Hand-OffHand-Off vs. Square Online: A Square Alternative for Delivery
Choose Square if most of your sales happen in person and you want its card readers and point-of-sale hardware. Choose Hand-Off if online orders with pickup and your own local delivery drive the business: route optimization and a driver app are included, and you avoid per-order courier fees.
Disclosure: Hand-Off publishes this page and is one of the products compared. Competitor details come from each company's public pages, linked in the sources below, checked on October 20, 2026. Prices change, so confirm them before you buy.
The Short Version
Square started as a card reader and is still strongest at the counter: hardware, in-person payments, and point-of-sale software. Square Online adds an ordering site. Hand-Off starts from the other end, with online ordering, pickup, and delivery by your own drivers.
Price and Fees
| Hand-Off | Square | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Basic: $29/month, or $290/year | Free: $0/month per location |
| Paid plans | Grow $99/month, Advanced $349/month | Plus $49/month, Premium $149/month, per location |
| Online card fees | 1%, 0.5%, or 0% platform fee by plan, plus Stripe processing | 3.3% + 30¢ on Free; 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium |
| Free trial | 90 days on Basic | 30 days on Plus and Premium |
Square charges per location, so a business with several kitchens or shops pays for each one. Hand-Off plans include one, three, or unlimited stores.
Local Delivery
Square Online offers two delivery modes, and you pick one per location. In-house delivery lets your staff deliver, with zones, fees, minimums, and timing you control. On-demand delivery sends a courier from a partner such as DoorDash, at $6.99 per delivery within 5 miles plus $1 per extra mile up to 10 miles in most of the U.S. Square's setup guide doesn't describe multi-stop route optimization or a driver app for your own staff.
Hand-Off is built for in-house delivery. It includes a route optimizer, a driver app, and customer tracking links with ETAs, with no per-delivery fee from Hand-Off.
Where Square Is the Better Choice
- Most of your revenue comes from a counter, a market stall, or tables.
- You want Square hardware, payroll, or other Square tools in one account.
- You would rather hand delivery to couriers than run your own drivers.
Where Hand-Off Is the Better Choice
- You deliver with your own drivers and want optimized routes.
- You run more than one location and don't want per-location fees.
- You sell subscriptions, run members-only stores, or accept crypto or cash on delivery.
Before You Switch
You can keep Square for in-person payments and move online ordering to Hand-Off. Planning delivery days? Start with the same-day delivery guide. Selling food? See how to sell food online.
Sources
- Square — Pricing Accessed October 20, 2026
- Square Support Center — Set up delivery options for your online store Accessed October 20, 2026
- Square — On-demand delivery pricing policy Accessed October 20, 2026
- Hand-Off — Plans and pricing Accessed October 20, 2026
