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ShopKeep vs. Square

The best choice comes down to where your store operates.

Shannon Terrell

Updated Jun 16, 2020

Fact checked

Square is best for e-commerce stores, while ShopKeep offers more in-store features. You’ll also want to consider monthly fees, software features, available hardware integrations and more to help narrow your options.

How do ShopKeep and Square compare?

	ShopKeep	Square
	Read our review Go to site	Read our review Go to site
Which should I choose?	Choose ShopKeep if you want a point-of-sale (POS) system for a niche retail or service business like a gift shop, pet store, bakery, food truck or clothing boutique.	Choose Square if you want to build an online store and don’t mind using Square as your processor.
Overview	ShopKeep offers payment processing and POS solutions designed for small- to medium-sized businesses. Merchants pay a monthly fee to access its software, and POS hardware is bundled for retail, restaurant and quick-service businesses.	Square offers payment processing, POS software and proprietary hardware with its signature white card reader. Its free online store is best suited to merchants who don’t have a website and lack the tech support to craft an online storefront from scratch.
Solutions	In-store Online	In-store Online
Products	Payment processing POS software POS hardware Inventory tracking	Payment processing POS software POS hardware Inventory tracking Website builder
Contract required?	No	No
Price starts at	Around $69/month + processing fees — but ShopKeep doesn’t disclose what it charges for processing	2.6% + 10¢ for payment processing, POS software included
Processing time	Typically take 3-5 business days to process but can take up to 7 days for accounts less than 90 days old	Next day
Pros	24/7 tech support. Call ShopKeep anytime to connect with live tech support. Third-party processing support. Use your own payment processor as long as it integrates with ShopKeep’s software. Bundled hardware. Access conveniently bundled hardware options for your retail or service industry business.	Free service tier. Build an online store, access inventory management and integrate with any of Square’s hardware with Square’s free service tier. Online store builder. Select a free design template, plug in your products and accept payments through Square’s hosted online store builder. Transparent rates. Square advertises rates clearly on its site.
Cons	No free service tier. Unlike Square, you pay a monthly fee before accessing ShopKeep’s services. Lack of transparency. Be prepared to place a call with a ShopKeep sales rep before you uncover any potential processing rates. Tech support wait times. While 24/7 tech support is an asset, many merchants report wait times in excess of 30 minutes.	Limited tech support. Despite the scope of its services, Square’s tech support is only available weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., PT. Square advertising. Its free online store comes with a major drawback — ads. Upgrade to its Professional service tier to get rid of them. Proprietary processing. Square requires all onboarded merchants to use its payment processing service.
Tools	Inventory management. Track, organize and reorder low stock inventory items. Employee management. Schedule employees and track their time with labor-tracking and clock-in features. QuickBooks integration. Sync with QuickBooks Online to manage business accounting through ShopKeep. ShopKeep Loyalty. Encourage repeat business with point-based loyalty programs. ShopKeep Capital. Apply for a merchant cash advance through your ShopKeep account. ShopKeep PocketApp. Track business data on the fly with the ShopKeep app for Android and iOS.	Website builder. Design an e-commerce website with the help of Square’s beginner-friendly design templates. Inventory management. Stay up to date on inventory fluctuations both in-store and online. Social media integration. Sell and market products across Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. Product reviews. Display reviews from satisfied customers on your website. Abandoned cart emails. Urge customers to complete their purchase with abandoned cart emails.
BBB letter rating	A+	F
Trustpilot rating	★★★★★ Based on 713 reviews	★★★★★ Based on 1,523 reviews
Reputation and customer reviews	Reviews are: Generally positive — with only 62 BBB complaints and a solid TrustScore, merchants tend to speak well of this provider. Customers praise: Convenient POS software features and easy onboarding. Customers complain about: Long wait times to speak with tech support and buggy POS hardware.	Reviews are: Mixed — it has a stack of 2,907 BBB complaints but an impressively high TrustScore. Customers praise: Easy onboarding and personable customer service. Customers complain about: Chargebacks and abrupt account closures.
High-risk merchants accepted?	No	No
Support	Phone. Call 800-820-9814 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., ET. Email. Fill out a secure online form on ShopKeep’s website Live chat. Available ShopKeep‘s website weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.	Phone. Call 800-474-3398, weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., PT. Email. Fill out a secure online form from your Square account

Bottom line

Both ShopKeep and Square offer a solid lineup of services, including payment processing, POS solutions and hardware packages. Before you decide, compare merchant services from other providers for the service that best meets the needs of your business.

Frequently asked questions

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Shannon Terrell

Shannon Terrell is a writer for Finder who studied communications and English literature at the University of Toronto. On any given day, you can find her researching everything from equine financing and business loans to student debt refinancing and how to start a trust. She loves hot coffee, the smell of fresh books and discovering new ways to save her pennies.

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Articles

ShopKeep vs. Square

The best choice comes down to where your store operates.

How do ShopKeep and Square compare?

Bottom line

Frequently asked questions

Who hosts Square’s websites?

How long does it take to build a Square e-commerce website?

Do I need an iPad to run ShopKeep’s software?

Shannon Terrell

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