Clover vs Shopify POS
An honest side-by-side comparison of two of our top pos systems picks — pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and who each one is really for.
Clover
Ranked #3 of 15 in this directory
Flexible POS with a marketplace of business apps
Shopify POS
Ranked #4 of 15 in this directory
Unified commerce for online and in-store selling
Our pick: Clover. Our editors rank Clover higher overall in POS Systems — but Shopify POS can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case below. How we review
Compare the details
| Clover | Shopify POS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | See website | See website |
| Category | Retail | Retail |
| Editorial rank | #3 of 15 | #4 of 15 |
Strengths
Clover
- ✓Robust app marketplace with hundreds of third-party integrations
- ✓Attractive, well-designed hardware lineup
- ✓Flexible enough for retail, restaurants, and service businesses
- ✓Built-in customer engagement and loyalty features
- ✓Strong offline mode for processing without internet
Shopify POS
- ✓Best-in-class omnichannel experience with seamless online-offline sync
- ✓Huge ecosystem of Shopify apps and themes
- ✓Intuitive interface that requires minimal staff training
- ✓Powerful inventory management across multiple locations
- ✓Built-in buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) workflows
Watch out for
Clover
- !Must purchase Clover-branded hardware which is proprietary
- !Pricing varies significantly between resellers and banks
- !Some third-party apps have additional monthly fees
- !Contract terms depend on the merchant services provider
Shopify POS
- !Requires an active Shopify subscription in addition to POS costs
- !POS Pro upgrade is an additional monthly fee per location
- !Hardware options are limited compared to dedicated POS providers
- !Best value comes only when paired with Shopify ecommerce
Best use cases
Clover
- →Retail boutiques wanting customizable POS with app integrations
- →Quick-service restaurants needing countertop and handheld devices
- →Service businesses requiring appointment scheduling alongside payments
Shopify POS
- →DTC brands expanding from online-only to physical retail
- →Multi-location retailers syncing inventory across stores and web
- →Pop-up shops needing quick deployment with full ecommerce integration
About each tool
Clover
Clover provides a versatile POS system backed by Fiserv with a curated app marketplace that lets merchants customize their setup. It offers a range of sleek hardware options from countertop stations to handheld devices. The platform supports retail, restaurant, and service businesses with built-in inventory, CRM, and employee tracking.
Shopify POS
Shopify POS seamlessly bridges ecommerce and physical retail by synchronizing inventory, customer data, and orders across all channels. It leverages the broader Shopify ecosystem so merchants can manage everything from a single admin. The POS Pro tier unlocks advanced features like staff permissions, in-store analytics, and local pickup workflows.
Still deciding? Browse all 15 options with honest pros, cons, and pricing.
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