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ShopKeep vs. Square

This review contains information about a discontinued product.

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Shannon Terrell
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How do ShopKeep and Square compare?

ShopKeep has been acquired by Lightspeed, a cloud-based omnichannel commerce platform. While existing merchants are able keep their ShopKeep accounts, new merchants will need to sign up for Lightspeed directly.

This article is out of date and no longer being updated. If you’re interested in learning more about Lightspeed, read our full review.

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

Who hosts Square’s websites?

Square’s websites are hosted by Weebly.

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

Square suggests most merchants can build a website using its software in one week.

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

ShopKeep can be run on an iPad (6th generation), iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4 (running iOS 10 and above) and tablets running Android v5.0 Lollipop and above.

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