Retail POS Choose Shopify POS (4.0/5) if you want transparent, published pricing, real inventory software (counts, purchase orders, low-stock alerts on Pro), and the strongest ecommerce integration in this matchup — from $20/mo (annual) with POS Lite included.
Choose Clover (3.0/5) if hardware is your priority: polished devices you buy once (no rental), genuinely simple day-to-day operation, and an App Market that fills almost any gap. The catch: software fees, processing rates and contract terms are set by Fiserv resellers, so expect quote shopping — and core retail tools like purchase orders need paid apps.
The short version: Shopify wins omnichannel, inventory software, ecommerce and pricing transparency; Clover wins the hardware buy-once model, day-to-day simplicity and app-market breadth.
At a Glance
| Shopify POS | Clover | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.0 / 5 | 3.0 / 5 |
| Starting software cost | $27/mo monthly · $20/mo annual (official list) | $16/mo × 36 Starter bundle (official online) |
| Full retail tier | POS Pro $89/mo per location | Retail Growth $84.95/mo + $1,899 Station Duo (official online) |
| In-person processing | ~2.6–2.7% (Basic) to ~2.4% (Advanced) | 2.6% + 10¢ (Starter) / 2.3% + 10¢ (Retail Growth) — official online |
| Own processor allowed? | Yes (0.6–2% extra fee by plan) | Tied to Fiserv/reseller (~$25/mo outside-processor fee quoted) |
| Pricing transparency | Official published list prices | Official online list prices now published (36-month terms); reseller deals still vary |
| Inventory depth | Good — counts, POs, alerts on Pro | Basic — POs and cycle counts need paid apps |
| Ecommerce | Full Shopify store; best-in-class sync | Online store included in Retail Growth bundles; deeper ecommerce via apps |
| Hardware model | Buy; from $49 reader; BYOD tablet OK | Buy once; polished proprietary devices |
Clover figures are official online bundle prices read directly from clover.com/pricing/retail (2026-09-05); reseller channel quotes may still differ. Shopify in-person percentages are corroborated by two independent sources. All figures checked 2026-09-05.
Pricing & Transparency
Shopify publishes flat, official list prices: every plan includes POS Lite, and POS Pro is a per-location add-on.
| Shopify plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | POS included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $27/mo | $20/mo | POS Lite |
| Grow | $65/mo | $49/mo | POS Lite |
| Advanced | $399/mo | $299/mo | POS Lite |
| POS Pro add-on | $89/mo per location (Basic/Grow/Advanced) — “free for 3 months” promo seen on official page | ||
Clover pricing works differently — and this is the most important thing to understand about it. Clover is a Fiserv brand sold through clover.com, Fiserv and authorized resellers/ISOs, and your effective rate, contract length and hardware deal still depend on the channel. Official online bundles (verified 2026-09-05):
| Clover bundle | Price (official online) | What you get | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (Starter) | $16/mo × 36 or $349 | Compact terminal; payments and reporting only — no item management or inventory tracking | Official online |
| Standard (Retail Growth) | $84.95/mo + $1,899, or $180/mo × 36 | Station Duo register; items, inventory, returns, loyalty, online store | Official online |
| Advanced (Retail Growth) | $104.90/mo + $2,648, or $240/mo × 36 | Standard plus Flex handheld | Official online |
Winner: Shopify POS. Not because Shopify is always cheaper — Clover's Starter bundle undercuts it — but because Shopify's cost is knowable: official list prices, month-to-month or annual terms you choose, no reseller negotiation. Clover's online prices are now published too, but they come on 36-month subscription terms, and the Starter bundle lacks item management — real retail means $84.95/mo plus $1,899 hardware. Get any Clover deal in writing.
Payment Processing
Shopify Payments rates (US, by plan):
| Shopify plan | Online | In-person | Third-party gateway fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2.9% + 30¢ | ~2.6–2.7% | 2.0% |
| Grow | 2.7% + 30¢ | ~2.5% | 1.0% |
| Advanced | 2.5% + 30¢ | ~2.4% | 0.6% |
Clover processing runs through Fiserv/resellers: the official online rates (verified 2026-09-05) are 2.6% + 10¢ in person on Starter and 2.3% + 10¢ on Retail Growth, with 3.5% + 10¢ keyed-in — but reseller deals can still vary, and some use interchange-plus. Clover devices are generally provisioned to the reseller that activated them; using an outside processor is sometimes possible with a quoted ~$25/mo integration fee.
Winner: Shopify POS. Shopify lets you use Shopify Payments or bring your own processor for a published 0.6–2% fee, and its rates are checkable. Clover's rate is whatever your reseller says it is — and the hardware usually comes along for the ride. Compare at least two Clover quotes before signing anything.
Hardware
| Role | Shopify | Clover |
|---|---|---|
| Entry card reader | Tap & Chip $49 · WisePad 3 $49 | Clover Compact $349 (official) · Go ~$49–$99 (street) |
| Handheld all-in-one | POS Go $399 | Clover Flex ~$599–$749 (street; in $2,648 Advanced bundle) |
| Compact countertop | — | Clover Mini ~$799–$849 (street) |
| Two-screen register | — | Station Duo $1,899 (official; buy once) |
| Tablets supported | BYOD iPad or Android; Tap to Pay on phone | Proprietary Android-based devices |
Clover's hardware is the best-feeling in this matchup and you buy it outright — no rental. Compact and Station Duo prices above are official online prices (verified 2026-09-05); Go, Flex and Mini are third-party street quotes for devices outside the online bundles. Resellers also offer leases, which reviewers warn can cost several times the buy price over the term (one cited example: ~$150/mo × 48 months ≈ $7,200 versus ~$1,800 to buy). Shopify's approach is different: cheap readers, your own tablet, and standard peripherals.
Winner: Clover. If you want dedicated, polished devices you own outright — a Flex for the floor, a Station Duo at the counter — Clover earns its hardware subscore (4.5 vs 4.0). Shopify remains the cheaper entry ($49 + your tablet) if hardware budget is tight.
Inventory Management
| Capability | Shopify POS | Clover |
|---|---|---|
| Stock levels / variants | Synced per location; 100 variants per product | Variant-level tracking (limits not published) |
| Purchase orders / vendors | POS Pro | Not native — paid App Market apps |
| Inventory counts | POS Pro | Not native — apps for cycle counts/audits |
| Low-stock alerts | POS Pro | Supported natively |
| Barcode label printing | Supported | Supported; native extent not verified |
| Multi-location sync | Automatic; any-location returns on Pro | Limited sync reported; apps/higher tiers for automation |
Winner: Shopify POS. Shopify bundles counts, purchase orders and low-stock alerts into one $89/location add-on, synced with your online catalog. Clover's native inventory covers basics (with working low-stock alerts), but purchase orders, vendor management and structured cycle counts live in paid apps — real retail capability depends on app spend. For context on the deepest option in our lineup, see Lightspeed Retail.
Ecommerce & Omnichannel
Shopify is the home-turf favorite: one product and inventory pool for online and store with automatic sync, BOPIS, local delivery, ship-to-customer, emailed carts, endless aisle (Pro) and in-store returns of online purchases at any location on Pro. Clover's Retail Growth bundles include a branded online store (official feature matrix, 2026-09-05), but deeper ecommerce is app-marketplace-based: “sell online” tiles, a BigCommerce integration, and third-party Shopify/WooCommerce connectors — functional, but not a native omnichannel suite, and online-store fees quoted by third parties (~$49–$79/mo) couldn't be verified directly.
Winner: Shopify POS. Omnichannel subscore 5.0 vs 2.5. If online sales matter now or later, this is the least ambiguous dimension in the matchup.
Ease of Use
Both are easy, in different ways. Clover's register UI is consistently rated intuitive, staff training is fast, and its out-of-box hardware is polished — you ring sales with almost no configuration. Shopify is close behind: merchants commonly report staff training in about 30 minutes, and the checkout flow is fast and familiar (with the bonus of an admin your online team already knows).
Winner: Clover — narrowly. For pure day-to-day simplicity at the register, Clover's polished, purpose-built experience edges ahead. Shopify's ease extends further (apps, online admin) once you grow past the counter.
App Market & Add-Ons
Clover's official App Market is where the system's retail range lives: employee management, accounting & tax, loyalty, inventory and vertical-specific apps, with subscription fees shown per app and managed through “My Apps”. Typical app subscriptions run ~$10–$100+/mo, and full retail suites are quoted at $49–$229/mo — costs stack. Shopify's App Store is larger overall (8,000+ apps by most counts), but many of Clover's app categories cover retail edge cases — POs, cycle counts, loyalty — that Shopify handles natively in POS Pro.
Winner: Clover — narrowly. Its market's breadth is what makes Clover viable across so many verticals, and the apps are tightly integrated with its devices. Budget for them explicitly: on Clover, apps aren't optional extras — they're how core retail features exist.
Support
Shopify advertises 24/7 support on all plans via chat and email, with callback-style phone help and priority support on Plus. Clover-brand 24/7 support is advertised, but practical support quality is reseller-dependent — your merchant-services provider is often the first line — and reviews are mixed on response times.
Winner: Shopify POS. Consistent, vendor-direct 24/7 beats a channel where support quality varies with whoever sold you the system — reflected in support subscores of 4.0 vs 2.5.
Pros & Cons Recap
Shopify POS
Pros
- Official, transparent list pricing from $20/mo (annual)
- Real inventory software on Pro: counts, POs, alerts
- Best-in-class online + in-store sync, BOPIS, any-location returns
- Can keep your own payment processor (0.6–2% fee)
Cons
- POS Pro ($89/location) gates the serious retail tools
- Up to 2% extra fee without Shopify Payments
- 100-variant-per-product cap for deep matrices
- No card payments while offline
Clover
Pros
- Polished hardware you buy once — Flex, Mini, Station Duo
- Intuitive day-to-day operation; fast staff training
- Large App Market covers almost any gap
- Wide reseller availability; quotes can be competitive
Cons
- Reseller-dependent final rates and contracts — online list prices exist but on 36-month terms
- No native purchase orders or cycle counts — apps cost extra
- Processing tied to Fiserv/reseller; devices locked in
- 36-month terms and $500–$2,000+ termination fees reported
Which Is Cheaper?
Worked example for one store doing $30,000/month in card sales across roughly 1,500 transactions, all in person:
| Cost line | Shopify (Basic, monthly billing) | Clover Retail Growth (official) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software /mo | $27 | $84.95 | Clover official online; Starter runs $16/mo but lacks item management |
| Processing /mo | ~$780 (~2.6%) | ~$840 (2.3% + 10¢ × 1,500 txns) | Official Retail Growth rate; Starter is 2.6% + 10¢ (~$930) |
| Total /mo | ~$807 | ~$925 | |
| Year-one total | ~$9,684 | ~$11,100 | Excludes one-time hardware (see below) |
Assumptions: all sales card-present; Shopify Payments Basic at ~2.6% (lower end of the verified ~2.6–2.7% range); Clover at official Retail Growth pricing and its 2.3% + 10¢ rate; no paid apps on either side.
Two adjustments move this picture. First, hardware: Shopify starts at a $49 reader with your own tablet; Clover adds $349 (Compact, Starter) or $1,899 (Station Duo, Retail Growth) up front — pushing Clover's realistic year one toward ~$11,700 (Starter) to ~$13,000 (Retail Growth). Second, purchase orders or cycle counts on Clover mean another ~$10–$100+/mo in apps. On official prices, Shopify is cheaper in year one — and its number is the one you can verify before signing.
Final Decision
You sell online and in-store (or plan to), you want published pricing and real inventory software, and you'll add POS Pro ($89/mo per location) when staff roles, POs or cross-location returns become the bottleneck.
Visit Shopify POSYou want polished hardware you buy once, simple day-to-day operation and app-market flexibility — and you're comfortable shopping two or three reseller quotes and reading the contract before signing.
Visit CloverFAQ
Which is better overall, Shopify POS or Clover?
Shopify POS scores 4.0/5 in our methodology versus Clover's 3.0/5, driven by omnichannel, inventory software, processing flexibility, support and pricing transparency. Clover is still the right pick when buy-once hardware quality and register simplicity matter most.
Why can't you list exact Clover prices?
We can now — clover.com/pricing/retail publishes official online bundle prices (read directly on 2026-09-05): Starter $16/mo × 36 or $349, Retail Growth $84.95/mo with the $1,899 Station Duo, Advanced $104.90/mo with $2,648 of hardware. The catch: those are 36-month online-subscription terms, and Fiserv resellers may still quote differently — so treat even the official numbers as a starting point and get your deal in writing.
Does Clover have purchase orders and inventory counts?
Not natively. Clover handles items, variants and low-stock alerts out of the box, but purchase orders, vendor management and structured cycle counts come from paid App Market apps (typically ~$10–$100+/mo). Shopify includes all of those in POS Pro ($89/mo per location).
Can I keep my Clover hardware if I switch later?
No — Clover devices run a proprietary OS and are provisioned to the reseller that activated them, and Shopify requires its own approved payment devices. Expect to rebuy hardware on a switch; our buying guide covers the process.