E-commerce & Retail · head to head
Square vs Etsy
Etsy
E-commerce & Retail
Global marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique items
- From
- $0.2/per-listing
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Square has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation; Etsy etsy charges a $0.20 USD listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on sale price plus shipping, a 3% plus $0.25 USD payment processing fee, and a 2.5% currency conversion fee when shop and payment currencies differ
- They diverge on capability: Square covers Point of sale, Etsy covers Shop setup.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Square and Etsy actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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
- Point of sale
- Invoicing
- Payroll
- Banking
- QuickBooks
- WooCommerce
- Wix
- PCI DSS
Only in Etsy
- Shop setup
- Product listings
- Shop customization
- Order management
- Shipping labels
- Reviews & ratings
- Shipping protection
Both cover
- Payment processing
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Square
- Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot Etsy
- Online ordering and basic website creationnot Etsy
- Invoicing and appointment bookingnot Etsy
- Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot Etsy
Etsy
No use cases recorded yet. See the Etsy review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Etsy
- Etsy charges a $0.20 USD listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on sale price plus shipping, a 3% plus $0.25 USD payment processing fee, and a 2.5% currency conversion fee when shop and payment currencies differ
Pricing, plan by plan
Square
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Square review.
Etsy
$0.2/per-listing- Standard Shop$0.2/per-listing-plus-commission
- Listing fees
- Transaction fees
- Payment processing
Which should you pick?
Choose Square if
- You need point of sale.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
- You also want invoicing.
Questions people ask
- Is Square or Etsy better?
- Neither clearly leads. Square starts at Free and Etsy at $0.2/per-listing, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Square or Etsy?
- Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Square and $0.2/per-listing for Etsy.
- Does Square or Etsy run on more platforms?
- Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web. Etsy runs on Web.
- Can I use Square for free?
- Yes. Square has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Etsy starts at $0.2/per-listing.
- What is Square best used for?
- Square is most often used for accept payments with all-in-one pos application, online ordering and basic website creation, invoicing and appointment booking, staff scheduling and loyalty programmes. Of those, accept payments with all-in-one pos application and online ordering and basic website creation are not what Etsy is typically brought in for.
- What can Square do that Etsy cannot?
- Square covers Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll, Banking. Etsy covers Shop setup, Product listings, Shop customization, Order management. Both handle Payment processing.