Chefzi vs Square Online: which suits a UK takeaway?

Everything about Square on this page comes from Square's own UK pages, checked on 21 October 2026 and linked in the sources table. Square can change its prices and features at any time. Chefzi isn't affiliated with Square.

At a glance

Price: the worked example

Plan fees aren't the whole cost. Card fees count too. Here's an example with 400 online card orders a month at £20 each (£8,000 a month). These are illustrative numbers worked out from published rates, not customer data.

On card orders alone, the totals are close, and premium cards push Stripe's cost up. Your card mix will sit somewhere between the two Chefzi rows. Three things move the answer more than the plan price:

1. Cash orders. Chefzi takes cash on collection and cash on delivery. Cash orders have no processing fee, and the £19 plan has no card form at all. If a large share of your orders are cash, the total drops.
2. What you need from the plan. If you want your own domain, QR ordering or preorders on Square Online, the like-for-like comparison is Plus or Premium, not Free.
3. What you're replacing. Against a delivery app taking commission of on average up to 25% per order, either option costs far less on direct orders. You can change that starting figure in the commission calculator.

Change the order count and value to your own. On Square, Premium costs £44 a month more than Plus and saves 10p per UK card order, so it only pays for itself above about 440 card orders a month.

Where Square Online is the stronger fit

• You already run a Square till. Square says online and in-person orders, items and stock sync between Square Online and Square POS, and orders can show on the POS, a Square kitchen display or a kitchen printer. Chefzi doesn't sell or integrate with a till.
• You sell retail as well as meals. Square Online is a general online store builder, with gifting, subscriptions and item badges on paid plans. It suits a café that also ships coffee beans.
• You want a courier on demand. Square says UK businesses can dispatch a courier with Stuart. Chefzi has no courier integration, so you deliver with your own drivers.
• You want Clearpay or Square Pay at checkout. Square lists both, alongside the main phone wallets.

Where Chefzi is the stronger fit

• You want your own domain without an annual plan. On Chefzi you connect your own custom domain in the portal, on a month-to-month plan. Square requires an annual paid plan for it.
• You take cash. Cash on collection and cash on delivery are built in.
• You don't want new equipment. Orders ring in the Chefzi app on a phone or tablet you already own. It keeps ringing until someone accepts or rejects. If the device drops offline, Chefzi sends an SMS and then calls.
• You want restaurant tools in one plan. QR table ordering, table reservations, delivery zones with their own fees and minimums, and SMS marketing are all included.
• You want help with marketing. Chefzi offers optional managed services: help to rank higher on Google in your local area, social post design and paid ads. It also helps move Just Eat and Uber Eats regulars onto your own site.
• You're leaving GloriaFood. Chefzi moves the menu for you. See the GloriaFood alternative page.

Chefzi doesn't sell a till, kiosks, a customer app, loyalty, courier integrations or a marketplace listing. See card payments for how Stripe connects.

Questions to ask before you choose

1. What share of your orders are cash, and what share are card?
2. Do you need your counter till and your online menu to share stock?
3. Do you want your own domain from day one?
4. Who delivers, and how far?
5. Are table bookings part of the business?

For a wider view, see online ordering systems compared, free online ordering systems, Chefzi vs Flipdish and Chefzi vs Storekit.

How we keep this page accurate

We re-check Square's UK pricing and plans pages at least every quarter. If you spot a difference, email chefziofficial@gmail.com and we'll correct this page within 48 hours. One inconsistency on Square's own site: its plans page values the first-year domain credit at £19.95, while its online-ordering page says £17.95. We quote both rather than pick one.

Square and Square Online are trademarks of their owner. Chefzi isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Square.

Keep the next order

Early Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deal: new sign-ups get 3 months free, with no setup fee. The deal ends at 23:59 on 1 December 2026.

After the free period, Chefzi is £19 a month for cash or no-card ordering, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe, per location, excluding VAT. Standard Stripe fees apply. There's no setup fee and no commission. See Chefzi pricing.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Square Online free for restaurants?

Square Online has a £0 a month plan. You pay Square's processing fee on each online card sale: 1.4% + 25p for UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for non-UK cards, as published on 21 October 2026. A custom domain, QR code ordering, preorders and removing Square branding need a paid plan.

How much are Square Online's paid plans?

On 21 October 2026, Square's plans page listed Plus at £20 a month and Premium at £64 a month, both billed annually. Premium has a lower online card fee of 1.4% + 15p for UK cards. Square says the price is different if you pay monthly.

Does Chefzi charge a card fee?

Chefzi doesn't add one. On the £29 a month plan, card payments go through your own Stripe account and Stripe's standard fees apply, published at 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and 2.8% + 20p for premium UK cards. The £19 plan is for cash or no-card ordering, with no card fees.

Which is better if I already use a Square till?

If your counter runs on Square POS, Square Online syncs items, orders and stock with it, which Chefzi doesn't do. Chefzi doesn't sell a till. If you don't use Square in the shop, compare the online ordering features and the total monthly cost on your own order numbers.

Can I use my own domain on either?

On Square Online, connecting a custom domain needs an annual paid plan; Square says it isn't available on the free plan. On Chefzi, you connect your own domain, such as yourrestaurant.co.uk, in the portal.

Sources