Square or Clover
Two good systems. One honest answer about which fits you.
We set businesses up on both. That means we don’t need to talk you into either one. Here’s how they differ, in the terms that matter at a counter.
| What matters | Square | Clover |
|---|---|---|
| How pricing works | Published rates for everyone. Simple to understand, and the same whether your sales are small or large. | Rates are quoted for your business by the processor behind it. Negotiable, which helps most when your volume is real. |
| Contract | No long-term contract on the standard setup. You can stop when you want. | Usually a merchant agreement with a term. We read it with you before you sign, including any early termination fee. |
| Hardware | Buy it outright: a reader for your phone, a stand for a tablet, a handheld, or a full register. | Countertop stations, a compact unit, and a handheld that prints. Bought or, with some processors, leased. We steer away from leases. |
| Restaurants | Good for counter service, cafes, trucks and quick-serve. | Strong for table service: floor plans, open tabs, kitchen printers, tips by server. |
| Retail | Good for shops with a modest item list, and shops that also sell online. | Good for larger inventories, several registers, and employee permissions. |
| Invoices and taking cards on site | Invoices, a card reader that pairs with your phone, and online payment links are all included. | Handheld terminals take cards anywhere there’s a signal. Invoicing is available through apps. |
| Getting started | Fast. You can be taking cards within days. | A short application and approval first, then hardware and setup. |
| Who it tends to fit | New businesses, low to medium volume, owners who want simple. | Established businesses, staff on the floor, higher volume, more than one register. |
Both companies change features and pricing over time. We check the current terms for your business during the review rather than quoting them here.
Square
Who Square fits
Square is the right call for a lot of small businesses because it’s predictable. The pricing is published, the hardware is yours, and there isn’t a contract to read. If you’re opening a coffee shop, running a food truck, selling at markets, or sending invoices from a truck, it’s probably where we’d start you.
Where it can cost more: higher volumes, or a customer base that mostly pays with debit cards. At that point an itemized, negotiated rate can beat a flat one, and the review will show you the math either way.
Setup is quick. We help you choose the reader or register, load your items and prices, connect your bank, run a test sale, and show your staff how to use it.
Clover
Who Clover fits
Clover is a full point of sale system sold through payment processors. That’s the key difference: your rates and your contract come from the processor, and both are negotiated for your business. For a full-service restaurant, a bar, a shop with real inventory, or anyone running several registers with staff, it’s often the stronger fit.
What to watch: the merchant agreement. Term length, early termination fees, and whether the hardware is bought or leased. We read all of it with you before you sign, and we steer away from equipment leases.
Setup takes a little longer because there’s an application and approval first. After that it’s the same work: hardware placement, menu or items, modifiers, taxes, employee logins, a test sale, and training.
Either way
What setup includes
The same checklist whichever system you end up on. Most of it happens in your slow hours.
Hardware and network
Placed where your staff actually stand, connected, and tested.
Items, menu and taxes
Your products or menu loaded, with modifiers, categories and the right tax rates.
Staff logins
Each employee gets their own login, with permissions set for what they should and shouldn’t see.
A test sale before you open
A real card, a real receipt, and a check that the deposit lands in the right account.
Training
Hands-on with your staff: sales, refunds, tips, end of day. In person in San Antonio, by video everywhere else.
A check-in after week one
We look at your first statement together so nothing surprises you in month two.
Not sure which one?
That’s what the review is for.
Send last month’s statement and we’ll tell you which system fits, and whether it beats what you have.
Get a free statement review