CELER Merchants vs Square
CELER Merchants is an independent merchant services agent, not a processor: we make the providers we work with compete for your account, and the service costs you $0. Square is a payment provider with published flat rates. As published on 18 Oct 2026, Square's US Free plan charges 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person payment, 3.3% + 30¢ online and 3.5% + 15¢ keyed, with no monthly fee.
What Square is
Square is a payment and point-of-sale company. It processes card payments itself and publishes flat per-transaction rates. The same rate applies whatever card the customer uses, so debit and rewards cards cost you the same percentage. Source: Square fees page (US), checked 18 Oct 2026.
What CELER Merchants is
We do not process payments and we do not hold your money. We read your statement, name every fee (usually within 4 hours), then take your profile to the providers we work with and show you every offer that comes back. You choose. The provider you choose pays us, so the service is free to you. Our pricing structures carry no statement fee, no PCI fee, no annual fee, no monthly minimum and no early-termination fee, and the CELER Rate Lock fixes the markup in writing.
| Item | Square | CELER Merchants |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat rate per transaction | Flat rate, interchange-plus, zero-fee dual pricing or custom, chosen after providers compete |
| In-person card payment | 2.6% + 15¢ (Free plan) | Quoted on your statement by the providers we work with |
| Online payment | 3.3% + 30¢ (Free plan) | Quoted on your statement |
| Keyed-in payment | 3.5% + 15¢ (Free plan) | Quoted on your statement |
| Monthly fee | $0 on the Free plan | $0 for our service; the provider you choose pays us |
| Who you can compare | One provider: Square | Several, from the providers we work with |
Square figures are taken from https://squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees on 18 Oct 2026. Prices change: check the provider's page and your own agreement before you decide.
Which fits you?
A flat rate is simple and predictable. If your sales are small or irregular, Square's published rates may suit you. On steady volume, a flat rate means debit and low-cost cards pay the same price as premium rewards cards, which is where an interchange-plus or dual-pricing offer can come in lower. Compare your effective rate (total fees divided by total card volume) with the offers you could get. We are happy to tell you when your current pricing is already good.
See what CELER Merchants costs, or compare: CELER vs Square · CELER vs Helcim · CELER vs Stax
Square is a trademark of its owner. CELER Merchants is not affiliated with or endorsed by Square.
Questions
As published on Square's US fees page on 18 Oct 2026, the Free plan charges 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person payment, 3.3% + 30¢ per online payment and 3.5% + 15¢ per keyed-in payment, with no monthly fee. Check Square's page for current rates.
It depends on your card mix, volume and average ticket. Send a recent statement and we name every fee, usually within 4 hours, then show you the offers providers make for your account. If Square is already the better deal for you, we tell you so.
No. CELER Merchants is an independent agent. We do not process payments or hold your funds; we compare offers from the providers we work with, and the provider you choose pays us.