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Most buyers should pick Shopify.
Choose Clover if your business mainly needs in-person POS, inventory and day-to-day tools for retail, food service or services. Its Starter software plan is free, but paid plans, processing and hardware can add up. Choose Shopify if you need online and in-person sales managed across channels, plus access to its 21,000+ commerce apps. Its Agentic plan is listed at CHF 0, while Basic starts at CHF 21 monthly with annual billing. Compare fees in your own currency.
01Side by side
| Clover | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Starter $0; Essentials $29.95/month | Agentic CHF 0; Basic CHF 21/yearly billing |
| Free plan | Yes: Starter software plan | Yes: Agentic plan |
| Best for | Retail, food service and service businesses | Online, in-person and multichannel commerce |
| Core strength | Payments and everyday merchant POS operations | Selling across online, retail, social and AI channels |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations and data | App Market apps listed at $5–$50/month | 21,000+ commerce apps in Shopify App Store |
| Team and seat costs | Extra devices: $11.95 or $19.95/month | Grow adds 5; Advanced adds 15 staff accounts |
| Support | Not published | Not published |
Clover Choose Clover if
- Choose Clover if in-person POS is your main need.
- Choose Clover if you run retail, food service or services.
- Choose Clover if its processing rates fit your sales mix.
Shopify Choose Shopify if
- Choose Shopify if you sell across online and in-person channels.
- Choose Shopify if you need its 21,000+ commerce apps.
- Choose Shopify if centralized commerce tools suit your operations.
02Pricing compared
Clover’s Starter software plan is listed at $0 per month, but in-person processing is 2.6% + $0.10 and requires purchased hardware. Essentials is $29.95 monthly, with in-person processing at 2.5% + $0.10. Growth plans start at $84.95; restaurant hardware bundles can require a 36-month commitment. Clover also lists a $5 monthly security fee per MID and paid add-ons.
Shopify’s Agentic plan is listed at CHF 0, while Basic costs CHF 21 monthly with annual billing or CHF 29 month to month. Basic’s standard online card rate is 2.95% + CHF 0.30. Grow and Advanced cost CHF 59 and CHF 269 monthly with annual billing. POS Pro adds CHF 69 per location monthly. These prices use different currencies and processing contexts, so compare your actual sales mix and payment costs before switching.
03Features and depth
Clover is built around running a physical business: it accepts chip, contactless, magnetic-stripe and keyed payments, and includes inventory tracking, barcode scanning, low-stock alerts, employee permissions and clock-in tools. It also supports refunds, tips and offline mode. Online ordering, pickup and delivery management, customer records, loyalty tools and sales reports extend that core POS setup.
Shopify covers more sales channels from one commerce platform. Its tools support online, in-person, social and AI-channel sales, alongside store creation, payments, fulfillment and retail management. Shopify lists international selling tools through Markets and built-in shipping features, plus Sidekick AI and an App Store with more than 21,000 commerce apps. That breadth makes Shopify the more natural fit when an online store and multiple channels matter. Clover is the more focused choice for merchants whose daily work centers on in-person transactions and operational POS features. The right fit depends on whether your priority is store operations or broader commerce.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither product’s feature list proves it will be easier for your team to learn. Clover’s scope is centered on POS tasks such as payments, stock and staff management; Shopify combines store building with online, in-person and other sales channels. More channels and apps can mean more decisions to configure, while a focused POS setup may be easier to scope.
The review scores rate Shopify higher for ease of use (8) than Clover (5), but those scores are not a substitute for checking your own workflows. Before switching, list the hardware, payment methods, inventory tasks and sales channels your staff uses. Then confirm which plan and add-ons cover them; extra devices, POS Pro locations or apps can change both setup and cost.
Questions people ask
Is there better than Shopify?
That depends on what you need. Clover may fit better if your business mainly needs in-person payments, inventory and day-to-day POS tools. Shopify is a stronger match for managing online and in-person sales across channels, with access to more than 21,000 commerce apps. Compare total fees before choosing.
Can you make $10K a month on Shopify?
Shopify’s pricing and feature information does not establish how much a merchant can earn. Revenue depends on the business and its sales; the platform does not promise a monthly income. Factor subscription, payment and app costs into your own projections rather than treating $10,000 as a likely result.
Is Shopify a POS system?
Yes. Shopify supports in-person as well as online sales and centralized retail management. Its POS Pro add-on is listed at CHF 69 per location per month. Check whether the plan and POS features suit your store, and include the per-location charge when comparing costs with Clover.
What is the downside of using Shopify?
Costs can extend beyond the monthly plan. Shopify lists POS Pro at CHF 69 per location per month, third-party transaction fees by plan, and a 1% fee on synced marketplace orders above 50, capped at $99 USD monthly. App costs can also add up; the published pricing information does not specify what individual apps charge.