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Square for Retail vs Inventory Lab

Square for Retail logo

Square for Retail

Software

Integrated point of sale and retail management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Inventory Lab logo

Inventory Lab

Software

FBA inventory management made simple

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square for Retail has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Square for Retail limited customer support with primarily email and online forums, slow response times for urgent issues; Inventory Lab inventoryLab is no longer sold standalone and is now bundled into Three Colts' Seller 365 plans starting at $69 per month for a single user, rising to $199 per month for the Pro tier
  • They diverge on capability: Square for Retail covers Contactless payments, Inventory Lab covers FBA inventory tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Square for Retail and Inventory Lab actually diverge.

Attributes where Square for Retail and Inventory Lab differ
AttributeSquare for RetailInventory Lab
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, APIWeb
Founded20092011

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 Square for Retail

  • Contactless payments
  • Inventory tracking
  • Employee management
  • Customer profiles
  • Receipt printing
  • Integration with Square Online
  • Reporting tools

Only in Inventory Lab

  • FBA inventory tracking
  • Repricing automation
  • Price monitoring
  • Profit calculations
  • Supplier management
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Forecasting tools

Both cover

  • Sales analytics

What people use each for

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

Square for Retail

No use cases recorded yet. See the Square for Retail review.

Inventory Lab

  • Amazon and Walmart reseller inventory, listing and profit tracking as part of Seller 365not Square for Retail

Where each one falls short

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

Square for Retail

  • Limited customer support with primarily email and online forums, slow response times for urgent issues
  • Internet connectivity required for normal operations; weak signal impacts transaction processing and experience
  • Restricted to Square's payment processing with higher transaction fees compared to some competitors
  • Limited to iOS devices and Square's proprietary hardware, excluding Android or third-party devices
  • Limited advanced retail capabilities and deeper third-party integrations compared to enterprise POS systems

Inventory Lab

  • InventoryLab is no longer sold standalone and is now bundled into Three Colts' Seller 365 plans starting at $69 per month for a single user, rising to $199 per month for the Pro tier
  • Multichannel listing requires the separate UniCon add-on, priced from $49 to $449 per month depending on tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Square for Retail

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Payment processing at 2.6% + 15 cents
    • Basic inventory management
    • Invoicing
  • Plus$49/month
    • In-person: 2.5% + 15 cents
    • Online: 2.9% + 30 cents
    • Product exchanges
  • Premium$149/month
    • In-person: 2.4% + 15 cents
    • Online: 2.9% + 30 cents
    • Advanced features

Inventory Lab

$29/month
  • Essentials$29/month
    • Inventory management
    • Price monitoring
    • Email alerts
  • Pro$99/month
    • All Essentials features
    • Automated repricing
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Square for Retail if

  • You need contactless payments.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, API.
  • You also want inventory tracking.
Square for Retail review

Choose Inventory Lab if

  • You need fba inventory tracking.
  • You also want repricing automation.
Inventory Lab review

Questions people ask

Is Square for Retail or Inventory Lab better?
Neither clearly leads. Square for Retail starts at Free and Inventory Lab at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Square for Retail or Inventory Lab?
Square for Retail has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Square for Retail and $29/month for Inventory Lab.
Does Square for Retail or Inventory Lab run on more platforms?
Square for Retail runs on iOS, API. Inventory Lab runs on Web.
Can I use Square for Retail for free?
Yes. Square for Retail has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Inventory Lab starts at $29/month.
What can Square for Retail do that Inventory Lab cannot?
Square for Retail covers Contactless payments, Inventory tracking, Employee management, Customer profiles. Inventory Lab covers FBA inventory tracking, Repricing automation, Price monitoring, Profit calculations. Both handle Sales analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Square for Retail: Does Square for Retail have a free tier?

Yes, Square for Retail's free tier includes payment processing at 2.6% plus 15 cents per transaction, basic inventory, invoicing, online shop, and booking tools with no monthly subscription fee.

Source
Square for Retail: What are the transaction fees across Square's pricing tiers?

Free tier: 2.6% + 15 cents. Plus tier ($49/month): 2.5% + 15 cents in-person, 2.9% + 30 cents online. Premium tier ($149/month): 2.4% + 15 cents in-person, 2.9% + 30 cents online.

Source
Square for Retail: What devices can run Square for Retail?

Square for Retail runs on iOS devices (iPad and iPhone) using Square's proprietary hardware or compatible mobile devices, and requires integration with Square's payment processing.

Source
Square for Retail: Can I use Square for Retail offline?

Square for Retail depends on an internet connection for optimal functionality. Offline functionality is limited, and high-traffic operations may require recharging or connection verification.

Source
Square for Retail: Does Square for Retail support third-party integrations?

Yes, Square offers integrations through its App Marketplace and provides APIs for custom development including payments, inventory, orders, customers, loyalty, and webhooks.

Source
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Related pages

More on Square for Retail

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