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When our researchers put Square vs Shopify head to head, they found Square POS is better overall because it provides more advanced business management and development features for a better price. Shopify POS does offer some great ecommerce features, though, and its till functionality is slightly more robust than Square POS.
In this guide, we’ll go over exactly how Square POS and Shopify POS compare on everything from features and pricing to customer service and ease of use, so you can get a better idea of which is best for your business needs. If you’re in the market for a POS system today, compare custom quotes with our POS price comparison form to see how top providers compare when it comes to your bottom line.
How Do Shopify vs Square Compare at a Glance?
As we mentioned, Square POS and Shopify POS are two of the best options for improving your ecommerce sales. Large feature catalogs, excellent hardware options, and robust help and support options put them both in top three providers on the market, according to our research.
Still, there are some key differences between Square POS and Shopify POS, which could make a big difference for specific businesses. Here are how these two POS providers compare on those important criteria:
- Square POS is more affordable than Shopify POS
- Shopify POS has better ecommerce functionality than Square POS
- Square POS is better for business management and development than Shopify POS
- Shopify POS has better till functionality than Square POS
- Square POS is better suited to restaurants and brick-and-mortar stores
- Shopify POS is better suited to online stores and omnichannel retailers
Those are the key differences between Square POS and Shopify POS, but if you need a bit more information, keep scrolling for in-depth dives into pricing, features, support, and ease of use.
| Best Restaurant POS for: Tech.co's verdict to help you identify the most suitable choice for your restaurant | Price from The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Free trial | Transaction fees from The lowest possible fee that will be incurred with each transaction. | Hardware | User limit | iPad app Is there a version of the software made specifically for iPad use? | Android app Is there a version of the software made specifically for Android tablet use? | 24/7 support | Get started | ||
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| Square POS | Shopify POS | ||||||||||
| Best overall for restaurants | Best for ecommerce | ||||||||||
| Free (but transaction fees apply) | |||||||||||
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| 2.2% + 20 ¢ | ||||||||||
| Sold by Square, separately or packaged with software. First card reader free. Also works with most leading brands. | Sold by Shopify, but also works with iPads and Android tablets. | ||||||||||
| Unlimited — but each till requires a new license | Single user per license across all plans | ||||||||||
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| Visit Square | Compare Prices |
Shopify POS Overview
Yes, Shopify is better known for its incredibly robust website builder designed for those interested in launching an online store. However, given the company’s success and resources, a POS system is a natural addition to the service, which is how Shopify POS was born. It’s quite an impressive option compared to other POS systems, although it isn’t as good as Square, as we’ve mentioned.
For one, Shopify POS costs money. The cheapest plan is available with all Shopify website builder plans, so the minimum amount you’ll have to pay is $29 per month. Additionally, Shopify doesn’t have the same level of business development and management features found on Square, which is a great way to build your business. Also, Shopify has virtually no restaurant functionality, so check out these other POS for restaurants instead.
Still, Shopify is a stellar option for businesses that are more focused on ecommerce than in-store purchases. It offers excellent till functionality and stock management features, while providing the integration with the Shopify website builder, which on its one is one of the best ones the market.
Pros
- Very strong ecommerce integration
- 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and email
- Works with lots of different hardware options
Cons
- Exclusively-focused on retail and ecommerce
- Charges transaction fees unless you're using Shopify's own Payments processing system
- No offline mode
- 14-day free trial
- Plans available for $29/month
- 2.6% + 10c card transaction fees
Square POS Overview
Having revolutionized the card reader game with this simple mobile attachment in 2010, Square has evolved a lot since then, building out a POS hardware lineup that now represents a substantial percentage of the POS market share.
Square has become such a dominant force of frequent updates in the POS market that our research found it to be the top POS provider available today, thanks to its excellent business management and development features, top-tier help, and support options, and rock-bottom entry price.
It does have a few shortcomings though, particularly compared to Shopify. For one, its website builder and online store functionality does not compare to Shopify, which focuses on ecommerce more than anything. Additionally, the Square till functionality leaves a lot to be desired, scoring in last place in our research.
Still, Square is definitely considered the best POS for retail stores, small businesses, and restaurants, so be sure to consider it before moving on to any other option.
Pros
- Free to get started
- Slick and stylish hardware
- Serves businesses of all sizes and in all sectors
- Strong analytics, inventory, and third-party integrations
Cons
- Some necessary features for mid-sized businesses cost more
- 3.5% + 15¢ charge for keyed-in transactions
- Support options vary by plan
- Free to install
- No monthly fees, charges transaction fees instead
- 2.6% + 10c fees for card transactions
Best Value POS: Square
If you’re looking for a cost-effective POS system, Square is undisputedly cheaper than Shopify. Not only does Square offer a generous free plan with everything you need to get started – including a complimentary card machine – but its paid plans offer a slightly better return on investment than Shopify’s too.
Shopify does offer lower transaction fees though, and its entry price of $29 per month is well within the budgets of most small businesses. Below, we’ll break down the pricing plans for each, so you can compare them, dollar for dollar.
How much does Shopify POS cost?
Shopify POS offers two pricing options. The first is Shopify POS Lite, which is included with all Shopify website builder plans, which start at $29 per month. This plan is a bit rudimentary, with only a mobile POS, order and product management, and basic customer profiles.
Other the other hand, the Shopify POS Advanced plan, which costs $89 per month per location, is where you get the real value, adding features like inventory management, omnichannel selling features, and in-store analytics. This plan from Shopify POS more expensive option than all of Square’s plans, but really does offer a lot as far as features are concerned.
| Plan | Price | Transactional fees | Analytics | |
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| Lite | Pro | |||
| $29 per month | $79 per month | |||
| Online credit card rates: 2.2% + 30c | Online credit card rates: 2.2% + 30c | |||
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How much does Square POS cost?
Square POS has the ultimate brag when it comes to pricing: it’s completely free. That’s right, the Square POS Free plan costs zero dollars per month for the service. However, the plan does come with transaction fees of 2.6% + 10¢ for in-person and 2.9% + 30¢ for online, but you’ll be able to stay charge free until you make your first sale.
Beyond its attractive free option, Square POS offers two different plans for restaurants and retail respectively. The Square POS Plus plan for Restaurants and Retails each cost $60 per month, and it unlocks the majority of Square’s features, from advanced reporting and inventory management to exchanges and cheaper in-person transaction rates.
Square POS also offers a bespoke Custom plan that allows for custom processing rates. You’ll have to contact the Square sales department for more information on this plan.
Learn more about Square POS pricing in our dedicated guide
| Plan | Price | Transactional fees | Benefits | |
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| Free | Retail Plus | Retail Premium | Restaurant Plus | Restaurant Premium |
| $60 per month | $POA | $60 per month | $POA | |
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Best for Business Features: Square POS
When it comes to business features, Square really takes the cake against all POS providers, not just Shopify. With a perfect score across business development and management categories, Square can equip your business with all the tools you need to keep track of your business and scale it in the future.
With detailed reporting tools, inter-store transaction functionality, delivery support, and a vast array of third-party integrations, Square is simple a powerhouse of business features. The only downside is till functionality, which isn’t great with Square, but Shopify is a stellar option, so that’s one thing to consider for your business.
Best For Hardware: Square POS
If you’ve been to a restaurant, retail shop, or even farmer’s market, you’ve likely seen a piece of Square hardware in action. The sleek, stylish systems are everywhere now, providing a delightfully comprehensive experience compared to the POS options of old.
For one, the Square Card Reader makes payment extremely easy and costs virtually nothing. Yes, Shopify POS offers a mobile app that can turn any mobile device into a POS, but the ease with which Square offers its service is hard to beat.
For more robust systems, we have to give the advantage to Square as well, if only because they offer restaurant specific options that are a bit more flexible with how you use them. Still, this category is pretty close, as Shopify offers a lot of solid hardware options that can improve your business, as long as it isn’t a restaurant.
Best For Online Store: Shopify POS
While Square is better than Shopify POS at a lot of stuff, there’s no competition when it comes to an online store. Shopify is built as an ecommerce platform, offering arguably the largest catalog of online store features in the world. In fact, Shopify is so incredibly robust that our research found it to be one of the best ecommerce website builders available, so that should give you a good idea of what it offers when it comes to online stores.
Square Online is the online service for Square, and it really doesn’t match up to Shopify. It has fewer features, less integrations, and generally limited functionality compared to the mammoth that is Shopify. Simply put, if you’re in the market for a POS that works well with ecommerce, Shopify is the way to go.
Best for customer service: Tie
As two of the top POS providers on the market, Square and Shopify both offer much of the same when it comes to customer service. Both have 24/7 live support, both have a robust knowledge center for offline learning, and both of a solid community forum set up to get information from other users.
Setup is also quite easy with both POS systems. Whether it be the Square Card Reader and the Shopify mobile app or each providers’ respective hardware, Shopify POS and Square will help you with any problems that might arise from the using the system.
POS Alternatives
Square and Shopify POS are two of the best point-of-sale options out there for businesses of all sizes. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right for your company. We’ve done the research to help you find the right one. Take a look at the table below for our top picks and check out our best POS guide for small businesses for more information
| Best small business POS for Tech.co's verdict to help you identify the most suitable choice for your small business | Price from The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Hardware | iPad app Is there a version of the software made specifically for iPad use? | Android app Is there a version of the software made specifically for Android tablet use? | 24/7 support | Key benefits | Drawbacks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST OVERALL |  |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  |  |
| Square POS | Zettle POS | Vend POS | Clover POS | Epos Now | Shopify POS | Revel POS | Lightspeed | TouchBistro POS | Cake POS | |
| Best overall small businesses POS | Great value for money | Best for employee tracking | Great customer loyalty app | Best for a quick initial set up | Best for ecommerce | Best for CRM tools | Best for large businesses | Android hardware | Best for hospitality staff | Best register features |
| Free (but transaction fees apply) | Free (but transaction fees apply) | Free (but transaction fees apply) | $69 per month | |||||||
| Sold by Square, separately or packaged with software. First card reader free. Also works with most leading brands. | Retails a range of hardware solutions including card readers and cash registers. | Works with a range of of third-party periperals. | Sells everything from full cash stations to mobile card readers. | Works with a range of of third-party periperals. | Sold by Shopify, but also works with iPads and Android tablets. | Offers a preconfigured POS terminal with an iPad and tablet stand, a router, a printer, and a cash drawer. | Specialized hardware available. Not compatible with weighing scales. | Sells an impressive line of its own products. All splash-proof. | Built for iPad. Offers Kitchen Display System & Customer-Facing Display. Works with most leading brands’ for other peripherals. | Leases you a printer, terminal, card reader, and cash drawer on two or three-year contract. |
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Verdict: Square vs Shopify POS
Our research shows that Square POS is better than Shopify POS, thanks to its business management and development features as well as its low price. Shopify POS is still an excellent option, however, particularly if you’re looking to improve your ecommerce features. Overall, both Square POS and Shopify POS are excellent options for business, it just depends on what you need them for.
If these two options don’t fit your particular needs or you just want to compare them with other top providers, be sure to check out our POS comparison page to get the best price and information on other popular options.
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