Square or Clover? Card reader comparison (08/26)
Two providers, the same criteria, the same table. With no payment product of our own that has to win in the end.
Square (Block) lists from 2.60% + 15 ¢, Clover (Fiserv) from 2.50%. The two figures are not from the same market — the price lists we could verify apply to different countries. Ranking them against each other would produce a false winner. For anyone selling abroad too: Square (Block) covers 8 markets, Clover (Fiserv) 4.
Side by side
| Criterion | Square (Block) | Clover (Fiserv) |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | from 2.60% + 15 ¢ Square Free; Plus 2,5 %, Premium 2,4 % | from 2.50% |
| Monthly fee | 0 (Square Free plan) | 0 (Starter) or 29.95 USD (Essentials) |
| Setup cost | 0 | 0 for Tap to Pay (Clover Go reader optional, 199 USD) |
| Contract term | n/a | n/a |
| Certification | n/a | n/a |
| Platforms | iOS + Android | iOS + Android |
| Markets | 8 | 4 |
| SoftPOS24 rating | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Source | open source ↗ | open source ↗ |
Square (Block) · Clover (Fiserv)
And the others?
A duel answers “which of these two”. The question “which of all of them” is answered by the comparison of all 105 providers.
Frequently asked
Is Square cheaper than Clover?
Not across the board. The headline rate applies to consumer debit cards; commercial cards, Amex and cards issued abroad usually cost one to one and a half points more. Add the monthly fee and the fixed amount per transaction — 15 cents on a $4 sale is another 3.75 %.
Can I run both at the same time?
Technically yes, and when switching, two to four weeks in parallel is sensible. Permanently it rarely pays: two monthly fees and a split volume, which costs you volume discounts.
Where do the numbers come from?
From the providers' own pricing pages, retrieved on 26.08.2026. Where a provider publishes nothing, the source is flagged as secondary. Every figure is on the provider profile with its source link.