Beginning my day early as a shop owner with several places involves ensuring all preparations are in place for a successful operation. It is important to improve processes and collect details that help in making educated decisions as part of our everyday routine.
and help you work out which version of’s point of sale system is ideal for you. Let’s dive in. OK, so there are two main reasons to use Lite. One– it lets you offer at point of sale rapidly, and inexpensively. The crucial thing to understand 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 just $5 each month. It’s likewise really quick to establish. By contrast, is an add-on that costs $89 per
month, per area– implying that if you wish to sell in more than one locationthan location at the same time, things can get costly pretty rapidly. 2– it’s truly simple to utilize. If all you wish to do is accept easy payments in one location, Shopify POS Lite lets you do that really easily– all you’ll require truly is your phone and a card reader. By contrast, which is tailored more towards retail outlets and multi-location selling,
may be overkill for merchants with basic POS needsneed. It will generally include more configuration and more hardware. But eventually, you may discover yourself growing out of Lite rather rapidly– particularly if you plan to sell in more than one location simultaneously. And that’s where the “strategy can be found in. I’ll go over the contexts in which can be the best fit for merchants in just a minute, however before I do,
What is the difference between Shopify and Square POS?
In the morning, I log into to examine stock levels throughout all areas. With its central control panel, I can rapidly see which products are running low and require restocking. This saves me valuable time that I can assign to other aspects of handling business.
Shopify is a household name in the e-commerce industry, enjoying widespread recognition as the leading software application supplier globally. Established in 2006 by business owner Tobias Lütke, the business was born out of a personal battle to produce an online shop for snowboarding equipment. Figured out to streamline the process, Lütke moved his focus from developing an online shop to offering first-class tools for sellers wanting to develop their own e-commerce platforms.
‘s e-commerce software has enjoyed paralleled growth and amassed countless clients around the world. By 2016, the company had nearly $400 million in annual earnings, which figure exploded to $4.6 billion by 2021 after the Covid pandemic spurred an online retail boom.
forayed into point-of-sale systems in 2017 by releasing a Bluetooth-enabled debit and credit card reader for brick-and-mortar shops. Because then, it has built more items and turned them into a major source of income. The company is based in Ottawa, Canada.
Throughout the day, assists me manage deals efficiently. Its instinctive interface enables my staff to process orders swiftly, whether it’s at the checkout counter or on the store floor using mobile phones. The built-in payment processing ensures smooth deals, keeping our consumers delighted.
One of the standout features of is its robust analytics tools. I frequently review sales reports and customer insights to determine patterns and tailor our marketing efforts appropriately. The capability to create customized reports offers me a much deeper understanding of our service efficiency, enabling me to make data-driven choices.
Comparing to Square POS, the switch was driven by several factors. While Square used standard functionality, provided a more extensive option customized to the requirements of multi-location organizations like ours. The capability to handle inventory centrally, in addition to advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, were essential selling points.
In addition,’s community provided smooth integration with our online shop, permitting us to manage inventory and sales throughout all channels from one platform. This omnichannel approach has helped us provide a combined shopping experience to our clients, whether they’re shopping in-store or online.
In general, the transition to has played a key function in boosting our activities, improving efficiency, and promoting growth at our different sites.
Pros:
Advanced stock management: Centralized stock tracking throughout numerous locations, making it simple to manage stock levels and restocking.
Robust analytics: Offers detailed sales reports and consumer insights to help make informed service choices.
Smooth combination: Integrates efficiently with’s ecommerce platform, enabling a merged online and offline retail experience.
Personalized: Deals flexibility to produce custom reports and tailor the system to specific company needs.
Cons: Not suitable for small businesses or single-location operations, does not have functions that cater to restricted scale or scope.
Pricing: consists of a monthly subscription cost, which might be more costly than some other point-of-sale (POS) systems.
Reduce of use: While created to be user-friendly, mastering all the functions of might spend some time for new users.
Compatibility: POS Pro might not be fully compatible with all third-party hardware, requiring particular devices purchases.
e-commerce plans:
$ 29 for Basic when billed every year (or $39 when paid monthly).
$ 79 for routine when billed yearly (or $105 when paid monthly).
$ 299 for Advanced when billed yearly (or $399 when paid monthly).
Custom-made prices for Shopify Plus.
All e-commerce prepares come with POS Lite for offering in-person. Upgrading to Pro for brick-and-mortar companies costs an additional $89 per location.
‘s alternative options for generally selling in-person:
$ 5 for Beginner plan, that includes one Lite area.
$ 79 (when billed each year) for Retail strategy, or $89 when paid monthly; consists of one Pro location.
How Much Does a POS System Cost?
Hardware expense
$ 49 for Tap & Chip card reader.
$ 219 for Tap & Chip counter top kit (iPad not included).
$ 299 for Go mobile device.
$ 349 for terminal.
$ 459 and up for terminal countertop sets.
Contract length
No agreement needed. Strategies are paid month to month unless you sign up for a yearly, two-year or three-year plan.
Pros:
Free basic version: Square provides a complimentary version of its system, making it available for little organizations with limited budget plans.
Simple setup: Square is known for its simple setup procedure, allowing companies to begin processing deals quickly.
All-in-one service: Square offers extra services like payment processing, visit scheduling, and payroll, all incorporated into one platform.
Compatibility: Functions with a large range of third-party hardware, supplying more flexibility in choosing equipment.
Customer support: Square provides responsive client support via phone, e-mail, and chat, assisting services troubleshoot problems efficiently.
Cons:
Restricted stock management: While adequate for fundamental needs, Square’s inventory management functions may not be sufficient for companies with complicated requirements.
Fundamental analytics: Square’s reporting abilities are not as detailed as’s, doing not have some sophisticated analytics features.
Less scalable: Square might not be as well-suited for companies with numerous places or those preparing considerable growth, as it lacks some functions needed for complex operations.
Unlike Lite, the Pro version lets you sell in as many areas as you desire. The drawback is that every place you contribute to a membership brings an $89 each month charge with it But this will just represent a small percentage of an effective retail operation’s outgoings, and the ‘per location, each month’ technique to pricing means that the Pro plan is versatile and scalable. 2– it provides you a lot more control over how your staff use. If you wish to reward staff for their performance,
provide different access rights to your system, or designate various roles to them, then is a much better choice than the ‘Lite’ variation. It gives you an actually large variety of tools for managing your team’s relationship with your system. 3– it gives you a lot more customer-focused functions. Lite lets you accept payments from your consumers inexpensively and simply, however that’s about it. By contrast, lets you do far more for your clients. Unlike the ‘Lite’ version, it.
The Go is an all-in-one terminal that consists of a card reader and barcode scanner. You can utilize the scanner to automatically find the cost of a product and the card reader to get the cash from the client. This device 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 company day after a full charge.
The smaller sized card reader lets you accept tap and chip payments from customers however not swipe. It connects wirelessly to a tablet or through Bluetooth to a smart phone. It is compact and easy to manage, suggesting it appropriates for businesses that operate on the go, e.g., farmer’s markets.
Shopify Payments
uses a payments processing service that lets you charge money to all major debit and charge card. Your customers can place their cards, tap them, or swipe them depending on the kind of hardware you picked. There’s likewise Tap to Pay, which lets you accept payments on your iPhone without any additional hardware. The rates is transparent– between 2.4% and 2.7% on each effective deal– with no concealed charges or setup costs.
Stock Management
One of the major discomfort points that merchants face is handling their inventory; knowing which items are readily available at a given time and the costs for each of them. The advantage is that offers functions to help.
You can take stock of each item and assign products to different areas and channels using’s software application. You can also carry out accurate inventory counts with your barcode scanner after receiving items. You can set the system to signal you if an item is running out of stock or to provide sale product suggestions. Also, you can get comprehensive reports to track your sales; what products are offering much faster, what items aren’t selling, which products must be restocked, etc syncs among the industry’s finest point-of-sale systems with the e-commerce platform. With the app, you can offer your service or products personally and online. Take orders from clients,
As soon as you have a plan, you can download the app– offered for iOS and Android devices. Using the app, you’ll be able to visit and start tailoring your system. If you’re selling personally, you can either use Tap to Pay on iPhone or purchase hardware, and you’ll be prepared to begin taking customer orders.
is best for organizations that:
Wish to leverage’s e-commerce features. While does provide 2 basic strategies for company’s that mainly sell in individual or on social media, the bulk of its offerings are for omnichannel sellers who wish to construct a custom online shop utilizing.
Sell online and personally. is optimized for selling across online stores, social networks channels and brick-and-mortar stores. The remarkable lineup of functions is ideal for omnichannel merchants.
Prefer to utilize a single supplier for and payment processing. Payments is included with all regular monthly plans to process online deals along with in-person payments. You can use a third-party supplier, such as Amazon Pay, Authorize.net or Braintree, to process payments. Your rates will likely differ from what Shopify Payments charges if you deal with a third-party processor, nevertheless, and Shopify will charge you an additional deal fee for not using its in-house product.
Choosing factors
Clover provides services for e-commerce services and in-person stores to let companies select the combination they need. features differ by monthly plan. More expensive regular monthly strategies consist of advanced stock and reporting capabilities.