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Shopify POS Review 2024: Features and Pricing

For e-commerce businesses that want to sell online and in person, Shopify POS is a top choice.
By Randa Kriss, Karrin Sehmbi
Last updated on January 2, 2024
Edited bySally Lauckner
Fact checked and reviewed

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Our Take

The bottom line:

Shopify POS syncs a top-tier point-of-sale system with the Shopify e-commerce platform. Unlike some competitors, however, Shopify doesn’t offer free POS software, and the platform is retail-focused, so businesses in other industries may want to look for alternatives.
Full review

Shopify POS

Payment processing fees
2.70% in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online (Basic plan).
Monthly fee
$39.00 and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.
Learn more

on Shopify's website

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • No long-term contracts or termination fees.
  • All plans include an online store.
  • Built specifically for online sellers.
  • 24/7 chat support.

Cons

  • No free plan options.
  • Cannot process cards in offline mode.

Full Review

Shopify POS syncs one of the industry’s best point-of-sale systems with the Shopify e-commerce platform. With the Shopify POS app, you can sell your products or services in person and online. Take orders from customers, accept payments and sync transactions across sales channels.
Once you have a Shopify plan, you can download the Shopify POS app — available for iOS and Android devices. Using the app, you’ll be able to log in and start customizing your system. If you're selling in person, you can either use Tap to Pay on iPhone or purchase Shopify POS hardware, and you’ll be ready to start taking customer orders.

Shopify POS is best for businesses that:

  • Want to leverage Shopify's e-commerce features. While Shopify does offer two simple plans for business's that mostly sell in person or on social media, the bulk of its offerings are for omnichannel sellers who want to build a custom online store using Shopify.
  • Sell online and in person. Shopify POS is optimized for selling across online stores, social media channels and brick-and-mortar shops. The impressive lineup of features is ideal for omnichannel retailers.
  • Prefer to use a single provider for POS and payment processing. Shopify Payments is included with all monthly plans to process online transactions as well as in-person payments. You can use a third-party provider, such as Amazon Pay, Authorize.net or Braintree, to process payments. Your rates will likely differ from what Shopify Payments charges if you work with a third-party processor, however, and Shopify will charge you an additional transaction fee for not using its in-house product.

Deciding factors

Payment processing model
Flat rate.
Payment processing fees
  • 2.5%, 2.7% or 2.9% plus 30 cents for online payments for Advanced, Shopify or Basic plan, respectively.
  • 2.4%, 2.5% or 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person payments for Advanced, Shopify or Basic plan, respectively.
Monthly fee
Shopify e-commerce plans:
  • $29 for Shopify Basic when billed annually (or $39 when paid monthly).
  • $79 for regular Shopify when billed annually (or $105 when paid monthly).
  • $299 for Shopify Advanced when billed annually (or $399 when paid monthly).
  • Custom pricing for Shopify Plus.
  • All e-commerce plans come with POS Lite for selling in-person. Upgrading to POS Pro for brick-and-mortar businesses costs an extra $89 per location.
Shopify’s alternative solutions for mainly selling in-person:
  • $5 for Starter plan, which includes one POS Lite location.
  • $79 (when billed annually) for Retail plan, or $89 when paid monthly; includes one POS Pro location.
Hardware cost
  • $49 for Tap & Chip card reader.
  • $219 for Tap & Chip countertop kit (iPad not included).
  • $299 for Shopify POS Go mobile device.
  • $349 for Shopify POS terminal.
  • $459 and up for POS terminal countertop kits.
Contract length
No contract required. Plans are paid month to month unless you sign up for an annual, two-year or three-year plan.
Customer support
Chat, email and online knowledgebase.

Where Shopify POS stands out

Features for multichannel selling

Shopify POS offers robust features for small-business owners who want to sell online and in person. You can customize the smart grid interface of your app, check out customers on the go, offer custom discounts and send digital receipts. You can add and categorize an unlimited number of products, track inventory and sync orders across retail locations, online stores and other sales channels. You also can use Shopify POS to create email and social media marketing campaigns, develop a customer loyalty program and generate reports from online and in-person sales.

Integrated, flat-rate payment processing

All Shopify plans include built-in access to Shopify Payments and are compatible with the Shopify POS system. Unlike some credit card processing companies, which have quote-based rates or hidden fees, Shopify Payments offers flat-rate fees that are simple and easy to understand.
These processing rates do not vary based on the type of card your customer uses, and you can access lower processing rates with each higher-level e-commerce subscription plan tier.

Easy to use

Shopify POS is user-friendly and approachable for new and experienced business owners alike. It has a modern and intuitive interface and can be set up quickly and easily.
Shopify also offers 24/7 online customer support as well as a variety of onboarding and support resources on the Shopify website, including informational articles, webinars, a community forum, video tutorials and business courses.

Where Shopify POS falls short

More e-commerce focused

Shopify POS relies heavily on its connection with the Shopify e-commerce platform, which is great for multichannel sellers but may not be as appealing, useful or cost-effective for some brick-and-mortar retailers. Similarly, Shopify POS does not offer many features designed for restaurants or food-service businesses. Restaurant POS systems such as Toast or Clover can handle online ordering, tableside payments, menu and table management and delivery integrations.

Alternatives to Shopify POS

Square for Retail

Square
Square

Square Retail POS

NerdWallet Rating 
5.0
Why we like it: Square’s retail solution offers a robust POS system for all merchants with a free plan and upgrade options and even allows a 30-day free trial to determine which plan is the best solution for you. The free POS system includes website hosting, online invoicing and staff management. Paid upgrades offer multilocation inventory, exchanges and vendor management, and all options let you work multiple sales channels. Square also offers flat, transparent pricing and a variety of card readers and accessories that work with its POS system. Read our full Square for Retail review.

Clover

Clover
Clover

Clover POS

NerdWallet Rating 
4.0
Why we like it: Clover offers POS solutions for e-commerce businesses and in-person shops to let businesses pick the combination they need. POS features vary by monthly plan. More expensive monthly plans include advanced inventory and reporting capabilities. Processing rates vary with each plan. Read our full Clover review.

Compare POS providers

To compare POS options, check out NerdWallet’s list of point-of-sale systems that are best for small-business owners. Our recommendations are based on the provider’s pricing and transparency, software and hardware options, system functionality, customer support, software integrations and contract requirements.
Best Payment Processing Companies
ProductPayment processing feesMonthly feeLearn more
Helcim

Helcim

NerdWallet Rating 
5.0
Learn more

on Helcim's website

0.40% + 8¢ 

plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.

$0 
Learn more

on Helcim's website

Square

Square

NerdWallet Rating 
5.0
Learn more

on Square's website

2.6% + 10¢ 

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

$0 

Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.

Learn more

on Square's website

Stripe

Stripe

NerdWallet Rating 
5.0
Learn more

on Stripe's website

2.7% + 5¢ 

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

$0 
Learn more

on Stripe's website

Stax by Fattmerchant

Stax by Fattmerchant

NerdWallet Rating 
4.0
Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's website

0% + $0.08 

Plus interchange

$99 

and up.

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's website

Learn more

on Shopify's website

Methodology

NerdWallet’s point-of-sale systems provider ratings reward companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including cost, system capabilities, contract requirements, customer service and integrations and add-ons. Learn more about how we rate point-of-sale (POS) systems providers.
These ratings are a guide, but services, hardware and pricing can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.

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