Shopify vs Square: Which is best for ecommerce?
Shopify is well established as one of the best ecommerce platforms thanks to its all-in-one comprehensive digital commerce tool kit. Today, the platform powers more than ten million merchants globally with advanced capabilities in customization, integration and inventory management with hundreds of the best payment gateways. Explore this article to get deep details about shopify vs square:
Who is Shopify for?
Shopify is a solid option for e-commerce businesses of all sizes and businesses with both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores. If you’re an e-commerce business owner, you’re likely already familiar with the Shopify e-commerce platform – notable for helping business owners set up an online store and customize its settings. Its drag-and-drop store builder makes setting up a professional website easy, with an insightful dashboard delivering detailed analytics about your business.
However, even if you don’t have or desire a Shopify store, you can use the platform’s POS software and hardware to take payments online and in-store through Shopify Payments for payment processing. Our Shopify review describes the platform’s easy checkout features and more.
Who is Square for?
Square is a great POS system for small businesses, restaurants and other retail outlets looking to engage with e-commerce. Square allows online sales through Square Online, which can be easily added to your website to enable online ordering capabilities. Square Online synchronizes orders and inventory automatically with your POS system.
Square enables payment acceptance to be effortless and offers huge customization possibilities, enabling businesses to accept a multitude of payment methods, loyalty schemes, gift cards, invoicing, online sales and more. Its POS hardware is modern and sleek, perfect for mobile payment acceptance with chip cards and contactless payments such as NFC mobile payments.
We were amazed that Square’s POS software is free, which is very useful for small businesses that would value a free POS system. Our Square review explains its POS software features and hardware.
Shopify vs. Square Service Comparisons
We like Shopify’s transparency, which make it easier for businesses to evaluate the platform’s POS functionality versus its costs. Here’s a summary of its pricing and plans, including Shopify Payments processing fees. All tiers include a POS Lite software subscription with in-person selling capabilities. You’ll add another $60 per month if you opt for a Shopify POS Pro subscription, which adds more advanced in-person capabilities such as customer loyalty insights.
| Feature | Shopify | Square |
| Starting Price | $39/month | Free |
| Transaction Fee | Starts at 2.4% + 30¢ | Starts at 2.6% + 10¢ |
| Contract | Month-to-month and longer | None |
Which is right for your business?
If you’re launching an online store and want an all-in-one eCommerce solution, Shopify is the better choice. It’s designed specifically for digital storefronts, offering:
- Easy-to-use website builder with beautiful, mobile-responsive themes.
- Powerful sales tools like abandoned cart recovery, multi-channel selling, and built-in SEO features.
- Scalability with thousands of apps for advanced functionality (dropshipping, subscriptions, etc.).
- Global selling with multi-currency and international shipping support.
Bottom Line:
Shopify is a great e-commerce platform for businesses that want to sell online, in-store, or through social media. If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that includes a POS, social selling, and inventory management, Shopify is a good choice.
Square is best suited for businesses that need a simple way to accept payments and don’t want to commit to a long-term contract. If you’re selling online, in-person or via invoices, Square could be the right fit.