Praghas.ie
SquarevsPayPal·Ireland

Square vs PayPal fees in Ireland

A side-by-side look at Square and PayPal public card-processing rates for Irish businesses, with a sample €10,000/month scenario.

Saving at €10,000/mo
€3/mo

PayPal is lower in this example · ≈ €38 a year

Square
€213/mo

2.13% effective rate

PayPal
€209/mo

2.09% effective rate

Run your own numbersBrowse all 12 comparisons

Square and PayPal cover different parts of taking payments. Square is built for in-person and online selling with point-of-sale tools and card readers, while PayPal in this comparison is an online card-payment service and a checkout button customers already recognise.

Because PayPal here covers online card payments only, the biggest factor is whether you take payments in person. If you do, Square is the more complete fit; if you are purely online, the decision comes down to processing cost versus checkout familiarity.

Quick answer

Use this as a starting point before checking the fee table.

Square is the stronger all-round choice when you sell in person or want point-of-sale tools alongside online payments. PayPal is best treated as an online checkout option where customer recognition can help conversion.

Choose Square if

you take payments face to face, want card readers and POS software, or want one provider for both in-person and online card payments.

Choose PayPal if

your checkout is online and you want a familiar PayPal option for customers, accepting a higher fixed fee per transaction.

What this guide compares

Use this to rule providers in or out before checking the details that matter to your business.

Included
Public card-processing fees, supported features and common Irish small-business use cases.
Not included
Negotiated rates, hardware purchases, chargebacks, refunds, currency conversion, optional software plans and provider-specific add-ons unless explicitly stated.

Main fee differences

These are the assumptions most likely to move the estimate.

What changes the fee gap

  • PayPal's fixed fee is higher per online card transaction, so average sale value strongly affects the comparison on small baskets.
  • Square adds VAT to its processing rates; Praghas includes this when your business is not VAT registered, which raises Square's real cost for those users.
  • Square has separate online and in-person rates, while this PayPal estimate covers online card payments only, so channel mix is decisive.

Watch out for

  • PayPal in-person (Zettle), wallet transactions and currency conversion are not part of this online card comparison.
  • Square hardware and optional software subscriptions are excluded from the estimate.
  • Compare like for like: this is PayPal Online Card Payment Services against Square's standard card rates, not every PayPal fee category.

Feature comparison

Capability coverage from the Praghas provider directory.

Online checkout
SquareYes
PayPalYes
Payment links
SquareYes
PayPalYes
In-person terminals
SquareYes
PayPalNo
POS / commerce tools
SquareYes
PayPalPartial
Subscriptions
SquarePartial
PayPalPartial
Developer APIs
SquarePartial
PayPalPartial
Business account
SquareNo
PayPalPartial

Example fee comparison

Based on €10,000.00/month, €50.00 average sale, default online payment mix. Run your own numbers for an accurate comparison.

PayPal
Lowest estimate

€209.35/mo

2.09% effective rate

Baseline

vs lowest

Annual €2,512.20

Visit provider
Square

€212.50/mo

2.13% effective rate

+€3.15/mo

vs lowest

Annual €2,550.00

Visit provider

The table sorts the two providers by estimated monthly fee for this sample scenario only. It is not a quality ranking or recommendation.

When each is a fit

Use these notes as decision prompts before running your own numbers.

Consider Square if

  • You sell in person and want card readers or POS tools
  • You want one provider for in-person and online payments
  • Predictable card pricing matters across channels

Consider PayPal if

  • Your checkout is online only
  • Customer trust in the PayPal button may lift conversion
  • You want PayPal as a familiar additional payment option

The verdict

If any of your sales happen in person, Square is the more complete and usually more cost-effective choice because PayPal here is online-only. For purely online checkouts, weigh PayPal's higher fixed fee against the conversion value of a recognised button. Run your own volume and average sale to size the difference.

Read the provider notes

Each provider page lists the rates, assumptions and exclusions used by Praghas.

SquareUses Square's public standard Irish pricing. Hardware and optional software costs are separate.PayPalPayPal has many fee categories. This estimate covers PayPal Online Card Payment Services only and does not include in-person PayPal/Zettle pricing.

Frequently asked questions

In this comparison, yes. Square's estimate covers in-person card readers and online payments, while the PayPal estimate covers online card payments only. PayPal's separate in-person product (Zettle) is not modelled here.

Square publishes its processing rates plus VAT. Praghas adds that VAT effect for businesses that are not VAT registered because it changes their real cost. VAT-registered businesses can usually reclaim it.

Other comparisons

Related fee guides that share a provider with this one.

Stripe vs SquareOnline-first payment infrastructure compared with simple point-of-sale pricing.Stripe vs PayPalProcessing cost compared with a familiar checkout option customers recognise.Square vs SumUpCard-reader and POS options compared for Irish businesses taking payments in person.Revolut Business vs SquareLow domestic card rates and banking compared with point-of-sale tools and blended pricing.

Sources

Figures are estimates based on public standard pricing and may be out of date. Confirm current rates with each provider before deciding.