearly leads. Medius 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, Medius or Square?
- Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Medius and Free for Square.
- Does Medius or Square run on more platforms?
- Medius runs on Web, iOS, Android. 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. Medius starts at On request.
- What is Medius best used for?
- Medius is most often used for a mid-market finance team where most spend arrives as an invoice with no purchase order to match against, a group with several legal entities on different erps that wants one ap process across all of them, reducing invoice fraud exposure with automated detection of supplier bank detail changes, replacing a scanning bureau and a shared ap inbox with automated capture and exception-based review. Of those, a mid-market finance team where most spend arrives as an invoice with no purchase order to match against and a group with several legal entities on different erps that wants one ap process across all of them are not what Square is typically brought in for.
- What can Medius do that Square cannot?
- Medius covers Invoice capture and coding, Matching and exception handling, Fraud and anomaly detection, Supplier payments. Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Medius: Is Medius a procurement suite or an AP tool?
Primarily an AP automation platform with procurement modules attached. If sourcing is your main requirement, look elsewhere.
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.
SourceMedius: Who owns Medius?
Marlin Equity Partners, which acquired it in 2017 and has funded several bolt-on acquisitions since.
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.
SourceMedius: How is it priced?
By quote, driven by invoice volume and entity count, with payments billed separately on transaction volume.
Medius: Does it replace our ERP?
No. It sits alongside the ERP and posts approved invoices into it.
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