Dough vs Square

Square keeps the fees. Dough gives them back.

Square charges 2.65% on every tap and dip, holds your funds on its own schedule, and gives you nothing back. Dough costs less AND reinvests our margin into your business through the Boost program. Here's the honest side-by-side.

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TL;DR

The 30-second answer

If you're processing more than $10K/month and you're sick of paying Square's flat 2.65% with no negotiation and no perks in return — switching to Dough is a no-brainer. Here's why.

Square

Pick Square if…

  • You process under $5K/month and don't want a real conversation
  • You want a one-stop app for online store + POS bundled in
  • You're okay with a flat 2.65% rate with no ability to negotiate
  • You don't mind getting nothing back in return for your fees
Dough

Pick Dough if…

  • You're processing $10K+/month and want real savings
  • You want a choice between surcharging, IC+, or flat rate pricing
  • You want your processor to give back through the Boost program
  • You want to talk to a real human, not a chatbot
Side-by-side

The honest comparison

Every number below comes from public Square pricing or Dough's locked pricing models. No spin, no shading.

Dough Square
In-person credit card rate$0 (surcharge) / IC+ 0.20% / 2.75% flat2.65% flat
Debit transactions$0.04 per transaction2.65% (same as credit)
Manually keyed transactionsStandard IC+ or flat rate pricing3.4% + $0.15
Pricing model choiceSurcharge, IC+, Flat, or Dual PricingFlat rate only
Negotiable ratesYesNo
Funds released to your bankStandard processor timing, your bank accountSquare holds funds, releases on Square's schedule
Account holds / freezesUnderwriting upfront, no algorithmic freezesKnown issue — accounts can be frozen with little notice
Free website + social with processingYes — Boost programNo
Free custom AI toolYes — Boost programNo
Human supportReal Canadian humans, founder-ledChat-first, phone tier-gated
TerminalsClover Flex / Mini / Station Duo / Newland / IngenicoSquare Reader / Terminal / Register (locked to Square)
Setup time2–3 days from statement to liveInstant signup, but limits apply early
Contract optionsMonth-to-month or 4-year (your choice)Month-to-month, no terminal subsidies
Honest take

Where each one actually wins

No processor is best for everyone. Here's where Square legitimately earns its keep — and where Dough pulls ahead.

Where Square wins

  • Instant signup. You can be processing within an hour with no real underwriting conversation.
  • The Square ecosystem is genuinely strong — built-in online store, invoicing, gift cards, and loyalty all in one app.
  • If you process under $3K–$5K/month, the flat 2.65% rate is competitive enough that switching isn't worth the effort.
  • Square's hardware UX is clean and the app is the most polished on the market for tiny merchants.

Where Dough wins

  • Real pricing flexibility — surcharge, IC+, flat, or dual pricing. Square gives you one rate and that's it.
  • At any volume above $10K/month, the math swings hard. Typical savings of 30–60% per month.
  • The Boost program — free website, free monthly social content, custom AI tool, review cards. Square gives back nothing.
  • No surprise account holds. Underwriting happens upfront, with a real human, not an algorithm post-fact.
  • Lower overhead. Square is a publicly traded company with thousands of employees. That cost gets baked into your rate. Dough is lean — and so is the rate.
  • Clover terminals run more powerful POS apps than Square's locked hardware.
Decision matrix

How to choose in 60 seconds

No fluff. Run yourself through this list.

Choose Square if…

  • You're brand new, under $5K/month, and need to start today.
  • You're a side hustle, market vendor, or pop-up needing zero commitment.
  • You need built-in online store + POS in a single app and don't care about rate.
  • You'd rather pay more than have a phone call with a sales rep.

Choose Dough if…

  • You process $10K/month or more in card volume.
  • You want the option to surcharge and pay $0 in processing fees.
  • You want a free website and monthly social content as part of the deal.
  • You've been burned by Square account holds or fee creep before.
  • You'd rather work with a real Canadian operator than a 1-800 chatbot.
Real switch story

What happens when you actually move

A typical Canadian retail merchant on Square processing around $50K/month — what the numbers look like after switching to Dough.

We were paying Square almost $1,400 a month and getting nothing back for it. Switched to Dough, our processing dropped to about $700, and they built us a 5-page website on top of that. Should've done it two years ago.

— Canadian retail boutique owner (anonymized), $50K/mo volume

The numbers

Previous processorSquare
Monthly card volume~$50,000
Old Square fees~$1,400/mo
Dough fees (IC+)~$700/mo
Boost perk earnedFree 5-page site
Monthly savings~$700/mo
FAQ

Switching from Square — the questions we hear most

Is Dough actually cheaper than Square?
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On most volumes above $10,000/month, yes. Square charges a flat 2.65% per tap/dip in Canada with no negotiation. Dough offers three pricing models: surcharge ($0 in credit card processing fees), Interchange Plus (interchange + 0.20%), or flat rate at 2.75% + $0.15. Typical Dough merchants save 30–60% on their monthly processing bill. Send your last Square statement and we'll show you the math.
What happens to my money with Square vs Dough?
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Square holds funds and releases them on its own schedule. They can also freeze accounts with minimal notice if their risk algorithm flags activity — a known pain point for growing businesses. Dough funds into your existing bank account on standard processor timelines, and underwriting happens upfront on a real call instead of after the fact via an algorithm.
Does Square give anything back the way Dough does?
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No. Square takes its fees and that's the relationship. Dough's Boost program reinvests our margin back into your business — free website, free monthly social media content, custom AI tools, and Google review cards. Tier scales with monthly volume. No other Canadian processor does this.
Can I keep using my Square hardware with Dough?
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No. Square's hardware (Square Reader, Square Terminal, Square Register) only works with Square. When you switch to Dough you'll get a new terminal — most merchants move to a Clover Flex or Clover Mini, both of which run circles around Square's hardware in terms of features.
How long does it take to switch from Square to Dough?
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2 to 3 days from start to installed. Send your last Square statement, we'll quote you, you sign the application, we ship and program your terminal, and you're live. Your bank account doesn't change. Your bookkeeping doesn't change.
Will I lose any features Square has that Dough doesn't?
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Square's app ecosystem is its strongest feature — built-in invoicing, online store, gift cards, loyalty. Dough's stack is different: Clover terminals have their own app marketplace, plus we offer Authorize.Net and Converge for online and recurring billing. For most Canadian small businesses the feature gap is a wash. The Boost perks are where Dough actually pulls ahead.
Why is Square more expensive than Dough?
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Square is a publicly traded company with thousands of employees, massive marketing spend, and a huge corporate cost structure. All of that overhead gets baked into the rate you pay. Dough is a lean Canadian operation — lower overhead means we can charge less and still reinvest margin into the Boost program.

Make more dough than Square ever let you keep.

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