Choose Shopify POS if you sell online or plan to: the store and the website share one catalog, one stock count and one customer record, so nothing needs syncing. Choose Square if you run a cafe or restaurant, or a single store with no online plans, where Square Free costs nothing a month. For a store that needs staff permissions and inventory tools, Shopify costs more at the counter: the Basic plan at $39 a month plus POS Pro at $89 per location, against Square Plus at $49. Shopify's free Store Migration app moves Square products, customers and stock levels, but not gift cards, order history or loyalty points.
Most retailers comparing Shopify POS and Square are not unhappy with Square at the counter. Square is quick to set up, cheap to start and good at taking payments. The question usually starts somewhere else: the store wants a better website, and Shopify is the platform it keeps coming back to. At that point the choice is no longer which register is nicer. It is whether the shop and the website should run on one system or two.
This comparison uses the US prices and card fees each company publishes (Square's current plans date from October 2025), and it is honest about where Square is the better answer.
Shopify POS vs Square at a Glance
Square is cheaper for a store that only sells in person. Shopify POS is the stronger choice once the online store matters, because both channels share one system.
| Square | Shopify POS | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to start | Square Free, $0 a month per location | Shopify Basic, $39 a month ($29 billed yearly), with basic POS features included |
| Full retail features | Square Plus, $49 a month per location, or Premium at $149 | POS Pro, $89 a month per location on top of your Shopify plan |
| In-person card fee | 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium | 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic, 2.5% + 10¢ on Grow, 2.4% + 10¢ on Advanced |
| Online card fee | 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium | 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, lower on higher plans |
| Inventory and purchase orders | Plus and Premium | POS Pro |
| Staff roles and permissions | Plus and Premium | POS Pro |
| Returns at any location | Premium (cross-location returns) | POS Pro |
| Loyalty program | Included in Plus and Premium | Through an app |
| Online store | Square Online, included | Shopify's full online store, checkout and app ecosystem |
| Cafes and restaurants | Dedicated restaurant tools | Built for retail, not food service |
Prices are from Square's and Shopify's published US pricing as of October 2026. Both change them from time to time, so check before you sign.
Is Shopify POS Better Than Square?
For a retail store that sells online or plans to, yes. For a cafe, a restaurant, or a single store that only sells in person, Square is usually the better fit and the cheaper one.
The difference is not the register. Both take payments well, both run on an iPad or phone, and both handle discounts, receipts and basic reporting. The difference is what sits behind the register. On Shopify, the point of sale and the online store are the same system: one product catalog, one stock count per location, one customer record and one order history. A customer who buys in the shop and later online is one person, with one purchase history your staff can see at the counter. An online order can be returned in the store. A product you add once is for sale in both places.
Square has its own online store, Square Online, and for a simple site it works. Stores that are serious about growing online tend to want Shopify's checkout, themes, apps and marketing tools, which is why the comparison comes up at all.
Is Shopify POS Cheaper Than Square?
At the counter, no. Square starts at $0 a month and Shopify starts at $39. For a store that needs inventory management and staff permissions, Square Plus is $49 a month per location, while Shopify is the Basic plan at $39 plus POS Pro at $89 per location, about $128 a month for one store.
Card fees run the other way. Shopify's in-person rates carry a 10¢ fixed fee per transaction against Square's 15¢, at the same percentages tier for tier. On a store doing 2,000 card sales a month, that 5¢ difference is $100 a month, which covers most of the gap in subscription cost. Work it out with your own transaction count and average sale.
The bigger cost is usually not on either price list. If you keep Square in the store and run Shopify online, you pay for a sync app and for someone's time keeping two systems in agreement. That cost does not show up until stock is wrong online or a customer exists twice.
Shopify Plus changes the math for stores with several locations: it includes POS Pro for the first 20 locations. Our guide to Shopify POS Pro cost works through which plan a chain of stores should be on.
When Square Is the Better Choice
- Cafes, restaurants and quick service. Square has dedicated restaurant tools. Shopify POS is built for retail, and merchants who have tried it for food service report gaps in modifiers and kitchen tickets.
- A single store with no online plans. Square Free costs nothing a month and does the job.
- A store that relies on Square's loyalty program. It is included in Square Plus. On Shopify, loyalty comes through an app, which is another subscription and another thing to set up.
- A tight budget this year. If the website can wait, Square is the cheaper way to run the counter until it cannot.
When Shopify POS Is the Better Choice
- Online sales are part of your growth plan. This is the main reason stores move.
- You want to offer buy online, pick up in store, or returns of online orders at the counter, on one inventory.
- You are already on Shopify online and someone spends hours each week keeping Square and Shopify in step.
- You run several locations and want each store's stock visible online and to staff in the other stores.
One thing to know before you switch: Shopify POS lets staff sell an item that shows zero stock. Shopify's own documentation says its "continue selling when out of stock" setting does not apply to POS; staff see a warning, but the sale goes through. For a store that carries one of something, plan for it in training and in how often you count.
Can You Keep Square in the Store and Use Shopify Online?
Yes. Square and Shopify do not sync on their own, but third-party apps connect them, keeping stock and products in step between Square in the store and Shopify online. It is a reasonable choice when most of your revenue is in the store, or when your staff are fast on Square and a change would cost more than it saves.
It is also two systems. Every product change and stock movement runs through a sync someone has to watch, one of the two has to be the system of record for products, and customers who buy in both places usually end up as two records. Our guide to switching from Lightspeed to Shopify POS walks through the same trade-off with a different register; the logic is identical. We treat connecting as a bridge, or as the answer for stores whose counter needs are genuinely different, rather than as a permanent setup.
What Moves When You Switch From Square to Shopify POS
Shopify's free Store Migration app moves products, customers and stock levels from Square. Gift cards, order history, loyalty points and reviews need another route.
| Data | How it moves | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Store Migration app, from a Square CSV export | Imported as drafts. Items with more than 3 options or 100 variations arrive without variants and at a price of $0. Items priced by unit arrive at $0 |
| Prices by location | Store Migration app | Where a variant has different prices at different Square locations, the app uses the highest one; set location prices again in Shopify |
| Stock levels | Store Migration app | Matched to Shopify locations by name; a name that does not match creates a new location |
| Customers | Store Migration app or a Square customer export | Merge duplicates before and after |
| Order history | A third-party migration app | Shopify's own CSV import does not bring orders across |
| Gift card balances | A gift card import app | Square has no single export of every outstanding balance; get a balance report before the last day |
| Loyalty points | Your new loyalty app's importer | Points have to be tied to the right customer record |
| Saved customer cards | Only on request to Square Support | Square sends card data to another processor only when asked |
| Reviews | Not exportable from Square | Start fresh with a reviews app |
The figures in this table come from Shopify's guide to migrating from Square.
Gift cards are the part customers notice
Outstanding gift card balances are money you owe your customers, so they have to come across exactly, and cards people already hold should keep working at the counter. Shopify's import app does not handle them. Apps exist that import gift cards with their existing codes and balances, but they need a list of every active card and its balance, and Square does not produce that in one click. Ask Square for a full balance report, or build one from its gift card reports, before you stop selling on Square, and check the total against what Shopify shows after the import.
How to Switch From Square to Shopify POS
- Pick the day you switch first. Work backward from it, and keep it well clear of your busiest season.
- Export everything Square allows: items, customers, transactions and gift card reports. Keep the files; you will want them at year-end.
- Clean the catalog before you move it. Fix items with more than three options, unit pricing and duplicate customers in the export, not after the import.
- Import into Shopify and review everything. Products arrive as drafts, so nothing goes live until you have checked it.
- Move gift cards, store credit and loyalty separately, and reconcile the totals against Square.
- Set up staff, locations, taxes and payments, and run test sales, returns and exchanges.
- Count stock on the day you switch, update balances, and start selling on Shopify POS. Compare stock and sales daily for the first two weeks.
The import itself is quick. Cleaning the data and moving gift cards and balances is where the time goes.
Planning the Move?
Our Shopify POS setup and migration service handles the whole switch: products, customers, stock by location, gift cards, store credit and sales history, formatted so the same records work in the POS and on your website. Data migration and POS setup start at $2,500. If you are still deciding, tell us how your store runs and we will tell you whether to switch, connect Square or stay put.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shopify POS better than Square?
For a retail store that sells online or plans to, yes, because the store and the website run on one system with one catalog, one stock count and one customer record. For a cafe, a restaurant, or a single store that only sells in person, Square is usually the better and cheaper fit.
Is Shopify POS cheaper than Square?
Not at the counter. Square starts at $0 a month and Square Plus is $49 per location, while Shopify starts at $39 a month and POS Pro adds $89 per location. Shopify's in-person card fee has a 10 cent fixed fee against Square's 15 cents at the same percentage, which narrows the gap for stores with many transactions.
Can I use Square in my store and Shopify for my website?
Yes. Third-party apps connect Square and Shopify and keep products and stock in step. It suits stores whose revenue is mostly in person, but it means two systems, a sync to watch and customers who often end up as two records.
What transfers from Square to Shopify?
Shopify's free Store Migration app imports products, customers and stock levels from Square. Order history needs a third-party migration app, gift card balances need a gift card import app, loyalty points move through your new loyalty app, and reviews cannot be exported from Square.
Can I move Square gift cards to Shopify?
Yes, with a gift card import app that keeps the existing codes and balances. You need a list of every active card and its balance from Square first, and you should check the total in Shopify against Square after the import.
Is Shopify POS good for cafes and restaurants?
Shopify POS is built for retail. Cafes and restaurants are usually better served by Square's restaurant tools or another food service POS.
How much does it cost to switch from Square to Shopify POS?
Shopify's Store Migration app is free, and a store with a clean catalog can do a basic move itself. Our data migration and POS setup service starts at $2,500, covering products, customers, stock by location, gift cards, store credit and sales history.