Shopify POS vs Clover POS (2023): Which is Best?

Should you Choose Shopify POS or Clover POS?

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The debate of Shopify POS vs Clover POS can be more complex than it seems.

Both of these tools have a lot of benefits to offer the average ecommerce seller. With both Clover and Shopify, you can sell products online and offline, manage payments from a multitude of different sources, track your inventory and so much more.

While Clover POS is most commonly associated with payment processing and merchant accounts, Shopify is more likely to be the solution you look at if you’re planning on expanding your sales from the online world into the offline arena.

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the capabilities of both Shopify and Clover POS, to help you make the right choice for your business.

Shopify POS vs Clover POS: An Introduction

Shopify POS and Clover POS are very similar in a lot of ways, but they do have some distinct differences worth noting if you’re just getting started as a growing merchant.

What is Clover POS?

Clover POS is a leading point-of-sale system specifically targeted at small and mid-sized businesses, though there are enterprise plans available, and specialist tools for different companies. Unlike Shopify, Clover can offer specific support for counter service, table service, and retail.

Clover operates in a slightly different way to some POS solutions, as it requires you to enter into a merchant account with the parent company Fiserv, or third-party.

Clover Point of Sale is intuitive and well-designed, with a lot of feature-rich ways to grow your business, but there are a lot of additional costs for integrations, and some limitations for third-party payment processing options.

What is Shopify POS?

Where Clover focuses mainly on getting companies up-and-running in the offline world, Shopify focuses on the digital landscape. Shopify POS is a part of the broader ecommerce packages available from Shopify. If you already have an online store with Shopify, it makes sense to build out into the offline world with this tool too.

Shopify’s POS solution is as easy to use and intuitive as the Shopify store building applications. Payment processing options are varied, and you can access thousands of integrations with leading tools to extend the functionality of your store.

Shopify POS vs Clover POS: Software Features

When buying a point of sale solution, there are two main areas you’ll need to focus on: the software and the hardware. The software refers to the functionality you get to manage payments, inventory, and even online store integrations, while the hardware is what you can use to manage transactions in-person. Let’s start by looking at Clover’s software.

Shopify POS Features

shopify pos homepage - shopify pos vs clover pos

Shopify POS is intended for absolute ease-of-use and convenience. If you’re already familiar with Shopify as an ecommerce solution, you’ll know how convenient the technology can be. The POS software follows the same approach, providing a convenient block format to show you everything you need in a modular environment.

The backend office is also extremely easy to navigate, with no shortage of tools for tracking your employees and your customers. You can access a host of CRM-style features, build customer profiles, and segment people based on their purchasing potential.

Shopify makes it easy to track stock levels across each channel, print barcodes, and integrate with a range of other selling tools. The add-ons and integrations of Shopify are actually one of its most compelling features, with 2000 ecommerce apps to choose from.

While Shopify is excellent for offline selling, it really shines with online store building. While you can sell online with Clover, you get a much more comprehensive way to build a customized online store and market your solutions with Shopify.

Some of the features available from Shopify include:

  • Support for transactions in more than 175 countries worldwide, with shipping partners.
  • Wide range of payment tools including in-built Shopify Payments.
  • Various loyalty programs, gift cards, and coupons for improving loyalty.
  • Extensive environment for tracking customer profiles and insights.
  • Employee management, tracking, and payroll features.
  • Integrations with thousands of different ecommerce, marketing, and accounting tools.
  • Built-in tools for email marketing, social media, and other forms of promotion.
  • In-depth inventory tracking across a range of online and offline channels.
  • Very impressive store-building technology.

Try Shopify with $1 per month for the first 3 months!

Shopify has begun offering a special deal for sellers who sign up for a new Shopify plan. That deal? Pay Shopify $1/month for 3 months of full access to the platform! Learn more about the trial here.

This offer is is now available on all standard plans: Starter, Basic, Shopify, and Advanced.

Clover POS Features

clover pos homepage - shopify pos vs clover pos

Clover POS promises an easy-to-use backend environment where you can manage your store for both online and offline sales. You’ll be able to accept payments anywhere, whether you’re in your own store, or at a location with a client.

The dashboard for registers follows a simple and conventional design, and there are specific tools to help you run certain kinds of stores. For instance, you can create menus, manage tables, and more if you’re running a food service business. There’s also a back-office dashboard for all of the support you need for reporting, customer detail tracking, and inventory management.

Like Shopify, Clover allows for selling both online and offline. You can integrate with popular food delivery companies, send invoices directly to customers, and create your own online store. There’s also an extensive back-end environment with reporting and sales tracking.

While Clover does have a bit of a learning curve to it because of all the features you can explore, it’s relatively easy to pick up for most business leaders.

Some of the most significant software features of Clover include:

  • Multiple payment options with payment protection already built-in.
  • Cashflow tracking and insights into your operations via back-end analytics
  • Inventory management and employee tracking in the same convenient environment.
  • Employee management with scheduling, payroll, and performance tracking
  • Ecommerce options to build your own site and send online invoices
  • Integrations with a huge selection of leading tools for accounting and customer management.
  • Loyalty and gift card options for improving average order value.
  • Various security and privacy tools implemented for compliance and peace of mind.

Shopify POS vs Clover POS: Hardware Solutions

Once you’ve evaluated your software options, the next step is choosing the correct hardware. Your hardware choices are what ensure you can take payments offline quickly and easily through tools like Shopify and Clover POS.

Both solutions have a handful of options to choose from. Clover, for instance, supports quick and easy mobile payments with the “Clover Go” system, which allows for rapid payments on the move using a handheld miniature reader. Go only costs $49, making it ideal for the budget-conscious.

There are also more comprehensive packages available from Clover, like the Station Solo with it’s 14-inch display for $1349 or Station Duo for $1649 with front-facing POS. There’s also Clover Flex for $499 to enable more portable, mobile payments and Clover Mini for $749, with everything you need in a compact package, including a credit card reader and monitor for tracking.

clover pos hardware - shopify pos vs clover pos

You can build comprehensive packages or access simple hardware with Shopify, depending on your needs. For instance, if you want something small, similar to the Clover Go, the WisePad 3 Reader allows you to accept payments securely with chip inset or taps.

There’s the Shopify Retail bundle for accepting chip and tap payments as an all-in-one system, as well as hardware accessories for building out your POS with a selection of barcode scanners, cash drawers and printers. Prices vary based on the functionality you need.

shopify pos hardware homepage

Shopify POS vs Clover POS: Performance and Analytics

Shopify POS and Clover POS are excellent tools for running an all-in-one online and offline store experience. Each tool comes with a host of services to make your life easier, including exceptional inventory and purchase tracking tools.

Shopify will allow you to track your sales online conveniently and quickly and offline, with an all-in-one ecosystem for both desktop and mobile. All of your transactions from your physical and online stores are synced, so it’s easy to keep track of everything. The same all-in-one tracking applies with Clover too, which also allows you to take payments when offline.

Clover and Shopify also come with a wide variety of integration options, so you can link your POS to other essential tools and software systems, although you may find the Shopify app store is a little more comprehensive than what you can get from Clover.

Additionally, both Shopify and Clover will offer access to tools to assist you if you need any extra help with your point of sale. For instance, you can get dedicated customer support from Shopify’s comprehensive service team, and there’s access to a comprehensive knowledgebase.

Clover isn’t always quite as responsive as Shopify for service, but the company still works hard to ensure you get the guidance you need, and there’s access to a range of resources online which can help you to solve issues yourself too.

Shopify POS vs Clover POS: Pricing

Pricing might not be the only thing you need to consider when choosing a POS solution, but it’s definitely a concept worth discussing. Clover’s POS pricing will depend on a number of factors, including who you buy your products from, and what kind of devices or hardware you need to access alongside the available software.

The best way to make sure you’re getting the right pricing is to contact the team and get a quote for all your solutions. Pricing starts at:

  • Payments Plus: $4.95 per month
  • Register Lite: $9.95 per month
  • Register: $39.95 per month
  • Counter service: $39.95 per month
  • Table service: $69.95 per month

There are also various processing fees to consider, starting with Transaction fees at 3.5%, plus 10 cents for keyed payments. This can make Clover quite expensive compared to Shopify transaction fees which start at around 2.9% plus 30 cents if a purchase is made online.

Shopify has its own expenses to think about, particularly since you need to sign up for a Shopify plan before you can start taking payments online and offline. The Lite package is available from Shopify to keep costs low, but it will only allow you to add Shopify functionality to an existing site or payment buttons to social media, rather than ensuring you can build your own website.

Other options include:

  • Basic Shopify: $39 per month with unlimited products, multiple sales channels, and transaction fees starting at 1.7% plus 0 cents.
  • Shopify: $105 per month for all the features of Basic, plus standard reports, local payment methods, 5 inventory locations and transaction fees starting at 1.6% plus 0 cents.
  • Advanced Shopify: $399 per month for all the features of Shopify, plus third-party shipping rates, ecommerce automations, and advanced reports. You get 15 staff accounts and 8 locations, plus transaction fees starting at 1.5% plus 0 cents.

While POS Lite comes with all packages, you’ll need to pay an extra $89 per month to get POS Pro with advanced workflows, inventory management tools, and staff permissions. Of course, there’s also the additional costs of any hardware options you want to add in from both solutions to consider too. Hardware may need to be purchased for multiple POS locations, and with special accessories.

Shopify POS vs Clover POS: Which is Best

Both Shopify and Clover have a lot to offer in terms of POS functionality. Both allow you to sell online and offline, and access a range of integrations, helpful sales tools and more.

Clover is an impressive all-in-one solution ideal for companies who want extensive analytics, streamlined functionality, and a large app library. This tool is great for convenient and reliable offline sales, if you’re focused mostly on in-person transactions.

Shopify POS is more likely to be the choice for you if you’re looking for an ecommerce solution which allows you to sell offline too. Shopify’s ecommerce tools are far more advanced than Clover’s, and they’re ideal for companies looking to scale across multiple locations.

Either way, you should get a reliable and easy-to-use environment from both Shopify and Clover.

Rebekah Carter

Rebekah Carter is an experienced content creator, news reporter, and blogger specializing in marketing, business development, and technology. Her expertise covers everything from artificial intelligence to email marketing software and extended reality devices. When she’s not writing, Rebekah spends most of her time reading, exploring the great outdoors, and gaming.

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