Shopify POS vs Square: Cost and Fees Calculator
Enter your volumes to compare estimated monthly costs and fees for Shopify POS and Square across the selling types both offer, using published US pricing.
In-person card payments
Full POS system
Selling online (eCommerce)
Estimates combine processing fees and monthly subscriptions on the plans noted above. One-time hardware, setup, and add-ons are excluded. Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and may have changed.
How the Shopify POS vs Square calculator works, and how the two compare
Shopify POS is the leading dedicated eCommerce platform in the US, which also sells in person through Shopify POS. Shopify Basic is $39 per month at 2.9% + $0.30 online with Shopify Payments (Grow $105 at 2.7% + $0.30); in-person processing is 2.6% + $0.10 with POS Lite included in every plan, and POS Pro adds $89 per month per location. Square is an all-in-one flat-rate payments company covering card readers, full POS systems, and online stores. Square charges 2.6% + $0.15 in person on its free plan (readers from $59, Square Terminal $299), and 3.3% + $0.30 online on the free plan; paid plans at $49 and $149 per month lower those rates.
How they are similar: Where they overlap: both Shopify POS and Square cover taking card payments in person with a card reader or terminal, running a full point-of-sale system, and selling online, which is what this calculator compares. In both cases the bill is driven by a percentage of each sale plus any fixed per-transaction fee, which is why your average transaction size changes the effective rate as much as the headline percentage does.
How they differ: Shopify POS operates as a subscription platform where you pay a monthly plan plus payment processing, while Square operates as flat-rate card processing with published per-transaction fees. Shopify's strength is depth and ecosystem: the largest app store in commerce and true omnichannel selling, but third-party gateways trigger an extra 0.6% to 2% fee and app costs creep up at scale. Square is the strongest all-rounder: one account covers in-person, POS, invoices, and a free online store, with no monthly fee required to start.
Assumptions used in this calculator
- Shopify POS is modeled on: 2.6% + $0.10 in person with POS Lite, included in the $39 Basic plan; reader $49; POS Pro $89 per month per location (plus your Shopify plan), 2.6% + $0.10, POS Terminal $349; Basic $39 per month, 2.9% + $0.30 online with Shopify Payments.
- Square is modeled on: 2.6% + $0.15 in person, free plan, $59 reader; 2.6% + $0.15, free POS software, Square Terminal $299; 3.3% + $0.30 online on the free plan (2.9% + $0.30 on paid plans).
- Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and change often; quote-based providers are modeled at representative rates. Always confirm current pricing with the provider.
- One-time hardware, setup, add-on apps, keyed-in transactions, international cards, and chargeback fees are excluded from the monthly figures.