# Clover vs Square for Restaurants

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Square for Restaurants

| Attribute | Clover | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 43 (46% (low)) | 78.5 (58% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Clover is a payment and point-of-sale platform that enables businesses to accept card payments, manage transactions, and operate retail locations. It provides hardware devices (terminals and readers) and software tools accessible via web dashboard and mobile apps, with extensibility through a third-party app marketplace. | A cloud-based operating system for restaurants and food service businesses that integrates payment processing, order and inventory management, staff scheduling, customer loyalty programs, and real-time analytics in a unified platform. |
| features.capabilities | `{"pci_dss":true,"multi_location":true,"emv_contactless":true,"hardware_ecosystem":true,"payment_processing":"built_in"}` | `{"pci_dss":true,"inventory":true,"venue_type":"multi","offline_mode":true,"pricing_model":"processing_pct","multi_location":true,"target_segment":"smb","emv_contactless":true,"online_ordering":true,"hardware_ecosystem":true,"loyalty_gift_cards":true,"payment_processing":"built_in","delivery_integrations":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 1 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Clover App Market"},{"name":"Clover Connect"}]` | `[{"name":"Delivery platforms"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"regional","availableCountries":["US"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":["US","CA","JP","AU","GB","FR","IE","ES"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"From 2.3% + 10¢ per transaction","commitment":"monthly","components":[{"of":"transaction","kind":"percentage","plus":{"amount":0.1,"currency":"USD"},"rate":2.3}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Standard","commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Advanced","commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Clover Care"},{"name":"Clover Security Plus"}],"summary":"From 2.3% + 10¢ per transaction. Monthly subscription with no money down. Processing fees separate from software fees.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.clover.com/pos-systems","retrievedAt":"2026-08-04T08:41:49.259Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Square Free","summary":"Free with per-transaction processing fees","features":["POS app for card, mobile wallet, and cash payments","Online ordering profile and basic website","Item library with inventory tracking","Invoicing and estimates","Appointment scheduling","Business checking and savings accounts"],"description":"Essential POS and business tools with variable processing fees","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Square Plus","summary":"Lower processing fees with advanced POS and marketing","features":["Advanced POS for food, beverage, retail, and appointments","Lower in-person and online card processing fees","Custom loyalty rewards program","Unlimited email marketing","500 free text messages monthly, then 3¢ per text","Staff scheduling and attendance tracking"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"text"},"kind":"per_unit","amount":0.03,"currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD","description":"First 500 texts free per month"}],"description":"Advanced POS features with lower processing fees and marketing tools","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Square Premium","summary":"Premium support and lowest processing fees","features":["All Square Plus features","24/7 priority phone support","Advanced reporting and analytics","Lowest in-person and online card processing fees","2,500 free text messages monthly, then 1.5¢ per text","No gift card load fees"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"text"},"kind":"per_unit","amount":0.015,"currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD","description":"First 2,500 texts free per month"}],"description":"Highest-tier features with 24/7 support and lowest processing fees","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Square Pro","summary":"Custom pricing for $250k+ annual transaction volume","features":["Custom processing fees","Hardware discounts","Onboarding and implementation support","Technical specialists","Dedicated account management"],"description":"Custom enterprise pricing for high-volume processors","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"annual_processing":"$250,000+"}}],"summary":"Free tier plus usage-based processing fees. Paid tiers unlock lower processing rates and expanded features. Custom pricing for enterprise volume.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T10:26:29.291Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | yes | yes |

## Capabilities (Restaurant POS Software)

| Capability | Clover | Square for Restaurants |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Venue type | - | Multi-concept |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| PCI DSS compliant | ✓ | ✓ |
| EMV chip / contactless payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Reliability** |  |  |
| Offline mode | - | ✓ |
| **Front of house** |  |  |
| Online ordering | - | ✓ |
| Reservations / waitlist | - | - |
| Loyalty / gift cards | - | ✓ |
| **Back of house** |  |  |
| Kitchen display system (KDS) | - | - |
| Inventory management | - | ✓ |
| **Integrations** |  |  |
| Delivery integrations (DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub) | - | ✓ |
| **Hardware** |  |  |
| Proprietary hardware ecosystem (terminals/KDS) | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Market** |  |  |
| Multi-location support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Target segment | - | SMB / independent |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payment processing | Built-in / proprietary processor | Built-in / proprietary processor |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | - | % of transactions |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:20:04.432Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*