| 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 | | |
| Products | - Payment processing
- POS software
- POS hardware
- Inventory tracking
| - Payment processing
- POS software
- POS hardware
- Inventory tracking
- Website builder
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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