Square (Block)
About Square (Block)
Square: Complete Review, Pricing, Features and Guide to the Payment System in 2026 In the world of modern payment solutions, Square has established itself as an essential player for merchants, artisans, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs around the globe. Founded in the United States and now a subsidiary of Block, Inc., Square offers a complete ecosystem that goes well beyond a simple payment terminal. Whether you are a micro-entrepreneur looking to accept card payments, a restaurateur wanting to modernize your point-of-sale system, or a growing SME, this comprehensive guide presents everything you need to know about Square: its history, its offers, its pricing, its features, its security, its customer service, user reviews, and much more. To contact Square, you can reach out through the dedicated app, which greatly simplifies exchanges with support.
Table of Contents 1. Background and History of Square 2. Square Offers and Pricing 3. Square Features 4. Additional Services Offered by Square 5. Security at Square 6. Square Customer Service 7. Customer Reviews of Square 8. Comparison: Square vs Stripe, SumUp and iZettle 9. Three Real-World Case Studies 10. International Expansion and Future Outlook
1. Background and History of Square Square's story begins in 2009 in San Francisco, when Jack Dorsey — also co-founder of Twitter — and Jim McKelvey decided to solve a practical problem: enabling anyone to accept card payments without needing a complex merchant account or an expensive terminal. The idea was born from McKelvey's personal frustration as a glassblowing artisan who had lost a sale because he couldn't accept credit cards. This founding anecdote perfectly illustrates Square's philosophy: democratizing access to financial services for small businesses and independent workers. Square's first product was a small card reader that plugged into a smartphone's headphone jack. This revolutionary device — square in shape, hence the name Square — allowed anyone with a phone to transform their device into a payment terminal. The official launch took place in 2010, and adoption was explosive. Within months, tens of thousands of small merchants, market stallholders, food truck operators and individual service providers adopted the Square solution to process payments from their customers. Between 2010 and 2013, Square experienced exponential growth. The company raised several hundred million dollars from prestigious investors, including Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins. In 2012, Square processed over $10 billion in transactions, confirming its leadership position in the mobile micro-payments segment. That same year, the company launched Square Register, a complete point-of-sale application, as well as Square Market, an online commerce platform enabling merchants to sell their products on the internet. Square's initial public offering took place on November 19, 2015, on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker SQ. The stock was offered at $9 and immediately climbed, reflecting investor confidence in the company's business model. This IPO marked a strategic turning point for Square, enabling it to finance its expansion into new financial services: small business loans (Square Capital), payroll management (Square Payroll), and customer loyalty programs. In 2018, Square took a major step by integrating Bitcoin into its Cash App, allowing users to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies. This initiative positioned Square as a visionary player in financial technology (fintech). Cash App quickly became one of Square's most popular products, with tens of millions of monthly active users in the United States. On December 10, 2021, Square, Inc. officially changed its name to Block, Inc. This change reflected the company's expanded ambitions, which no longer limited itself to card payments but now encompassed blockchain, cryptocurrencies, music streaming (via the acquisition of Tidal) and other decentralized technologies. However, the Square brand was retained for all products and services dedicated to merchants and businesses. Thus, when referring to Square in 2026, we are talking about the commercial division of Block, Inc., specializing in payment solutions, point-of-sale software and financial services for businesses. Today, Square operates in several countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, France, Spain and Ireland. The official website, squareup.com, is the main entry point for discovering all products and services, signing up, ordering hardware and managing your business. For any questions or support needs, contact is primarily made through the Square app, which integrates a real-time messaging and