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PayPal vs Square Cash

PayPal logo

PayPal

Software

The simpler, safer way to pay and get paid

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

Square Cash

Software

Send money easily with Square Cash

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square Cash has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios; Square Cash cash App Green status (higher savings rate, free in-network ATM withdrawals, overdraft coverage) requires spending $500 or depositing $300 in Qualifying purchases/deposits per month, per the App Store listing
  • They diverge on capability: PayPal covers Payment processing, Square Cash covers Money transfers.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PayPal and Square Cash actually diverge.

Attributes where PayPal and Square Cash differ
AttributePayPalSquare Cash
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelusage-basedfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiIOS, Android
Founded19982014

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

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 PayPal

  • Payment processing
  • PayPal Checkout
  • Invoicing
  • Business debit card
  • Working capital loans
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce

Only in Square Cash

  • Money transfers
  • Instant deposits
  • Transaction history
  • Customer support
  • Bank accounts
  • IOS support

Both cover

  • Android support

What people use each for

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

PayPal

  • Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot Square Cash
  • Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot Square Cash
  • Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot Square Cash

Square Cash

  • Budget Managementnot PayPal
  • Expense Trackingnot PayPal
  • Investment Trackingnot PayPal

Where each one falls short

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

PayPal

  • Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
  • International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
  • Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
  • Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction

Square Cash

  • Cash App Green status (higher savings rate, free in-network ATM withdrawals, overdraft coverage) requires spending $500 or depositing $300 in Qualifying purchases/deposits per month, per the App Store listing

Pricing, plan by plan

PayPal

$29/month
  • Standard$2.99/transaction
    • Card payments
    • PayPal checkout
    • Invoice payments

Square Cash

Free
  • FreeFree
    • P2P transfers
    • Instant deposits
    • Mobile app

Which should you pick?

Choose PayPal if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want paypal checkout.
PayPal review

Choose Square Cash if

  • You need money transfers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want instant deposits.
Square Cash review

Questions people ask

Is PayPal or Square Cash better?
Neither clearly leads. PayPal starts at $29/month and Square Cash at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PayPal or Square Cash?
Square Cash has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for PayPal and Free for Square Cash.
Does PayPal or Square Cash run on more platforms?
PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Square Cash runs on IOS, Android.
Can I use Square Cash for free?
Yes. Square Cash has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PayPal starts at $29/month.
What is PayPal best used for?
PayPal is most often used for paying online merchants without sharing card details, sending money to friends and family domestically and internationally, holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchases. Of those, paying online merchants without sharing card details and sending money to friends and family domestically and internationally are not what Square Cash is typically brought in for.
What can PayPal do that Square Cash cannot?
PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card. Square Cash covers Money transfers, Instant deposits, Transaction history, Customer support. Both handle Android support.
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Related pages

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