At the same weight a princess covers about 4% more of the finger. Same carat, same price bracket, visibly different stone.
The reason is proportion, not quality. A princess runs about 1.00:1 long to wide; a cushion about 1.05:1. Weight spent on length is weight you can see. Weight spent on depth sits below the setting, where it does nothing for appearance.
| Carat | Princess (mm) | Princess area | Cushion (mm) | Cushion area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 ct | 3.46 × 3.46 | 11.9 | 3.68 × 3.50 | 11.5 |
| 0.5 ct | 4.35 × 4.35 | 19.0 | 4.63 × 4.41 | 18.3 |
| 0.75 ct | 4.98 × 4.98 | 24.8 | 5.30 × 5.05 | 24.0 |
| 1 ct | 5.49 × 5.49 | 30.1 | 5.84 × 5.56 | 29.0 |
| 1.25 ct | 5.91 × 5.91 | 34.9 | 6.29 × 5.99 | 33.7 |
| 1.5 ct | 6.28 × 6.28 | 39.4 | 6.68 × 6.36 | 38.0 |
| 2 ct | 6.91 × 6.91 | 47.8 | 7.35 × 7.00 | 46.1 |
| 2.5 ct | 7.44 × 7.44 | 55.4 | 7.92 × 7.55 | 53.5 |
| 3 ct | 7.91 × 7.91 | 62.6 | 8.42 × 8.02 | 60.4 |
An elongated shape also reads longer on the finger, which is a separate question from area. Whether that suits a particular hand is not something a table can settle — which is exactly why it is worth putting the two on your own photograph, at the same scale, and looking.