2.5% vs 2.9% + 30¢
On a $20 sale, Square Online free = $0.88. Freewebstore Community = $0.50. Paid Freewebstore plans = $0.10. That fixed 30¢ hurts small-basket stores.
Square Online alternative · lower fees
Same free.
Same free.
Smaller cut.
Square Online is free but takes 2.9% + $0.30 out of every sale. Freewebstore Community takes 2.5% flat — and paid plans drop that to 0.5%. Multi-gateway (Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay), custom domain from day one, no Square lock-in. Since 2007.
A million stores built since 2007. The highest-rated free ecommerce platform on Trustpilot.
Square Online vs Freewebstore.
Both start free. The difference is what happens to each sale.
Any gateway you want
Stripe (which powers Apple Pay and Google Pay), PayPal, Ryft for UK/EU, PayUmoney for India, plus bank transfer and cash on delivery. Square Online mostly funnels you through Square Payments.
Custom domain, free plan
Point your own domain on the free Community plan. Square Online’s free tier lives on a square.site subdomain with Square branding.
AI included
AI product copy, AI SEO, AI business reports — free on every plan. Square Online doesn’t ship equivalent tooling in-app.
Multi-channel selling
Instagram Shop, Facebook Shop, TikTok Shop, Google Shopping, Pinterest — native, no per-channel fees.
Since 2007
Same infrastructure, refined for 17+ years. We’ve outlasted every free ecommerce competitor that’s come and gone.
The 30¢ that eats you alive. Small baskets, big pain.
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The fixed fee hurts small orders
Square’s 30¢ per transaction is a 6% cut on a $5 sticker, a 3% cut on a $10 pin. Freewebstore charges a flat 2.5% (Community) or 0.5% (paid) with no fixed component — small-basket friendly.
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Payment gateway lock-in
Square Online is designed around Square Payments. Freewebstore lets you plug in Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay and 40+ others — and negotiate rates directly with them if your volume warrants it.
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Free tier = Square branding
Square Online free = square.site URL, Square ads visible on the site. Freewebstore free = your own custom domain, no Square branding, no third-party ads.
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Upgrades don’t fix the fee
Even on Square Online’s Premium plan ($72/mo), the per-transaction fee only comes down slightly. On Freewebstore, StartUp starts far below that and locks your rate at 0.5%.
Switch in about an hour.
Your catalogue exports to CSV. We import it. You keep selling.
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Sign up (no card)
Create a free Freewebstore account. Pick from 100+ mobile-responsive themes. About a minute.
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Import your products
Export from Square Online to CSV, drop into Freewebstore. Free on every plan. Or start fresh — our AI writes descriptions from a photo.
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Point your domain, keep selling
Update DNS to Freewebstore, free SSL applied automatically. Keep Square for physical POS if you use it — move the online store where fees are lower.
Leaving Square Online — the questions you actually have.
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How do transaction fees compare?
Square Online charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction on its free and lower tiers. Freewebstore Community charges 2.5% per sale (no fixed component). Paid Freewebstore plans drop to 0.5% per sale. On a $20 sale you’d pay Square ~$0.88 and Freewebstore $0.50 — or $0.10 on a paid plan.
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Can I use payment gateways other than Square?
Yes. Freewebstore connects to Stripe (which powers Apple Pay and Google Pay), PayPal (Wallet and Advanced Card Payments), Ryft for UK/EU, and PayUmoney for India — plus bank transfer and cash on delivery. Square Online mostly locks you into Square Payments.
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Do I get a custom domain on the free plan?
Yes on Freewebstore — use a free freewebstore.com subdomain or point your own custom domain from day one. Square Online’s free plan puts you on a square.site subdomain with Square branding.
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What about the physical Square POS?
If you also run a physical shop and need Square’s hardware, keep Square for that. Freewebstore is for the online storefront — you can run both in parallel, or move online-only to Freewebstore for lower fees.
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Can I import my Square Online catalogue?
Yes — export your Square products to CSV, drop them into Freewebstore. Free on every plan.
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Is Freewebstore available in my country?
Freewebstore works globally with region-appropriate payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Ryft, PayUmoney and more). Square Online’s payment coverage is stronger in the US but limited in some regions where we’re not.
Leave Square.
Keep more.
A cheaper cut on every sale. Free forever.
Start my free storeNo credit card. No trial. Free forever.