GrownBy vs. Square
Square is a great general-purpose POS. GrownBy is built for farms: CSA shares, meat by weight, free SNAP Online, and one inventory for store and stand.
Updated October 2026
The short answer: Square is an excellent general-purpose point of sale, and many farmers market vendors start there. GrownBy is built for farms. GrownBy Register shares one inventory, one customer list, and one set of reports with your online store, CSA, and wholesale sales, and GrownBy accepts SNAP both at your stand and online. If you only sell in person, Square works well. If you also sell online, run a CSA, or sell meat by weight, GrownBy keeps your whole farm business in one place.
At a glance
Feature | GrownBy | Square |
|---|---|---|
Ownership | Farmer-owned cooperative | Public company (Block, Inc.) |
Built for | Farms: a native register app designed by farmers for CSA, farm stores, markets, pickup, delivery, and wholesale | Any retail or service business |
In-person POS | GrownBy Register app on iOS and Android, $50/month ($540/year) for unlimited locations, with no co-op fee | Square Point of Sale, free plan available |
In-person card rate | 2.6% + $0.10 with Fortis ($6/month), or 2.9% + $0.15 with Stripe | 2.6% + $0.15 (Free plan) |
Online store | Included on every plan, from $0/month | Square Online, free plan available |
Online card rate | 2.75% + $0.20 with Fortis ($6/month) or 2.9% + $0.30 with Stripe, plus a 2% co-op fee customers can cover | 3.3% + $0.30 (Free plan), 2.9% + $0.30 (Plus, $49/month) |
CSA shares with deposits and installments | Yes | Not built in |
Customizable CSA boxes | Yes | No |
Sell by weight with order editing | Yes, including half and whole animals | Retail scale integrations; not built for pre-order meat shares |
SNAP Online | Yes, free | No |
SNAP/EBT in person | Yes, with GrownBy Register ($0.10 per SNAP transaction with Fortis) | EBT in beta on some Square hardware |
Pick lists, packing lists, and labels | Yes | Limited |
Hardware | Tap to pay on your phone, or card readers from the Stripe M2 to the PAX A920 for EBT, plus Star Micronics scanners, printers, and cash drawers | Large range of Square hardware |
Where GrownBy stands out
A native farm register, not a Square wrapper. Most farm platforms hand you a Square or Stripe terminal and sync the results later. GrownBy built its own register app for iOS and Android, so farm products, weights, CSA pickups, farm credit, and SNAP/EBT work the way a farm stand works.
One farm, one system. Inventory, customers, store credit, and sales records are shared across GrownBy Register, your online store, your CSA, and wholesale. Sell the last dozen eggs at market and they disappear from your online store.
Customer credit that follows the customer. A CSA member's farm credit works at your market stand and online.
CSA and pre-orders built in. Subscriptions, deposits, installments, vacation weeks, and pickup sign-in are part of GrownBy, not an add-on.
SNAP online and at your stand. GrownBy Register takes SNAP/EBT in person, and GrownBy was the first farm platform approved by the USDA for SNAP Online, which is free. SNAP Online isn't part of Square's online checkout, and Square's in-person EBT is still in beta on some hardware.
Farm reports for bookkeeping. Export every sale, online and in person, from one dashboard.
Lower in-person card rates. With Fortis, GrownBy Register card payments are 2.6% + $0.10, compared with 2.6% + $0.15 on Square's free plan.
No co-op fee on Register sales. In-person, cash, and offline payments never carry GrownBy's co-op fee.
Where Square may fit better
You only sell in person and want a free plan with lots of hardware choices.
You run a non-farm retail business alongside your farm, such as a café, with table service or staff scheduling needs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use GrownBy and Square together?
Yes, but you'll manage two inventories and two customer lists. Most farms that move their market sales to GrownBy Register do it so online and in-person sales share one system.
Is GrownBy Register free?
GrownBy Register is included in the Register + Offline plan at $50/month or $540/year, with 10% off for co-op members. There's no co-op fee on Register, cash, or offline payments.
Does Square work for a CSA?
Square can take a payment for a CSA share, but it doesn't manage seasonal shares, installments, pickup schedules, vacation weeks, or packing lists. GrownBy does.
Book a Register demo to see GrownBy at your stand.
Square pricing reflects its published US rates as of October 2026. Prices change, so check squareup.com before you decide. See something out of date? Let us know.