Free to send. Expensive to get paid.

What a card payment costs on the free plan

Square's invoices pricing page, checked 7 November 2026, includes invoicing on every plan. Square Free is $0 a month per location. The online rate, which the page says applies to card payments made online or through an invoice, is 3.3% + 30¢. Plus drops that rate to 2.9% + 30¢ and costs $49 a month per location. Premium is the same 2.9% + 30¢ and costs $149 a month per location.

The table is one paid invoice against one month of software. It is not a claim that $9 includes card processing. If the client pays an Incusia invoice by card, Stripe charges its own fee, and that percentage is not printed on our pricing page. The same honesty applies in the other direction: cash and check on Square are free, so a client who never pays by card does not owe the 3.3%.

A single $500 card payment is already $16.80, which is more than Starter. Three invoices in a month do not change the $9. They multiply Square's line. People comparing a percentage bill with a flat one can also read the PayPal invoicing fees. If you want to see a PDF before you pick a tool, the free invoice generator makes one without an account.

Square Free, card paid through an invoice
fee = amount × 0.033 + 0.30

$500    → $16.80
$1,500  → $49.80
$3,000  → $99.30

Incusia software is $9 that month, for every invoice.
A card fee on an Incusia invoice is separate, and it is not on the pricing page.
Cash and check on Square are $0.

The paid plans are built for a shop

Plus and Premium are not a cheaper way to email a freelance invoice. The monthly fee applies to each location you run. Plus adds payment schedules, custom invoice templates, and a $10 cap on ACH bank transfers. Premium adds the lowest in-person rate, 2.4% + 15¢, and 24/7 phone support. The free plan's own card lists invoices and recurring invoices, estimates and contracts, and projects.

The rate cut from 3.3% to 2.9% saves $4 on every $1,000 collected online. Plus at $49 a location needs about $12,250 of those payments in a month before the lower rate covers the subscription, and the 2.9% + 30¢ is still there. A person sending invoices from a laptop does not get a till, a barcode printer, or inventory in return for that $49. Stripe Invoicing is the other percentage people confuse with a software plan. It is a different bill, and it is not this one.

In person is the case I will not argue you out of. Tap, dip, or swipe on Square Free is 2.6% + 15¢, and Tap to Pay takes a contactless card or Apple Pay on the phone. Incusia does not stand on a counter. If the card is present, stay on Square.

• Square Free: $0 per location. Online or invoice cards 3.3% + 30¢. In person 2.6% + 15¢.
• Plus: $49 per location each month. Online cards 2.9% + 30¢. ACH via invoice is 1% with a $1 minimum and a $10 cap.
• Premium: $149 per location each month. In person 2.4% + 15¢. Phone support is listed as 24/7.
• Incusia Starter: $9 a month, unlimited invoices. Pro is $29. Lifetime is $99 once. There is no free plan.

What you keep if you leave the counter behind

Finish any Square invoice a client might still pay. A second request for the same job is how people pay twice. Cash and check do not need a new tool. ACH on Square Free is 1% with a $1 minimum and no cap, so a single $500 bank payment is $5, which is less than a month of Starter. The card table is the switch. The bank table, for one small payment, can still be Square.

Incusia bills the software on the web. Cancellation is one click in the dashboard, and you keep access until the period ends. Square Free has nothing to cancel. Plus and Premium are a location subscription, and the pricing page says you can cancel or switch. The 7 day trial on Incusia is full Pro access and does not ask for a card. On day 7 the account is read only until you choose Starter, Pro, or Lifetime. It does not become a free plan.

• Let open Square invoices finish where the client already has the link.
• Stay for in-person cards, a till, cash, and check.
• Switch when online card fees on emailed invoices are the line you notice.