2026 Rate Comparison

Payment Processor Pricing Compared

Square, Toast, Clover, Stripe, Shopify Payments, and PayPal — all side by side with current 2026 rates. See exactly what you're paying and what you could save.

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Square

2.6% + 15¢

In-person

Toast

3.09% + 15¢

Starter Kit

Clover

2.3% + 10¢

In-person

Stripe

2.9% + 30¢

Online

Shopify

2.9% + 30¢

Basic plan

With LM

1.5–1.9%+

Interchange+

Square

Updated October 2025 — Square overhauled pricing, raising rates for most plan types

Plan Monthly Fee In-Person Rate Online Rate Keyed Rate
Free $0 2.6% + $0.15 3.3% + $0.30 3.5% + $0.15
Plus $49/mo 2.5% + $0.15 2.9% + $0.30 3.5% + $0.15
Premium $149/mo 2.4% + $0.15 2.9% + $0.30 3.5% + $0.15
With LM No monthly fee ~1.5–1.9% + low ¢ ~2.2–2.6% + 10¢ 2.9% + 10¢
Key facts: Square raised online rates to 3.3% + $0.30 on January 13, 2026 (Free plan). Square uses flat-rate pricing — easy to understand but expensive at higher volumes. Businesses processing $10K+/month typically save 20–35% by switching to interchange-plus pricing through LM.
T

Toast POS

Restaurant-specific POS — you cannot use your own processor. Rate increases ongoing per CEO's 2024 earnings call.

Plan Monthly Fee In-Person Rate Online Rate Contract
Starter Kit $0 3.09% + $0.15 3.50% + $0.15 2 years
Point of Sale $69/mo 2.49% + $0.15 3.50% + $0.15 2 years
Build Your Own $165+/mo Custom Custom 2–3 years
With LM + Lavu/Clover $49–$70/mo ~1.5–2.0% ~2.2–2.6% Month-to-month
Critical warning: Toast forces you to use their proprietary payment processing AND their proprietary hardware. You cannot bring your own processor. Their CEO stated on their Q1 2024 earnings call: "We are going to take pricing over time. It's going to be an ongoing cadence of small, steady changes in price." Early termination fees can reach $5,000+.
C

Clover POS

Competitive in-person rates — but 36-month contracts and proprietary hardware lock you in

Plan Monthly Fee In-Person Rate Keyed Rate Contract
Payments Only $0 2.6% + $0.10 3.5% + $0.10 None
Essentials / Register $14.95–$49.95/mo 2.3%–2.6% + $0.10 3.5% + $0.10 36 months
Restaurant (Counter/Table) $54.95–$84.95/mo 2.3% + $0.10 3.5% + $0.10 36 months
With LM (Clover reseller) $49–$85/mo ~1.5–2.0% ~2.9% Flexible
Key facts: Clover has competitive in-person rates but requires 36-month contracts. Buying through a reseller (like LM) can get you significantly better processing rates than going direct to Clover. Never lease Clover hardware — a $1,800 terminal can cost $6,000 over a 48-month lease. Always buy outright.
S

Stripe

Developer-friendly, no monthly fees — but flat-rate pricing gets expensive at scale

Payment Type Standard Rate Additional Fees With LM
Online / Card Not Present 2.9% + $0.30 +1.5% international cards ~2.2–2.6% + 10¢
In-Person (Stripe Terminal) 2.7% + $0.05 Hardware: $59–$299 ~1.5–2.0%
ACH / Bank Transfers 0.8% (min $0.30, max $5) — Flat rate options
Chargebacks $15 (NOT returned if you lose) No chargeback protection tools Chargeback monitoring included
Key facts: Stripe is excellent for developers and eCommerce but flat-rate pricing at scale is expensive. A business doing $100K/month online pays ~$2,900/month with Stripe vs. ~$2,200/month with interchange-plus pricing through LM — a $700/month difference.
SH

Shopify Payments

Convenient for Shopify stores — but using third-party processors adds 0.5%–2.0% extra per transaction

Shopify Plan Monthly Fee Online Rate (Shopify Payments) 3rd Party Gateway Extra Fee
Basic $29/mo 2.9% + $0.30 +2.0%
Shopify $79/mo 2.6% + $0.30 +1.0%
Advanced $299/mo 2.4% + $0.30 +0.5%
With LM (gateway swap) Keep your Shopify plan ~2.0–2.5% + 10¢ No extra fee from LM
Key facts: If you use Shopify with a third-party payment processor (like PayPal or Stripe) on the Basic plan, you pay their rate PLUS Shopify's 2.0% surcharge — totaling 4.9%+ per transaction. LM integrates a dedicated merchant account directly into Shopify, often eliminating the surcharge entirely on Advanced plans and significantly reducing rates on all plans.

How Much Could You Save?

Estimated monthly savings by switching from each processor to Lucrative Merchants — based on $50,000/month in processing volume.

Current Processor Est. Monthly Fees With LM Monthly Savings Annual Savings
Square Free (in-person) $1,375 $850 $525 $6,300
Square Free (online) $1,680 $1,100 $580 $6,960
Toast Starter Kit $1,570 $850 $720 $8,640
Toast Point of Sale $1,314 $850 $464 $5,568
Clover (in-person) $1,160 $850 $310 $3,720
Stripe (online) $1,480 $1,100 $380 $4,560
Shopify Basic (online) $1,480 $1,050 $430 $5,160

*Estimates based on published 2026 rates and typical interchange-plus pricing. Actual savings vary by business type, card mix, and volume. Request a free personalized rate analysis for exact numbers.

Why Interchange-Plus Beats Flat Rate Every Time

Square, Stripe, and Shopify use flat-rate pricing because it's simple. But simple isn't cheap — especially once your business is established.

Flat Rate (Square, Stripe, Toast)

✗ You pay the same rate regardless of card type
✗ Processor keeps the difference between your rate and actual interchange
✗ Simple to understand but not transparent
✗ Gets more expensive as your volume grows
✗ No way to optimize — you're locked into one rate
✗ Rate increases happen at the processor's discretion

Interchange-Plus (Lucrative Merchants)

✓ You pay exactly what Visa/Mastercard charge, plus a transparent markup
✓ Debit cards (lower interchange) cost you less automatically
✓ Fully transparent — you see every line on your statement
✓ Savings grow as your volume grows
✓ Rates can be optimized over time with card mix analysis
✓ Kingsley and the LM team negotiate on your behalf

Ready to See Your Exact Savings?

Send us 3 months of processing statements. We'll do a free line-by-line rate analysis and show you exactly what you're paying vs. what LM can offer — in real dollars.

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