Shopify vs Square

Shopify vs Square 2024 - Which is the Best Payment Processing Solution?

Choose Shopify for an intuitive and powerful solution for running your business in-store and online. With transparent pricing and robust features, it’s the partner you need to grow your business.

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Compare Shopify POS vs Square

Deciding between Shopify or Square? Explore key features from Shopify that support your retail business.

Key features

Square for Retail

Shopify POS Pro

Pickup availability No Yes
Local pickup Yes Yes
Local delivery Yes Yes
Integrated first-party hardware and payments Yes Yes
First-party hardware warranty 1-year 2-year
Fully customizable POS interface No Yes
Unified in-store and online inventory Yes Yes
Cross-location returns Yes Yes
Loyalty program integrations With a monthly add-on Yes
Product reviews On paid annual online plans Yes
Custom domains On paid annual online plans Yes
Online marketplace selling No Yes
Shipping tools and discounts On paid annual online plans Yes
International selling (currencies, languages, and domains) No Yes
Back-office mobile app No Yes
24/7 support No 24/7 in English
In person payment rates (per transaction) Starting from 2.5% + 10¢ Starting from 2.4% + 0¢ USD
Payment hardware starting from $49 $49

Based on features available in the US as of June 2021

7 Things You Get on Shopify vs Square

Pickup availability

Shopify makes it easy for online shoppers to view what’s in-stock at your store on individual product pages. On Square, buyers don’t know what’s available for pickup until checkout, leading to frustrated customers and abandoned carts.

Fully customizable POS

You can tailor the Shopify POS interface to your business. Speed up checkout by keeping your best sellers, discounts, or common tasks front and center. Square’s interface can’t be changed, forcing you to adapt to their workflows.

Back office mobile app

Monitor and manage your business on the sales floor or on the go with Shopify’s mobile app. Get notifications, check sales, chat with customers, and more right from your phone. Square’s dashboard is only accessible from a browser.

In-depth reporting and analytics

Square’s basic reports cover sales, products, and payments. But deeper insights can help you identify trends and opportunities. From marketing performance to inventory grading, Shopify’s reports help you make informed decisions faster.

Over 100 website templates

Shopify’s large selection of commerce-ready themes, let you design your website to match your retail store—no coding required. Square’s simple template isn’t as customizable, making it difficult to bring your brand to life online.

Online marketplace selling

Using Shopify to sell on Google Shopping, Amazon, and more can be a great way to tap into new audiences and gain new customers. This opportunity doesn’t exist on Square because you can’t integrate with these popular channels.

International selling

Expand your reach around the world with Shopify’s ecommerce tools for global selling. Square’s websites can’t support multiple currencies, domains, or languages like Shopify can, meaning products can only be sold in your local currency.

Why Businesses Choose Shopify Over Square

You can start selling with no surprises

If you’re comparing Shopify vs Square pricing, Square does offer free plans but businesses soon find that features like staff permissions and custom domains are all locked behind annual paid plans or monthly add-ons. Shopify’s transparent pricing includes everything you need to run your business in-store and online, with the ability to upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time.

You get a solution that’s ready to scale with you

Square’s platform is easy to use, but a scaling business can quickly outgrow Square’s simple features. Shopify is designed to balance ease-of-use with robust functionality for inventory, payments, orders, and more. That means you can start selling simply and know that Shopify’s solution can level up with you as your business grows, from new retail locations to new international markets.

You can sell everywhere

On Square, you can sell in-store, from your website, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. On Shopify, you’re covered for all of the above plus over 10 more sales channels, from Google Shopping and Amazon to Groupon and TikTok. Not only is it easy to explore new opportunities, you can also keep inventory in sync, consolidate online orders, and capture info from new customers because it’s all managed in Shopify.

You can do more with your inventory data

Square’s reports give you a good overview of your product performance, but having the tools to analyze and take action can be a game changer for your business. Shopify’s smart inventory features analyze your data to serve you timely recommendations like: when to reorder your best sellers based on vendor lead times or when to discount low-performing stock to free up cash flow.

You get powerful ecommerce features

Having the right ecommerce features can turn your website into a powerful tool for growing your entire business, in-store and online. Square helps you unify inventory and offer local pickup, but Shopify’s tools can help you do that and more. Whether it’s driving online traffic to your retail stores, testing international markets, or starting to sell wholesale, Shopify can support your goals for growth—whatever they are.

You get 24/7 support

Shopify support is available 24/7, no matter which plan you’re on. You’ll also have access to help docs, webinars, blog posts, and online courses to guide you along the way. Square has limited hours of service, leaving you to navigate help documents or chatbots when you just need answers.

Learn More About Shopify

Compare Shopify POS

See how Shopify POS compares to other popular point-of-sale systems.

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Discover Shopify POS

Learn why Shopify’s powerful solution is the advantage your business needs.

Learn more about Shopify POS 

Read the Retail Blog

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FAQs

Shopify POS vs Square: which is better?

Shopify provides independent retailers with a complete solution for running their business and taking payments both in-store and online. An intuitive POS, powerful ecommerce features, and transparent pricing plans make Shopify a great fit for all businesses, whether they’re starting or scaling. Square is easy to use and offers free plans but unexpected add-ons and simple features can make it difficult to manage monthly costs and scale for growth.

Can I integrate Square and Shopify?

No, Shopify and Square can’t be integrated. If you’re looking to manage your business from one place, we recommend using Shopify. Unifying sales with Shopify can help you win back time spent on inventory, make more sales in store and online, and keep customers coming back. Shopify’s monthly plans include your POS, ecommerce, and payments with quick payouts and consistent rates, starting from 2.4% + 0¢ USD.

Is Square’s online store good?

Square offers simple websites with limited customization. While it’s easy to use, the basic templates can limit your ability to match your brand’s identity online. Shopify offers over 100 designs that can be customized endlessly along with all the tools to accept online payments, manage orders, and simplify shipping. Both Square and Shopify sync in-store and online sales, but Shopify’s powerful ecommerce features give you the ability to do more with your data and grow sales locally and internationally.

How do Shopify’s transaction rates compare to Square’s?

Shopify’s plans include a built-in payments provider: Shopify Payments*. You can accept payments online or in-store with consistent rates and quick payouts. Transaction rates start at 2.4% + 0¢ USD for in-person and 2.4% + 30¢ USD for online payments. Square’s rates start at 2.5% + 10¢ for in-person payments and 2.9% + 30¢ for online payments. On both Square and Shopify, payment rates are dictated by your plan and higher tier plans benefit from lower rates.

*For permitted industries in supported countries.

Page last updated June 2021