Shopify POS vs Square
Two retail POS giants: e-commerce powerhouse vs payment pioneer.
If you sell both online and in person, Shopify POS and Square POS are the two platforms you'll hear about most. Shopify's POS is an extension of its industry-leading e-commerce platform, while Square built its POS first and added online selling later. Where your sales volume is concentrated -- online or in-store -- determines which platform gives you the better deal.
Shopify POS
Sell anywhere your customers are
Advantages
- Seamless integration with Shopify's best-in-class e-commerce platform
- Unified inventory management across online and physical stores
- Extensive theme and app ecosystem for online store customization
- Omnichannel features like buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS)
- Shopify Payments offers competitive processing rates
Drawbacks
- Requires a Shopify subscription ($39+/mo) to use POS at all
- POS Pro features cost an additional $89/mo per location
- In-store-only businesses pay for e-commerce features they don't use
- Hardware selection is more limited than Square's
Square POS
Start selling today
Advantages
- Free POS software with no monthly fees on the base plan
- Get started in minutes with a free card reader
- No contracts or long-term commitments
- Extensive hardware lineup from readers to full registers
- Strong ecosystem including payroll, banking, and marketing
Drawbacks
- E-commerce capabilities are less powerful than Shopify's
- Processing rates are flat and non-negotiable on most plans
- Advanced inventory features require Square for Retail Plus ($60/mo)
- Online store customization is more limited than Shopify's
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Shopify POS | Square POS |
|---|---|---|
| Software Pricing | $39/mo (Basic Shopify) + POS Pro $89/mo per location | $0/mo (Free) or $60/mo (Retail Plus) |
| Processing Rate | 2.6% + $0.10 in-person (Basic); lower on higher plans | 2.6% + $0.10 in-person; 2.9% + $0.30 online |
| E-Commerce Platform | Industry-leading online store platform | Square Online included; functional but basic |
| Inventory Management | Unified across all sales channels | Good on Plus; basic on Free plan |
| Hardware Options | Shopify POS Go, iPad-based, card readers | Square Reader, Stand, Terminal, Register -- extensive lineup |
| Omnichannel Features | BOPIS, ship-from-store, exchanges across channels | BOPIS available; less refined than Shopify |
| App Ecosystem | 8,000+ Shopify apps | 300+ Square App Marketplace |
| Reporting | Comprehensive -- sales, inventory, customer, marketing | Sales, inventory, team analytics |
Too Close to Call
Shopify POS wins for omnichannel retailers with strong online sales; Square wins for in-store-first businesses wanting low startup costs and no monthly fees.
If more than 30% of your revenue comes from online sales, Shopify POS is the clear choice -- its e-commerce platform is in a different league, and the unified inventory management across channels is seamless. But if you're primarily a brick-and-mortar shop that might sell online occasionally, Square's free POS and zero-commitment approach is hard to beat. You can literally start accepting payments today with a free Square Reader and no monthly fee. The math shifts at scale: high-volume retailers benefit from Shopify's lower processing rates on higher plans, while low-volume shops save more with Square's no-fee model.