Shopify POS vs Square POS
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Best for: Existing Shopify merchants adding in-person sales to an online store, Omnichannel retailers who want online and physical-store operations in one back office
Read the full Shopify POS reviewBest for: New businesses and first-time sellers who want a working point of sale with no upfront software cost., Pop-up vendors, market stalls, and mobile sellers who need to accept payments on the spot with minimal setup.
Read the full Square POS reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Shopify POS vs Square POS: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Shopify POS if
- You want to test before buying with no listed trial barrier.
Choose Square POS if
- You want monthly, yearly, one-time, or usage-based billing.
Shopify POS vs Square POS: pros and cons
Shopify POS
Shopify POS shines at keeping online and in-person sales in one place. Stock, orders, and customer details update in real time, and it runs on phones or tablets you already own. It's less suited to restaurants or bars, and costs rise with higher plans and extra hardware. Overall, it's a strong pick if you already sell through Shopify.
Pros
- Deep native integration with Shopify ecommerce — products, inventory, orders, and customers live in one back office with no third-party connector required
- Scales from a $0/month entry point to multi-location retail on the same platform, so you don't outgrow the system
- Flexible hardware approach — runs on your own phone or tablet, or on the dedicated POS Go handheld with printers, scanners, and cash drawers added as needed
Cons
- Advanced retail capabilities such as deeper staff permissions and multi-location inventory tools are tied to higher-tier Shopify plans, so total cost rises as you grow
- Hardware is sold separately, and a full counter setup (reader, stand, printer, scanner, drawer) adds up quickly
- Regional availability matters — POS hardware and card-present payment support vary by country, and the best rates generally require using Shopify Payments
Square POS
Square POS bundles payments, inventory, and sales analytics in one system that's ready in minutes, and the free plan means you can start without spending a dime. It's built to grow with you, though card fees rise with sales and top tiers get pricey. Overall, it's a smart first pick for small and growing sellers.
Pros
- The core point of sale starts at $0/month, so new sellers face no upfront software cost.
- Setup takes minutes rather than weeks, making it practical for pop-ups and businesses that need to start selling immediately.
- Payments, inventory tracking, and sales analytics are unified in one platform instead of requiring separate tools.
Cons
- Card processing is usage-based, so per-transaction fees scale with sales volume and can become significant for high-volume sellers.
- Square's plan range is extremely wide — from $0 to $56,227/month — so businesses with complex needs need to budget carefully to avoid paying for capabilities they do not use.
- Hardware such as readers and registers typically involves one-time purchases on top of the software subscription.
Shopify POS and Square POS in detail
Shopify POS
Shopify POS is a complete point-of-sale platform combining software and hardware for processing in-person sales. The software runs as an app on iOS and Android devices or on Shopify's dedicated POS Go handheld, while the hardware lineup covers card readers, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and cash drawers. Because it is built by Shopify, the POS shares one product catalog, inventory, and customer database with a Shopify online store, which makes it a true omnichannel system rather than a standalone card reader.
Standout features
- Unified online and in-person commerce
- Flexible hardware for any counter
- Fast, customizable checkout
- Multi-location retail management
- Payments that keep working
Use cases
- Brick-and-mortar retail stores
- Pop-ups, markets, and events
- Omnichannel brands
- Multi-location chains
Square POS
Square POS is a point of sale platform that combines card readers, registers, and POS software in one system. It processes transactions, tracks inventory, and analyzes sales data from the same dashboard. The platform serves a wide range of business types, from a single-counter shop to multi-location and specialized operations, and Square sells both the software plans and the supporting hardware.
Standout features
- Accept Almost Any Payment Method
- Inventory Tracking
- Sales Analytics and Reporting
- Fast, Low-Friction Setup
- Built to Scale
Use cases
- New and Small Businesses
- Retail Shops
- Cafés, Food Stalls, and Pop-Ups
- Growing Multi-Location Businesses
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Shopify POS | Square POS |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | See vendor page | $10/mo Start running your business with Square |
| Free plan | Not stated | Yes |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | — | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | — | Free Cash or check plan, billed annually |
| Cost for 5 users | — | $10/mo Start running your business with Square plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 10 users | — | $10/mo Start running your business with Square plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 25 users | — | $10/mo Start running your business with Square plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | — | 7 |
| Prices checked | Vendor page checked Oct 15, 2026 | Checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
Not enough published prices to compare team costs: check each vendor's pricing page.
- Only Square POS has a free plan.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.