Square POS vs Shopify POS 2024: The Complete Comparison

Shopify POS vs Square POS: Which option is really best for your business?

Square POS and Shopify POS are among the most popular “point of sale” solutions available today.

They’re two of the solutions I frequently recommend to a wide range of business owners, thanks to their exceptional ease of use, and their flexibility. They can both integrate your online and offline sales, order, and customer data.

Plus, both platforms will allow you to accept various forms of payments, from credit and debit card transactions, to mobile wallet payments.

So, which service is best for your business?

We dove behind the scenes of both solutions to find out.

Quick Verdict:

Shopify POS vs Square POS Comparison Table

	Shopify POS	Square POS
Features	The Shopify POS system combines all the features of the Shopify ecommerce platform with inventory, order, customer, and employee management tools, payment processing solutions, reporting and analytics, and marketing integrations.	Square POS offers comprehensive payment processing, checkout customization tools, integrated security solutions, transaction management features, customer service tools, and employee management tools. There are also integrations available, as well as a free ecommerce storefront builder.
Best for	Ecommerce vendors looking to increase their sales with online and offline transactions. If you already have a Shopify store, you can access the Lite version of the POS software for free.	Offline vendors looking for a simple and affordable point of sale solution. Square is one of the easiest platforms to use in the current market, and it’s one of the most cost-effective.
Pricing	Shopify POS can be accessed alongside all of the Shopify ecommerce plans, starting with the $5 per month Starter plan. The Pro version of the software is available through Shopify Plus, or for an extra fee of $89 per month per location.	Users can access Square’s point of sale software for free. However, there are advanced plans available for those in the restaurant and retail landscape with additional needs. You can speak to the sales team for a custom quote based on your specific requirements.
Transaction fees	Shopify’s transaction fees range from 2.4% to 2.9% plus 30 cents, depending on the ecommerce plan you choose. There are extra transaction fees to pay if you use a payment processor outside of Shopify Payments.	Square’s transaction fees start at 2.6% plus 10 cents for card-present transactions, or 2.9% plus 30 cents for card-not present transactions. Keyed-in transactions cost 3.5% plus 15 cents. Custom rates are available for high-volume sellers.
Hardware pricing	Shopify’s hardware ranges from: – $59 for a basic card reader, such as the WisePad 3 – $399 for the Shopify POS Go mobile solution. You can also create custom packages and kits with additional accessories and components by contacting the Shopify team.	Square’s hardware options start from just $10 for the basic magstripe card reader, or $29 for a comprehensive tap and chip card reader. There are also a range of advanced packages and retail kits available. Plus, Square offers a host of accessories, from barcode scanners to receipt printers.
Payment processing	Shopify Payments supports all forms of payment methods, from contactless and mobile payments, to chip and magstripe credit cards and debit cards. There are also options for custom payment options, gift cards, invoicing, and cash payment processing included.	Square supports every common form of payment method, including contactless and mobile payments, credit and debit cards from Visa, Mastercard, and other well-known brands, and gift card payments. You can also send invoices to customers and accept payments over the phone.
Customer support	Shopify has a robust self-service help center, with knowledgebase articles, guides and blogs. Chat and email support is available, as well as advanced support from Shopify Experts for an additional fee	Square offers chat, email, and phone support, as well as custom onboarding and integration assistance when necessary. The company also has a great resource center on its website with guides, blogs, and FAQs.

What is Shopify POS?

Shopify POS is the point of sale solution designed by the world-leading ecommerce brand, Shopify. It’s convenient and intuitive, combining all of the features you need to manage payments and transactions into one backend environment.

Plus, the solution integrates seamlessly with your existing Shopify store, making it easy to monitor sales and customer details across every channel in real time.

Shopify POS Pros and Cons

What is Square POS?

Let’s start with a brief introduction. Square POS and Shopify POS are both exceptional point of sale solutions, offering access to both hardware and software for multichannel selling.

Square is an industry-leading provider of point of sale technology. Its POS services are suitable for any size of business, and can even offer industry-specific features.

For instance, you can choose Square for Retail if you’re running a standard commerce store, or Square for Restaurants if you’re building a food and beverage business.

Square even comes with a host of handy free tools, such as a free POS management dashboard, and a free website builder. However, you will need to pay transaction fees.

Square POS Pros and Cons

Square POS vs Shopify POS: Software Features

When you’re comparing point of sale systems, there are two main areas you’ll need to focus on: software features, and hardware options.

The software offered by Shopify and Square ensures business owners can create omnichannel sales strategies, instantly syncing product details and data across platforms. It also ensures you can process payments in a variety of ways.

Square POS Software Features

Square POS is a robust toolkit brimming with fantastic features for business owners. The exact functionality of your software will vary depending on the version of Square POS you choose.

For instance, Square for Restaurants comes with tools for menu management and table management.

All iterations of the software can be accessed either through one of Square’s hardware tools, or via an app on your smartphone or computer.

The software includes access to inventory and order tracking functionality, instant syncing for online and in-store sales, and even customer profiles.

You can sell through social media channels with Square, and create a range of delivery and fulfillment options for customers (including click and collect or local delivery).

Plus, businesses can use Square to manage and monitor employees, create custom invoices, or take payments over the phone.

You even get in-depth analytical tools, which help you to monitor crucial metrics like total sales, average order value and more. Key features include:

• Payment processing: Square supports a host of payment options, including online payments, gift cards, debit and credit card payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and buy-now-pay-later options.
• Security: Square’s tools for protecting businesses and customers are second-to-none. The software is PCI compliant and encrypted, plus there are tools for fraud protection too.
• Checkout: Square users can customize the checkout experience with categories, item information, modifiers, and third-party tool integration.
• Transaction management: As well as monitoring all of your transactions, you can also offer custom payment options like split tenders, or provide custom receipts to customers.
• Customer service: The Square dashboard makes it easy to monitor and create customer profiles, collect feedback, make notes on orders, and more.
• Ecommerce: If you want to combine in-person selling with online sales, you can build your own online store for free, manage online orders, and sync sales.
• Customer engagement: Square offers a range of ways to engage customers and increase sales, with integrations for email marketing, and loyalty programs.
• Integrations: Speaking of integrations, you can connect Square to third-party apps like Xero, Wix, and WooCommerce. There’s also an open API available for automation.
• Employee management: With Square, you can manage your employees with insights into schedules, performance, and more. Plus you can create dedicated employee accounts.

Shopify POS Software Features

Shopify POS is designed to be as intuitive and easy to use as the Shopify ecommerce platform. The software combines all of the tools you need into a single dashboard, accessible on any desktop or mobile device. You can even make sales with nothing but your smartphone.

The all-in-one solution includes a host of features for customizing the checkout experience, creating customer profiles, and managing your employees.

Plus, there are tons of reporting and analytical tools available, to help increase your conversion rates.

Shopify’s POS solution can also integrate with a host of different tools through the Shopify app marketplace, making it simple to enhance your loyalty programs and marketing.

Plus, marketing solutions are already built into the software, through integrations with Google and Social media platforms. On top of all that, you get Shopify’s world-leading ecommerce technology as part of the package.

Key features include:

• Omnichannel selling: Sell across a variety of platforms with QR codes, online shopping, local delivery and pickup options, and custom sales funnels.
• Inventory management: Create purchase orders, forecast demand, monitor stock levels, and analyze your inventory in one convenient environment with instant syncing.
• Staff management: Give custom accounts to every member of staff and monitor their sales. You can even assign specific sales to different team members.
• Checkout: Create a custom checkout experience with a unique smart grid, custom discounts, order notes, a camera barcode scanner, and personalized receipts.
• Product management: Sell unlimited products with customizable product collections and variants. Shopify also supports barcode labels and multi-location inventory management.
• Customer profiles: Build rich customer profiles with insights into contact details, order history, loyalty program participation and marketing preferences.
• Analytics: Leverage daily sales reports, as well as retail, discount, inventory, and product reports, with custom metrics and visualizations.
• Payment processing: Instantly accept a wide range of payment methods through Shopify Payments, with cash flow management tools and auto-reconciliation features.
• Marketing: Leverage product reviews, email marketing tools, social media integrations, and access to the Google Merchant center within your Shopify POS.
• Customer engagement: Create custom gift cards, accept partial payments, and split payments, email users gift cards, and create loyalty programs.

Square POS vs Shopify POS: Hardware Solutions

From a software perspective, Shopify and Square POS have a lot in common.

Although, Shopify is a little more advanced in terms of website building functionality. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the hardware available from both vendors.

Square POS Hardware

Square offers hardware to suit all business types and sizes. Options range from the all-in-one Square POS Terminal, suitable for receipt printing, payment processing, and more, to the “Square Register”, offering integrated POS and payment management.

If you’re using your iPad to manage sales, you can access accessories like the Square Stand. Alternatively, you can purchase a simple solution like the “Square Reader” for card and contactless payments.

Square offers access to “kits”, which combine a number of tools into one package too, such as the Square Retail Kit for retail store owners.

Shopify POS Hardware

Shopify also has a host of fantastic hardware options to choose from.

One of the most popular tools available from the company today is the Shopify POS Go, an all-in-one mobile point of sale solution that brings payments and software together in a convenient handheld tool.

Shopify also offers simple card readers, like the WisePad 3, as well as more advanced tools like the Shopify register and Shopify Retail bundle.

Here's an example from our Shopify store.

You can also create your own Shopify hardware bundle by contacting the sales team and discussing your specific needs.

One point worth noting is that all Shopify POS hardware can be customized to your needs, and comes with a warranty (1 year for Shopify POS Lite, or 2 years for Shopify POS Pro).

Square POS vs Shopify POS: Analytics and Performance

One point worth noting about Square and Shopify POS is they both offer fantastic reliability, regardless of your sales strategy.

With both tools, you can sell in “offline mode”, which means you’ll be able to continue taking payments even if your internet connection drops.

Both solutions also offer comprehensive access to backend insights into your inventory, orders, finances, customers, and even team performance.

Square offers a comprehensive analytics dashboard where you can find real-time and historical insights into sales trends, labor, and purchases.

Business leaders can also download reports in a range of formats, and send information from their POS straight to their accounting and bookkeeping apps (like Xero).

Similarly, Shopify offers comprehensive reporting and analytical tools on every plan. Even the “POS Lite” plan includes product reports, retail sales reports, cash tracking tools, and discount reports.

You can access insights into cashflow and discover your most popular products.

Shopify also makes it easy to generate reports to review financial data like sales, taxes, and returns. What’s more, you can access insights in real-time through a comprehensive dashboard.

With Shopify POS Pro, business leaders also get daily sales reports, generated in a visual format.

Square vs Shopify: Pricing Plans

One of the biggest points you’ll need to consider when choosing the right POS solution is the pricing for your technology.

Notably, the price you’ll pay for both Square and Shopify will vary depending on a number of factors, including the hardware you need, and the processing rates your startup or business is subject to. 

Square POS Pricing

Square’s standard software is free to use, meaning you’ll only pay transaction fees whenever you process a payment.

Notably, there are subscription fees for some advanced versions of Square POS software. For instance, Square for Restaurants has more expensive plans available for those in need of particularly unique features and services.

Transaction fees with Square start at 1.75% for a contactless payment, and 2.5% for virtual terminal transactions and invoices. Hardware fees start at around $19 for a basic Square Reader.

Shopify POS Pricing

Shopify, unfortunately, doesn’t offer a “free plan” for it’s POS software. However, the POS Lite solution does come built into all Shopify subscriptions, so if you already have a Shopify site, you could potentially start using the Lite tools for free.

While you can access Shopify POS with a “Starter” plan starting at $5 per month, this doesn’t include any website building tools.

Other plans for accessing the “Shopify POS Lite” service include:

• Basic Shopify: $39 per month with 1,000 inventory locations, unlimited products, 2 staff accounts, and basic reports.
• Shopify: $105 per month for all the Basic plan features, plus standard reports, and 5 staff accounts.
• Advanced Shopify: $399 per month with all the features of Shopify, plus custom reports and 15 staff accounts.

Transaction fees start at 2.4% plus 30 cents for users of the Advanced Shopify plan. Cheaper plans incur higher transaction fees.

You’ll also need to pay extra if you use a solution other than Shopify Payments to process transactions.

If you want to access the more advanced version of Shopify POS, you can either pay for Shopify Plus (starting at $2,000) which comes with Shopify POS Pro built-in, or you can pay $89 per month per location to add the solution to your existing plan.

Once again, with Shopify, your hardware costs will vary. Readers can cost as little as $29 while Shopify POS Go starts at $399.

MORE: Shopify Payments Review: The Complete Guide

Apps and Integrations

Apps and integrations are often crucial when you’re searching for a highly scalable point of sale solution that supports omnichannel transactions.

While both Square and Shopify POS do offer access to a range of integrations, you’ll be a lot more limited with the Square software. 

Shopify POS system is a native part of the Shopify commerce platform, meaning it can integrate with hundreds of different apps through the Shopify app store.

There are endless integrations for accounting tools like QuickBooks or Xero, marketing apps like Mailchimp, inventory management solutions, fulfillment platforms, and more. 

You can even create your own apps and integrate them with the Shopify experience using Shopify APIs with the help of developers.

Square’s POS options aren’t as extensive, but there are some great options to choose from. For instance, you can leverage connections with restaurant management tools like TapMango, Delivery and order management tools like Pepper, and inventory management, or accounting tools.

There are also KDS integrations available.

Notably, with both Shopify and Square POS, there may be additional fees to pay for certain integrations, so keep this in mind when you’re expanding your ecosystem. 

Customer Support

Both Shopify and Square take a similar approach to customer support. They both offer access to 24/7 chat, email, and phone support, as well as custom assistance from either Shopify Experts, or Square’s dedicated onboarding and integration team. 

Additionally, both companies have some excellent resources to offer business leaders, such as FAQs, guides, videos, and forums, where you can find plenty of guidance.

However, I do think Shopify stands out in this area, with far more robust self-help tools, and a more active community. 

Additionally, it helps that Shopify’s POS app, and it’s ecommerce software are designed to guide companies through the process of setting up their technology.

There are guidance tips and links to resources included throughout the ecosystem, to ensure you can get the best results from your tech.

Alternatives to Square and Shopify POS

Shopify and Square both offer fantastic POS solutions that will serve a range of business needs, but if neither option is right for you, here are some other alternatives I recommend:

1. Lightspeed POS

Lightspeed is a leading POS solution, offering companies everything they need to run an effective business across multiple channels.

The platform is extremely flexible, with an open API for building automated workflows, and omnichannel commerce integrations.

It also comes with robust inventory tracking tools, in-depth reports on products, employees, and orders, and integrated marketing tools. 

Compared to Shopify and Square POS, Lightspeed is likely to be the option I’d recommend to companies looking for exceptional scalability and advanced reporting tools.

The platform also offers slightly more advanced marketing features than you’d get from Square and Shopify.

However, it’s also a little more difficult to use, and can be more expensive, with pricing starting at $69 per month. 

Read our Lightspeed POS review.

2. Clover POS

If you’re looking for a highly customizable point of sale solution, Clover is an excellent choice. This point of sale system offers companies access to a wide range of hardware options, and specialist features for hospitality businesses, health and beauty companies, food retailers, and more.

Clover accepts virtually any kind of payment method, and integrates with a range of platforms, like QuickBooks for convenient accounting. 

The analytical tools offered by Clover are also excellent for gaining insights into your store’s performance, and there are even dedicated solutions for ecommerce and customer engagement available.

However, Clover’s pricing structure can be complex and expensive for beginners, and it doesn’t offer the advanced ecommerce capabilities you get with Shopify. 

Read our Clover POS review.

3. Toast POS 

Toast POS is usually the point of sale system I recommend to restaurant and food services companies. It’s ideal for food trucks, pop-up store food business and more.

The Toast ecosystem comes with access to flexible and secure payment processing tools, advanced reporting and analytics features, and fantastic inventory and product management capabilities. 

It’s also highly customizable, with a range of integrations and unique modules available for kitchen management, food delivery services, and team performance tracking.

Unfortunately, you won’t get as many retail or ecommerce capabilities as you’d get with Square or Shopify, and there aren’t as many retail-focused hardware options to choose from.

Square vs Shopify POS: Which is Best

Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to choosing between Shopify and Square. Both POS providers offer excellent functionality to business owners of all sizes.

With Square, you’ll get powerful payment processing tools, and exceptional hardware. Plus, you can start accessing the POS solutions without paying for anything other than hardware and transaction fees.

Alternatively, Shopify offers an excellent way for business owners to invest in omnichannel sales strategies. You can access the Lite version of the software on your existing Shopify plan, or upgrade to the Pro service for $89 per month.

Perhaps the biggest difference is that Shopify is perfect for those who have a strong ecommerce presence, and want to grow both online and in-person sales.

Alternatively, Square might be better suited to those with a smaller online presence, and a more robust brick-and-mortar store.