Square Online charges processing fees on every order and puts their branding on your site. Spatula is flat-rate, fully white-label, and built for restaurants, not retail.
| Free plan | $0/mo + 3.3% + 30c/order |
| Plus plan | $49/mo + 2.9% + 30c/order |
| Premium plan | $149/mo + 2.9% + 30c/order |
| Hardware (optional) | $149-$799 per device |
| Feature | Spatula | Square Online |
|---|---|---|
| Zero per-transaction fees | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom domain (order.yourrestaurant.com) | ✓ | ✗ |
| True white-label (no platform branding) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Full customer data ownership | ✓ | Partial |
| Built-in merchant app (PWA) | ✓ | Square POS app |
| Group ordering | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scheduled orders with smart prep time | ✓ | ✗ |
| Postcode-based delivery zones | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal receipt printing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Half-and-half pizza builder | ✓ | ✗ |
| Meal deal / combo builder | ✓ | ✗ |
| Built-in loyalty program with tiers | ✓ | Paid add-on |
| Real-time order tracking + chat | ✓ | Tracking only |
| Menu import from competitors | ✓ | ✗ |
| Customer allergen profiles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Honest deal detection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Daily specials system | ✓ | ✗ |
| Australian GST handling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Purpose-built for restaurants | ✓ | Partial |
| QR code dine-in ordering | ✓ | Plus plan only |
Square charges 2.9-3.3% plus 30c on every online order. On $15k/mo in online revenue, that's $435-$495/mo in processing fees alone, on top of the monthly subscription.
Orders go through Square's domain with their branding on the page and receipts. Your restaurant looks like it's running on Square, not like an independent brand.
Square is notorious for freezing funds and holding deposits with little notice or explanation. For restaurants operating on tight cash flow, this can be devastating.
Square Online is a generic e-commerce platform with restaurant features bolted on. Complex menus, modifiers, and kitchen routing don't work as smoothly as a purpose-built system.