How much does a Clover POS system cost?

Clover hardware costs $349 for the Solo reader, $1,899 for the Station Duo, and $2,648 for the Kiosk. Monthly software runs $84.95 to $104.90 depending on your plan. Processing is additional - Clover's own in-house rate is 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction in person, but you can use a third-party processor instead and negotiate your own rate.

How much does Square POS cost?

Square has a free plan with no monthly fee and a free card reader. Paid plans run $49 to $149 per month with lower processing rates. Hardware ranges from $0 for a magstripe reader to $799 or more for a full register. All processing goes through Square at published flat rates - you cannot negotiate or bring a third-party processor.

Is leasing a POS terminal a good idea?

No. Equipment leases for POS terminals are almost always a bad deal. A terminal that costs $300 to buy outright can end up costing $1,500 or more over a 4-year lease. Worse, equipment leases are often a separate agreement from your processing contract - meaning you can cancel your processor but remain locked into lease payments for years afterward. Always buy hardware outright if you can.

What is a typical monthly fee for a POS system?

Monthly POS software fees range from $0 (Square free plan, SumUp) to $149 per month (Square Premium) or $84.95 to $104.90 per month (Clover). Shopify POS requires both a Shopify plan ($29 to $299 per month) and optionally the Retail add-on ($89 per month). These software fees are separate from and much smaller than your monthly processing costs.

How much does a POS system cost?

Q: What is the biggest hidden cost of a POS system?

Processing fees are by far the largest ongoing cost of any POS system, and they are often the least visible. At $30,000 per month in card volume, even a 0.4% difference in your effective processing rate costs more than $1,400 per year - every year. Over three years that is more than $4,200, which dwarfs any difference in hardware or software pricing between platforms.

A POS system has three cost layers: hardware (one-time), software (monthly) and processing (ongoing). Most comparisons focus on the first two. The third one is usually larger than both combined - and it runs for as long as you stay in business.

The short answer

Hardware runs from $0 (Square reader) to $2,648 (Clover Kiosk). Monthly software fees range from $0 to about $150. But processing - what you pay on every card transaction - is the cost that dwarfs the others. At $30,000 per month in card volume, a 0.4% difference in your effective processing rate costs more than $1,400 per year. Over three years, that is more than $4,200 more or less in your pocket, depending entirely on who you chose to process with and whether you negotiated.

Hardware costs

Hardware is a one-time purchase and the easiest part of POS cost to compare. The range is wide: from a free magstripe reader to a full countertop kiosk costing nearly $3,000. Most businesses fall somewhere in the middle.

Clover hardware

Clover Solo - $349. A compact countertop reader with a customer-facing display, suitable for quick service and retail.
Clover Station Duo - $1,899. A full countertop POS with merchant display and separate customer display. Good for sit-down restaurants and higher-volume retail.
Clover Kiosk - $2,648. A self-service order and payment kiosk, primarily for quick service restaurants.

Clover hardware must be purchased through Clover or an authorized reseller. You cannot buy it from Amazon or a retail electronics store. Price and features can vary slightly by reseller, so compare before committing.

Square hardware

Square Reader (magstripe) - $0 (one free per account)
Square Reader (chip and tap) - $49
Square Terminal - $299. An all-in-one portable register with built-in printer.
Square Register - from $799. A full countertop system with merchant and customer displays.

Shopify POS hardware

Tap to Pay - $0 (uses your iPhone)
Shopify Tap & Chip Reader - $49
Shopify POS Go - $399. An all-in-one handheld device for inventory and checkout on the floor.

SumUp hardware

SumUp Air - around $19 to $49 depending on promotions. A compact Bluetooth card reader that pairs with your phone.
SumUp Solo - around $99. A standalone reader with a built-in SIM card, no phone required.

Buy, never lease. Equipment leases for POS terminals are almost always a poor deal. A terminal that costs $300 to buy outright frequently ends up costing $1,500 or more over a 4-year lease at typical lease rates. The section below on equipment leases explains the worst part: the lease agreement often survives cancellation of the processing contract.

Monthly software fees

Software fees cover your POS software license, cloud reporting, and sometimes extra features like payroll or loyalty programs. They are predictable and easy to budget for. They are also rarely the deciding factor in the total cost of ownership.

Clover software

Clover's monthly software fee depends on your plan and business type, typically running $84.95 to $104.90 per month for full-service plans covering inventory, employee management and reporting. Entry-level plans for simple retail or quick service start lower.

Square software

Square has a genuinely free plan with no monthly fee for basic retail and food service. Paid plans run $49 per month (Plus) or $149 per month (Premium), with lower processing rates and expanded features.

Shopify POS software

Shopify POS requires an active Shopify subscription: plans run from $29 per month (Basic) to $299 per month (Advanced). The Shopify POS Retail add-on, which unlocks advanced inventory and staff management features, adds $89 per month on top of that.

SumUp software

SumUp charges no monthly fee. The tradeoff is fewer POS features - SumUp is primarily a card acceptance product rather than a full POS platform.

Processing fees: the cost that dwarfs the others

Hardware is a one-time cost. Software is a fixed monthly line item. Processing is different: it scales directly with your revenue and runs indefinitely. For any business doing meaningful card volume, processing is by far the largest cost in the POS equation.

To illustrate: a business doing $30,000 per month in card volume with 200 transactions pays the following in processing fees per month at published in-person rates:

Clover in-house (2.6% + 10 cents): $780 + $20 = $800/month
Square free plan (2.6% + 15 cents): $780 + $30 = $810/month
Square Plus (2.5% + 15 cents): $750 + $30 = $780/month
Shopify POS Basic (2.6% + 10 cents): $780 + $20 = $800/month
SumUp (2.6% + 10 cents): $780 + $20 = $800/month

The published flat rates look similar. But here is the structural difference: Clover lets you bring your own processor and negotiate an interchange-plus rate. If you negotiate to an effective rate of 2.2% - achievable for many businesses on interchange-plus pricing - the same $30,000 in volume costs roughly $660 per month in processing, saving $140 per month compared to any of the flat-rate options above. That is $1,680 per year.

Square, SumUp and Shopify POS (without absorbing the third-party penalty) do not allow that negotiation.

3-year total cost of ownership

The table below illustrates total 3-year cost for a business doing $30,000 per month in card volume with 200 transactions per month. The "negotiated rate" scenario assumes a Clover setup with a third-party interchange-plus processor at 2.2% effective rate - a realistic benchmark for businesses in this volume range.

Scenario	Hardware	Software (3 yr)	Processing (3 yr)	3-Year Total
Clover (own processing at est. 2.2% effective)	$349	$3,058	~$23,760	~$27,167
Square Plus	$99	$1,764	~$28,080	~$29,943
Clover (in-house flat rate at 2.6%)	$349	$3,058	~$28,800	~$32,207
Shopify POS (Basic + Retail add-on)	$149	$4,248	~$28,800	~$33,197

Illustrative example only. Based on $30,000/month card volume, 200 transactions/month. Processing figures use published in-person rates except the negotiated-rate row (2.2% effective). Software for Clover at $84.95/month; Square Plus at $49/month; Shopify at $29 + $89/month. Hardware at published list prices. Actual costs will vary.

The gap between the best and worst scenarios in the table above is over $6,000 over three years - for a business doing $30,000 per month. Scale that to $100,000 per month and the gap exceeds $20,000. This is why the processing decision matters far more than the hardware decision.

The equipment lease trap

POS equipment leases deserve special attention because they are one of the most effective ways for merchants to lose money without realizing it until the damage is done.

Here is how it usually works: you sign up for a processing account, and during the sales call the rep offers you a "free" or low-cost terminal with an attached lease agreement. The lease is for 36 or 48 months. The monthly lease payment sounds small - maybe $35 to $75 per month - and gets buried in your processing statement so you may not even notice it as a separate line.

The total lease cost for a terminal that retails for $300 to $500 is frequently $1,500 to $3,000 when all payments are added up. That is three to six times the purchase price for a depreciating piece of hardware.

The worst part: the lease is a separate legal agreement from your processing contract. When you cancel your processor (even for legitimate reasons, even mid-term), the lease payments continue. You may find yourself paying monthly for a terminal you returned, for a system you are no longer using, for 18 more months.

Rule of thumb: never sign an equipment lease for a POS terminal or card reader. Buy hardware outright. If a sales rep says the equipment is "included" or "free," ask them to show you the agreement in writing and look for any lease, rental or equipment finance terms before signing anything.

What to look for when comparing quotes

When you get a quote for a POS system, ask for all three cost layers explicitly:

Hardware cost - what is the purchase price, and is there any lease or finance agreement attached?
Monthly software fee - what does it cover, and what triggers a plan upgrade?
Processing rate and structure - is it flat rate, interchange-plus or tiered? Can you bring a third-party processor, and what does that cost?

The third question is the most important one and the one most sales conversations try to avoid. A quote that gives you the hardware price and the monthly fee but glosses over the processing structure is not a complete quote.

If you are comparing systems and want to know where your processing rate sits today, our effective rate calculator shows your current effective rate and benchmarks it against typical rates for your business type. Our guide to pricing models explains why interchange-plus is usually better than flat rate for growing businesses. And if you are ready to look at switching, see how to switch payment processors for the steps that protect you through the transition.

Is your processing rate competitive?

The hardware price is a one-time cost. The processing rate runs forever. We will read your current statement and tell you whether your effective rate is in line with what is achievable - free, no obligation.

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Hardware prices and processing rates are as published by each provider in July 2026 and may change; verify current pricing at each provider's website before making a purchase decision. The 3-year TCO table is illustrative only and uses simplified assumptions. Actual costs will vary based on your card mix, transaction count, plan tier and negotiated rates. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.