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Restaurants · head to head

Clover vs Square for Restaurants

Clover logo

Clover

Restaurants

Point of sale system that grows with your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square for Restaurants logo

Square for Restaurants

Restaurants

Restaurant POS system that works for you

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Clover the App Store listing (Clover Network, Inc) requires an existing Clover merchant account to use the app at all; there is no self-serve signup or published subscription price inside the listing, confirming the product is sold only through merchant onboarding contracts; Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: Clover covers POS system, Square for Restaurants covers Table management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clover and Square for Restaurants actually diverge.

Attributes where Clover and Square for Restaurants differ
AttributeCloverSquare for Restaurants
Starting price$29/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsHardware, Ios, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20122018

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

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 Clover

  • POS system
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Employee management
  • Reporting
  • Yelp
  • Gusto
  • PCI DSS

Only in Square for Restaurants

  • Table management
  • Menu customization
  • Split checks
  • Offline mode
  • Real-time reporting
  • Kitchen display
  • Caviar
  • DoorDash

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Clover

  • Point of salenot Square for Restaurants
  • Payment processingnot Square for Restaurants
  • Business managementnot Square for Restaurants

Square for Restaurants

  • Point of Salenot Clover
  • Order Managementnot Clover
  • Inventory Controlnot Clover
  • Staff Schedulingnot Clover

Where each one falls short

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

Clover

  • The App Store listing (Clover Network, Inc) requires an existing Clover merchant account to use the app at all; there is no self-serve signup or published subscription price inside the listing, confirming the product is sold only through merchant onboarding contracts

Square for Restaurants

  • The Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • KDS and Kiosk are billed per device per month on top of the plan, so cost scales with terminals rather than locations
  • Restaurants processing over $250,000 a year are moved to custom pricing rather than the published rates

Pricing, plan by plan

Clover

$29/month
  • StarterFree
    • Mobile payments
    • Basic reporting
  • Standard$14.95/month
    • Full POS
    • Employee management
    • Inventory

Square for Restaurants

Free
  • FreeFree
    • POS
    • Menu management
    • Basic reporting
  • Plus$60/month
    • Advanced features
    • Live sales
    • Seat management
  • PremiumFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Clover if

  • You need pos system.
  • You work on Hardware, Ios, Android.
  • You also want payment processing.
Clover review

Choose Square for Restaurants if

  • You need table management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want menu customization.
Square for Restaurants review

Questions people ask

Is Clover or Square for Restaurants better?
Neither clearly leads. Clover starts at $29/month and Square for Restaurants at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clover or Square for Restaurants?
Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Clover and Free for Square for Restaurants.
Does Clover or Square for Restaurants run on more platforms?
Clover runs on Hardware, Ios, Android. Square for Restaurants runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
Yes. Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Clover starts at $29/month.
What is Clover best used for?
Clover is most often used for point of sale, payment processing, business management. Of those, point of sale and payment processing are not what Square for Restaurants is typically brought in for.
What can Clover do that Square for Restaurants cannot?
Clover covers POS system, Payment processing, Inventory management, Employee management. Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. Both handle QuickBooks, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clover: Does Clover publish pricing on their website?

Pricing is not shown on Clover's main site or dedicated pricing page. To get a quote, you must contact their sales team directly.

Source
Square for Restaurants: What are Square's main pricing plans for restaurants?

Square offers a free tier and Square Plus. The Free plan has $0 cost with standard processing fees. Square Plus is described as the best value tier and includes lower card processing rates than the free plan.

Source
Clover: Do I need a credit card to try Clover?

The site does not disclose whether a trial period exists or what sign-up requirements are. Contact sales to ask whether a free trial is available and what payment information is required.

Source
Square for Restaurants: Does Square have locked-in contracts or can I cancel anytime?

Square explicitly states no hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Customers can cancel or switch anytime. The pay-as-you-go model means you only pay when you take a payment.

Source
Square for Restaurants: Does Square Plus include a free trial period?

Yes, Square Plus offers a free trial, though the specific trial duration is not clearly displayed on the pricing page.

Source
Square for Restaurants: What features does Square Plus add compared to the free plan?

Square Plus includes all free plan features plus advanced POS tools, a loyalty program, email and text marketing (500 free texts, then 3 cents per text), and staff management tools.

Source
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