Updated as of November, 2023
There are two major players in this industry: Clover POS system and Square POS system, which are competitors. Each company provides a unique service that has its benefits as well as drawbacks. As business owners, it is your responsibility to choose which system will work best for you. We’ve reviewed both systems, and this POS comparison will lay out its main features so you can make an informed decision.
For a quick summary of Square and Clover’s POS offerings, including software, hardware, and ecommerce, which one is best for your business? Here are our recommendations:
Clover POS: Between the two options, Clover is our winner. It’s best if you need a merchant account with lower rates and you want to customize your POS to specific needs. Learn more about the product in our detailed Clover Station review.
Square POS: Best if you want to avoid long-term contract commitments. It’s a great option for new businesses that want to start with a free software option. Learn more about the product in our comprehensive Square POS review.
Table of Contents
- 1 Clover vs Square at a Glance
- 2 Clover POS
- 3 Square POS
- 4 Clover
- 5 Clover POS System: Features and Benefits
- 5.1 Customized POS System
- 5.2 Different Clover Devices
- 5.3 Accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Most Payment Types
- 5.4 Versatile and Easy to Use
- 5.5 Easily Manage Your Entire Staff
- 5.6 Instantly Apply Taxes on an Item Level
- 5.7 Does Clover Cost Less Than Square?
- 5.8 Why We Recommend Clover for Small Businesses
- 5.9 Free Demo
- 6 Square
- 7 Square POS System: Features and Benefits
- 8 Clover POS vs. Square POS: The Verdict
- 9 FAQs
Clover vs Square at a Glance
Clover
Clover Station
Clover POS System: Features and Benefits
Comparing apples to apples, the Clover POS system is our overall top choice in our Square vs. Clover comparison. Clover offers tons of benefits to businesses ranging from increased productivity to increased customer satisfaction. It’s easy to use and will help you grow your business exponentially if you’re willing to give it a try! Here are just some of its features:
Customized POS System
Clover offers a variety of customizable software features for its POS systems. Their system is designed with the needs of both small and large-scale businesses in mind, so it’s easy to tailor everything exactly how you want it for nearly any business type imaginable.
Different Clover Devices
Clover offers an expansive range of devices such as Clover Mini, Flex, and Station (Solo & Duo) to give you check-out flexibility depending on your business type and needs. All of or both customers and employees, helping modernize your business.
All of these POS systems are ready to accept payments. They offer a 60-day money-back guarantee and a 24-72 hour turnaround time if you need any assistance.
Accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Most Payment Types
Clover POS Systems are designed to accept all major payment types, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. These technologies make it incredibly easy for your customers to pay with the touch of a button on their phones.
Versatile and Easy to Use
Clover is packed with unique features, and it’s effortless to use. It can be used by just about anyone. It features a touchscreen that makes the software intuitive enough for employees with little or no computer experience to learn quickly, which means you spend less time teaching your staff how to use a piece of new equipment.
Easily Manage Your Entire Staff
Clover’s advanced employee management software makes it easy to manage employees with different roles and responsibilities. Tasks can be assigned based on the employee, so you don’t have to worry about someone missing out or having overlapping duties due to overlapping shifts.
Instantly Apply Taxes on an Item Level
If you’re running a business that offers taxable items, like restaurants or retail shops, it’s crucial to apply taxes on an item-by-item basis. Clover POS Systems make it easy to do this, and you can even set up different tax rates based on your location. No more wrong computations, or you don’t have to do this manually. Manually adding tax to the price computation leaves room for error.
Does Clover Cost Less Than Square?
Clover could be more transparent with pricing on its website, but POS pricing starts at $39.95 per month, and you will need to purchase Clover’s proprietary hardware to use the software. Square offers a free version to get started, but if you want more features, Square will cost you $60 per month.
We like that with Clover, you can use your existing service provider for your merchant account if you prefer. If you need a merchant account, Clover offers simple processing rates through Fiserv at 2.3% and 10 cents per transaction, which is cheaper than Square. You pay the same rates for all cards, including AMEX and reward cards.
Clover also offers the Clover Go mobile device similar to the Square reader if you need to accept mobile payments.
If Clover is an option you’re considering for your small business, we recommend purchasing directly from Clover to avoid middleman fees from independent resellers and banks. Once you’re approved, the system will ship with free overnight shipping, whereas comparable systems can take weeks to receive. You also get 60 days of hassle-free returns, which is excellent.
Why We Recommend Clover for Small Businesses
Clover POS is our overall best POS available for small businesses right now because it provides a complete all-in-one POS with affordable pricing, attractive hardware, easy-to-use software, and tons of features for many business types. Need additional features to expand your POS? The Clover app store provides you with some of the most extensive options available on the market.
We like Clover for small to medium-sized restaurants, counter service restaurants, retail stores, services businesses, salons, and online businesses. It’s easy to set up the hardware and configure the software, even for beginners. While added features add to the overall price, Clover excels by providing hundreds of apps and add-on integrations to expand the capabilities of the POS to meet any business needs.
Free Demo
Businesses require different levels and needs when it comes to a POS system. This is what makes Clover one of the best POS systems out there. The customization features enable you to have a POS system that works for your business. This means that you only pay for what you need to use—no need to pay for systems jam-packed with features that you rarely need. You can get what you need for your business and pay for it. With Clover, you can schedule a free demo to check out the software to ensure it’ll work for you.
Square
Square POS
Square POS System: Features and Benefits
The Square Point of Sale Software is another excellent option for improving restaurant or retail operations with point-of-sale technology. Here are just some features offered by this company:
Mobile Payments and Receipts
Like Clover, Square systems also offer the ability to accept mobile payments such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. This can be incredibly convenient for your customers who want to skip out on waiting in line by paying directly from their phones.
Mobile-Friendly
Square’s software is also designed to be mobile-friendly, which means your employees can easily take their system wherever they need it. This ensures that you don’t waste any time when changes come up because staff members can easily access the software from their phones.
Low Cost of Entry and Operation
Another great feature of the Square is that it’s incredibly cost-effective to use. This is great for any business just starting out, but it also makes life easier when you’re operating on a tight budget. Whether you have a brick-and-mortar store, or an online company offering food delivery services, you’ll find that Square has designed different solutions to suit your needs.
Square Tools Integration
Square also offers many tools that integrate directly into its POS system. This is essential for businesses looking for an efficient way to track sales, inventory levels, shipping, and more. Tools like Invoices and Inventory can help you stay on top of the different aspects of your business without manually entering any data, which saves time and effort when it comes to keeping track of everything.
How Does the Square Hardware Stack Up?
You can run the software on Apple and Android touchscreen devices — it’s great for iPads and iPhones. A major advantage of using Square is you can use your own devices to accept payments. For those who want additional hardware, such as a Square credit card terminal or card reader, you can purchase them directly through Square.
If you own a restaurant, you even have the option of using dedicated restaurant software. Learn more about the product in our detailed Square for Restaurants POS review.
Is Square Cheaper Than Clover?
We give Square high marks for the starting price (free to get started offers the best value). You can access Square Plus Point of Sale software with a $60 monthly plan for businesses that need more in-depth features. As previously mentioned, Clover starts at $39.95 per month.
The current processing rate for Square’s free small business POS platform starts at 2.6% + 10 cents per transaction. Occasionally you can get hardware discounts and promos on Square POS, so it’s always a good idea to check before buying.
Square is best for small businesses with low volume and low average ticket sales due to the processing rates. If you serve high volume, high average tickets, or high-risk businesses, it’s best to go with Clover. Square is free to get started for new users, and you can upgrade anytime.
Clover POS vs. Square POS: The Verdict
The bottom line is Square is cheaper to get started with, while Clover offers a more complete and robust POS solution with hundreds of apps and features. We also prefer that Clover has more comprehensive support available compared to Square.
Both companies offer incredible tools to help small businesses increase their sales and customer satisfaction levels. Clover offers many customizable features that allow the software to be tailored to fit the needs of your specific industry. Square provides an affordable and mobile-friendly system that can be easily set up for most retailers, even those just starting in business.
Square is great as a starter POS because the hardware is inexpensive, there’s no contract, and they offer free software with basic features. However, you’re married to a flat processing rate. With Clover, you get a more full-featured POS with the ability to negotiate better processing rates, which can save you money in the long run, especially for businesses with higher volume.
So which is better Clover or Square? Clover wins our hearts with its range of apps and its robust suite of tools and devices. We appreciate adding taxes on items and instantly applying them when a customer buys something from you.
Clover also offers many tools that help manage your business efficiently by providing inventory management tools so you never run out of anything ever again.
While Square alone is impressive, Clover has surpassed Square in almost every aspect. The customization features allow you to personalize your business and tailor the system based on your business’s needs.
FAQs
Clover offers a complete all-in-one POS with affordable pricing, attractive hardware, easy-to-use software, and tons of features for many business types. Square is best if you want to avoid long-term contract commitments and is an excellent option for new businesses that want to start with a free software option.
It depends on your specific needs and preferences. Clover is best if you need a merchant account with lower rates and want to customize your POS to specific needs. Square is best if you want to avoid long-term contract commitments and is a great option for new businesses that want to start with a free software option.
Square is generally considered to have more affordable pricing options compared to Clover. Square offers a free software option, and its pricing plans are based on a pay-as-you-go model, which means you only pay for the features you need.
