Why does Dojo require a contract but Square doesn't?

Dojo is built more like a traditional merchant services provider, bundling hardware, support and package pricing into a 12-month agreement (for sub-£1m turnover businesses, per third-party sources). Square operates more like a pay-as-you-go app, with no long-term commitment required.

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Rates checked 30 July 2026

Dojo vs Square: which should you choose?

Q: Is Dojo or Square cheaper?

It's hard to say definitively — Square publishes a fixed 1.75% in-person rate with no contract, while Dojo bundles pricing into packages (e.g. a monthly plan covering a turnover allowance, plus a rate on the excess) that aren't fully published. Get a direct quote from Dojo and compare it against Square's flat 1.75% for your actual volume.

This comparison is fundamentally about transparency vs potential savings. Square publishes one flat rate with no contract. Dojo bundles pricing into packages that require a direct quote — potentially competitive, but harder to compare without talking to sales.

Transparency note: Dojo's official pricing page could not be accessed directly during our research (automated access was blocked). The figures below for Dojo are drawn from independent, recently-updated comparison sources that agree with each other, but are not confirmed directly from dojo.tech — treat them as indicative and get a written quote before deciding.

Category	Dojo	Square	Winner
Pricing model	Package-based (e.g. £39.99/mo covers up to £3,999 turnover, +1% on excess)indicative, third-party sourced	Flat 1.75% in-person, published	Square for transparency
Hardware	Dojo Go £149 upfront or £15/mo	Reader £19+VAT, Terminal £149+VAT	Tie — depends on preference for rental vs purchase
Contract	~12 months (sub-£1m turnover)third-party reported	None	Square
Multi-location	+£10/mo per location, +£11.99/mo Plus add-on	Supported via Square for Retail/Restaurants software	Square generally more flexible
Payout speed	Next business day	Next business day (instant for a fee)	Tie
Support	General 8am–6pm, technical 8am–11pm dailythird-party reported	Phone Mon–Fri 9am–5pm; 24/7 self-serve	Dojo, if confirmed — longer daily hours
WMP score	★★★☆☆3.2/5	★★★★☆4.5/5	Square

Square figures checked directly against squareup.com/gb on 30 July 2026. Dojo figures are estimated from independent comparison sources since its official pricing page returned an access error during research — see methodology. We may earn a commission when you sign up through a link on this page — see our Affiliate Disclosure.

Indicative comparison

Estimated cost at £8,000/month

Square (1.75%, no rental)	£140.00/month
Dojo (package estimate: £39.99 + 1% on turnover above £3,999, + £15/mo hardware)	~£95/monthindicative only

Dojo's package structure could genuinely work out cheaper at this volume based on the figures we found — but because we couldn't verify this directly against Dojo's own site, get a written quote from Dojo and compare it against Square's published 1.75% for your actual numbers before switching.

Overall verdict

Choose Square if: you want a fixed, published rate with no contract and no sales call required. Consider Dojo if: you're comfortable getting a quote and potentially locking into a 12-month agreement in exchange for possible savings at moderate-to-high volume — verify the actual numbers directly with Dojo first.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dojo or Square cheaper?

Hard to say definitively — Square is a fixed 1.75% with no contract, while Dojo's package pricing isn't fully published. Get a direct quote from Dojo and compare it to Square's rate for your real volume.

Why does Dojo need a contract but Square doesn't?

Dojo operates more like a traditional merchant services provider, bundling hardware and support into a 12-month agreement. Square works more like a pay-as-you-go app with no long-term tie-in.

Want the simplest, most transparent option?

See our full sole trader comparison for no-contract providers.

Best for sole traders

Methodology: Square figures pulled directly from squareup.com/gb on 30 July 2026. Dojo's official pricing page (dojo.tech/pricing) returned an access error during automated research; Dojo figures here are drawn from multiple independent, recently-dated comparison sources that were cross-checked against each other for agreement, but are not confirmed directly from Dojo's own site — always verify with a direct quote. See our Editorial Policy.