Shopify POS Review 2025: Features and Pricing

Overview

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.

Software details

Payment processing fees

In-person: 2.6% + $0.10

Online: 2.9% + $0.30

Monthly fee

$39

and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.

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.

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). $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	Phone support, plus 24/7 chat support.

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

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

Monthly fees

$0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.
$29 for Square Appointments Plus plan.
$69 for Square Appointments Premium and Square Restaurants Plus plans.
$89 for Square Retail Plus plan.
$165 for Square Restaurant Premium plan.
Custom pricing for Square Retail plan.

Payment processing fees

2.6% plus 15 cents (Free plan) or 2.5% plus 10 cents (Plus plan) for in-person transactions.
2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions or card-on-file invoices.

Hardware

$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).

Clover

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

Monthly fees

$0 for Clover Go Payments, Retail Starter and Personal Services Starter plans.
$14.95 for Clover Go Essentials, Professional Services Starter, and Standard and Home & Field Services Starter and Standard plans.
$84.95 for Retail Standard and Professional, Personal Services Standard and Advanced, and Home & Field Services Advanced plans.
$89.95 for Full-Service Dining Starter and Quick-Service Dining Starter and Standard plans.
$104.90 for Retail Advanced plan.
$109.90 for Full-Service Dining Standard and Quick-Service Dining Advanced plans.
$129.85 for Full-Service Dining Advanced plan.

Payment processing fees

2.3% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions on Full-Service and Quick-Service Restaurant plans.
2.5% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions on Retail Standard and Advanced plans, Professional and Personal Services Standard and Advanced plans, and the Home and Field Services Advanced plan.
2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions on the Retail and Personal Services Starter plans and the Home and Field Services Standard plan.
3.5% plus 10 cents for online or keyed-in transactions.

Hardware

$199 for chip, swipe and contactless Clover Go card reader.
$349 for countertop card reader.
$749 for Clover Flex mobile POS with receipt printer.
$699 for slimmer Flex Pocket with no printer.
$849 for Clover Mini POS.
$799-$899 + $25 per month for kitchen display system.
$1,799 for Clover Station Solo.
$1,899 for Clover Station Duo.
$3,499 + $34.95 per month for self-ordering kiosk.

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.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the disadvantages of Shopify POS?

Shopify does not offer a free POS plan. Rather, you can only access its POS by subscribing to one of its paid plans, which includes basic POS Lite functionality. If you need more advanced POS features, you'll need to subscribe to POS Pro for an additional fee. Additionally, if you opt to use a third-party payment processor rather than Shopify Payments, Shopify will charge an additional transaction fee on top of the third-party processor rate.

Does Shopify POS take a fee?

Shopify charges a monthly fee, which varies depending on the plan you choose, as well as a monthly fee for use of the Pro version of its POS software. Additionally, you will pay a payment processing fee to Shopify for each card transaction if you choose to use its proprietary payments service, Shopify Payments.

Can I use Shopify POS without a Shopify store?

In addition to its multichannel plans, Shopify also offers a basic Starter plan that allows subscribers to sell products at events and through social media and messaging apps.