Point of Sale Systems · Tool Face-Off

Shopify POS vs Square for Retail

Quick answer

Square for Retail wins for small-to-mid brick-and-mortar shops wanting a free, capable POS. Shopify POS dominates if your business lives online first and retail is secondary.

Our pick

Shopify POS

The online-first POS that follows you to the store

4.1★

Square for Retail

Retail-ready POS that doesn't charge you to breathe

4.1★

Free Plan

No (requires Shopify subscription)

Yes — Square for Retail Free tier

Monthly Cost (POS software)

$5/mo (Starter) or bundled with Shopify plans from $39/mo

$0 Free / $89/mo Plus per location

Transaction Fees (card present)

2.4%–2.7% (lower on higher Shopify plans)

2.6% + $0.10 flat

Offline Mode

Yes — accepts payments offline

Inventory Locations

Up to 1,000 locations

Unlimited locations (Plus plan)

Built-in eCommerce

Yes — Shopify store fully synced

Basic (Square Online, limited depth)

Hardware Cost

Card reader from ~$49; full kit $400+

Free card reader; full kit from $299

Staff Management

Basic (advanced costs extra)

Timecards, permissions, reports included

Vendor / Purchase Orders

Via third-party apps

Built-in on Plus plan

App Ecosystem

8,000+ Shopify apps

~700 integrations via Square App Marketplace

Customer Loyalty Program

Via apps (e.g., Smile.io)

Built-in Square Loyalty (add-on fee)

Multi-currency Support

Yes — strong international support

Limited (mainly USD, CAD, AUD, GBP, JPY)

Shopify POS

Pricing★★★☆☆

Features★★★★☆

Ease of Use★★★★½

Integrations★★★★★

Hardware Options★★★½☆

Inventory Management★★★★☆

Omnichannel Capability★★★★★

Square for Retail

Pricing★★★★½

Features★★★★☆

Ease of Use★★★★★

Integrations★★★½☆

Hardware Options★★★★½

Inventory Management★★★★½

Omnichannel Capability★★★☆☆

Worth knowing

Shopify POS requires an active Shopify subscription — you can't use it as a standalone retail tool.
Square for Retail's free plan includes unlimited products, making it genuinely useful without paying a dime.
Shopify's omnichannel sync (online, in-store, social, markets) is unmatched — all inventory talks to each other.
Square offers a free magstripe card reader just for signing up, lowering the barrier to zero.
Shopify charges extra ($89/mo) for 'POS Pro' features like unlimited staff PINs and in-store analytics.

Square was originally invented so Jack Dorsey's friend could sell pottery at craft fairs — retail roots don't get more humble than that.

If you want

You already run (or plan to run) a Shopify online store

Inventory, orders, and customers sync seamlessly — switching tools would cost you more than the subscription.

→ Pick Shopify POS

If you want

You're a pure brick-and-mortar shop with no serious eCommerce ambitions

Square's free plan, free hardware offer, and built-in staff tools deliver more value out of the box.

→ Pick Square for Retail

If you want

You're scaling to multiple retail locations with complex inventory

Square for Retail Plus handles purchase orders, vendor management, and stock transfers natively.

→ Pick Square for Retail

If you want

You sell internationally or across many sales channels

Shopify's multi-currency, global markets, and massive app ecosystem leave Square in the dust here.

→ Pick Shopify POS

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