Which Is Better for High-Volume In-Person Retail?
The choice between Square and Dojo is no longer a simple volume threshold. Dojo retired its old £39.99/month Fix plan in 2026 and now charges a 1.2% blended rate on every card below £100,000 annual card turnover, which undercuts Square’s flat 1.75% on the headline percentage.
So Dojo is often cheaper to process with. What you weigh against that is Square’s zero commitment, its owned £19 reader, its free POS app, and its far stronger online and omnichannel tools.
Choose Square if you are unsure of your volume, want no contract, sell online as well as in person, or need a proper till app with modifiers, open tabs and table management at no cost. Nothing here ties you in.
Visit SquareChoose Dojo if you run a restaurant, pub or busy retail counter, want the lowest blended processing rate, and can commit to a 12-month term (rolling monthly after that for businesses under £1m card turnover).
Dojo Pocket handles orders, tipping and split bills at the table, and Dojo integrates with 450+ EPOS systems. Above £100,000 a year the 1.2% becomes a custom quote, so ask for the full rate card in writing, and compare at least one alternative such as Barclaycard or TakePayments before signing.
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Square vs Dojo Fees and Charges
Card Transaction Fees
Square publishes 1.75% on every in-person UK card transaction, Amex included. Dojo publishes a 1.2% blended rate on all cards for businesses under £100,000 annual card turnover; above that, the rate is a custom quote you agree with Dojo.
Monthly, Setup and Contract Costs
Square has no monthly fee on the free plan and no setup or cancellation fees. Dojo keeps software separate: Essential is free, Plus is £11.99/month per location. If you leave Dojo inside the minimum term, an early account closure fee applies, which we flag as the main commitment risk.
Other Fees to Watch
Dojo’s FAQ lists a £0.05 secure transaction (authorisation) fee and a £0.50 refund fee that Square does not charge. Dojo’s legal fee schedule states both as based on your agreed plan, so we treat £0.05 as advertised and flag that yours may differ.
On 200 transactions a month, that per-authorisation fee is about £10 before any refund charges.
Fee Verdict: Who Costs Less
Dojo, on processing, for most businesses. On a £25 sale its 1.2% plus the 5p authorisation fee comes to 35p against Square’s 44p, and that gap only widens as your average sale grows.
Square wins the cost argument in one place, and it is a real one: very small tickets. Below an average sale of around £9 the per-authorisation fee swallows Dojo’s rate advantage entirely, so a coffee counter taking £3 flat whites can pay less on Square’s higher percentage than on Dojo’s lower one.
Then there is everything the rate does not cover. Square’s Plus plan at £29 a month adds team management and advanced reporting without touching the rate, and Square charges nothing to set up, nothing to cancel and nothing for a month spent under a minimum turnover. Dojo prices software and hardware separately, and charges you to leave inside the minimum term.
So the honest answer is split rather than clean. On the processing itself Dojo costs less for most businesses. On what actually leaves your account in a quiet month, with a rented terminal and a term still running, Square costs less until your takings are steady enough to carry the rental.
Square vs Dojo Payment Methods and Checkout Options
Cards, Wallets and Alternative Payment Methods
Square accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay at 1.75% for UK-issued cards, and non-UK cards add 1.5%. Dojo accepts the same schemes with Amex inside its 1.2% blended rate, but it does not publish what it charges on European and international cards, so if overseas customers are a real part of your trade you will have to get that figure in writing before you can price Dojo at all.
Checkout Experience
If you sell online, Square offers a full stack: hosted store, payment links and embeddable checkout. Dojo also supports remote payments, an online checkout, payment links and a virtual terminal, though it positions itself as an acquirer rather than a full gateway and will not work with a Shopify site.
Methods Verdict
On the cards themselves there is nothing to separate them, so let this decide your pick only if you take overseas cards or care about instalments. Both take Visa, Mastercard, Amex, contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and neither adds a surcharge for Amex.
Overseas cards are where they part company, and not only on price. Square publishes its surcharge: 1.5% on top, taking a non-UK card to 3.25% in person. Dojo also surcharges European and international cards, but sets the figure by your agreed plan rather than printing it, so a tourist-facing business cannot work out what Dojo will cost from Dojo’s own website and has to get the number in writing first.
Neither takes Buy Now, Pay Later at the machine. Square supports it online through its own checkout, and Dojo has no consumer instalment product at all, so if a chunk of your customers expect to pay in instalments, Square is the only one of the two offering a route, and only on the web.
Square vs Dojo Hardware, POS and In-Person Payments
Card Readers and Terminals
Square Reader is £19 +VAT and pairs to your phone; Square Terminal is £149 +VAT, standalone with a built-in printer, both owned by you.
Dojo prices hardware separately: Go Max £149 or £25/month, Wired £179 or £15/month, Pocket £239 or £20/month. Dojo advertises upfront and monthly options, so confirm ownership and return terms for your arrangement.
POS Software and Hardware Add-ons
Square’s free POS app covers item catalogues, modifiers, open tabs, split bills and table management, enough to run a cafe or bar from one account. Dojo’s software integrates with 450+ third-party EPOS systems rather than replacing them, which suits hospitality already running a compatible till.
In-Person Verdict
For most counters, Square, and the reason is the software rather than the reader. You own the £19 device outright with nothing to return if you leave, and the free app is a genuine till: catalogues, modifiers, open tabs, split bills, basic table management and a kitchen display, none of it behind a subscription. For a cafe or a bar it can replace a separate EPOS entirely.
Dojo is the better in-person choice in one common situation. If you already run a compatible EPOS, Dojo integrates with more than 450 of them instead of asking you to replace the till your staff already know, and Dojo Pocket takes orders, tips and split bills at the table in a way Square’s app does not attempt.
Whichever way you lean, do the hardware sums before you commit. Tap to Pay on iPhone costs nothing on Dojo, but a Go Max, Wired or Pocket terminal is £149 to £239 bought outright or £15 to £25 a month rented, and Dojo’s own account-closure guidance asks customers to return machines, so establish what you are buying rather than borrowing. At low, small-ticket volumes a rented terminal can wipe out the very rate advantage that sent you to Dojo in the first place.
Square vs Dojo Online Payments and Integrations
Hosted Checkout, Payment Links and APIs
Square Online provides a hosted store, payment link tool and embeddable checkout at 1.4% + 25p for UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for non-UK cards. Dojo offers an online checkout, payment links and a virtual terminal with WooCommerce, Magento and PrestaShop plugins, but no native hosted storefront to match Square’s, so the shop itself has to sit somewhere else.
Platform Integrations
Square integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, WooCommerce and Wix. Dojo integrates with 450+ EPOS systems and offers a developer API; if you need a full online storefront alongside a Dojo counter, evaluate whether Dojo’s own online tools suffice before adding a second provider.
Online Verdict
If your website is a real shop, Square, and there is not much argument to have. One account carries a hosted store, payment links and an embeddable checkout, with the stock count and the reporting shared across counter and web, at 1.4% + 25p on UK cards and 2.5% + 25p on non-UK ones.
Dojo is not the online blank that most comparisons make it, and the correction matters if a rate this low is tempting you. It runs an online checkout with WooCommerce, Magento and PrestaShop plugins, payment links by text or email, a virtual terminal and a developer API. What it will not do is host the storefront itself, work with a Shopify-built site, or take you on for online payments at all until you have a Dojo card machine.
Whether Dojo can take a web payment is therefore settled: it can. What it cannot do is give the shop somewhere to live, so if you are starting from nothing Square is the simpler route, and if your site already exists and only needs to take money alongside a Dojo counter, Dojo’s own tools save you the cost of a second provider.
Square vs Dojo Payouts, Contract Terms and Account Risk
Settlement Speed and Payout Schedule
Square settles as soon as the next business day for free, with instant transfers for a 1.5% fee. Dojo settles next working day, with funds available from around 3pm; weekend and bank-holiday payouts need a paid upgrade. This is next-day settlement, not same-day.
Contract Length and Exit Terms
Square has no contract and no minimum volume; you can close the account without penalty at any time.
Dojo’s own pages differ on the term: its FAQ says businesses under £1m card turnover start on 12 months that then rolls monthly, while its pricing page says customers above £100k can pick a 12-month fixed plan or 30-day rolling. These overlap, so confirm the term on your quote.
An early closure fee applies inside any minimum term. We rate the contract the single most important factor to model before signing.
Reserves, Holds and Account Stability
Both Square and Dojo are merchant acquirers, and like all acquirers they can place a reserve, hold funds, or review an account when fraud or chargeback risk rises. Square’s fund holds are the more commonly reported of the two, usually triggered by a sudden change in transaction patterns.
Dojo is a trading name of Paymentsense Limited and is FCA-authorised; Square is also FCA-regulated. Neither publishes a fixed reserve policy, so read the account terms, particularly the sections on holds and account closure, before you sign.
Square vs Dojo Customer Reviews and Reputation
Trustpilot and Independent Review Themes
Square is rated positively for its no-commitment model and free POS app, though you may hit a fund hold if your transaction patterns change suddenly, which is the most common complaint against it. Dojo, backed by Paymentsense, scores around 4.3 on Trustpilot, praised for settlement speed and UK support, with the 12-month contract its most common criticism.
Support Channels and Response Times
Square offers phone support Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on the free plan, plus live chat and email; Square Terminal and Register users get 24/7 phone support. Dojo advertises UK phone and online support with longer daily hours.
The real difference is availability: for a venue trading evenings and weekends, Dojo’s longer support hours can matter more than Square’s weekday line.
Reputation Verdict
Neither record should put you off, but the two sets of complaints are about different things, and that is what makes this section worth reading rather than skimming. Square’s cluster around held funds and account reviews triggered by a sudden change in takings, which is what tends to happen with any provider that signs merchants up in minutes instead of underwriting them first.
Dojo, backed by Paymentsense, sits around 4.3 on Trustpilot from thousands of reviews, and its complaints are about the exit rather than the money: the 12-month term, and how hard people find it to leave early. Both are FCA-regulated, so the question is how each behaves, not whether either is safe.
Read that as a straight trade. Square can hold your takings while it asks you questions; Dojo can hold you to the contract. If your business cannot ride out a frozen week, that weighs against Square, and if you cannot see twelve months ahead, it weighs against Dojo.
Square vs Dojo for Transaction Volume and Contract Terms
Dojo’s 1.2% blended rate beats Square’s 1.75% on the headline percentage, but not always in practice. The true monthly cost turns on two things the percentage hides: your average transaction value, and whether you rent or buy the Dojo terminal.
Average transaction value matters because Dojo charges roughly £0.05 per authorisation. Two businesses taking the same £2,000 a month pay different effective rates if one processes 200 small payments and the other 20 large ones.
A coffee shop feels that per-payment fee far more than a professional-services firm does.
On the processing rate alone, the two are level at an average transaction of about £9: below that, Square’s flat 1.75% can actually cost less than Dojo’s 1.2% plus 5p; above it, Dojo pulls ahead.
The table below models the in-person UK-card processing you would pay, using each provider’s published rates. It excludes hardware, VAT, refunds, non-UK surcharges and any negotiated rate.
| Monthly turnover | Avg transaction | Transactions | Square (1.75%) | Dojo (1.2% + 5p/auth) | Lower on processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £2,000 | £10 | 200 | £35.00 | £34.00 | Roughly equal |
| £2,000 | £100 | 20 | £35.00 | £25.00 | Dojo |
| £5,000 | £15 | 333 | £87.50 | £76.65 | Dojo |
| £8,000 | £25 | 320 | £140.00 | £112.00 | Dojo |
Illustrative, using published pricing on 7 August 2026 from Square UK pricing and Dojo pricing. Square: 1.75% of turnover. Dojo: 1.2% of turnover plus £0.05 per transaction (Essential software free). Excludes hardware, VAT, refunds, non-UK-card supplements and negotiated rates. Not a personalised quote.
Now add the hardware you need. Square’s reader is a one-off £19; Dojo’s terminal is either bought (from £149) or rented at £15–£25/month.
At the smallest, lowest-ticket volumes, renting a Dojo terminal can wipe out its rate advantage; buy the terminal outright and Dojo’s lower rate pulls ahead as volume grows.
So there is no single turnover at which Dojo becomes cheaper for you. Model your own average transaction value and hardware choice, and always get the Dojo rate card in writing, including the above-£100k custom rate and any non-UK-card charges, before committing to the 12-month term.
Downsides of Square and Dojo
Downsides of Square
Square’s 1.75% flat rate is higher than Dojo’s 1.2% blended rate, so at steady volume you pay more per sale. Non-UK cards cost 3.25% in person, standard phone support is weekday hours only unless you use Square Terminal or Register, and fund holds can occur without warning if transaction patterns change.
Downsides of Dojo
Dojo’s 12-month contract is the main commitment, with an early closure fee inside the minimum term for businesses under £1m turnover. Hardware is rented or bought separately, the £0.05 per-authorisation fee adds up on small tickets, and above £100,000 turnover the rate is a custom quote rather than a published figure.
Alternatives to Square and Dojo
If neither Square nor Dojo is the right fit, three alternatives cover the main use cases:
- SumUp: Solo Lite reader from £25, 1.69% flat, no contract. Simple pay-as-you-go for low-volume sellers, without Square’s POS depth or Dojo’s EPOS integrations.
- PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle): 1.75% flat, no contract, tight PayPal ecosystem integration. A natural fit if you already settle through PayPal.
- Tide: 0.89% + 3p on the Sell In-Person plan, among the lowest per-transaction rates for UK businesses. Requires a Tide business account; the reader is bought separately.
For high-volume businesses that want a fully negotiated acquiring relationship, TakePayments and Barclaycard Payments are both worth quoting alongside Dojo’s above-£100k custom rate.
Final Verdict: Square or Dojo?
Square is the safer default for most small UK businesses: no contract, a £19 reader you own, a genuinely capable free POS app, and the strongest online and omnichannel tools of the two.
If your volume is unpredictable, you sell online as well as in person, or you simply want zero commitment, start with Square.
Dojo is the better fit for hospitality and busy retail: its 1.2% blended rate undercuts Square on processing, Dojo Pocket handles table-side orders and split bills, and it integrates with 450+ EPOS systems.
The price of that is a 12-month term, a separately-priced terminal and a per-authorisation fee that bites on small tickets.
There is no single turnover where one simply wins. Model your average transaction value, decide whether you will rent or buy the terminal, and get Dojo’s full rate card, including the above-£100k custom rate, in writing before you sign.
Prices and fees checked 7 August 2026 against Square and Dojo pricing pages and Dojo’s fee schedule. Dojo pricing above £100,000 annual turnover is a custom quote and may differ. This is editorial content, not regulated financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Square or Dojo cheaper?
On the processing rate, Dojo is usually cheaper: its 1.2% blended rate (under £100,000 annual card turnover) undercuts Square’s flat 1.75%. But Dojo adds a £0.05 per-authorisation fee that erodes the gap on small transactions, plus separate hardware and a 12-month contract. Model your average transaction value, not just your turnover.
Does Dojo have a monthly fee?
Not for payment processing. Dojo’s Essential software is free; its Plus plan is £11.99/month per location. Hardware is priced separately, either bought upfront (from £149) or spread over monthly instalments (£15–£25). The old £39.99/month Fix plan no longer exists.
At what turnover does Dojo become cheaper than Square?
There is no single turnover figure. Dojo’s 1.2% beats Square’s 1.75% on the rate at almost any volume, but the £0.05 per-authorisation fee and Dojo’s hardware rental can cancel that out at low, small-ticket volumes. The crossover depends on both your turnover and your average transaction value.
How quickly do Square and Dojo pay out?
Square settles as soon as the next business day for free, with instant transfers for a 1.5% fee. Dojo settles the next working day, with funds available from around 3pm; weekend and bank-holiday payouts require a paid upgrade. Dojo’s standard settlement is next-day, not same-day.
Can Dojo take online payments?
Yes. Dojo offers an online checkout with WooCommerce, Magento and PrestaShop plugins, payment links by text or email, and a virtual terminal. It describes itself as an acquirer rather than a full gateway, does not support Shopify sites, and new customers need a Dojo card machine first. Square remains the stronger all-in-one online option.
Is Dojo better for restaurants?
Often, yes. Dojo Pocket takes orders and payments at the table with tipping and split bills, Dojo integrates with 450+ EPOS systems, and its 1.2% rate suits steady hospitality volume. Square’s free POS app is capable for smaller venues, but Dojo’s EPOS integration and table-side hardware fit busier restaurants and pubs.
How we compared Square and Dojo
How we compared them. We priced both providers from their own published pricing pages, terms and fee schedules, then modelled the monthly cost of each against realistic turnover and average-transaction-value scenarios.
This is a documentation-based comparison, not a device test. Where we calculate a cost, we show the inputs so you can reproduce it.
Data sources. Every rate, fee and hardware price came from Square’s and Dojo’s own pages and legal documents, checked on 7 August 2026, with the FCA register cross-checked for regulatory status. Where Dojo’s FAQ and legal fee schedule differ, we report both rather than pick one.
Update cadence. We re-check both providers when either changes pricing, eligibility or terms, and the date on the page reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.