With a wide range of businesses growing online, businesses and consumers need a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards and contactless payments.
Square and PayPal Here allow services to buy, sell and send money using either Apple or Android devices.
Key Takeaways
- Square charges a flat fee per transaction, while PayPal Here charges a percentage fee based on the transaction amount.
- Square offers more features like inventory management and invoicing than PayPal Here.
- PayPal Here is more widely accepted internationally than Square.
Square vs PayPal Here
Square offers a flat rate per transaction and other services, such as point-of-sale software, inventory management, and business analytics. PayPal Here is a mobile payment solution that allows businesses to accept credit card payments and offers the option to accept PayPal payment.
Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey in 2009 originated Square. They aspired to create technology that was capable of making services and mobile payments into a single easy-to-use service.
Square has two key features- its Cash App and Point of Sale system. Recently, the company also allowed businesses to use Bitcoin as a source of payment in the technology.
Whereas PayPal Here was originated by Peter Theil, Luke Nosek, and Max Levchin in 1998. They aspired to develop secure software to transact money for handheld devices.
However, they failed and switched to focus on a digital wallet. They also merged with Elon Musk’s x.com.
Elon had great faith in internet banking and online transactions of PayPal, hence he terminated x.com’s internet banking operations and focused only on PayPal. Later, he became the company’s CEO.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Square | PayPal Here |
|---|---|---|
| Advantage | Best for mobile and in-store payment. | Best for online payment and e-commerce. |
| Deposits | Processed to a bank account in 1-2 business days. | Deposited immediately in online PayPal Here account. |
| Fee Structure | Simpler as there is no differentiation between the countries of the payers. | Complex, as conversion fee is levied on payments if they are not an American Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Amex card. |
| Selling Tool | Loyalty and employee marketing. | Customer Retention. |
| Global Reach | Not widely used globally. | Widely used globally. |
| Discount | No discount for non-profit organizations. | Discount for non-profit organizations. |
| Mode | Offline and Online modes of transaction. | Only Online mode of transaction. |
What is a Square?
Square is the ultimate guide for setting up any business. It is a free point-of-sale app that businesses can use to manage inventory, direct customer sales, and make sales reports to help retailers.
All you need is a credit card reader and a cellphone to operate Square. Square also has three other POS products: Retail, Restaurant, and Appointments.
The company has its name from square shaped-card readers. The inspiration to make Square came from the fact that McKelvey couldn’t receive a transaction as he couldn’t accept credit cards.
The first product made by Square was the Square reader which was to accept credit card payments by connecting to a mobile device’s audio jack.
Square also produced Cash App, which allows a person-to-person money transfer. The firm also released the Square stand, which completely turns the Apple Ipad into a Point of Sale system.
It also released BlueTooth connected reader and launched the Square Register for medium-sized businesses.
Square also opened its Market to bitcoin. In 2018, it allowed transactions via bitcoin on the Cash App. In 2020, Square invested millions in bitcoin, and in February 2021, the company purchased an additional $170 million in bitcoin.
What is PayPal Here?
PayPal Here is a worldwide mobile application that is linked to your bank account to ease the process of money payment and acceptance.
It is a simple and secure app used to make business transactions easier. PayPal Here originated in 2012, which was a mobile payment system including a free mobile app and card reader which plugged into a smartphone.
The company is headquartered in California, US, and is headed by Elon Musk, Luke Nosek, Peter Theil, Max Levchin, and Yu Pan. The company aims to smooth electronic financial transfers in big and small businesses as well as households.
PayPal is known for its sales tactics which lead to customer retention.
They introduced the student account from 2009 to 2016, allowing parents to transfer money and use a debit card for student expenses. This promoted the app amongst students and parents.
PayPal also announced the use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, which can be used to make daily transactions electronically.
Main Differences Between Square and PayPal Here
- Square is best known for mobile and in-store payment. On the other hand, PayPal Here is best known for online payment and e-commerce.
- Deposits in Square are processed to a bank account in 1-2 business days, whereas deposits are processed immediately in the PayPal Here Account.
- Square’s fee structure is simpler than PayPal Here because Square doesn’t differentiate between the county in which the payer is situated. On the other side, PayPal Here has a complex structure because of the conversion fee it applies on payments if they are not an American Visa Mastercard, Discover, or Amex Card.
- Square has good sales because of its loyalty and employee marketing. PayPal Here has sales because of their customer retention.
- Square is not as widely used globally as compared to PayPal Here.
- Square offers no discount for Non-Profit Organizations, whereas PayPal Here provides a discount for Non-Profit Organizations.
- Unlike PayPal Here, which only has an online mode of transaction, transactions are both online and offline for Square.
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-658-03251-7_7
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/8450aa56ca091cd84e24cb23338c31a0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=43721
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
It’s funny how they initially failed and then reinvented themselves. Seems to be a common theme among successful startups.
The founders’ background information was quite interesting. Impressive how they were dedicated to creating these payment solutions.
Square seems like the way to go for businesses that require offline transactions, while PayPal Here may be more suitable for online-based businesses.
If you are a non-profit organization, PayPal Here seems to be more suitable due to the discounts it provides. Plus, it is more widely accepted internationally.
The detailed comparison table is very informative, makes it easier to understand the key differences between Square and PayPal Here.
I am quite familiar with these services, and it is very helpful to read about it in this article. Very thorough explanation. Thank you.
This article seems to be biased towards Square. It doesn’t present PayPal Here in a fair light.
I was not aware of these differences between these payment solutions. Great information, thanks for the heads up.