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Whether you run a brick-and-mortar shop or an e-commerce business, you need a point-of-sale (POS) system. A POS system provides the hardware and software necessary to accept customer payments and track sales while helping you connect online and offline sales.
Shopify and Square are two of the best POS systems for businesses in various industries. We researched both extensively to compare their pricing, hardware, e-commerce functionality and customer support to help you decide which option is best for your e-commerce business.
Editor’s note: Looking for the right POS system for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.
Criteria | Shopify | Square |
---|---|---|
Best for | Large retailers and e-commerce businesses with offline components | Small retailers and brick-and-mortar businesses that also sell online |
Pricing |
|
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Free trial | Yes (three days) | You can use the free plan as a free trial. |
Third-party integrations | Yes (over 8,000) | Yes (over 350) |
Customer service |
|
|
Mobile app | Yes (iOS and Android) | Yes (iOS and Android) |
Shopify is a solid option for e-commerce businesses of all sizes and businesses with both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores.
If you’re an e-commerce business owner, you’re likely already familiar with the Shopify e-commerce platform – notable for helping business owners create an online store and customize its settings. Its drag-and-drop store builder makes setting up a professional website easy, with an insightful dashboard delivering detailed analytics about your business.
But even if you don’t have or want a Shopify store, the platform’s POS hardware and software can help you accept payments online and in person using Shopify Payments for payment processing. Our Shopify review explains the platform’s seamless checkout options and other features.
The Shopify App Store provides over 8,000 apps that help with product design, SEO strategy, checkout and social selling. Source: Shopify
Square is an excellent POS system for small businesses, restaurants and other retail stores. Square also supports online sales via Square Online, making it easy to add online ordering functionality to your website. This service automatically syncs orders and inventory with your POS system.
Square makes payment acceptance seamless and provides extensive customization options, allowing businesses to support numerous payment options, loyalty programs, gift cards, invoicing, online sales and more. Its POS hardware is sleek and attractive, making it ideal for mobile payment acceptance via chip cards and contactless payments like NFC mobile payments.
We were impressed that Square’s POS software is free, which is incredibly helpful for startups and other businesses that would benefit from a free POS system. Our Square review details its POS software features and hardware options.
Here’s a closer look at each vendor’s pricing, hardware, customer support and e-commerce features, and how they compare.
Shopify
We like Shopify’s transparent pricing and terms, which make it easier for businesses to evaluate the platform’s POS functionality.
Here’s an overview of its plans and pricing, including Shopify Payments processing fees. Every tier comes with a POS Lite software subscription with in-person selling features. You’ll pay an additional $60 monthly if you upgrade to a Shopify POS Pro subscription, which includes more robust in-person features like customer loyalty insights.
Service plan | Monthly fee | Rate | Features |
---|---|---|---|
Basic | $39 |
|
|
Shopify | $105 |
| All Basic features, plus:
|
Advanced | $399 |
| All Shopify features, plus:
|
Outside of its primary offerings, as noted above, Shopify has several more niche offerings, including the following:
Square
Square Point of Sale is a free-to-use app, with no monthly fees or startup costs. You can download the app and you won’t be charged anything until you accept a customer payment. (Hardware costs will be discussed in the next section.) Features include the following:
You’ll pay payment process rates as follows:
However, if you’re an e-commerce business, you may opt for Square Online and its more robust options for selling, taking orders and scheduling services online. Prices range from free to $79 monthly and include website-building tools, social selling features and personalized online ordering. Our Square review details more about this option and its processing costs.
The Square POS app for iOS (also available for Android) lets you accept contactless payments via your smartphone and the Square Reader. Source: Apple App Store
Winner
Square wins when it comes to pricing, and it’s the best option for new and growing businesses. You can download the app and get started for free, and you won’t pay anything unless you make a sale. Additionally, Square Online is an excellent option for more robust online sales.
Square
Square’s magstripe reader is free and can be used to accept credit card payments on a phone or tablet.
Additional Square hardware offerings include the following:
The Square Register is an all-in-one POS system with two user-friendly displays, intuitive software and built-in payments. Source: Square
Shopify
In addition to its free tap-to-pay iPhone functionality, Shopify offers the following POS hardware:
The Shopify POS Go enables efficient, user-friendly in-store transactions and facilitates effortless payment processing. Source: Shopify
Winner
The two companies are fairly evenly matched when it comes to hardware. Both Square and Shopify provide high-quality, affordable hardware. However, Square provides a free magstripe, which is ideal for startups.
Shopify
Shopify provides 24/7 chat support on all service plans and offers online resources, including video tutorials and webinars, to help you get started. You can request a callback via the Help Center, but there’s no direct line for phone support. You also have access to the Shopify Community, where you can get your questions answered by other Shopify users.
Square
Square provides 24/7 chat support and phone support Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. If you’re a Square Online customer on the Premium plan, you get 24/7 phone support. Square also offers video tutorials and a seller community, where you can talk to other business owners.
Winner
Both companies provide excellent customer service. However, Shopify does not offer phone support; you can at least reach someone by phone during regular business hours with Square, so we’re giving Square the win here.
Shopify
Shopify is an excellent option for e-commerce businesses that want to use its e-commerce features in addition to its POS functionality. The company provides:
Square
Square is also a multifaceted solution with payment processing, e-commerce and POS functionality. E-commerce businesses will appreciate the following features:
Winner
Shopify wins this category. It offers a broader spectrum of e-commerce features than you’ll get with Square.