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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Square for Retail vs Medusa

Square for Retail logo

Square for Retail

E-commerce & Retail

Integrated point of sale and retail management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Medusa logo

Medusa

E-commerce & Retail

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Square for Retail limited customer support with primarily email and online forums, slow response times for urgent issues; Medusa the managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage
  • They diverge on capability: Square for Retail covers Contactless payments, Medusa covers Open source.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Square for Retail and Medusa actually diverge.

Attributes where Square for Retail and Medusa differ
AttributeSquare for RetailMedusa
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsiOS, APIWeb
Founded20092020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-commerce & Retail).

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 Square for Retail

  • Contactless payments
  • Employee management
  • Customer profiles
  • Sales analytics
  • Receipt printing
  • Integration with Square Online
  • Reporting tools

Only in Medusa

  • Open source
  • Modular architecture
  • Multi-region support
  • Plugin system
  • Admin dashboard
  • Order management
  • Payment integrations

Both cover

  • Inventory tracking

What people use each for

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

Square for Retail

No use cases recorded yet. See the Square for Retail review.

Medusa

  • Building a custom ecommerce backend on an open source headless platformnot Square for Retail
  • Running a self hosted or managed commerce API with a custom storefrontnot Square for Retail

Where each one falls short

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

Square for Retail

  • Limited customer support with primarily email and online forums, slow response times for urgent issues
  • Internet connectivity required for normal operations; weak signal impacts transaction processing and experience
  • Restricted to Square's payment processing with higher transaction fees compared to some competitors
  • Limited to iOS devices and Square's proprietary hardware, excluding Android or third-party devices
  • Limited advanced retail capabilities and deeper third-party integrations compared to enterprise POS systems

Medusa

  • The managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage
  • The Develop plan at $29 a month applies a hard limit of 1,000 emails, so it stops rather than bills
  • Compute hours are capped at 600 on Develop and 800 on Launch
  • Edge request overage is $0.3 per million and storage $0.5 per GB month above the plan allowance
  • Background workers and priority support require the Scale plan at $299 a month

Pricing, plan by plan

Square for Retail

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Payment processing at 2.6% + 15 cents
    • Basic inventory management
    • Invoicing
  • Plus$49/month
    • In-person: 2.5% + 15 cents
    • Online: 2.9% + 30 cents
    • Product exchanges
  • Premium$149/month
    • In-person: 2.4% + 15 cents
    • Online: 2.9% + 30 cents
    • Advanced features

Medusa

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full source code
    • Self-hosted
    • Community support
  • Cloud$50/month
    • Managed hosting
    • Automatic updates
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Square for Retail if

  • You need contactless payments.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, API.
  • You also want employee management.
Square for Retail review

Choose Medusa if

  • You need open source.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want modular architecture.
Medusa review

Questions people ask

Is Square for Retail or Medusa better?
Neither clearly leads. Square for Retail starts at Free and Medusa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square for Retail or Medusa?
Square for Retail starts at Free and Medusa at Free.
Does Square for Retail or Medusa run on more platforms?
Square for Retail runs on iOS, API. Medusa runs on Web.
Can I use Square for Retail for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What can Square for Retail do that Medusa cannot?
Square for Retail covers Contactless payments, Employee management, Customer profiles, Sales analytics. Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system. Both handle Inventory tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Square for Retail: Does Square for Retail have a free tier?

Yes, Square for Retail's free tier includes payment processing at 2.6% plus 15 cents per transaction, basic inventory, invoicing, online shop, and booking tools with no monthly subscription fee.

Source
Square for Retail: What are the transaction fees across Square's pricing tiers?

Free tier: 2.6% + 15 cents. Plus tier ($49/month): 2.5% + 15 cents in-person, 2.9% + 30 cents online. Premium tier ($149/month): 2.4% + 15 cents in-person, 2.9% + 30 cents online.

Source
Square for Retail: What devices can run Square for Retail?

Square for Retail runs on iOS devices (iPad and iPhone) using Square's proprietary hardware or compatible mobile devices, and requires integration with Square's payment processing.

Source
Square for Retail: Can I use Square for Retail offline?

Square for Retail depends on an internet connection for optimal functionality. Offline functionality is limited, and high-traffic operations may require recharging or connection verification.

Source
Square for Retail: Does Square for Retail support third-party integrations?

Yes, Square offers integrations through its App Marketplace and provides APIs for custom development including payments, inventory, orders, customers, loyalty, and webhooks.

Source
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Related pages

More on Square for Retail

More on Medusa

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