Square Online's free plan is a genuinely commission-free direct ordering setup: no monthly fee, no setup charge, no percentage taken on direct orders, only standard payment processing. That's a real, honest offer worth comparing fairly, tier by tier, against what a restaurant actually needs as it grows.
What Square Online Actually Offers
Square Online lets a restaurant launch a branded direct ordering page at no monthly cost, with no commission on those direct orders, payment processing applies per transaction the same way it would on any card sale.
- Free plan: $0/mo, branded online ordering page, processing fees only
- Plus: $49/mo per location, added customization and features
- Premium: $149/mo per location, lowest processing rates and most features
- Pro: custom pricing based on volume and needs
What Square Online Actually Costs
Processing rates vary by tier. The Free plan's online rate runs 3.3% plus 30 cents, Plus subscribers get a discounted 2.9% plus 30 cents, and Premium carries the lowest published rates. There's no separate marketplace-style commission on top of processing on any tier, which is a genuinely different structure from a percentage-commission marketplace.
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Online Processing Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 3.3% + 30 cents |
| Plus | $49/mo per location | 2.9% + 30 cents |
| Premium | $149/mo per location | Lowest published rate |
What AUANI Offers Instead
AUANI's Free tier also costs $0 a month with no setup fee, but includes a marketplace, discovery orders from guests who don't already know the restaurant, at a 10% fee, plus pickup, dine-in, real courier delivery, loyalty, and POS sync.
The Monthly plan is $300 a month, drops the marketplace fee to 5%, and adds a fully hosted website, a 0% direct ordering widget, the full Google visibility suite, and menu analytics.
Side by Side
| Feature | Square Online | AUANI |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest monthly price | $0/mo (Free) | $0/mo (Free) |
| Commission on direct orders | None, processing only | None on Monthly's 0% widget |
| Marketplace or discovery channel | Not included | Included, 10% Free, 5% Monthly |
| Google visibility suite | Not included | Included on Monthly |
| Loyalty program | Not included on base plans | Included on every tier |
A Worked Example
A restaurant on Square Online's Free plan doing $15,000 a month in direct online orders pays roughly 3.3% plus 30 cents per order in processing, which works out to about $495 a month plus the fixed per-order charges, all of it processing, none of it a separate commission. That same restaurant, if it also wants marketplace discovery orders from guests who don't already know the restaurant, has no built-in channel for that on Square Online at all, since Square Online is a direct ordering page, not a marketplace.
On AUANI's Free tier, the same $15,000 in marketplace order volume carries a 10% fee, or $1,500, notably higher than Square's processing-only cost. But that volume is discovery volume, guests AUANI's Google visibility tools and marketplace listing brought in, not volume the restaurant already had another way to reach. A restaurant running both, its own direct orders through a 0% widget on AUANI's Monthly tier, plus new discovery orders through the marketplace at 5%, is comparing two different revenue sources rather than paying twice for the same customer.
An Honest Case for Choosing Square Online Anyway
A restaurant already running Square's POS system has a real integration advantage using Square Online alongside it, and its processing-only fee structure is genuinely simple to understand at a glance. For a restaurant that doesn't need marketplace discovery orders and already has its own way of reaching new guests, that simplicity is a legitimate reason to stay.
A restaurant with a strong existing following, an active social media presence, a loyal regular base, and little need for new-guest discovery, gets less value out of any marketplace commission structure than a newer restaurant still building its name in the area, since a marketplace's core value is the introduction to guests who wouldn't otherwise have found the restaurant at all.
Best For
Square Online suits a restaurant already on Square's POS that mainly wants a simple, direct ordering page with no commission layered on top. AUANI suits a restaurant that also wants marketplace discovery orders, loyalty, and Google visibility tools bundled into the same account rather than assembled separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Square Online really charge no commission on direct orders?
Correct, on every tier, only standard payment processing applies to direct orders, with no separate marketplace-style commission.
Does Square Online include a marketplace or discovery channel?
No, Square Online is a direct ordering page rather than a marketplace that brings new, previously unfamiliar guests to a restaurant.
Is AUANI's Free tier also commission-free on direct orders?
AUANI's 0% direct ordering widget is a Monthly tier feature; the Free tier's marketplace carries a 10% fee on discovery orders.
Does AUANI require Square's POS specifically?
No, AUANI syncs with a restaurant's existing POS rather than requiring any specific brand.
What is the cheapest way to start on AUANI?
The Free tier, at $0 a month with a 10% marketplace fee and no setup fee.
Can a restaurant use Square's POS and AUANI's marketplace at the same time?
Yes, AUANI syncs with existing POS systems rather than replacing them, so a Square POS setup can run alongside AUANI's marketplace and ordering tools.
For the full picture against every platform in this series, see the master fee comparison table. For the full picture beyond fees, see the Restaurant & Bar online ordering guide.