Retail POS Retailers usually start shopping for a Square alternative for one of four reasons: Square processing is mandatory (no rate negotiation, ever), core retail tools are gated (inventory tracking, purchase orders and barcode labels need the $49 Plus plan; PO import and transfer orders need $149 Premium), per-location fees multiply across multiple stores, or the flat rate stops being cheap at volume — at $30k/month, the 15¢-per-transaction fee alone is ~$90/month. Square's plan structure, prices and rates below were re-checked against its official pages and independent sources on 2026-08-13.
Shopify POS is the best Square alternative overall: it scores higher in our methodology (4.0 vs 3.8), lets you choose your own processor, and its omnichannel engine is the best we review. Entry runs $20/mo annual billing, with POS Pro at $89/mo per location.
Lightspeed Retail is the upgrade for inventory-heavy and multi-location stores that hit Square's ceiling: POs, receiving, transfers and serials in one system, from ~$89/mo on annual billing.
Clover is the alternative when you want to own your hardware outright and negotiate pricing through resellers. And a fair caveat: if you run one small, mostly in-person store, Square's $0 plan may still be your best option.
Quick Picks
Shopify POS
Processor choice, best-in-class online + in-store sync, and deeper retail tools on POS Pro. The natural upgrade path from Square.
Jump to breakdown ↓Lightspeed Retail
When Square's Plus/Premium inventory gates aren't deep enough: receiving, transfers, serials and work orders built in.
Jump to breakdown ↓Clover
Own the register, negotiate the rate. Official online bundles from $16/mo (36-mo terms) and a big app market — reseller pricing varies.
Jump to breakdown ↓Keep Square if…
One or two smaller stores, mostly in-person sales, modest catalog — the $0 plan plus flat-rate simplicity is hard to beat at that scale.
Re-read our Square review →Alternatives at a Glance
| Square (today) | Shopify POS | Lightspeed Retail | Clover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our score | 3.8 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.0 / 5 |
| Starting software cost | $0/mo | $20/mo (annual) | ~$89/mo (annual)* | $16/mo Starter (official online)* |
| Advanced retail tier | Plus $49 / Premium $149 per location | POS Pro $89/mo per location | Core $149 / Plus $289* | Retail Growth $84.95/mo (official online)* |
| In-person processing | 2.6% + 15¢ (Free) to 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium) | ~2.4–2.7% (Shopify Payments) | 2.6% + 10¢ | 2.6% / 2.3% + 10¢ (official)* |
| Own processor allowed? | No — Square required | Yes (0.6–2% fee by plan) | Core plan and up | Limited (reseller-set) |
| Inventory depth | Basic (Plus/Premium-gated) | Good (Pro-gated) | Best-in-class | Basic (paid apps for POs) |
| Omnichannel | Good (Square Online included) | Best-in-class | Fair (eCom in transition) | Fair (app-based) |
| Free trial | 30 days on paid plans | 3 days + $1/mo × 3 months | Demo / trial (verify) | Varies by reseller |
Square figures re-verified against its official pricing pages 2026-09-05 (Free / Plus $49 / Premium $149 per location). Shopify's official page does not publish in-person percentages — the ~2.4–2.7% range is corroborated by two independent sources. Lightspeed and Clover figures are official (verified 2026-09-05); Clover reseller quotes may differ.
The Alternatives, Ranked
1. Shopify POS — Best Overall Alternative
4.0/5
Shopify POS is what most growing Square retailers upgrade to. Every Shopify plan includes POS Lite (entry: $20/mo annual billing, $27 monthly), and the POS Pro add-on ($89/mo per location) bundles the tools Square spreads across Plus and Premium: unlimited staff roles, inventory counts, purchase orders, low-stock alerts, cross-location returns and professional reports — all synced with a best-in-class online store.
What you gain leaving Square: processor choice (use Shopify Payments or bring your own for a 0.6–2% plan-based fee), real omnichannel (BOPIS, endless aisle, any-location returns on Pro), 24/7 support on every plan, and an app ecosystem that dwarfs Square's. What you give up: the $0 floor — Shopify costs $20–27/mo minimum — and its card payments don't work offline. If your sales are 100% in person and volume-light, the math may still favor Square.
Pros
- Best-in-class online + in-store sync
- Choose your own processor (0.6–2% fee)
- Deeper retail tools in one $89/location add-on
- 24/7 support on all plans
Cons
- No $0 plan — from $20/mo annual billing
- POS Pro gates the serious retail tools
- No card payments while offline
- 100-variant-per-product cap
Switch to Shopify POS if: you sell online and in-store (or plan to), you want to shop processing rates, or you're opening more locations. Read the full Shopify POS review, see Shopify POS vs Square head-to-head, or visit Shopify POS →
2. Lightspeed Retail — Best for Inventory-Heavy Retail
3.6/5
Lightspeed is where Square's inventory ceiling disappears. Where Square gates basic on-hand tracking behind Plus and PO import behind Premium, Lightspeed treats purchase orders, receiving, transfers, cycle counts, serialized items and work orders as core — on a catalog engine built for tens of thousands of SKUs. Its reporting is the strongest we review, and from the Core plan up you can also choose your own payment processor.
What you gain: the deepest retail inventory toolset on the market, multi-location and warehouse workflows, and analytics Square doesn't offer at any tier. What you give up: cost and simplicity. Lightspeed is officially $89 (Basic) / $149 (Core) / $289 (Plus) per month on annual billing (month-to-month Basic runs closer to ~$99–109), annual commitments are standard, its ecommerce story is in transition, and it's iPad-only.
Pros
- Deepest inventory: POs, receiving, transfers, serials
- Strong multi-location and warehouse tools
- Best reporting in this group
- Own processor allowed on Core and up
Cons
- Highest cost; annual billing typical (~$89–289/mo)
- Lightspeed Payments required on Basic
- eCom in transition — verify current state
- Steeper learning curve; iPad-only
Switch to Lightspeed if: receiving-heavy workflows, big variant catalogs or 3+ locations are why you're leaving Square. Read the full Lightspeed review, see Square vs Lightspeed, or visit Lightspeed →
3. Clover — Best Buy-Once Hardware
3.0/5
Clover replaces Square's subscription-plus-processed-everything model with something older-fashioned: buy the hardware once, negotiate the rest. The Flex handheld, Mini and Station Duo are the best-feeling devices in this group (street prices roughly $599–749, $799–849 and $1,799–1,899), the App Market covers loyalty, inventory and ecommerce gaps, and because Clover is distributed through Fiserv and independent resellers, your software fee and processing rate are negotiable.
What you gain: owned hardware, quote-based pricing you can shop around, and simple day-to-day operation. What you give up: flexibility. Clover now publishes official online bundles (Starter $16/mo, Retail Growth $84.95/mo plus $1,899 hardware, 36-month terms), but reseller quotes still vary, and retail fundamentals are thin — the Starter bundle has no item management, and purchase orders and cycle counts are paid apps. Get every number in writing before you sign.
Pros
- Excellent one-time-purchase hardware
- Intuitive day-to-day selling
- Large App Market for add-ons
- Reseller competition can sharpen quotes
Cons
- Reseller-dependent final rates; online bundles on 36-month terms
- No native purchase orders or cycle counts
- Processing tied to Fiserv/reseller
- Contract terms vary — read carefully
Switch to Clover if: you want to stop renting your stack, your catalog is simple, and you'll collect two or three reseller quotes before committing. Read the full Clover review, see Square vs Clover, or visit Clover →
What Switching From Square Actually Costs
Four line items to budget before you budget the new subscription:
- Hardware doesn't carry over. Square readers, Stands, Terminals and Registers are locked to Square. Expect $49–59 for an entry reader or $299–899 per full register on the replacement system.
- Data migrates — with effort. Square exports items, categories and customers as CSV; plan time to remap, re-verify barcodes and re-import. Inventory history doesn't move.
- Processing changes either way. You're leaving Square processing regardless; the question is what replaces it — Shopify Payments or your own processor on Shopify, Lightspeed Payments on Lightspeed Basic, or a Fiserv/reseller account with Clover.
- Square Online closes with the account. If you use Square's free web store, moving means rebuilding online too — Shopify is the strongest landing spot for that.
Which Alternative Is Cheapest at Real Volume?
Worked example for one store doing $30,000/month in card sales (≈600 transactions, ~$50 average ticket, all in person, no paid apps):
| System (entry retail setup) | Software /mo | Processing /mo | Total /mo | Year one |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Free (baseline) | $0 | ~$870 (2.6% + 15¢) | ~$870 | ~$10,440 |
| Square Plus | $49 | ~$840 (2.5% + 15¢) | ~$889 | ~$10,668 |
| Shopify Basic + POS Lite | $27 ($20 annual) | ~$780 (~2.6%) | ~$807 | ~$9,684 |
| Lightspeed Basic (annual billing) | $89 | ~$840 (~2.6% + 10¢) | ~$929 | ~$11,148 |
| Clover (Starter / Retail Growth) | $16 / $84.95* | 2.6% / 2.3% + 10¢* | $349 / $1,899 hardware | 36-mo online terms |
At this volume, Shopify Basic actually undercuts Square's free plan by roughly $750/year — the 15¢-per-transaction fee on 600 monthly sales outweighs a $27 subscription. The break-even sits around $5k/month in card sales: below that, Square Free usually stays cheapest; above it, compare Shopify Basic and, if you need Square-level inventory gates, Shopify + POS Pro (~$116/mo total on Basic) against Square Plus ($49/mo). Clover's true cost depends entirely on the reseller quote. Assumes all sales are card-present at each system's entry rate; get rates in writing before you sign.
FAQ
What is the best Square POS alternative overall?
Shopify POS. It's our highest-scoring system (4.0/5), adds processor choice and best-in-class omnichannel, and scales from $20/mo to multi-location POS Pro. Choose Lightspeed instead if inventory depth is why you're leaving Square, and Clover if owned hardware and negotiable pricing matter most.
Can I keep my Square reader or hardware?
No — Square's readers, Terminal, Stand and Register only work with Square. Budget $49–59 for an entry reader or $299–899 per full register on the new system. Tablets are the exception: Shopify POS and most systems run on your own iPad or Android tablet.
Which alternative is cheapest after Square?
Shopify POS Lite at $20/mo (annual billing) is the cheapest full-featured paid step up. Clover's official Starter bundle runs $16/mo but isn't real retail (no item management); its Retail Growth tier is $84.95/mo plus hardware, and Lightspeed starts around ~$89/mo on annual billing. Processing fees, not subscriptions, drive most of the real cost.
Can I negotiate processing rates with Square alternatives?
That's the main reason to switch. Shopify lets you use any processor (0.6–2% plan-based fee applies) or Shopify Payments; Lightspeed allows outside processors from the Core plan up; Clover rates are set by your Fiserv reseller and are quote-based. Square is the only one of the four that gives no choice at all.
How do I migrate my products and customers out of Square?
Export items, categories and customers as CSV from your Square dashboard, remap categories, import into the new system, verify barcodes, and retrain staff. Plan 2–6 weeks including one quiet day on the new system before fully cutting over. Our buying guide covers the sequence.