Clover vs Square: A Thorough Comparison to Determine the Ideal POS for Your Business (2023 Update)

A point-of-sale system is essential for a business selling goods in stores, online, or via mobile. 

Basically, the selling goods business involves several products, multiple clients, and numbers. Thus, selling goods manually can increase the chances of transactional errors. 

Generally, a POS system helps process customer sales, record transactions, plus analyze sales patterns. Usually, a POS system consists of two major parts. They include hardware (such as a touchscreen computer, receipt printer, and scanner) and software (such as an app or program).

There are several POS systems available on the market. Thus, it’s crucial to determine the best system for your needs. 

This article will compare two leading POS systems (Clover VS Square) based on several factors. This way, choosing a POS system is easier. Let’s get started!

Choosing a POS System: Clover vs Square

Generally, there are several factors that you’ll need to put into consideration when choosing the best POS system for your business. They include:

• Ease of use
• Inventory management
• Payment processing options
• Customer support
• Pricing
• Hardware options
• POS Software Features.

Besides these factors, it’s essential to identify your business needs while choosing the best POS system. Here’s our top-pick POS system while comparing Clover and Square.

Our Pick: Clover POS System

Considering the mentioned factors, we selected the Clover POS system as the best for any business that sells goods. Here are some in-detail reasons why Clover stands out over the Square POS system:

• Ease of Use 

Whether you run a restaurant, retail store, or grocery store business, the Clover POS system is easy for employees. Moreover, the system allows the sellers to familiarize themselves with the various goods and prices easily.

• Rapid Deposits

With Clover, you can access rapid deposits (immediately) of up to $10k per transfer request at a 1% cost. Moreover, there’s no limit on the transfer requests you can make daily.

• Inventory Management

Most importantly, the Clover POS system consists of built-in features and reporting tools that allow you to manage robust inventory for your business. Additionally, the system helps you track retail reports and employees’ shifts. Moreover, you can filter the reports to determine the busiest days or hours and the most-selling products.

• Payment Method Options

The Clover POS system accepts several payment options, which are ideal for the business and customers. Basically, the Clover POS system accepts payments via credit or debit cards, checks, ACH payments, EMV payments, and NFC payments such as Apple Pay, gift cards, and virtual terminals.

• Clover Capital

Most importantly, you can access a Clover capital cash advance if you’ve been operating the business for more than six months. Additionally, you’ll need a minimum monthly payment of $1,000 in Visa and Mastercard. Repayment of the funds depends on the sales you make.

• Customer Support

With the Clover POS system, you can access 24/7 customer support through phone or email. Moreover, the system has informative guides on its website that educate you on its products and services.

• Pricing

Regarding pricing, the paid version of the Clover POS system is cheaper than the Square POS system. Basically, Clover has lower processing fees, especially for physical transactions, than their counterparts. Moreover, there are no extra fees for add-on features. They are included in the plan. Additionally, Clover offers reward and customer loyalty programs within their plan. For the Square system, you need to pay for any add-on feature.

About Clover POS Systems

Despite being pricier, Clover ranks as the top best point-on-sale system for any type of business – small or midsize. Furthermore, the monthly and processing fees are reasonable, unlike the additional costs involved with other systems. Moreover, the system consists of various hardware and software options to choose from, depending on your business needs. Most importantly, the Clover system is considered a very user-friendly POS system that’s highly specialized.

Nonetheless, the all-in-one POS system makes it easier for you to accept various payments, manage inventories, run reports, manage your employees, and track their total sales. Additionally, the system allows you to filter reports to determine the busiest times and the products that sell well.

Moreover, the Clover system offers 24/7 customer support if you run into any issues. Also, they provide educational guides and blogs on their website that educate you on the products and services they offer. Particularly, the Clover POS system offers most features required by restaurant owners and e-commerce businesses.

Features

Software Options

Clover POS offers two software options that help with payment processing. The Clover software options include:

• Register Lite – This plan allows you to view reports, send e-receipts, manage staff shifts and permissions, manage invoices, track sales, and store customer card information.
• Register – This software plan consists of all the features in Register Lite and additional tools that enable inventory management, advanced reports check, and customer loyalty programs.

Hardware Options

As mentioned, Clover offers a variety of hardware options that you can choose from. You can get the hardware devices from the Clover website, partners, or authorized third-party resellers. The Clover devices options include:

• Clover Go – This hardware enables contactless payments, chip cards, and magstripe cards. However, you’ll need a connection to another device, such as a tablet, smartphone, or iPad, to process the payments.
• Clover Flex – This hand-held POS hardware allows you to process payments, print receipts, scan barcodes, and capture signatures.
• Clover Mini – This is tablet-sized and countertop POS hardware that allows you to process payments, scan barcodes, plus print receipts. In addition, you can turn this device to customers for them to complete purchases.
• Clover Station – Under Clover Station, you’ll find the Clover Station Solo and Duo POS hardware devices. The Clover Station Solo device consists of a touch screen, fingerprint login, built-in camera, receipt printer, barcode scanner, and a cash drawer. On the other hand, the Clover Station Duo consists of the Clover Station Solo features for staff use and the Clover Mini for customer-facing display.

Payments Methods

As mentioned earlier, Clover POS provides a variety of payment methods for its customers. They include checks, cards, NFC payments, ACH payments, Magstripe payments, and virtual terminals.

Pricing

Clover pricing depends on several factors – the type of hardware you choose, merchant account, payment processing fees, and the monthly plan you choose. Let’s discuss these factors in detail.

• Hardware Option – The hardware option you choose determines the price of the Clover POS system. Generally, the hardware option fees range between $49-$1799, depending on your preferred option.
• Merchant Account -Most notably, Clover POS system prices vary depending on the merchant account. You can get the system from Clover’s owner (Fiserv) or authorized third-party providers.
• Payment Processing Fees – Depending on your chosen software plan, Clover charges between 2.3% to 2.7% and 10 cents for physical transactions. On the other hand, Clover charges 3.5% and 10 cents for transactions made online for all plans.
• Monthly Plan – Clover monthly fees depend on the monthly plan you choose. The monthly fees range between $19.45 – $94.85.

About Square POS Systems

Square POS is a user-friendly software you can run on your smartphone or iPad. However, you’ll need a Square POS app and external hardware to process payments. For Square system pricing, the Square POS app is free to use. However, you’ll need to purchase the external hardware devices offered by Square. Additionally, extra features and programs offered by Square POS come at an extra cost.

Most importantly, the Square POS system accepts different payment methods, including credit cards, gift cards, checks, and cash. Moreover, the system allows you to manage inventories, customer information, employee shifts, and run reports to grow your business. Also, the system offers 24/7 customer support by phone from Monday to Friday. You can also reach their support team through live chat.

Features

Pricing

For payment processing fees, Square charges 2.6% and 10 cents for physical transactions, 2.9% and 30 cents for online made transactions, and 3.5% and 15 cents for keyed-in transactions. Regarding monthly fees, Square system fees vary depending on the plan. The monthly fees range between $0 to $69, depending on your chosen plan. Last but not least, Square offers a variety of hardware options that you can select from. The prices of the Square hardware range between $0 to $1,479.

Hardware Options

The Square POS system offers a variety of hardware options that help process payments. They include:

• Square Register is a countertop payment processing system with a customer-facing display. The system accepts chip cards, contactless payments, and magstripe cards. Additionally, you can add a receipt printer and cash drawer to the system if you want.
• Square Terminal – This hand-held POS system is portable and has a receipt printer and built-in payments. Square Terminal can accept payments from chip cards, magstripe cards, and contactless payments.
• Square Stand – This iPad-based POS allows you to process payments. Like a Square Register, you can add a receipt printer and cash drawer if needed.
• Square Card Readers – Square offers a variety of card readers that you can use to process payments. They include a chip card reader, a magstripe card reader, and a contactless payment reader.

Similarities Between Clover and Square POS Systems

There are several similarities between Clover and Square POS systems. They include:

• Payment Methods

In regards to payment methods, both Square and Clover systems offer a variety of payment methods. They include cards, checks, NFC payments, and Magstripe payments.

• Ease of Use

When it comes to ease of use, both systems are excellent. Employees can handle several tasks efficiently, with minimal complications. Moreover, you can reach the systems customer support team if you encounter issues.

• Customer Support

Both Clover and Square systems offer customer support through phone, live chats, and email. Particularly, Clover system provides 24/7 customer support through phone and email, while Square offers Monday to Friday phone support and 24/7 automated chat support.

Differences Between Clover and Square POS Systems

While Square and Clover are the most popular payment service providers available on the market, several factors differentiate these POS systems. They include:

• Payment Processing

The key difference between Clover and Square is in the payment processing. The payments go directly into the merchant’s account issued by Clover or its partners for the Clover system. However, for the Square system, the payments go into their system, from where they are released to the merchants or business owners.

• Hardware Costs

Clover and Square POS systems differ in terms of hardware costs. Depending on your chosen hardware option, Clover hardware costs between $49 – $1,799. On the other hand, Square hardware costs between $0 – $1,479, depending on the hardware option selected.

• Payment Processing Fees

Clover and Square payment processing fees, also vary depending on your plan. For the Clover system, the transaction costs range between 2.3% to 2.6% and 10 cents for physical transactions and 3.5% and 10 cents for keyed-in transactions and those made online. On the other hand, Square transaction costs range between 2.6% and 10 cents for physical transactions, 2.9% and 30 cents for online-made transactions, and 3.5% and 15 cents for keyed-in transactions.

• Monthly Fees

Monthly fees between the two systems vary depending on your plan. Clover monthly fees range between $14.95 – $94.85, while Square monthly fees range between $0 – $69. However, it’s important to note that although Square offers a free POS and cheaper hardware, the advanced programs are not included in the plan. Therefore, you’ll have to pay extra costs, which can be more expensive than the Clover system. On the other hand, Clover’s hardware plans include advanced features.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, both Clover and Square POS systems offer payment processing solutions. However, Clover is the best POS system for small or midsize businesses. 

Moreover, the Clover system monthly plan is more affordable since it’s equipped with extra features that aid in the development of your business. Some other benefits of choosing the Clover system include fingerprint security, customer rewards programs, 24/7 customer support, and inventory management. Therefor, use this powerful tool: Clover, the best choice for your company.

Frequently Asked Questions