Clover POS Review 2025: Features and Pricing
Reasonable in-person prices and a good mix of hardware options make Clover's point-of-sale system a good choice.
Overview
The bottom line:
The Clover point-of-sale system is a good option for business owners of many types — restaurants, retail outlets or professional services — that do most of their payment processing in person. Its hardware is on the pricey side, but the reasonable monthly cost and low in-person payment processing fees help offset that upfront investment over time.
Software details
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.3% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Monthly fee
$0
and up.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free plan available if you’re only using a mobile card reader.
24/7 phone support.
All restaurant plans include no-fee online ordering, and retail plans let you integrate with existing online stores.
Offers a variety of plans tailored to six specific types of businesses.
Can pair POS systems with third-party payment processors.
Cons
Promotions require a three-year contract.
May be subject to early termination fees if you use Clover as your payment processor.
Online payment processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
Full review
Clover is a point-of-sale (POS) system card payment processing services
Clover is owned by Fiserv, a payments and financial technology provider. Fiserv processes payments on the backend, though you can choose your own merchant services provider
Clover pricing depends on payment processing fees, which are a function of sales and payment type, the monthly plan you choose and the POS hardware
Clover structures its plans and pricing based on industry:
- Full-service and quick-service dining. Features on Clover POS systems for restaurants are generally standard across tiers, unlike other POS systems that limit features on lower-priced options. The primary difference is the number and types of hardware.
- Retail. As you go up the three pricing tiers in Clover’s Retail plans, you get access to more hardware, but there are other differences to consider. Additional software features in the two higher plans include the ability to itemize returns and exchanges and integrate a scale to weigh items.
- Professional services. Unlike restaurants or retailers, professional service providers like an architect or a designer might regularly accept payments in a variety of ways — invoices, over the phone or in person, for example. If you don’t expect to accept in-person payments, the Starter plan will save you money because it doesn’t require hardware.
- Personal services. You can use Clover if you provide personal services, like at a hair salon or fitness studio. Like the Retail plan, the Personal Services Standard and Advanced offerings have a lower payment processing rate and can handle a few more complex tasks, like weighing items and itemizing returns.
- Home and field services. If you’re an electrician, landscaper or other type of professional who travels to job sites, Clover allows you to take payments in the field. If you prefer to send electronic invoices, the Starter plan is the best pick. The other two plans include a mobile solution so you can get paid anywhere.
Clover is best for businesses that:
- Want competitive, flat-rate in-person processing fees. Clover has one of the lowest in-person transaction rates among providers that use a flat-rate payment processing model.
- Don’t mind filling gaps in features with integrated apps. Clover’s system comes with standard POS capabilities, but some businesses may find they need to turn to third-party apps that integrate with Clover to fill all their business needs.
- Value 24/7 customer support. Clover offers 24/7 customer support by phone, as well as email support.
Deciding factors
| Payment processing model | Flat rate. |
| Payment processing fees |
Note: Prices are based on using Clover’s parent company, Fiserv, as your merchant service provider. If you use a different provider, your costs may differ. |
| Monthly fee |
|
| Hardware cost |
|
| Contract length | POS software plans are month-to-month, but payment processing may require a long-term contract. |
| Customer support | Chat support, plus 24/7 phone support. |
Where Clover stands out
Low flat rates for in-person payment processing
Clover’s payment processing rates for in-person transactions are generally lower than those of industry heavyweights such as Stripe and Square. The higher your average sales volume, the more beneficial this is.
Decent monthly rates and features
Monthly software fees can really add up; Clover’s generally are below $100. Clover’s POS systems have many popular features, including table mapping and remote order ticket routing for restaurants and low-stock alerts and itemized returns for retail.
Top-notch hardware
Clover's distinctive white-and-silver hardware looks sharp and is built for point of sale — it isn't just an app you run on your own phone or tablet. Its handheld device in particular stands out for a few reasons: It can be used in retail settings, unlike Toast’s restaurant-only device; it has a built-in printer; and it accepts cards that swipe, which not all card readers
Where Clover falls short
Online payment processing is expensive
At 3.5% plus 10 cents per transaction, Clover's online payment processing rate is higher than some of its competitors that tend to charge around 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction. This makes it a better option for businesses that do most of their sales in person.
Payment processing may require long-term contracts
Clover POS software subscriptions are billed on a monthly basis, but if you choose to also process payments through Clover, you may need to sign a long-term contract. To avoid this, you might use a third-party payment processor outside of Clover instead. Just know that you'll need to purchase your Clover hardware through that processor, so that it's guaranteed to be compatible.
Alternatives to Clover
Square
Why we like it: Square provides a robust set of POS features, plus additional services such as payroll and customer loyalty programs with comparable fees, and they are simpler to understand — no third parties to navigate. Square also doesn't require long-term contracts, which means you can switch if a better fit comes along. Read our full Square POS review
- $0 for Square Free plan.
- $49 for Square Plus plan.
- $149 for Square Premium plans.
- 2.6% plus 15 cents for in-person transactions with Free plan.
- 3.3% plus 30 cents for online transactions with Free plan.
- 2.5% plus 15 cents for in-person transactions with Plus plan.
- 2.4% plus 15 cents for in-person transaction with Premium plan.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions with Plus and Premium plans.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- $0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).
- $59 for Square Reader contactless and chip card reader.
- $149 for Square Stand iPad POS or Square Stand Mount (iPad not included; monthly financing available).
- $149 for Square Kiosk for self-serve ordering.
- $299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).
- $399 for Square Handheld portable POS system with built-in barcode scanner (monthly financing available).
- $799 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).
Payment Depot
Why we like it: For potentially cheaper payment processing rates, consider Payment Depot — a merchant services provider that offers membership pricing and wholesale interchange rates. Payment Depot resells several of Clover’s POS systems. Other tools include a payment gateway and virtual terminal. Read our full Payment Depot review
$0.
0.2%-1.95% plus interchange.
Quote-based.
Compare POS providers
To compare POS options, check out NerdWallet’s list of point-of-sale systems
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Clover and Square are comparable on many factors related to POS systems, including flat-rate payment processing, transaction fees, industry-tailored solutions, offline mode to accept payments during internet outages, virtual terminal to manually enter credit card transactions, a long list of features, add-on tools and numerous app integrations. It ultimately comes down to your business needs and priorities.
Clover charges a monthly software fee that varies by industry and plan tier. The monthly fee ranges from $14.95 for several of the industry Starter plans, such as retail and professional services, to $114.85 for the Full-Service Dining Advanced plan.
With its distinctive hardware, competitive payment processing fees and solid list of features and capabilities, Clover POS is a worthy contender for most small businesses. While several POS providers (including Square, Toast PayPal Zettle