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Software · head to head

Shopify vs Square

Shopify logo

Shopify

Software

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square logo

Square

Software

Powering the economy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
  • They diverge on capability: Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Square covers Point of sale.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Shopify and Square actually diverge.

Attributes where Shopify and Square differ
AttributeShopifySquare
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebPOS (Mobile app), Web
Founded20062009

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 Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

Only in Square

  • Point of sale
  • Invoicing
  • Payroll
  • Banking
  • QuickBooks
  • WooCommerce
  • Wix
  • PCI DSS

Both cover

  • Payment processing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Square
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Square

Square

  • Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot Shopify
  • Online ordering and basic website creationnot Shopify
  • Invoicing and appointment bookingnot Shopify
  • Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot Shopify

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

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

Shopify

$29/month
  • Starter$5/month
    • Buy Button & Sales Channel
    • Abandoned checkout recovery
    • Basic reporting
  • Basic$29/month
    • Online store
    • Up to 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$79/month
    • Professional reports
    • Gift cards
    • Up to 15 staff accounts

Square

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Square review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want inventory management.
Shopify review

Choose Square if

  • You need point of sale.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
  • You also want invoicing.
Square review

Questions people ask

Is Shopify or Square better?
Neither clearly leads. Shopify starts at $29/month and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shopify or Square?
Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Shopify and Free for Square.
Does Shopify or Square run on more platforms?
Shopify runs on Web. 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. Shopify starts at $29/month.
What is Shopify best used for?
Shopify is most often used for running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment, selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue. Of those, running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment and selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue are not what Square is typically brought in for.
What can Shopify do that Square cannot?
Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Inventory management, Order tracking, Marketing automation. Square covers Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll, Banking. Both handle Payment processing.
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Related pages

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