We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners.
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.
Writer | Small business, business banking, business loans
Randa Kriss is a small-business writer who joined NerdWallet in 2020. She previously worked as a writer at Fundera, covering a wide variety of small-business topics including banking and loan products. Her work has been featured by The Washington Post, The Associated Press and Nasdaq, among others. Randa earned a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish at Iona College.
Karrin Sehmbi is a content management specialist on the small-business team. She has more than a decade of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and a tutor. Karrin is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sally Lauckner has over a decade of experience in print and online journalism. Before joining NerdWallet, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She has a master's in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's in English and history from Columbia University. Email: slauckner@nerdwallet.com.
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Our Take
4.5
NerdWallet rating
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.
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.
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.
$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.
2.6% plus 10 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.
$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).
$299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).
$799 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).
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.
$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 plans.
$49.95 for Retail Standard, Personal Services Standard and Advanced and Professional Services Advanced plans.
$59.95 for Quick-Service Dining Starter and Standard plans.
$69.90 for Retail Advanced plan.
$79.90 for Quick-Service Dining Advanced plan.
$89.95 for Full-Service Dining Starter plan.
$109.90 for Full-Service Dining Standard plan.
$129.85 for Full-Service Dining Advanced plan.
2.3% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions for most plans, though rates may also vary by hardware type.
2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions on Retail Starter, Personal Services Starter and Professional Services Standard plans, as well as Home & Field Services Standard and Advanced plans.
3.5% plus 10 cents for online or keyed-in transactions.
$199 for chip, swipe and contactless Clover Go card reader.
$279 for countertop card reader.
$599 for Clover Flex mobile POS with receipt printer and slimmer Flex Pocket with no printer.
$799 for Clover Mini POS.
$799-$899 + $25 per month for kitchen display system.
$1,699 for Clover Station Solo.
$1,799 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.
Best Payment Processing Companies
Product
Payment processing fees
Monthly fee
Learn more
Helcim
NerdWallet Rating
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
Smart money moves for your businessGet access to business insights and recommendations, plus expert content.