Clover vs Square
The difference is how you buy. Clover is sold by Clover itself and by thousands of banks, as a monthly plan with processing priced separately and terms that vary by provider. Square publishes one set of rates, has a free plan and states there are no locked-in contracts. Bank-led buyers take Clover; new businesses wanting speed and transparency take Square.
Hannah ReiterSenior Analyst, Business Applications
Niels Abrahamsen
Sebastiaan SmitsVendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose Clover ifyou want to buy the till through your own bank, like having a range of hardware and an app marketplace, and are prepared to negotiate the reseller's terms carefully.
Choose Square ifyou are opening a business and want free software, a cheap reader and no contract, with payroll, loyalty and online selling available later in the same account.
Clover and Square side by side
| Clover | Square | |
|---|---|---|
| Our point of sale rank | #9 of 12 | #6 of 12 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Per month by plan, quoted through resellers; payments extra | Free plan; Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location per month, published; processing per transaction |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | A business that wants to buy the till through its bank | A new business that wants to be selling tomorrow |
| Not for | A buyer who wants to compare rates properly | A high-volume retailer optimising card fees |
Both are reviewed in full in our point of sale ranking: Clover and Square.
Where they differ
Clover 0 · Square 2 · open 3- 01
Seeing the price before you sign
Square lists everything on one page: a free plan, Plus at $49 a month per location, Premium at $149, and in-person rates from 2.6% plus 15 cents down to 2.4% plus 15 cents. Clover shows plans by business type, but says its listed prices apply only on its own site, while contract terms and termination fees vary by the provider you buy from. Square is far easier to model.
Edge: Square
- 02
Hardware and switching
Clover states plainly that its devices cannot be used with other payment processors, and that a hardware subscription is non-cancelable and not refundable, though it can be paid off early or broken for an upgrade. Square says there are no locked-in contracts and you can cancel or switch plan at any time, with hardware starting at $59. Leaving Square costs far less.
Edge: Square
- 03
Getting started
Square's onboarding is fast: the free plan and a reader are enough to open a shop the next day. Clover is easy to buy in a different sense, because Citi, PNC, Wells Fargo and more than a thousand other financial institutions sell it, and a subscription needs no money down. If you value one banking relationship, Clover is convenient; if you value speed and independence, Square is.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Software for your trade
Both go beyond a general till. Clover sells separate plans for full-service dining, quick service, retail and three kinds of service business, with table mapping and bill splitting on the restaurant plans and returns, exchanges and scale integration on retail. Square's paid plans add features for food, retail and appointment businesses, including coursing and a kitchen display app. Neither is clearly ahead; compare the plan for your trade.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Getting your money
Square includes next-day transfers on every plan, the free one included. Clover's pricing tables list Rapid Deposit, which pays out within minutes of a card sale for a 1.75% fee, and Clover Capital, an advance repaid from card sales. A business that needs cash the same day has a priced option with Clover; one that is content with next-day settlement gets it at no extra charge with Square.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
A restaurant needs coursing, tip handling and a kitchen display rather than a general till, and in the US that points to Toast. A speciality retailer needing purchasing and proper stock control behind the till should consider Lightspeed Retail instead of either.
Clover or Square: questions
4 answersIs Clover or Square cheaper for a small business?
Square has a free plan with in-person processing at 2.6% plus 15 cents, and Plus costs $49 a month per location.
Clover charges a monthly software fee plus processing, with amounts that depend on business type and on which provider sells it, so get a full written quote and compare the annual total.
Can I keep my Clover or Square hardware if I change provider?
Not with Clover: it says its devices cannot be used with other payment processors, and at the end of a subscription you either buy or return the equipment.
Square sells its hardware outright or in instalments with no locked-in contract, but its readers are built for Square's own software and payments.
Why would a business choose Clover over Square?
Mainly to buy through its own bank, with a range of hardware, plans built per business type and an app market with hundreds of apps.
Some buyers also want to avoid Square's documented account freezes on unusual volume. The trade-off is provider terms that are hard to compare and hardware tied to the processor.
Can I cancel a Clover subscription?
Clover says subscriptions are non-cancelable and not refundable, although they can be paid off at any time or replaced in an upgrade.
If you do nothing at the end of the term, it continues month to month at the same charge. Square states that you can cancel or switch plans at any time.
Sources
Checked 30 September 2026- Square pricing page (US): Square plan prices, processing rates, no locked-in contracts, next-day transfers, hardware from $59.
- Clover pricing page and FAQ: Clover FAQ: devices tied to Clover processing, non-cancelable subscriptions, bank partners, terms varying by provider, app market.
- Clover full-service restaurant pricing: Clover restaurant plan features and the 1.75% Rapid Deposit fee.
- Clover retail pricing: Clover retail plan features.
- Square for Restaurants page: Square coursing and kitchen display features.