Software · head to head
Retail Pro vs Square
The short version
- Only Square has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Retail Pro pricing details not disclosed; requires sales consultation; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
- They diverge on capability: Retail Pro covers Inventory management, Square covers Payment processing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Retail Pro and Square actually diverge.
| Attribute | Retail Pro | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Windows | POS (Mobile app), Web |
| Founded | 1988 | 2009 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Retail Pro
- Inventory management
- Customer database
- Employee management
- Sales analytics
- Promotion management
- Multi-store support
- Reporting tools
Only in Square
- Payment processing
- Invoicing
- Payroll
- Banking
- QuickBooks
- WooCommerce
- Wix
- PCI DSS
Both cover
- Point of sale
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Retail Pro
- Multi-location retail POS operations (1 to 250+ stores)not Square
- Inventory management with serialized product trackingnot Square
- Customer loyalty programs via AppCard integrationnot Square
Square
- Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot Retail Pro
- Online ordering and basic website creationnot Retail Pro
- Invoicing and appointment bookingnot Retail Pro
- Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot Retail Pro
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Retail Pro
- Pricing details not disclosed; requires sales consultation
- No published technical requirements or system specifications
- International deployment requires fiscal/tax compliance consultation per region
Square
- Plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
- Processing fees differ by tier but exact rates not detailed
- Free plan pricing mentioned but specific features for Plus unclear
- Text marketing charged at 3¢ per message after first 500 included
Pricing, plan by plan
Retail Pro
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Retail Pro review.
Square
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Square review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Retail Pro if
- You need inventory management.
- You work on iOS, Android, Windows.
- You also want customer database.
Choose Square if
- You need payment processing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
- You also want invoicing.
Questions people ask
- Is Retail Pro or Square better?
- Neither clearly leads. Retail Pro starts at On request and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Retail Pro or Square?
- Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Retail Pro and Free for Square.
- Does Retail Pro or Square run on more platforms?
- Retail Pro runs on iOS, Android, Windows. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
- Can I use Square for free?
- Yes. Square has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Retail Pro starts at On request.
- What is Retail Pro best used for?
- Retail Pro is most often used for multi-location retail pos operations (1 to 250+ stores), inventory management with serialized product tracking, customer loyalty programs via appcard integration. Of those, multi-location retail pos operations (1 to 250+ stores) and inventory management with serialized product tracking are not what Square is typically brought in for.
- What can Retail Pro do that Square cannot?
- Retail Pro covers Inventory management, Customer database, Employee management, Sales analytics. Square covers Payment processing, Invoicing, Payroll, Banking. Both handle Point of sale.
Related pages
Keep looking
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