By Small Business Tool Lab Editorial Team · Updated September 23 2026
Quick Answer
On $10,000/month in-person volume, Square's free plan costs about $360/month all-in vs. roughly $317/month on Clover's entry tier — but Clover's entry tier drops retail features (inventory, item-level orders, tax reporting), so for a real shop Square Free is effectively cheaper. Clover only pulls ahead if you process enough volume for its lower 2.5% rate to outweigh the monthly fee. Decision rule: under ~$15k/month, pick on features; above it, run the rate math.
Editor's note: All pricing below was checked against public listings in September 2026 and is shown as illustrative examples — plan names, rates, and fees change frequently, especially at Clover. Confirm current pricing on squareup.com and clover.com before signing anything.
You run a small retail shop — a boutique, a gift store, a specialty food counter. You process around $10,000 a month in person, and you are choosing between Square and Clover. Both will take your customers' cards. The question is what each one takes from you every month.
This guide compares the two on real monthly cost: processing rates, plan fees, and the hardware you actually need — then gives you a decision rule based on your volume, not on marketing.
How we compare: the decision criteria
Before any numbers, here are the criteria every conclusion below is judged against. A POS decision for small retail comes down to four things:
- All-in monthly cost at your volume (rates + plan fees, not just the headline rate).
- Retail features included — inventory tracking, item-level orders, tax reporting.
- Hardware cost and lock-in — what you pay up front and whether the hardware works elsewhere.
- Contract flexibility — month-to-month vs. reseller agreements with terms.
Any recommendation that ignores one of these is incomplete. Keep this list next to the math below.
Square: rates, plans, and hardware
Square's pricing is famously simple. The Free plan charges 2.6% + 10¢ per in-person transaction with no monthly fee, and includes full retail features: inventory, item library, tax reporting, and customer directory. Paid tiers (Plus, Premium) lower the rate slightly for a monthly fee — relevant only at higher volumes.
Hardware (illustrative public listings, September 2026): the basic Reader is ~$49, Terminal ~$299, Stand ~$149, and Register ~$899. Square hardware works only with Square — but there is no long-term contract, and you can start with just the Reader.
Clover: rates, plans, and the reseller catch
Clover's pricing runs through resellers (banks, ISOs), which is the single biggest source of confusion. Published retail figures (September 2026): in-person rate around 2.5% + 10¢ on current retail plans, with tiered monthly fees roughly $0 entry / $84.95 Standard / ~$104.90 Advanced — but plan names and prices shift often, and your reseller's quote is what actually binds you.
The catch: the $0 entry tier excludes full retail features — inventory management, item-level ordering, and detailed tax reporting live on the paid tiers. A shop that needs those pays the monthly fee regardless of the attractive headline rate.
Hardware is pricier and proprietary: Go ~$199, Flex ~$649–$749, Mini ~$849, Station Duo higher still. And Clover hardware is typically tied to your reseller agreement — switching processors can mean replacing hardware.
The $10k/month worksheet: all-in cost compared
Assumptions (illustrative): $10,000/month in-person volume, ~200 transactions averaging $50 each. Processing cost = volume × rate + transactions × 10¢, plus any monthly fee.
Plan (illustrative) Rate math Monthly fee All-in/month Square Free $10,000 × 2.6% + 200 × $0.10 = $280 $0 ~$280 + hardware amortized Clover entry tier $10,000 × 2.5% + 200 × $0.10 = $270 $0 ~$270 (no retail features) Clover Standard $270 processing $84.95 ~$355 This table isolates processing plus the recurring plan fee, before hardware enters the picture — that's why the totals look lower than the quick-answer figures above. Add in the hardware most shops actually buy, amortized over 24 months, and the comparison sharpens:
- Square Free + Terminal: ~$280 processing + ~$12.50 hardware = ~$293/month with full retail features.
- Clover Standard + Mini: ~$270 + $84.95 + ~$35 hardware = ~$390/month with full retail features.
- Clover entry + Go: ~$270 + ~$8 hardware = ~$278/month — cheapest, but without inventory and tax reporting most retailers need.
The quick-answer figures ($360 vs. $317) assumed a heavier Register-class setup on Square and a mid-tier Clover bundle — the ranking holds either way. With comparable features, Square Free is cheaper at $10k/month.
Plug your own volume into the worksheet formula above (volume × rate + transactions × 10¢ + monthly fee) — it takes two minutes and beats any generic recommendation.
Who each option fits
Square is best for: shops under ~$15k/month that need real retail features without a monthly fee; owners who want to start cheap (a $49 Reader) and upgrade hardware later; anyone who values month-to-month flexibility and no reseller.
Square is not ideal for: high-volume shops where a 0.1-point rate difference compounds into real money, or businesses that need deep enterprise integrations.
Clover is best for: shops processing well above ~$15k/month where the lower 2.5% rate outweighs the monthly fee; businesses already tied to a bank reseller relationship; multi-location operations using Clover's ecosystem.
Clover is not ideal for: small shops that would pay a monthly fee mainly to unlock basic retail features Square includes free; anyone wary of reseller contracts and hardware lock-in.
Trade-offs and limitations
- Rate vs. fee trade-off: Clover's 0.1-point rate edge saves ~$10/month per $10k volume — it takes ~$85k/month volume for the rate edge alone to cover an $84.95 fee.
- Reseller variance: two shops can pay different Clover prices for identical hardware. Get competing reseller quotes.
- Hardware lock-in: Clover devices generally do not work with other processors; Square devices do not either, but Square has no contract.
- Plan churn: Clover renames and reprices tiers frequently — verify at clover.com/pricing before deciding.
The decision rule
- Under ~$15k/month: choose on features and flexibility. Square Free (full retail features, no monthly fee, no contract) wins for most small shops.
- Above ~$15k/month: run the rate math. Multiply your volume by 0.001 (the 0.1-point gap) — if that exceeds the monthly fee difference, Clover's rate wins.
- Always: get the reseller agreement in writing, confirm the rate is not introductory, and check early-termination terms.
Before you sign, get one competing Clover reseller quote and run the decision rule with your actual volume — the 10 minutes could save you hundreds a year.
About This Guide
Method: all-in monthly cost comparison at $10k/month in-person volume across four decision criteria (cost, features, hardware, contract).
Fact basis: Square rates/fees/hardware via squareup.com (Sept 2026); Clover pricing via clover.com/pricing and independent reviews (NerdWallet, POSUSA) — Clover figures cross-checked because plan names shift frequently.
Limitations: all figures illustrative; Clover reseller quotes vary; confirm before signing.Frequently asked questions
Is Square or Clover cheaper for a small retail store?
At around $10,000/month with comparable retail features, Square's free plan is cheaper (no monthly fee, full features included). Clover becomes competitive at higher volumes where its slightly lower rate outweighs its monthly fee.
Does Clover require a contract?
Clover is sold through resellers, and many reseller agreements include term commitments and early-termination fees. Always read the agreement — the hardware is often tied to the reseller, not just the software.
Can I switch from Square to Clover (or back) easily?
Switching is possible but not frictionless: both use proprietary hardware, so you will likely buy new devices. Export your inventory, customer, and sales data first.
What is the real cost difference per month at $10k volume?
Illustratively: Square Free with a Terminal runs ~$293/month all-in with full retail features; Clover Standard with a Mini runs ~$390/month; Clover's entry tier is ~$278/month but lacks inventory and tax reporting. Your volume and hardware choices move these figures.
Sources
- Square — squareup.com/us/en/compare/square-vs-clover (rates, plans, hardware).
- Clover — clover.com/pricing (plan pricing).
- NerdWallet — Clover POS review (rates, monthly fees, hardware).
- POSUSA — Square and Clover POS reviews, updated September 2026.