Salesforce vs Square: Side-by-Side Feature & Pricing Comparison
Thinking of switching from Salesforce to Square (or vice versa)? This comparison covers features, costs, and migration considerations to help mid-market Australian businesses make an informed decision.
Feature Comparison
Side-by-side feature ratings for Salesforce and Square.
| Feature | Salesforce | Square | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact management | For Professional Services that rely on strong contact management, Salesforce is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Pipeline management | When it comes to pipeline management, Salesforce pulls clearly ahead of Square — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team. | ||
| Email automation | For Professional Services that rely on strong email automation, Salesforce is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Reporting and analytics | For Professional Services that rely on strong reporting and analytics, Square is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Integration ecosystem | For integration ecosystem, both platforms deliver a similar experience — neither has a clear advantage. | ||
| Mobile app | When it comes to mobile app, Salesforce pulls clearly ahead of Square — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team. | ||
| Transaction fees | When it comes to transaction fees, Salesforce pulls clearly ahead of Square — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team. | ||
| Payment methods supported | Both Salesforce and Square offer comparable payment methods supported capabilities. | ||
| Recurring billing | For recurring billing, both platforms deliver a similar experience — neither has a clear advantage. | ||
| International payments | For Professional Services that rely on strong international payments, Salesforce is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Fraud protection | When it comes to fraud protection, Square pulls clearly ahead of Salesforce — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team. | ||
| Developer tools and API | Both Salesforce and Square offer comparable developer tools and api capabilities. |
Contact management
Salesforce
Square
For Professional Services that rely on strong contact management, Salesforce is the more capable option in our assessment.
Pipeline management
Salesforce
Square
When it comes to pipeline management, Salesforce pulls clearly ahead of Square — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team.
Email automation
Salesforce
Square
For Professional Services that rely on strong email automation, Salesforce is the more capable option in our assessment.
Reporting and analytics
Salesforce
Square
For Professional Services that rely on strong reporting and analytics, Square is the more capable option in our assessment.
Integration ecosystem
Salesforce
Square
For integration ecosystem, both platforms deliver a similar experience — neither has a clear advantage.
Mobile app
Salesforce
Square
When it comes to mobile app, Salesforce pulls clearly ahead of Square — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team.
Transaction fees
Salesforce
Square
When it comes to transaction fees, Salesforce pulls clearly ahead of Square — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team.
Payment methods supported
Salesforce
Square
Both Salesforce and Square offer comparable payment methods supported capabilities.
Recurring billing
Salesforce
Square
For recurring billing, both platforms deliver a similar experience — neither has a clear advantage.
International payments
Salesforce
Square
For Professional Services that rely on strong international payments, Salesforce is the more capable option in our assessment.
Fraud protection
Salesforce
Square
When it comes to fraud protection, Square pulls clearly ahead of Salesforce — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team.
Developer tools and API
Salesforce
Square
Both Salesforce and Square offer comparable developer tools and api capabilities.
Pricing Comparison
General pricing information for each platform.
Salesforce
From ~$35/user/month
Pricing is indicative only and subject to change. We recommend contacting the vendor for a tailored quote based on your Australian business needs.
Square
Transaction-based; ~2.6% + 10c per transaction
These figures are estimates based on publicly available pricing. Actual costs depend on your usage, team size, and any negotiated rates.
Pros & Cons
An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.
Salesforce
Pros
- Well-established platform with strong market presence
- Centralised customer data for better sales outcomes
- Regular platform updates and improvements
- Solid feature set for its price point
- Rich data model covering leads, contacts, accounts and more
Cons
- Complex data model may require expert configuration
- Can require significant setup and customisation
- Data migration from other CRMs can be tricky
- Onboarding documentation could be more comprehensive
Square
Pros
- Regular platform updates and improvements
- Extensive integration ecosystem with 30+ connectors
- Popular across Retail & E-commerce, Hospitality & Tourism, Healthcare & Allied Health
- Cloud-based with reliable uptime
- Rich data model covering payments, orders, customers and more
Cons
- Transaction fees vary by volume
- Onboarding documentation could be more comprehensive
- Support response times vary by plan tier
- Complex data model may require expert configuration
Best For
Which tool suits which use case.
Choose Salesforce if you need
- ✓ Marketing automation
- ✓ Complex data models (leads, contacts, accounts and more)
- ✓ Professional Services businesses
- ✓ Contact management
- ✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
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
Salesforce has a significantly broader integration ecosystem than Square, which can be a decisive factor if you rely on connecting multiple tools. That said, Square may still be the better choice if its core features align more closely with your needs. Clever Ops evaluates the full picture — not just integration counts — when advising mid-market Australian businesses.
Migration Notes
What to know about switching between Salesforce and Square.
Migrating Between Salesforce and Square
Clever Ops takes a low-risk approach to migrating between Salesforce 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.
Salesforce vs Square FAQ
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