Take Payments on Square Hardware

Use Square's in-person payment solutions to process payments and build integrations with the seller's POS application. Depending on the seller's use case, you can integrate your in-person payment solutions with Square Terminal, Square Reader, or Square Stand. Along with Square hardware, use the Terminal API, Mobile Payments SDK, or Point of Sale API to enable your POS application to process and manage payments and perform other buyer-facing actions.

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Prepare to build an integration

Before developing your integration, review Square's in-person payment solutions, hardware offerings, and API and SDK integrations.

HardwareIntegration description

An image of a Square Terminal T2 showing a charge of $65.00 USD on the screen.
Take payments with the Terminal API and Square Terminal
The Terminal API lets your POS application collect payments using Square Terminal. Because the Terminal API is a cloud-based API, you can access it from any third-party POS application connected to the Internet. The Terminal API also supports device management, device customization, and buyer-facing features such as saving a card on file and signature capture.

A graphic showing both models of the Square Reader and Square Stand.
Take payments with the Mobile Payments SDK and Square Reader or Square Stand
The Mobile Payments SDK provides an embedded Square checkout flow and accepts in-person payments in a custom Android or iOS application using a Square Reader for Contactless and Chip or Square Reader for Magstripe or Square Stand. This simplifies chip and NFC payments, addresses EMV certification requirements, and makes PCI compliance easy. The SDK supports authorization, payment processing, and Reader management.

If the Mobile Payments SDK isn't available in your region, use the Point of Sale API to switch seamlessly to the Square Point of Sale application and collect payment with Square Readers. The Point of Sale API is available for native and web applications on iOS and Android.

After reviewing an in-person payment integration, compare it against each solution's key features that best suit your seller's business.

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Compare in-person payment integrations

Terminal APIMobile Payments SDK and Point of Sale API
HardwareSquare TerminalSquare Reader
Square Stand
Device supportNo device requirementsRequires Android, iOS, or a compatible mobile device. For more information, see Device compatibility.
Seller use caseCountertopMobile sellers
App integrationSeller's custom POS application with the Terminal APISeller's mobile POS application integrated with the Mobile Payments SDK or Point of Sale API.
Card payment methodTap/Dip/SwipeTap/Dip
Swipe with previous versions of Square Stand or with the audio jack/lightning port for Square Reader Magstripe (R4/R41).
Region availabilityAustralia, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Spain, UK, and USMobile Payments SDK: US only
Point of Sale API: outside of the US
Integration with other Square APIs and SDKsPayments APIMobile Payments SDK: Payments API and Orders API
Point of Sale API: No direct integration; uses transaction ID as the order ID for a tender. For more information, see Payments API Integration.
Payment type supportAfterpay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and credit cardMobile Payments SDK: Afterpay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, cash, and credit card
Point of Sale API: Afterpay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPay, and credit card
Sandbox supportUses Sandbox test device IDsMobile Payments SDK: Take test payments with mock readers in the Square Sandbox
Point of Sale API: Not supported. Testing must be done in production using the CASH tender type.

Did you know?

If sellers enable their account to accept in-person Afterpay payments, they can accept Afterpay payments using Terminal API, Mobile Payments SDK, or Point of Sale API with no additional development effort. Buyers with Afterpay accounts can pay with their Afterpay Card using the Google Pay or Apple Pay NFC payment methods on the Square Terminal, Square Reader, or Square Stand. For more information about how sellers can activate Afterpay for in-person payments, see Accept In-Person Payments with Afterpay and Square.

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Next steps

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Terminal API

  • Guide about taking payments
  • Guide about how to connect the Square Terminal to the POS application using the Terminal API
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Mobile Payments SDK

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Point of Sale API