A detailed comparison for Canadian restaurants and retailers
Last updated: April 2026
Cadeau and Square both offer digital gift card solutions, but they serve different needs. Cadeau is a Canada-focused, POS-agnostic platform that embeds directly on any merchant website with built-in Canadian compliance, bilingual support, and full white-label branding. Square gift cards are part of the broader Square ecosystem and require Square POS. For Canadian businesses that want a standalone gift card solution without switching their POS, Cadeau is purpose-built. For businesses already invested in Square, their native gift card feature integrates seamlessly with the rest of their Square tools.
| Feature | Cadeau | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free + 3% per transaction | Per-card fees + processing fees |
| Monthly fee | None | None for basic; paid plans for advanced features |
| Transaction fee | 3% per gift card sale | 2.6% + $0.10 per tap/dip/swipe; 2.9% + $0.30 online |
| Canadian compliance (no expiry, no fees) | Yes | Merchant must configure |
| Bilingual FR/EN | Yes | No |
| Embed on any website | Yes | No |
| Apple / Google Wallet | Yes | Apple Wallet only (US) |
| POS requirement | None — POS-agnostic | Requires Square POS |
| Data residency (Canada) | Yes | US-hosted infrastructure |
| Custom branding | Full white-label (colors, fonts, logo, card designs) | Limited to Square templates |
| Analytics dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Stripe Connect payouts | Yes | Uses Square payments ecosystem |
Canadian provincial consumer protection laws require that gift cards sold in Canada cannot have expiry dates and cannot carry maintenance, dormancy, or inactivity fees. This applies across all provinces and territories.
Canadian compliance is enforced at the platform level. It is technically impossible to create a gift card with an expiry date or attach any fees through Cadeau. The compliance engine applies province-specific rules automatically, including bilingual requirements for Quebec merchants under Bill 96. All data is stored in Canadian data centres.
Square is a global platform that supports gift cards in multiple countries. Canadian merchants using Square are responsible for ensuring their gift card settings comply with provincial regulations. Square does not enforce Canadian no-expiry or no-fee rules by default, and merchants must verify their configuration is correct. Square’s infrastructure is primarily US-based.
Yes. Cadeau is POS-agnostic, meaning it works alongside any point-of-sale system, including Square. You can sell digital gift cards through Cadeau on your website while continuing to use Square for in-store transactions. The two systems operate independently.
Square can be configured to comply with Canadian gift card regulations, but the responsibility falls on the merchant to set up their gift cards correctly — ensuring no expiry dates and no fees are applied. Cadeau enforces these rules automatically at the platform level, so merchants cannot accidentally create non-compliant gift cards.
Cadeau has no monthly fee and charges 3% per gift card sale. Square has no monthly fee for basic gift cards, but charges processing fees on each transaction (2.6% + $0.10 in-person, 2.9% + $0.30 online) plus $0.25-$0.50 per physical card. For a restaurant selling primarily digital gift cards online, the total cost is comparable. The break-even depends on your average gift card value and sales volume. For low-volume digital-only sellers, Cadeau's simple flat percentage may be more predictable.
Cadeau and Square operate as separate systems, so existing Square gift cards remain active in the Square ecosystem. You can start selling new gift cards through Cadeau while continuing to honor existing Square gift cards through your Square POS. There is no automatic migration between the two platforms.