Shopify vs. Square

Scale without limits, offer unified shopping, and get the platform obsessed with commerce innovation. Just a few reasons the world's fastest-growing brands choose Shopify POS vs. Square.

At the checkout counter, a customer pays for an item using Shopify’s POS Terminal. A sales associate hands the purchase to the customer.

Join ambitious brands making the switch

  • Bon Bon Bon logo
  • BKLYN Larder logo
  • Petit Clair logo
  • Salt Boutique logo
  • Fuze Jewelry logo
  • Kane Brewing logo
  • Offbeat Bikes logo

Why choose Shopify

  1. 1
    Scalability without limits

    Get the best commerce platform that grows with your retail ambitions.

  2. 2
    Unified commerce

    Blur lines between online and in person to offer standout shopping experiences.

  3. 3
    Unmatched innovation

    Access new features before competitors and stay on the cutting edge of commerce.

  4. 4
    Infinite extensibility

    Adapt your tech stack to meet evolving business needs with flexible customization tools.

Scalability without limits

Stress-tested for growth at scale

Get enterprise-grade point of sale software and hardware to run your retail stores, all backed by the world’s most powerful ecommerce platform.

10%
of all ecommerce in the United States is powered by Shopify1

50%
as much as 50% conversion lift with Shop Pay, compared to guest checkout2

1 Commerce Components: The modern composable stack for enterprise retail

2 Based on an external study completed with a Big Three global management consulting firm in April 2023.

Made for the world’s fastest-growing brands

Manage complex product catalogs

Add unlimited SKUs and up to 2,000 variants per product with no impact to site performance.

Go global without multiple accounts

Switch to Shopify and use a single account to manage up to 1,000 locations.

Sell confidently without downtime

Conquer peak periods with POS Go and Countertop Kit. Process 10K+ checkouts per minute with 99.9% uptime.

 With Shopify, our physical and online stores now communicate seamlessly, which makes our lives a lot easier as we scale. We’re spending less time fixing website issues and more time focused on growth. The results we’re seeing are really exciting. 

Salt Boutique

Jennifer Devlin — Owner

Unified commerce

The truly, completely, all-in-one platform

Shopify POS is the only solution that allows you to streamline operations from one place and offer exceptional customer experiences that convert. This is omnichannel selling at its best.

30%
YoY revenue growth for brands using Shopify to sell in person and online3

88%
of Square replatformers agree Shopify better unifies in-store and online selling4

3 Shopify Plus: Retail and Point of Sale

4 Based on an online survey of 1,000 Shopify POS customers. (November, 2023)

Flexible fulfillment, no matter your sales channel

Show realtime product availability

Instead of overselling, display accurate product availability online, whether it's on-hand at a store location or warehouse.

Offer flexible fulfillment options

Give customers control over how and where they buy with in-store pickup that works across multiple retail locations.

Use endless aisle to close more sales

Offer shoppers the ability to purchase out-of-stock items from other locations. Close the sale and fulfill orders from where inventory lives.

Simplify returns and exchanges

Complete returns and exchanges for online orders in store right from Shopify POS to save time for your staff and customers.

 Shopify makes the experience I want to offer customers possible, without burdening me with more admin work. It was easy to migrate, easy to learn, and makes running my business more straightforward than it used to be. 

Offbeat Bikes

Mandalyn Renicker — Owner

Unmatched innovation

Dedicated to the future of commerce

From infrastructure to cutting edge features, Shopify is the only platform innovating at the speed of commerce so you're always ahead of the competition.

A collection of labels showcasing recent product launches: Email capture at checkout, POS UI extensions, Ship to customer, Pick up in store, Inventory states, Shop Pay Instalments for Retail.

4.5K+
Shopify engineers committed to building the best commerce tools and features

$1.7B
invested in research and development alone at Shopify in 2023

Shopify lives, breathes, and invests in commerce

Proven commerce experts

There’s no split mission: we’re built for commerce, not hospitality. Shopify strives to make commerce better for everyone.

Stay competitive

Get the unfair industry advantage with our team of engineers building 200+ product enhancements yearly to help you sell more.

 We evaluated some of the old-school guys, knowing we’d get the traditional POS that can handle some complexity right out of the box. But we would’ve sacrificed a ton of innovation if we hadn’t stayed with Shopify POS. 

Allbirds

Travis Boyce — Head of Global Retail Operations

Infinite extensibility

Commerce solutions made for every business

Shopify understands no business is the same. With headless commerce, the Shopify App Store, and robust APIs, you can build your business any way you want.

A collection of app icons. In the middle is the Shopify POS logo; around the logo are icons for popular apps: EasyTeam POS Staff Management, Stocky, Marsello, Endear CRM and Clienteling, Wishlist Plus, Dor, ShopFields: POS Custom Fields, Barcodify: Customer Selector, and Zapiet: Pickup and Delivery.

8K+
apps for commerce, the biggest app ecosystem in the industry

10K+
Shopify Partners supporting brands across the globe, from store builds to marketing strategy

Get the flexible platform that grows with your brand

Build your online brand your way

Choose from 100+ website themes and customize without limits to match the look and feel of your brand.

Integrate your tech stack

Install powerful business apps made for Shopify, extend your store’s functionality with dedicated APIs, and more.

Save time with custom workflows

Design a custom workflow to automate tasks without knowing code or build a bespoke solution with POS UI Extensions to extend functionality natively.

 Shopify’s customizability has been so valuable. We have a beautiful website whose product collections are easy to navigate, and I can use metafields to show important product information to staff and customers. 

Offbeat Bikes

Mandalyn Renicker — Owner

Featured Apps

Essential apps for when you make the switch

Smile.io

Smile.io

Power brand loyalty, boost repeat sales, and engage buyers with rewards, VIP programs, and referral incentives.

Shopify Bundles

Shopify Bundles

Increase average order values, give customers discounts, and move inventory at volume with custom product bundles.

Easy Team POS Staff Management

Easy Team POS Staff Management

Streamline staff management, from scheduling and payroll to sales performance, all from Shopify POS.

Appointment Booking Appointo

Appointment Booking Appointo

Let buyers book a service or event offered online or in person. Send automated emails and SMS reminders.

Migration Partners

Make the move to Shopify

Skip the hassle and migrate with minimal downtime. Get the support your business needs from a certified partner that specializes in migrating from Square to Shopify.

Icee Social logo

Icee Social

Experts focused on web development, ecommerce strategy, and consulting.

Maxburst logo: Web design, development, marketing

Maxburst

Web development and digital marketing agency specializing in B2B and DTC.

Sunrise Integration logo

Sunrise Integration

Partner focused on store migration, custom builds, and full site redesigns.

Resources

Case Study

BKLYN Larder

Learn how switching to Shopify helped BKLYN Larder sell more and build meaningful connections with customers.

Case Study

Offbeat Bikes

Switching from Square to Shopify POS helped this Chicago brand streamline inventory management and invoicing.

Frequently asked questions

Shopify VS. Square

Switch to the only platform obsessed with commerce

Discover why the world’s fastest-growing brands choose Shopify to unify their in-store and online commerce experience.