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Quetzal POS vs Square for Retail
Square for Retail is free to start, quick to set up and can take card payments offline. Quetzal POS suits stores that have outgrown free. Professional is US$40/month for the first store and US$30/month for each one after, against C$79 per location for Square Plus. Loyalty, purchase orders and trade-ins come included, and cards can run through any processor you like.
Quick verdict
Pick Quetzal POS when:
- You need purchase orders and stock counts without paying C$79 per location.
- You want loyalty and gift cards included, and trade-ins at the register.
- You want card payments to run through a processor you pick, with nothing added on top.
Pick Square for Retail when:
- You are just starting and want C$0 software.
- Outages are common where you are. Square can take cards offline; Quetzal POS can't.
- You want hardware, software and payments from one company.
- You run a small, simple catalogue and don't need purchase orders or loyalty yet.
Feature by feature
| Quetzal POS | Square for Retail | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | US$0 for up to 20 SKUs; Professional US$40 a month ⁶ | Free C$0; Plus C$79/month per location ¹ |
| More locations | US$30 per month for each ⁶ | Plus is C$79 per location ¹ |
| Choice of processor | Your choice, free of extra fees, or Nuvei terminals | Square only. Credit 2.5% (2.45% on Plus); Interac 0.75% + 7¢ ¹ |
| Contract | Monthly, contract-free | No contract; “cancel anytime” ¹ |
| Trade-ins | Native at checkout; items go back into stock automatically | No dedicated trade-in mode |
| Variants and inventory | Variant SKUs, guided counts and purchase orders on Professional | Variants; purchase orders and counts on Plus only ¹ |
| Loyalty and gift cards | Free plan included; no add-on to buy | Gift cards available; loyalty is a paid add-on ⁷ |
| Ecommerce | Connectors for Shopify and WooCommerce on Professional; sync details on request | Square Online |
| Offline | Not supported. An internet connection is required | Stronger. Offline card payments, uploaded within 72 hours; no Interac offline ³ |
| Company | Mississauga-based Quetzal Project Partners Inc. (Ontario) | Block, Inc. (Square), US; Canadian operations |
| Other card fees | Your processor's rates, or Nuvei. Contact us for processing rates | Keyed 3.3% + 15¢; +1.5% for non-Canadian cards ²; online 2.8% + 30¢ ¹ |
| Hardware | iPad, Android or web browser; Nuvei terminals (Verifone, Ingenico, PAX, Sunmi); Star Micronics and Epson printers | Square hardware: Stand C$249, Handheld C$449, Register C$999 ⁴ |
| Purchase orders | Vendor, store-to-store and one-off supplier POs, received in stages; CSV/Excel import | Plus plan only ¹; max 500 items per PO, whole numbers only ⁵ |
| Barcode labels | Yes | Plus plan ¹ |
| Loyalty extras | Double or triple points on chosen products | Paid add-on ⁷ |
| Trial | Free plan, no time limit | 30-day Plus trial ¹ |
| Account holds | With your own processor, that processor's policy applies | Reviewers report frozen funds and holds ⁸ |
Sources (8)
- Square for Retail pricing (Canada) (viewed 7 October 2026: Free C$0; Plus C$79 per month per location; Premium custom; 30-day trial; “cancel anytime”; credit 2.5% Free / 2.45% Plus; Interac 0.75% + 7¢; online 2.8% + 30¢)
- Square pricing (Canada) (viewed 7 October 2026: keyed 3.3% + 15¢; +1.5% for cards issued outside Canada)
- Square Support (Canada), offline mode (viewed 7 October 2026: upload within 72 hours; Interac cannot be processed offline; seller responsible for declined payments)
- Square Canada hardware (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Square Support, create purchase orders (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Quetzal POS pricing (prices in US dollars)
- Square Loyalty (Canada) (viewed 27 September 2026)
- CheckThat.ai, Square reviews; Sleft Payments; Capterra, Square for Retail reviews (viewed 27 September 2026)
Twelve months of Square Plus vs Quetzal POS
Example store: two locations with one register apiece, taking C$300,000 a year on cards (60% Interac, 40% credit, C$50 average sale).
| Quetzal POS Professional | Square for Retail Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Software, store one | US$40 × 12 = US$480 ⁶ | C$79 × 12 = C$948 ¹ |
| Software, store two | US$30 × 12 = US$360 ⁶ | C$79 × 12 = C$948 ¹ |
| Software total | US$840 | C$1,896 |
| Interac: C$180,000 over 3,600 sales | Your processor's rate, or Nuvei (contact us for rates) | 0.75% = C$1,350, plus 3,600 × 7¢ = C$252; C$1,602 ¹ |
| Credit: C$120,000 | Your processor's rate, or Nuvei (contact us for rates) | 2.45% on Plus = C$2,940 ¹ |
| Processing, year one | Depends on your processor | C$4,542 |
| Loyalty | Included | Paid add-on ⁷ |
On Square's Free plan the software line is C$0, credit rises to 2.5% (C$3,000), and purchase orders, counts and barcode labels are not included ¹. Quetzal POS is billed in US dollars.
Sources (8)
- Square for Retail pricing (Canada) (viewed 7 October 2026: Free C$0; Plus C$79 per month per location; Premium custom; 30-day trial; “cancel anytime”; credit 2.5% Free / 2.45% Plus; Interac 0.75% + 7¢; online 2.8% + 30¢)
- Square pricing (Canada) (viewed 7 October 2026: keyed 3.3% + 15¢; +1.5% for cards issued outside Canada)
- Square Support (Canada), offline mode (viewed 7 October 2026: upload within 72 hours; Interac cannot be processed offline; seller responsible for declined payments)
- Square Canada hardware (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Square Support, create purchase orders (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Quetzal POS pricing (prices in US dollars)
- Square Loyalty (Canada) (viewed 27 September 2026)
- CheckThat.ai, Square reviews; Sleft Payments; Capterra, Square for Retail reviews (viewed 27 September 2026)
Stock, loyalty, trade-ins and payments
Purchase orders and stock control
On Square, purchase orders and counts need Plus at C$79 per location ¹. In Quetzal POS Professional:
- POs for suppliers or transfers between your stores, with partial receipts and CSV import.
- Count sessions that flag gaps between expected and counted stock.
- What to Buy and Stale Inventory reports based on sales velocity.
Loyalty, gift cards and store credit, included
Square sells loyalty as a paid add-on ⁷. Quetzal POS includes loyalty, gift cards and store credit on every plan, including Free.
You set the point value and the minimum to redeem. You can give double or triple points on chosen products.
Trade-ins and exchanges, handled at checkout
Square for Retail has no dedicated trade-in mode. In Quetzal POS, a single key covers trade-ins, exchanges and miscellaneous items.
Turning a cart line into an exchange takes one tap, and matching SKUs return to stock on their own.
Payments and contracts
Square. Cards run through Square only: 2.5% for in-person credit (2.45% on Plus) and 0.75% + 7¢ per Interac sale ¹. Keyed-in and foreign cards cost more ². Square has no contract ¹, but account holds and frozen funds come up often in reviews ⁸.
Quetzal POS. Payments go through the processor you choose, with no extra fee from us, and any hold follows that processor's own policy. Nuvei terminals are there if you want integrated hardware; ask us for rates. You pay month to month without a contract and cancel by contacting Quetzal. Up to 20 SKUs costs nothing.
Leaving Square, step by step
- Export your item library. Download the item library and customer list from Square, and write down gift card and loyalty balances.
- Bring it in. Upload the item library file to Quetzal POS and add images in bulk. Ask us what transfers.
- Choose a processor. Sign up for Nuvei terminals or keep a processor you already have, then set up printers.
- Open the doors. Count stock, start ringing sales, then cancel any paid Square plan.
Questions about Quetzal POS vs Square
Is Quetzal POS free to start?
Yes, for up to 20 SKUs at one location, with loyalty and gift cards included. Beyond that, Professional is US$40/month for the first store and US$30/month for each one after ⁶.
Can I reuse my Square hardware?
Your iPad can run the Quetzal POS iPad app (iPadOS 15 and later). Square's card readers are built for Square processing. Ask us which printers, scanners and cash drawers can carry over.
Do I have to process cards through Quetzal POS, the way Square requires?
No. Square requires Square processing ², but Quetzal POS works with the processor you already have and charges nothing extra for it.
Will Quetzal POS keep selling offline the way Square does?
No, Quetzal POS has no offline mode at all. Square stores offline card payments and uploads them within 72 hours, but Interac debit won't go through offline ³.
Does either one require a contract?
No. Square advertises no long-term contract and “cancel anytime” ¹, and Quetzal POS runs month to month until you ask Quetzal to close the account.
Outgrowing Square's free plan?
We'll show you purchase orders, built-in loyalty and how payments work with a processor of your choosing. Rather explore first? The free plan covers up to 20 SKUs.
Other comparisons: Weighing Lightspeed too? · Already on Shopify? Compare Shopify POS · Browse the full list of Lightspeed alternatives
A note on bias: Quetzal POS makes one of the two products compared here. Square figures are taken from the cited public pages on the dates listed, and corrections are welcome at sales@quetzalpos.com.