Loom vs Square

Loom vs Square: Which Tool Wins for Australian Businesses in 2026?

Loom (communication) and Square (payments) serve different purposes but often sit side by side in modern tech stacks. See how they compare and whether you need one or both.

Features compared

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Clients advised

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Client retention

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Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature analysis for Loom and Square.

Messaging features

Loom

Loom provides messaging features functionality, popular with Professional Services businesses

Square

Square provides messaging features functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

On paper messaging features looks similar across Loom and Square, but the admin experience, reporting, and permission model tend to be the real differentiators.

Video and audio quality

Loom

Automatic transcription with chapters makes video content searchable and skimmable, reducing the time viewers spend finding relevant sections

Square

Square provides video and audio quality functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

Loom highlights video and audio quality as a core strength. Square offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

File sharing

Loom

Limitation: Video quality and file sizes can strain bandwidth for teams with limited internet connectivity, particularly in regional areas

Square

Square provides file sharing functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

If file sharing is a daily-use area for your team, the onboarding curve and keyboard ergonomics matter more than feature counts - trial both with a real operator, not an evaluator.

Team channels

Loom

Limitation: Video quality and file sizes can strain bandwidth for teams with limited internet connectivity, particularly in regional areas

Square

Square Dashboard provides real-time sales, inventory, and team analytics accessible from any device, giving owners visibility on the go

Square highlights team channels as a core strength. Loom offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Search and history

Loom

Automatic transcription with chapters makes video content searchable and skimmable, reducing the time viewers spend finding relevant sections

Square

Square provides search and history functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

Loom highlights search and history as a core strength. Square offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Security and compliance

Loom

Loom provides standard security controls. Contact the vendor for detailed compliance certifications

Square

Square provides standard security controls. Contact the vendor for detailed compliance certifications

Loom and Square take different philosophical approaches to security and compliance; the better fit is usually the one that matches how your team already thinks about the problem.

Transaction fees

Loom

Loom provides transaction fees functionality, popular with Professional Services businesses

Square

Flat-rate pricing with no monthly fees on the basic plan makes costs predictable and easy for small businesses to understand

Square highlights transaction fees as a core strength. Loom offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Payment methods supported

Loom

Loom offers payment methods supported capabilities. Support depth and SLA commitments vary by plan

Square

Free POS hardware and software to start means businesses can begin accepting in-person payments with zero upfront investment

Square highlights payment methods supported as a core strength. Loom offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Recurring billing

Loom

Loom provides recurring billing functionality, popular with Professional Services businesses

Square

Square provides recurring billing functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

Both Loom and Square address recurring billing. The right choice depends on whether you prioritise depth of functionality or breadth of your overall platform.

International payments

Loom

Loom provides international payments functionality, popular with Professional Services businesses

Square

Free POS hardware and software to start means businesses can begin accepting in-person payments with zero upfront investment

Square highlights international payments as a core strength. Loom offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Fraud protection

Loom

Loom provides fraud protection functionality, popular with Professional Services businesses

Square

Square provides fraud protection functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

Edge cases in fraud protection (bulk edits, exports, undo, permissions) are where Loom and Square diverge; map your five toughest scenarios and reproduce them in each trial.

Developer tools and API

Loom

Loom offers a REST API. REST API with bearer token authentication. Limited public API, primarily for Enterprise customers. Developer SDK for embedding recording and playback. Webhook support for video events. JSON responses.

Square

Built-in loyalty programme, gift cards, and marketing tools are included or low-cost add-ons that larger competitors charge significantly more for

Square highlights developer tools and api as a core strength. Loom offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Pricing Comparison

General pricing information for each platform.

Loom

Free plan: 25 videos, 5 min limit. Business from approximately $20/user/month, Enterprise custom pricing (AUD). Annual billing discounts available. Unlimited recording length and storage on paid plans.

Pricing may vary based on team size, features, and region. Contact the vendor for the latest Australian pricing.

Square

Free POS plan available. Square Reader hardware is free (first device). In-person payments: 1.6% per tap/insert. Online payments: 2.2% per transaction. Invoices: 1.6% per transaction. Square Plus for Retail from approximately $60/month (AUD).

Prices shown are approximate and may differ based on your plan, team size, and billing cycle. Verify directly with the vendor for current AUD rates.

Pros & Cons

An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.

Loom

Pros

One-click screen and camera recording eliminates the scheduling overhead of synchronous meetings for status updates, walkthroughs, and feedback
Automatic transcription with chapters makes video content searchable and skimmable, reducing the time viewers spend finding relevant sections
Viewer insights show who watched, for how long, and which sections they replayed, giving senders data on engagement
Comments and reactions on timestamped moments turn videos into async conversation threads, keeping context attached to the content
Browser extension and desktop app make recording frictionless, with instant shareable links that do not require recipients to install anything

Cons

Free plan limits recordings to 25 videos and 5 minutes each, which is too restrictive for most professional use cases
Video quality and file sizes can strain bandwidth for teams with limited internet connectivity, particularly in regional areas
No built-in editing beyond basic trimming means polished presentations still require a separate video editing tool
Viewer analytics are useful but basic compared to dedicated video hosting platforms like Wistia or Vidyard for marketing use cases

Square

Pros

Free POS hardware and software to start means businesses can begin accepting in-person payments with zero upfront investment
Unified platform covering POS, online payments, invoicing, payroll, and banking creates a genuine all-in-one commerce ecosystem
Flat-rate pricing with no monthly fees on the basic plan makes costs predictable and easy for small businesses to understand
Square Dashboard provides real-time sales, inventory, and team analytics accessible from any device, giving owners visibility on the go
Built-in loyalty programme, gift cards, and marketing tools are included or low-cost add-ons that larger competitors charge significantly more for

Cons

Transaction fees of 1.6% per tap/insert are competitive but can add up for high-volume businesses compared to negotiated merchant rates
Advanced inventory management is limited - businesses with complex stock, variants, or multi-warehouse needs will outgrow Square quickly
Account holds and fund freezes have been reported, particularly for new accounts or businesses with high transaction volumes or unusual patterns
Customisation of the POS experience and receipts is limited compared to dedicated POS systems like Lightspeed or Vend

Best For

Which tool suits which use case.

Choose Loom if you need

✓ Team collaboration
✓ Education organisations
✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
✓ Moderate data needs (videos, folders)
✓ Professional Services businesses

Choose Square if you need

✓ Recurring billing
✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
✓ Transaction management
✓ Complex data models (payments, orders, customers and more)
✓ Real-time data sync across platforms

Expert Verdict

Our Harvard-educated consultants' take on this comparison.

Clever Ops Recommendation

Loom and Square solve different problems: Loom handles communication, while Square covers payments. Most mid-market Australian businesses benefit from running both with a proper integration layer. Loom is the right pick when remote and hybrid teams that want to replace unnecessary meetings with async video updates, walkthroughs, and feedback, particularly in product, engineering, and customer success roles. Square fits when small to mid-market retail, hospitality, and service businesses that need an affordable, easy-to-use POS system with integrated online selling and payment processing. Clever Ops can design the integration architecture and implement both, typically within 4-8 weeks.

Migration Notes

What to know about switching between Loom and Square.

Migrating Between Loom and Square

Clever Ops takes a low-risk approach to migrating between Loom and Square. We run both systems in parallel during the transition, transferring your core data in stages and verifying data at each step. Your team continues working in the existing system until the new one is fully validated. The process typically takes 4-8 weeks, followed by 3 months of hands-on support.

Loom vs Square FAQ

Loom handles communication (videos, folders, workspaces), while Square covers payments (payments, orders, customers). The key is connecting them so data flows automatically between both systems. Clever Ops builds these integrations, eliminating manual data entry and reducing errors across your operations.

Square typically requires a longer onboarding period due to its 8 data object types and configuration depth. Loom is generally quicker to get started with. With Clever Ops support, full onboarding for either platform, including configuration, data import, and team training, typically takes 4-8 weeks.

Loom strengths: One-click screen and camera recording eliminates the scheduling overhead of synchronous meetings for status updates, walkthroughs, and feedback. Automatic transcription with chapters makes video content searchable and skimmable, reducing the time viewers spend finding relevant sections. Square strengths: Free POS hardware and software to start means businesses can begin accepting in-person payments with zero upfront investment. Unified platform covering POS, online payments, invoicing, payroll, and banking creates a genuine all-in-one commerce ecosystem. The features that matter most depend on your team's daily workflows and growth plans. Clever Ops can help you map your requirements to the right platform.

Yes. Loom provides a REST API and Square provides a REST + Webhook API, so automations can be built via Zapier, Make, or custom integrations. Common automated workflows include syncing shared data objects between both platforms. Clever Ops builds these automations for mid-market Australian businesses, saving teams 8+ hours/week on average.

Yes. Both platforms share several common data object types (including contacts and core records), which simplifies field mapping. Clever Ops runs a structured migration process: discovery, data mapping, test migration, verification, and cutover. Most migrations complete within 4-8 weeks, with 3 months of post-migration support included.

We audit your current workflows, team size, budget, and growth plans, then recommend the platform that fits. Our advice is vendor-neutral: we do not earn commissions from Loom, Square, or any vendor. Our Harvard-educated consultants have helped 50+ businesses make informed technology decisions over 12+. Book a free assessment to get started.

Both platforms have their own setup considerations. Loom manages 6 data object types and Square manages 8, so configuration complexity scales with your data requirements. Clever Ops provides implementation support for both, typically completing setup within 2 weeks.

Both Loom and Square provide standard security measures including encryption, access controls, and compliance certifications. Loom uses a REST API and Square uses REST + Webhook, both supporting secure data transfer. For Australian businesses handling sensitive data under the Privacy Act, data residency and local support are worth verifying with each vendor. Clever Ops, based in Gippsland, Victoria, can review each platform's security posture against your compliance requirements during a free assessment.