# Bolt, Venmo vs Square Payments Comparison

| | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.6 out of 5 | 4.6 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 47 | 269 | 176 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (80.0% of reviews) | Small-Business (71.5% of reviews) | Small-Business (89.7% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | No pricing available | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Bolt

Pros:
- Affordable (1 reviews)
- Analytics (1 reviews)


### Venmo

Pros:
- Ease of Use (10 reviews)
- Easy Payments (7 reviews)

Cons:
- Accuracy Issues (3 reviews)
- High Fees (3 reviews)

### Square Payments

Pros:
- Ease of Use (7 reviews)
- Easy Payments (6 reviews)

Cons:
- High Fees (5 reviews)
- Limited Features (3 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.2 (32 reviews) | 9.1 (226 reviews) | 9.3 (130 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 9.5 (35 reviews) | 9.3 (226 reviews) | 9.5 (131 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.3 (27 reviews) | 9.0 (75 reviews) | 9.1 (56 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 9.3 (24 reviews) | 8.1 (24 reviews) | 9.2 (42 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 9.3 (34 reviews) | 8.7 (170 reviews) | 8.5 (103 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.4 (24 reviews) | 8.0 (23 reviews) | 8.9 (42 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.3 (35 reviews) | 8.2 (219 reviews) | 8.2 (125 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Bolt

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

### Venmo

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

### Square Payments

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Payment Gateways

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Bolt** | 9.2/10 | 21 |
| **Venmo** | N/A | N/A |
| **Square Payments** | 8.9/10 | 49 |

#### Payment Options

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Coupons, Discounts, Promotions, and Gift Cards** | 8.4 (15 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.6 (14 reviews) | 
| **Recurring Billing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.3 (10 reviews) | 
| **Instant Payment** | 9.3 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.4 (14 reviews) | 
| **Accepted Credit Cards and Debit Cards** | 9.7 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.9 (15 reviews) | 
| **ACH Payments and eCheck Processing** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 9.0 (10 reviews) | 
| **Split Payments** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 9.5 (11 reviews) | 
| **Real-Time Payments** | 9.3 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.7 (13 reviews) | 
| **Multi-Currency** | Not enough data | 8.1 (52 reviews) | 7.6 (26 reviews) | 
| **Online payment portal** | Feature Not Available | 8.9 (59 reviews) | 9.1 (37 reviews) | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Reporting/Dashboards** | 8.8 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (14 reviews) | 
| **User, Role, and Access Management** | 9.1 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.6 (15 reviews) | 
| **Payout Time** | 8.9 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.1 (15 reviews) | 
| **Manual Payment Entry** | 9.0 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.6 (14 reviews) | 
| **Dispute Resolution** | 8.8 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 7.6 (12 reviews) | 
| **Omnichannel** | Not enough data | 8.2 (52 reviews) | 8.6 (30 reviews) | 
| **Levels 1 & 2** | Not enough data | 7.9 (53 reviews) | 8.3 (28 reviews) | 
| **Level 3** | Not enough data | 7.9 (51 reviews) | 8.0 (22 reviews) | 

#### Security

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **PCI Compliance** | 9.6 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.1 (9 reviews) | 
| **Fraud Protection Tools** | 9.5 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.7 (11 reviews) | 
| **Data Tokenization** | 9.5 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.4 (9 reviews) | 
| **Two-Factor Authentication** | 9.3 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.6 (12 reviews) | 
| **POS Verification** | Feature Not Available | 8.5 (52 reviews) | 8.8 (33 reviews) | 

#### Development

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Customization (Fields, Objects, and Layouts)** | 8.6 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.3 (11 reviews) | 
| **APIs** | 9.2 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.4 (9 reviews) | 
| **Accounting Software Integration** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 7.8 (10 reviews) | 
| **E-Commerce Software Integration** | 9.3 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.0 (11 reviews) | 

#### Platform

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Performance and Reliability** | 9.9 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.4 (12 reviews) | 
| **Internationalization - Currency/Language** | 8.3 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.0 (10 reviews) | 
| **Internationalization - Operating Country** | 9.2 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.5 (8 reviews) | 
| **API / Integrations** | 9.4 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | 7.9 (8 reviews) | 
| **PCI Regulation Compliance** | 9.6 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (6 reviews) | 
| **Supplemental Technology** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 9.3 (7 reviews) | 
| **Accounting integration** | Feature Not Available | 8.3 (53 reviews) | 8.3 (30 reviews) | 
| **E-commerce Integration** | 9.2 (8 reviews) | 8.2 (53 reviews) | 8.6 (30 reviews) | 

#### Agentic AI - Payment Gateways

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Decision Making** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Fraud Detection

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Bolt** | 9.0/10 | 18 |
| **Venmo** | N/A | N/A |
| **Square Payments** | N/A | N/A |

#### Detection

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Payment Verification** | 9.1 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Bot Mitigation** | 9.4 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Real-Time Monitoring** | 9.0 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Alerts** | 8.9 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Analysis 

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **ID Analytics** | 8.5 (9 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Intelligence Reporting** | 8.7 (9 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Incident Reports** | 8.8 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Fraud Markers** | 9.0 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Transaction Scoring** | 9.0 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Blacklisting** | 9.2 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Fraud Detection

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Decision Making** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Payment Processing

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Bolt** | N/A | N/A |
| **Venmo** | 8.4/10 | 94 |
| **Square Payments** | 8.5/10 | 69 |

#### Payment Processing

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Encryption** | Not enough data | 9.0 (64 reviews) | 9.0 (50 reviews) | 
| **Credit Card Processing** | Not enough data | 8.7 (69 reviews) | 9.4 (59 reviews) | 
| **Mobile Payments** | Not enough data | 9.3 (86 reviews) | 9.4 (52 reviews) | 
| **Digital Wallet Integration** | Not enough data | 8.7 (65 reviews) | 8.8 (40 reviews) | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Reporting & Analytics** | Not enough data | 8.3 (60 reviews) | 8.8 (51 reviews) | 
| **E-commerce Integration** | Not enough data | 8.6 (58 reviews) | 8.4 (38 reviews) | 
| **Processing Fees** | Not enough data | 7.5 (63 reviews) | 7.1 (58 reviews) | 
| **POS Integration** | Not enough data | 8.6 (56 reviews) | 8.9 (45 reviews) | 
| **Omnichannel** | Not enough data | 8.2 (52 reviews) | 8.6 (30 reviews) | 
| **Levels 1 & 2** | Not enough data | 7.9 (53 reviews) | 8.3 (28 reviews) | 
| **Level 3** | Not enough data | 7.9 (51 reviews) | 8.0 (22 reviews) | 

#### Payment Options

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Multi-Currency** | Not enough data | 8.1 (52 reviews) | 7.6 (26 reviews) | 
| **Online payment portal** | Feature Not Available | 8.9 (59 reviews) | 9.1 (37 reviews) | 

#### Security

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **POS Verification** | Feature Not Available | 8.5 (52 reviews) | 8.8 (33 reviews) | 

#### Platform

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Accounting integration** | Feature Not Available | 8.3 (53 reviews) | 8.3 (30 reviews) | 
| **E-commerce Integration** | 9.2 (8 reviews) | 8.2 (53 reviews) | 8.6 (30 reviews) | 

### Contractor Payments

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Bolt** | N/A | N/A |
| **Venmo** | N/A | N/A |
| **Square Payments** | 9.5/10 | 5 |

#### Platform Basics

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Performance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 10.0 (5 reviews) | 
| **Portal** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.7 (5 reviews) | 

#### Platform Administration

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Integrations** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.7 (5 reviews) | 
| **Compliance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.7 (5 reviews) | 
| **Reporting** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.7 (5 reviews) | 

#### Platform Payment Content

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Document management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.3 (5 reviews) | 
| **Invoicing Tool** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 10.0 (5 reviews) | 
| **Wage access** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.7 (5 reviews) | 

### E-commerce Fraud Protection

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Bolt** | 9.5/10 | 18 |
| **Venmo** | N/A | N/A |
| **Square Payments** | N/A | N/A |

#### Intelligence

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Transaction Scoring** | 9.4 (14 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Risk Assessment** | 9.5 (16 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Intelligence Reporting** | 9.4 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **ID Analytics** | 9.4 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Detection

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Fraud Detection** | 9.6 (15 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Alerts** | 9.3 (14 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Real-Time Monitoring** | 9.5 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Response

| Feature | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Device Tracking** | 9.4 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Fraud Markers** | 9.5 (13 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Blacklisting** | 9.7 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Bot Mitigation** | 9.7 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories

**Unique to Bolt (3):** [E-commerce Fraud Protection Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/e-commerce-fraud-protection), [Payment Gateways](https://www.g2.com/categories/payment-gateways), [Fraud Detection Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/fraud-detection)

**Unique to Venmo (1):** [Payment Processing Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/payment-processing)

**Unique to Square Payments (3):** [ Contractor Payment Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/contractor-payments), [Payment Processing Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/payment-processing), [Payment Gateways](https://www.g2.com/categories/payment-gateways)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Bolt | Venmo | Square Payments | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 80.0% | 71.5% | 89.7% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 20.0% | 17.3% | 9.1% | 
| **Enterprise** | 0% | 11.2% | 1.2% | 

### By Industry

#### Bolt

- **Retail:** 22.2%
- **Automotive:** 8.9%
- **Wholesale:** 6.7%
- **Building Materials:** 6.7%
- **Consumer Goods:** 6.7%
- **Apparel & Fashion:** 4.4%
- **Cosmetics:** 4.4%
- **Furniture:** 4.4%
- **Internet:** 4.4%
- **Sporting Goods:** 4.4%
- **Other:** 26.7%

#### Venmo

- **Marketing and Advertising:** 8.2%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 5.1%
- **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 3.5%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 3.5%
- **Higher Education:** 3.5%
- **Retail:** 3.5%
- **Entertainment:** 3.5%
- **Real Estate:** 3.5%
- **Computer Software:** 3.1%
- **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 3.1%
- **Other:** 59.5%

#### Square Payments

- **Food & Beverages:** 10.4%
- **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 6.7%
- **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 6.7%
- **Retail:** 6.7%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 4.3%
- **Apparel & Fashion:** 3.7%
- **Construction:** 3.7%
- **Design:** 3.7%
- **Marketing and Advertising:** 3.1%
- **Arts and Crafts:** 3.1%
- **Other:** 47.9%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Bolt

- [Signifyd](https://www.g2.com/products/signifyd/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (352 reviews)
- [PayPal Payments](https://www.g2.com/products/paypal/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (2741 reviews)
- [Stripe Connect](https://www.g2.com/products/stripe-connect/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (249 reviews)
- [Sift](https://www.g2.com/products/sift-s-ai-powered-fraud-decisioning-platform-sift/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (607 reviews)
- [SEON](https://www.g2.com/products/seon/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (381 reviews)
- [Riskified](https://www.g2.com/products/riskified/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (226 reviews)
- [Payoneer](https://www.g2.com/products/payoneer/reviews) — 3.2/5 stars (367 reviews)
- [GoCardless](https://www.g2.com/products/gocardless/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (321 reviews)
- [Fingerprint](https://www.g2.com/products/fingerprintjs-fingerprint/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (385 reviews)
- [Paytm Business](https://www.g2.com/products/paytm-business/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (282 reviews)

### Alternatives to Venmo

- [Amazon Pay for Business](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-pay-for-business/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (583 reviews)
- [Stripe Payments](https://www.g2.com/products/stripe-stripe-payments/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (449 reviews)
- [GoCardless](https://www.g2.com/products/gocardless/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (321 reviews)
- [FreshBooks](https://www.g2.com/products/freshbooks/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (973 reviews)
- [Payoneer](https://www.g2.com/products/payoneer/reviews) — 3.2/5 stars (367 reviews)
- [Birdeye](https://www.g2.com/products/birdeye/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (4059 reviews)
- [Thryv](https://www.g2.com/products/thryv/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (1995 reviews)
- [BILL AP/AR](https://www.g2.com/products/bill-ap-ar/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (1804 reviews)
- [QuickBooks Payments](https://www.g2.com/products/quickbooks-payments/reviews) — 3.9/5 stars (44 reviews)
- [Shopify POS](https://www.g2.com/products/shopify-shopify-pos/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (367 reviews)

### Alternatives to Square Payments

- [PayPal Payments](https://www.g2.com/products/paypal/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (2741 reviews)
- [GoCardless](https://www.g2.com/products/gocardless/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (321 reviews)
- [Adyen Payments](https://www.g2.com/products/adyen-payments/reviews) — 3.8/5 stars (36 reviews)
- [GoDaddy Payments](https://www.g2.com/products/godaddy-payments/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (25 reviews)
- [Shift Payment](https://www.g2.com/products/shift-4/reviews) — 3.2/5 stars (23 reviews)
- [Heartland Payments+](https://www.g2.com/products/heartland-payments/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (13 reviews)
- [Amazon Pay for Business](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-pay-for-business/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (583 reviews)
- [Stripe Payments](https://www.g2.com/products/stripe-stripe-payments/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (449 reviews)
- [CardConnect](https://www.g2.com/products/cardconnect/reviews) — 2.4/5 stars (22 reviews)
- [Stripe Connect](https://www.g2.com/products/stripe-connect/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (249 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Bolt

- Title: [How do you handle chargebacks? Is there a fee?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-do-you-handle-chargebacks-is-there-a-fee) — 1 comment, 1 upvote *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Bolt will fully cover 100% of fraud-related chargeback costs chargebacks. Fraud-related chargebacks are chargebacks where the card owner claims they never..."
- Title: [How does Bolt handle security?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-does-bolt-handle-security) — 1 comment, 1 upvote *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Bolt’s checkout is fully PCI-DSS compliant, meaning all payment information and cardholder data processed through our platform is encrypted and meets proper..."
- Title: [Does Bolt support card swiping and physical POS solutions?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/does-bolt-support-card-swiping-and-physical-pos-solutions) — 1 comment, 1 upvote *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Bolt's Dashboard has a Virtual Terminal where a retailer can type in cards for in-person, mail, or telephone orders. However, we do not have support for POS..."

### Venmo

- Title: [What is Venmo for Business used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-venmo-for-business-used-for) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Receiving venmo payments for your business "
- Title: [What happens if you use venmo for business?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-happens-if-you-use-venmo-for-business) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Easy payment solution for its members and business payment fees are the cheapest. Something like 1.5% transaction fee. PayPal is the worst, almost 4%. "
- Title: [Can you use venmo for business?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/can-you-use-venmo-for-business) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Yes you can use Venmo for business, however I personally wouldn’t recommend setting up a business account with them unless you are a physical retailer, it’s..."

### Square Payments

- Title: [Is Square software free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-square-software-free) — 2 comments
  > **Top comment:** "Square is free but you do pay a percentage on every credit card transaction you make."
- Title: [How do I get notifications from the app?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-do-i-get-notifications-from-the-app) — 2 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "Hello "
- Title: [Can i use Sqare internationally?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/can-i-use-sqare-internationally) — 2 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "You can only use square internationally with cash payments, not card or tap-to-pay phone payments!"
- Title: [What is Square payment method?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-square-payment-method) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Square Payments Method is a payments system that targets smaller businesses and allows them to accept credit card payments and use tablet computers as..."
- Title: [What is the best way to use the Square Payments app?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-best-way-to-use-the-square-payments-app) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "The best way to use The square Reader, in my opinion, could be more than one way. 

Firstly,  you do not need the reader.  The fee per swipe is higher..."

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/bolt-bolt-vs-paypal-venmo-vs-square-payments)