Quickbooks vs Square
Square and QuickBooks are two of the most popular names in the point-of-sale payment space.
Square is an affordable, intuitive, and highly customizable POS system that provides high-quality front-end and back-end features for a wide range of businesses, including restaurants, retailers, and professional services.
QuickBooks, on the other hand, offers locally installed software that works spectacularly for particular groups.
In this article, we're going to look into the ways that Square and QuickBooks Payments can help your business succeed. This will ultimately help you choose the right system!
Let's get started.
Choose QuickBooks If...
QuickBooks is an excellent point-of-sale system solution for small businesses that exist outside of the food service industry. The company's POS system integrates beautifully with the QuickBooks desktop accounting software, helping you keep track of your finances better than ever before.
Choose Square If...
Square is one of the most reputable, budget-friendly point-of-sale systems on the market today. With an intuitive interface, excellent customer support, total flexibility, and plenty of valuable, industry-specific features, it's a great choice for business owners who need an all-in-one point-of-sale solution with payment processing.
QuickBooks Payments VS Square Comparison Chart
Quickbooks | Square | |
|---|---|---|
Ideal For | Non-restaurant small businesses | New sellers, small retailers, or restaurants |
Hardware Cost | $49 to $900 | $49 to $799 |
Software Cost | $1,200 to $1,900 one-time fees | $0 per month starting |
Online Transactions | 3.5% flat rate | 2.9% +$0.30 |
In-Person Transactions | 2.7% flat rate | 2.6% +$0.10 |
Mobile Device | Yes | Yes |
Customer Service | Online chat support from Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM P.T. Phone calls only come with paid plans | Customer support from 6 AM to 6 PM PST over phone, email, and live chat. 24/7 support for Premium plan users |
Contract | No contract | No contract |
What’s Missing | Versatile eCommerce integrations, monthly fees, limited hardware options | 24/7 support hours with free plan, vendor management tools in the free plan, tiered payment processing fees, and age-restricted online purchasing tools |
Digging Into The Details
QuickBooks' Best Features:
Feature 1 - Mobile App
One of the biggest strengths of QuickBooks Payments is the GoPayment app.
This simple and refreshing app allows you to access all of your QuickBooks accounting information on the go.
You don't need a card reader to process transactions with this app, as you can key in transactions in a pinch.
If a mobile solution is the only aspect you need for your business, QuickBooks Payments is an affordable, high-quality option.
Feature 2 - Quickbooks Accounting Integration
If you've ever used QuickBooks Online before, then you know that QuickBooks has a diverse range of software products for small business owners. From time-tracking to payroll to accounting payment processing, you can connect all of the aspects of your small business under a single account. The idea of sticking with a singular brand for all of your needs can put your mind at ease too.
Square doesn't provide this ecosystem, which is why it's pretty clear that QuickBooks is the winner.
Feature 3 - Invoicing
QuickBooks has been focusing on small business owners for more than a decade at this point, which is likely why it offers much greater customization options. The invoicing options that Square offers are rather basic. You won't find nearly as many customization features.
With QuickBooks Payments invoicing, you can tack estimates, split up payments, keep track of payments, and stay on schedule with ease.
Feature 4 - Unique Payment processing
If your business processes $7,500 per month or more, QuickBooks Payments has an excellent payment processing plan that can help you save money. The company works closely with business owners to come up with personalized plans that make the most financial sense for them.
Feature 5 - Optimized Integration
While Square has more flexibility when it comes to third-party integrations, QuickBooks Payments offers optimized integration with two of the biggest eCommerce platforms in the industry today, Shopify and BigCommerce. It's also worth noting that QuickBooks is compatible with WooCommerce and UltraCart as well.
Square's Best Features:
Feature 1 - Industry-Specific Features
You can start out with the free Square plan, which is great for getting to know the POS software, though not that great if you need a robust system to run your small business. If you want better functionality, you can upgrade to one of the company's paid plans, which, unlike QuickBooks' paid plans, are made for specific industries.
Restaurants and retailers all over the United States use Square for this reason. The retail industry version of Square, for example, has tons of excellent retail-specific features, such as returns/exchanges, inventory management, and vendor management.
The Plus plan from Square is great for restaurant owners as it includes kitchen reporting, multi-course meal timing, floor plans, open table alerts, and several other high-end features that are great for eateries. Plus, just about every delivery app is compatible with Square POS.
Feature 2 - 24/7 Phone Support
One key difference between Square and QuickBooks is that Square offers 24/7 phone support with all of its plans. If you want to get the same kind of support through QuickBooks, you'll have to pay extra.
This kind of additional support can be extremely helpful for small business owners working unconventional hours.
Feature 3 - Diverse hardware
Square POS offers a wide range of hardware options for just about any small business. Whether you need a simple card reader that you can plug into your phone to take on-the-go transactions or a customer-facing display and kitchen display system that can enhance the customer checkout experience while keeping front-of-house in tune with back-of-house employees, the options are seemingly endless.
You can set up a register with a receipt printer and barcode scanner in your store or allow customers to make tableside payments with a handheld POS device.
Feature 4 - QR Code Payments
Square is unique in that it offers total support for QR code payments, whether you're in a brick-and-mortar retail setting or an online store.
QR code payments are becoming more and more popular, so having a system that can support this alternative payment method is a good idea.
Beyond that, both Square and QuickBooks Payments offer additional alternative payment options, including ACH transfers and payment links.
Feature 5 - POS App
The Square point-of-sale app is one of the strongest apps on the market today. Though it provides many similarities to GoPayment from QuickBooks, it is much stronger when it comes to POS features. For example, you can access employee management and inventory management features from within the app.
The app has been through development for well over a decade at this point, which is likely why it is more reliable and refined than QuickBooks' app.
QuickBooks Drawbacks:
While QuickBooks Payments offers basic hardware, such as receipt printers, barcode scanners, and cash drawers, you won't find any pieces of hardware that work for small businesses that have more complex requirements. For example, they don't have customer-facing displays or kitchen display systems, which may make it a deal-breaker for most restaurants and cafes.
It's also worth noting that QuickBooks Payments does not offer support for small businesses running outside of normal business hours, from 6 AM to 6 PM. You also won't be able to get in touch with QuickBooks Payments customer support on the weekends, which is a major drawback for businesses running during unconventional times.
Lastly, you have to pay to use QuickBooks Online. Square offers a free Square account, which comes with a card reader and an online store, allowing you to get started making transactions right away.
Square Drawbacks:
One of the main drawbacks of Square is that it does not run on Windows devices. It currently only works on iOS and Android mobile devices and tablets, as well as Macs and Chromebooks.
It's also not the best POS system for those who need industry-specific tools. For example, if you're mainly working in the eCommerce space, Shopify is a better option. On the other hand, if you're in the restaurant space, providers like Toast and TouchBistro offer better industry-specific features.
Square Payroll vs. QuickBooks Payroll
Finding the right payroll software for your business is crucial. There are many things to consider, though integrations and usability are two of the most important factors.
Both Square and QuickBooks Payments (which is run by Intuit) are cloud-based systems. This means that you can access all of your payroll information from any place at any time, as long as you are connected to the internet. Both of these systems offer a wide range of payroll distribution features, tax functions, and more.
Square Payroll has two paid plans, including Payroll and Payroll for Contractors. The pricing is $35 per month and costs $5 per employee. If you only pay contractors, you don't have to pay the monthly fees.
Some of the top features in this payroll system include benefits management, automated tax filing, and employer resources.
QuickBooks, on the other hand, has three paid plans, including Core, Premium, and Elite. These go for $45, $75, and $125 per month, respectively. You can also opt for the 30-day trial beforehand, which Square does not have.
Some of the top features found in QuickBooks' system include custom setup, personal HR advice, and tax protection.
If you have a bigger company and can afford the additional fees for QuickBooks payroll services, it's a much better option.
Square Vs. QuickBooks POS - Which is A Better Value?
When it comes to pure bookkeeping, QuickBooks is the winner. In fact, Square doesn't even offer a competitive service to match QuickBooks' accounting software.
We've even seen many small business owners that use accounting software from QuickBooks and payment processing from Square as a pretty high-quality combination.
Now, if you run an eCommerce business, QuickBooks is not the best choice. There simply aren't as many integrations as you'd find with Square. Plus, most small business owners don't have $1,200 upfront to shell out for its point-of-sale software package.
However, if you run a large business that requires in-depth tools and you want to stay synced up with the QuickBooks Online system, QuickBooks POS is a better choice.
On the other hand, Square Point-of-Sale offers a better overall value for different kinds of business owners, which is one of the reasons we highly recommend it over QuickBooks, especially if a simple, all-in-one solution is what you're looking for. Square has lower transaction fees, making it more affordable for businesses that sell inexpensive items, as well as a wide range of industry-specific features and hardware that QuickBooks simply can't match.
To answer the Square Vs. QuickBooks debate, these are both wonderful solutions, but your specific business needs will be the determining factor.
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author
