Square Stand Review: Square’s iPad POS System

The Square Stand is an iPad enclosure that converts a simple tablet into a full-scale point of sale (POS) display. The Square Stand includes built-in tap and chip card readers and is built on a swivel so you can turn it around to face customers and collect digital signatures. We scored the Stand on the same criteria we use to consider card reading hardware, where it earned a 4.29 out of a possible 5 for its affordable price and user-friendliness.

Square Stand Overview

• Pros & Cons
• Deciding Factors
• Alternatives

Overall Score: 4.29 / 5

RATING CRITERIA	Pricing		4.13 out of 5
	Hardware Features		3.88 out of 5
	Processing Features		4.63 out of 5
	Ease of Use		4.25 out of 5
	Expert Score		5.00 out of 5

Pros

• Affordable price
• Fast setup
• Dip and tap card readers are built-in
• Rotating stand negates the need for a customer-facing display

Cons

• Requires an iPad, purchased separately
• Some users complain it lacks durability
• Swipe card reader is not built-in
• Needs a swipe reader to accept traditional gift cards

Supported business types	Retail, restaurants, service businesses & more
Upfront cost	$149 (or $14 per month for 12 months )
Monthly fees	None required for the stand itself. You can use it with the Free level of any Square POS.
Payment types accepted	Tap and dipped credit and debit cards Digital wallets Cash (with optional cash drawer) Cash App
Supported payment processors	Square Payments
Processing rates	In person: 2.6% + 10 cents Manually keyed: 3.5% + 15 cents Online: 2.9% + 30 cents
Contract length	Month-to-month; Square does not require long-term contracts
Size	Register Screen: Compatible with 10.2” and 10.5” iPads Length: 12.6 inches Depth: 7.1 inches Height: 9.5 inches Rotation Diameter: 13.8-inch circle required for stand rotation
Weight	4 pounds, 7 ounces (without iPad)
Compatible Tablets	3rd generation iPad Air iPad Pro 10.5” 7th–9th generation iPads (2019–2021)

Provider	Best For	Price	In-person Processing Fees
Square Register	Square users wanting a non-iPad based station	$799 (or $39 per month for 24 months)	2.6% + 10 cents
	Visit Square
Clover Station Solo	Working with an existing merchant account	$1,699 + $49.95 per month(or $125 per month) Pricing is for retail and service businesses; restaurant pricing is $1,699 + $84.95 per month upfront, or $160 per month with monthly payments.	2.6% + 10 cents
	Visit Clover
Toast Countertop Kit	Full-service Restaurants needing a stationary POS	$875 + $69 per month (or $0 upfront, $0 per month for Pay-as-you-Go)	From 2.49% + 15 cents (or from 2.99% + 15 cents for Pay-as-You-Go)
	Visit Toast

Buy Square Stand

Featured Partner Square has paid for this placement. However, our team of experts approved Square as an appropriate product and our content remains editorially independent.
Accept payments anywhere customers are: In-person, Online, Remote, Buy Now Pay Later
Free suite of software, including POS and invoicing Instant signup, no application or approval required Predictable, flat-rate fees Visit Square Payments

The Square Stand is an enclosure for an iPad that transforms a simple tablet into a full-scale POS station. With tap and chip card readers built into the case, and a swivel base, the Square Stand elegantly sidesteps the need for peripheral card readers or customer-facing displays. Priced at $149 and available from mainstream retailers like Best Buy, the Square Stand is easy to find and easy to configure.

Users should note, though, that the $149 price tag does not include an iPad. You can bring your own iPad (if it is compatible) or purchase an iPad from Square ($329) when you order your Square Stand. Square Stand is the foundation of an excellent countertop POS station for small businesses on a budget and those that want to reduce countertop clutter. Though it will need to remain on your countertop; the Stand needs to be plugged into electricity and must be adhered or screwed into a countertop for the swivel feature to work.

The Square Stand is sold directly via Square’s website and via brick-and-mortar retailers like Best Buy. You can purchase the Stand upfront for a one-time cost of $149 or—if you purchase through Square—in monthly payments of $14 for 12 months. Residents of Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Tennessee should note that the Square installment plan is not available in their areas, though.

Using the Square Stand requires an iPad Pro, 3rd generation iPad Air, or 7th through 9th generation iPad. If you already own a compatible iPad, then $149 is incredibly low cost for a POS display with card readers. If you have to purchase an iPad, you’ll need to budget for one. Square sells a 10.2-inch 2021 iPad for $329. This would put your total cost at $478, which is still pretty competitive for a combination POS display and card reader.

POS stands for iPads from competitors tend to be slightly more expensive (competitor Lightspeed POS offers a stand for $199) but typically don’t include card readers.

You’ll need Square Payments for processing, so you should note those fees as well. Square’s current processing rates are:

• In person: 2.6% + 10 cents
• Manually keyed: 3.5% + 15 cents
• Online: 2.9% + 30 cents

If you process more than $250,000 in credit card transactions annually, though, you can get a custom-rate quote that is typically lower.

Your Square Stand and iPad can operate any of the Square POS software offerings; basic Square POS, Square for Retail, Square for Restaurants, and Square Appointments. Current pricing for Square’s POS offerings is:

Square POS Subscription Costs

Square frequently tops our list of the best POS systems for small businesses. All Square POS systems have a free baseline subscription, and the basic Square POS is free to use forever. Square also has no long-term contracts for any of its software, so you can cancel or upgrade your Square account at any time. Unless, of course, you opted for monthly payments for your hardware; you’ll be on the hook for that payment until the hardware is paid off. If you’re interested in the functions offered by a Square POS paid plan, Square offers a 30-day free trial of virtually all of their higher-tier subscriptions.

The Square Stand has a low profile to fit in even the smallest spaces. (Source: Square)

• Dimensions: 12 inches long, 9.5 inches high, 7.1 inches deep; 10.2 inch or 10.5 inch screen (varies by iPad selection; iPad sold separately)
• Rotation diameter: 13.8-inch circle required for stand rotation
• Weight: 4 pounds, 7 ounces (without iPad)
• Available colors: Glossy white pedestal, matte black screen enclosure
• Materials: Metal and plastic
• Power Source: Wall plug (required)
• Connection type: Wi-Fi or Ethernet for internet connection; USB, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connected peripheral hardware
• Warranty: 1-year limited warranty

The Square Stand card readers light up so customers know where to pay without guidance. (Source: Square)

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The Square Stand’s exterior is glossy white. (Source: Square)

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The Square Stand uses customizable software with an easy-to-use interface. (Source: Square)

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To complete a sale, you simply swivel the Square Stand and allow the customer to follow the prompts and choose their payment method. (Source: Square)

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Expand your Square POS system’s functionality by adding apps from the Square App marketplace—and access them all from your Square Stand. (Source: Square)

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Square Stand has a lot of insightful features that make it the right fit for small and growing independent businesses. The built-in tap and chip card readers save you money right off the bat. If you need to accept swipe cards, you can plug a free Square swipe reader into the Stand; it has an audio jack just for this purpose, which is an elegant workaround since newer generation iPads (10th generation and up) don’t have audio jacks.

The Square Stand’s swivel base keeps you from needing a customer-facing display; you can simply rotate the entire stand to collect digital customer signatures. If your check average is small, you won’t even need a receipt printer. Though if you need these additional peripherals, you can connect with a wealth of third-party hardware via USB, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. This makes the Stand more flexible than Square’s other countertop offering, Square Register.

If you need a more complete POS station, including a cash drawer and receipt printer, you can purchase a complete Square Stand hardware kit from Square for $619 without an iPad ($948 with an iPad).

Since the major POS functions of the Square Stand run through your iPad, you can also centralize your third-party apps and access your Square dashboard directly from your POS station. This is especially handy if you use additional apps for online sales, shipping, review management, marketing, or accounting. And you won’t just be tied to the hundreds of apps in the Square App marketplace. If your iPad has the available storage, you can run any additional app you like directly from your iPad.

Square Stand is incredibly user-friendly. You simply pop in an iPad, plug the Stand into an electrical outlet, connect to the internet (via Wi-Fi or ethernet), and sign into your Square POS account. If you have an active Square POS account, you can quite literally get a Square Stand up and running in less than 10 minutes. You’ll spend more time deciding where to affix your swivel base than you will setting up the Square Stand.

Square Stand’s only minor drawback is that it must be stationary. It must be plugged into electricity in order to work, and the base must be adhered to a countertop via strong adhesive or secured with screws. If you want a POS terminal that moves around your shop or operates without a wall plug, check out the Square Terminal or one of Square’s mobile POS hardware kits.

Square Stand has the same drawback that I often mention with Square products. It is, admittedly, a minor drawback, but if you are tech-phobic and need one-on-one support from your POS partner, you won’t be happy with Square. Wait times for a live technician can be long. I—and some small business owners I know—have also received incomplete or confusing information from Square support reps.

The Square Seller Community—a searchable forum for Square users–tends to include more relevant, comprehensive information when you’re troubleshooting your Square system. This is a pretty minor defect for a brand that caters to the small businesses many other brands overlook. And you’ll definitely pay more than $0 per month for an alternative POS that offers more robust support.

Square Stand works great as an entry-level POS stand. The affordable price and self-installation make it a no-brainer for small businesses that are upgrading from an electronic cash register, or accepting digital payments for the first time. The Stand is designed for the modern customer and modern retailer, though. So if you need to accept old-school payments like swipe cards and cash, you’ll need additional equipment. But overall, the Square Stand equipped with an iPad is one of the least expensive POS station configurations available.

The Square Stand is best suited for small and medium-volume businesses or those just getting started with a POS. If you experience a high volume of sales or need to accept more payment types, the Square Register is a more robust option for your business. If you need a fully mobile POS station, you’ll be better off with a Square Terminal or one of Square’s mobile POS configurations.

Methodology – How We Evaluated

We recently compared the Square Stand against several other card readers on the market. We scored this equipment on price, functionality, and ease of use. Click through the tabs below for a full description of our scoring criteria:

Meet the Experts

This review features the expertise of three of Fit Small Business’ retail and payments experts. Learn more about why you can trust us:

	Mary King spent more than a decade managing various food service businesses, from coffee shops and food trucks to full service restaurants and event spaces. She has advised small retail and restaurant businesses for several years and focused on researching and rating small business technology for four years.
	Meaghan Brophy has 10-plus years of retail experience, during which she has operated a variety of cash registers and POS systems in different settings and applications. Since working in retail, Meaghan has 7-plus years of experience writing for retailers and 4-plus years of experience evaluating POS systems.
	Anna Lynn Dizon is a retail expert writer for Fit Small Business, contributing to our POS and payments sections. She has evaluated dozens of software for small business owners. Her experience in business and finance led her to work for a US risk mitigation company in its regional Singapore office. She holds a degree in accountancy with a minor in financial management.

Square Stand FAQs

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Bottom Line

The Square Stand is an accessible, low-profile tool that turns a basic iPad into a full-scale POS station. This user-friendly POS hardware is easy to install, and it’s cost-effective since it includes built-in card readers. The swivel function might wear down in super high-volume businesses, which might be better served by a stationary customer-facing display (like the one found in the Square Register). But overall, user feedback is incredibly positive. You can purchase the Square Stand from mainstream retailers like Best Buy or directly from the Square website.

Visit Square