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Shopify POS vs Square: a $29 plan at 10¢ a sale against a $0 plan at 15¢
Updated Oct 1, 2026
Square Free costs $0 a month and charges 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person card sale. Shopify POS Basic costs $29 a month paid yearly or $39 monthly and charges 2.6% + 10¢, with a full online store. The 5¢ saving per sale covers Shopify's $29 fee at 580 sales a month. Neither has a contract; Square gives the first swipe reader free, Shopify's reader is $49.
At a glance, by our score
- Top scoreLowest price
#1 Square POS
A $0-a-month plan at 2.6% + 15¢ in person, no contract, and a free first magstripe reader
8.9/10Very goodOur scoreVisit Square POSOn squareup.com #2 Shopify POS
Shops that also sell online: in-person sales on the $29-a-month Basic plan, cancel anytime
8.2/10Very goodOur scoreVisit Shopify POSOn shopify.com
Square POS's lowest monthly price is lower than Shopify POS's, checked Oct 9, 2026 and Sep 27, 2026.
Side by side
| Criterion | Shopify POS | Square POS |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.2/10Very goodOur score #2 of 8 | 8.9/10Very goodOur score #1 of 8 |
| Card rate (30%) | 9.3 / 10 | 8.2 / 10 |
| Monthly software fee (25%) | 7.1 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Contract (15%) | 10.0 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Cheapest card reader (15%) | 8.4 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Included on the entry plan (15%) | 6.0 / 10 | 6.0 / 10 |
| Price from | $39 / month | $0 / month |
| Best for | Shops that also sell online: in-person sales on the $29-a-month Basic plan, cancel anytime | A $0-a-month plan at 2.6% + 15¢ in person, no contract, and a free first magstripe reader |
| Visit | Visit Shopify POSOn shopify.com | Visit Square POSOn squareup.com |
Who should pick which
- Shopify POS: Shops that also sell online: in-person sales on the $29-a-month Basic plan, cancel anytime
- Square POS: A $0-a-month plan at 2.6% + 15¢ in person, no contract, and a free first magstripe reader
At a glance
| Shopify POS | Square POS | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Basic | Square Free |
| In-person card rate | 2.6% + 10¢ | 2.6% + 15¢ |
| Fee on a $30 card sale | about $0.88 | about $0.93 |
| Monthly software fee | $29 paid yearly, $39 monthly | $0 per location |
| Cheapest card reader | Tap & Chip $49 | first magstripe reader free; chip reader $59 |
| Contract | none; cancel anytime | none; cancel anytime |
| Inventory tracking | in POS Pro, $89 a month per location (pages conflict) | not on Free (from Square Plus, $49) |
| Online store or ordering | full-featured online store | online site and ordering page |
| Offline payments | yes, on compatible readers | yes, if the device reconnects within 24 hours |
| Customer directory or loyalty | simple customer profiles | customer directory; loyalty from Plus |
| Employee timecards | none built in | not on Free (from Plus) |
Entry plans from Shopify's pricing page and Square's pricing page, read Sep 27, 2026.
Price
Square Free is $0 a month per location. Shopify Basic is $29 a month paid yearly ($348 a year) or $39 monthly; new sign-ups get $1 a month for the first 3 months (POS pricing).
In person, both charge 2.6%, plus 10¢ on Shopify and 15¢ on Square: about $0.88 against $0.93 on a $30 sale. That 5¢ covers Shopify's $29 fee only at 580 sales a month, or 780 on monthly billing.
The other fees:
| Fee | Shopify Basic | Square Free |
|---|---|---|
| Online card payments | from 2.9% + 30¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ |
| Keyed-in cards | 3.5% + 10¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| Other | 2% extra with a third-party payment provider | 1.5% extra on cards issued outside the US |
Readers: Square's first magstripe reader is free and its chip reader $59 (hardware); Shopify's Tap & Chip is $49 (hardware store). Both take Tap to Pay on phones with no reader.
Where they differ
- Online store. Shopify lists a full-featured online store on every plan. Square Free includes an online site and ordering page.
- Inventory. Square's inventory tracking starts at Plus, $49 a month per location. Shopify's pages conflict: its POS pricing page puts inventory management in POS Pro, $89 a month per location, while the main table marks it Included on Basic. We use the worse reading.
- Staff. Square's timecards start at Plus. Shopify has no built-in time clock and points to Gusto and other apps (staff management).
- Support. Shopify Basic has 24/7 live chat. Square Free has chat and email, with phone support for the first 90 days only.
- Offline. Both take cards offline: Square's are declined unless the device reconnects within 24 hours; Shopify's need a compatible reader, and tap to pay on phones doesn't work offline (help centre).
Neither has a contract: Square says "Upgrade or cancel anytime" (POS page); Shopify says you can "simply cancel your account".
Who should pick which
Pick Shopify POS if you sell online as much as in person, want 24/7 chat, and sell enough in store for the lower per-sale fee to matter.
Pick Square if you mainly sell in person, want to start at $0 with a free reader, and would rather pay $49 for Plus than $89 for POS Pro when you need inventory.
See both in our POS ranking.