Beginning my day early as a shopkeeper with several areas includes making sure all preparations remain in place for an effective operation. It is crucial to streamline processes and gather information that help in making educated decisions as part of our daily routine.
and assist you work out which version of’s point of sale system is ideal for you. Let’s dive in. OK, so there are 2 primary factors to use Lite. One– it lets you cost point of sale rapidly, and inexpensively. The essential thing to comprehend about Lite is that it is bundled with every Shopify strategy– there are no additional charges for using it. This suggests that you can sell with Lite for as little as $5 each month. It’s also extremely quick to set up. By contrast, is an add-on that expenses $89 per
month, per location– suggesting that if you wish to sell in more than one locationthan area simultaneously, things can get costly quite rapidly. 2– it’s really easy to utilize. If all you desire to do is accept easy payments in one place, Shopify POS Lite lets you do that truly easily– all you’ll require truly is your phone and a card reader. By contrast, which is geared more towards retail outlets and multi-location selling,
might be overkill for merchants with standard POS needsneed. It will normally involve more configuration and more hardware. However eventually, you may discover yourself outgrowing Lite rather quickly– specifically if you prepare to offer in more than one place simultaneously. Which’s where the “strategy comes in. I’ll talk about the contexts in which can be the best suitable for merchants in just a minute, but before I do,
What is the difference between Shopify and Square POS?
In the morning, I log into to check stock levels across all places. With its centralized dashboard, I can rapidly see which products are running low and need restocking. This saves me valuable time that I can assign to other elements of managing the business.
Shopify is a home name in the e-commerce industry, enjoying prevalent acknowledgment as the leading software supplier worldwide. Founded in 2006 by entrepreneur Tobias Lütke, the business was substantiated of a personal struggle to produce an online store for snowboarding gear. Figured out to streamline the process, Lütke shifted his focus from building an online shop to offering top-notch tools for retailers looking to develop their own e-commerce platforms.
‘s e-commerce software application has enjoyed paralleled growth and garnered countless consumers throughout the globe. By 2016, the company had almost $400 million in annual income, which figure blew up to $4.6 billion by 2021 after the Covid pandemic stimulated an online retail boom.
forayed into point-of-sale systems in 2017 by releasing a Bluetooth-enabled debit and charge card reader for brick-and-mortar stores. Because then, it has built more products and turned them into a significant source of earnings. The company is based in Ottawa, Canada.
Throughout the day, assists me manage transactions effectively. Its user-friendly interface enables my personnel to procedure orders promptly, whether it’s at the checkout counter or on the store flooring utilizing mobile phones. The built-in payment processing ensures smooth deals, keeping our customers happy.
One of the standout features of is its robust analytics tools. I regularly review sales reports and client insights to determine patterns and customize our marketing efforts appropriately. The ability to develop customized reports provides me a much deeper understanding of our business efficiency, enabling me to make data-driven decisions.
Comparing to Square POS, the switch was driven by several elements. While Square used basic functionality, supplied a more detailed service customized to the requirements of multi-location companies like ours. The capability to manage stock centrally, in addition to innovative analytics and reporting capabilities, were key selling points.
In addition,’s ecosystem used seamless integration with our online shop, permitting us to handle inventory and sales across all channels from one platform. This omnichannel method has actually helped us supply a combined shopping experience to our customers, whether they’re going shopping in-store or online.
In basic, the transition to has actually played an essential role in enhancing our activities, boosting efficiency, and promoting growth at our different sites.
Pros:
Advanced stock management: Central stock tracking throughout several areas, making it easy to handle stock levels and restocking.
Robust analytics: Provides thorough sales reports and customer insights to assist make informed organization choices.
Seamless integration: Integrates efficiently with’s ecommerce platform, permitting for a combined online and offline retail experience.
Customizable: Offers flexibility to create customized reports and customize the system to specific service needs.
Scalability: Suited for businesses with multiple places, with functions designed to support growth and expansion.
Cons:
Expense: includes a month-to-month membership cost, which might be greater compared to some other POS systems.
Learning curve: While user-friendly, mastering all the functions of might spend some time for new users.
Hardware compatibility: Some third-party hardware may not be totally suitable with POS Pro, requiring particular devices purchases.
e-commerce plans:
$ 29 for Fundamental when billed yearly (or $39 when paid monthly).
$ 79 for routine when billed each year (or $105 when paid monthly).
$ 299 for Advanced when billed yearly (or $399 when paid monthly).
Custom pricing for Shopify Plus.
All e-commerce prepares come with POS Lite for offering in-person. Upgrading to Pro for brick-and-mortar services costs an extra $89 per place.
‘s alternative options for primarily selling in-person:
$ 5 for Beginner plan, which includes one Lite area.
$ 79 (when billed yearly) for Retail plan, or $89 when paid monthly; includes one Pro place.
How Much Does a POS System Cost?
Hardware cost
$ 49 for Tap & Chip card reader.
$ 219 for Tap & Chip counter top set (iPad not included).
$ 299 for Go mobile gadget.
$ 349 for terminal.
$ 459 and up for terminal counter top sets.
Agreement length
Our flexible plans are developed to fit your requirements, with the option to pay month-to-month or devote to a longer-term agreement for additional savings. Select from yearly, two-year, or three-year strategies, and enjoy the liberty to change your mind with no commitments.
Pros:
Free standard variation: Square provides a complimentary variation of its system, making it available for small companies with minimal budgets.
Easy setup: Square is known for its easy setup procedure, enabling services to start processing transactions quickly.
All-in-one solution: Square provides additional services like payment processing, consultation scheduling, and payroll, all integrated into one platform.
Compatibility: Works with a large range of third-party hardware, offering more versatility in choosing devices.
Customer assistance: Square offers responsive client assistance through phone, e-mail, and chat, assisting companies fix concerns effectively.
Cons:
Limited stock management: While adequate for standard requirements, Square’s inventory management functions may not suffice for services with complicated requirements.
Basic analytics: Square’s reporting abilities are not as comprehensive as’s, lacking some innovative analytics features.
Less scalable: Square might not be as well-suited for companies with multiple locations or those preparing significant expansion, as it lacks some functions required for intricate operations.
The Pro version uses higher versatility in terms of offering places, as there is no limitation to the variety of places you can add, unlike the Lite version. However, each additional location contributed to a subscription will sustain an extra month-to-month cost of $89. While this might appear like a downside, it is necessary to note that this charge represents just a little fraction of the overall expenditures of an effective retail operation. The “per place, each month” pricing method permits greater modification and adaptability, making the Pro plan a scalable choice for services of all sizes. Furthermore, the Pro strategy provides boosted control over personnel usage, allowing you to reward staff members for their performance and productivity.
provide various access rights to your system, or designate various roles to them, then is a better option than the ‘Lite’ version. It provides you a really large range of tools for managing your team’s relationship with your system. 3– it offers you a lot more customer-focused features. Lite lets you accept payments from your consumers inexpensively and simply, however that has to do with it. By contrast, lets you do much more for your consumers. Unlike the ‘Lite’ variation, it.
lets you assist in exchanges; offer customized receipts; use discounts; and offer local pick up choices. So, to summarize, Lite appropriates for merchants who desire an easy and inexpensive way to sell in person in one location. Pro is much better for merchants who require to offer in several places, want more control over how staff use and would like to offer their clients more purchase and delivery choices.
The Go is an all-in-one terminal that consists of a card reader and barcode scanner. You can utilize the scanner to instantly find the price of an item and the card reader to get the cash from the customer. This gadget accepts tap, chip, and swipe payments. It has a 5.5-inch high-definition display screen and a long battery life to ensure you can utilize it for an entire service day after a full charge.
The smaller card reader lets you accept tap and chip payments from clients but not swipe. It links wirelessly to a tablet or through Bluetooth to a smart phone. It is compact and easy to handle, indicating it is ideal for companies that run on the go, e.g., farmer’s markets.
Shopify Payments
provides a payments processing option that lets you charge money to all significant debit and charge card. Your consumers can insert their cards, tap them, or swipe them depending on the type of hardware you selected. There’s also Tap to Pay, which lets you accept payments on your iPhone with no additional hardware. The pricing is transparent– between 2.4% and 2.7% on each successful deal– with no covert costs or setup charges.
Stock Management
One of the significant discomfort points that retailers face is handling their stock; knowing which products are available at a provided time and the prices for each of them. The good idea is that supplies features to help.
You can take stock of each item and assign items to different places and channels utilizing’s software application. You can likewise carry out accurate inventory counts with your barcode scanner after getting items. You can set the system to signal you if an item is running out of stock or to offer sale product recommendations. Likewise, you can get in-depth reports to track your sales; what products are offering quicker, what products aren’t offering, which products should be restocked, etc syncs among the market’s best point-of-sale systems with the e-commerce platform. With the app, you can offer your service or products in person and online. Take orders from customers,
Once you have a strategy, you can download the app– available for iOS and Android gadgets. Using the app, you’ll have the ability to log in and start personalizing your system. If you’re selling in individual, you can either use Tap to Pay on iPhone or purchase hardware, and you’ll be ready to start taking client orders.
is best for organizations that:
Want to take advantage of’s e-commerce functions. While does offer two simple strategies for service’s that mostly offer personally or on social media, the bulk of its offerings are for omnichannel sellers who want to construct a custom-made online store using.
Sell online and in person. is optimized for offering across online shops, social networks channels and brick-and-mortar shops. The impressive lineup of features is ideal for omnichannel merchants.
Prefer to use a single service provider for and payment processing. Payments is included with all month-to-month strategies to process online deals in addition to in-person payments. You can utilize a third-party service provider, such as Amazon Pay, Authorize.net or Braintree, to process payments. Your rates will likely vary from what Shopify Payments charges if you deal with a third-party processor, nevertheless, and Shopify will charge you an additional transaction cost for not utilizing its internal product.
Choosing factors
Clover provides solutions for e-commerce services and in-person shops to let organizations choose the mix they require. features differ by monthly plan. More expensive month-to-month plans include advanced stock and reporting capabilities.