Clover POS Review 2026: Features and Pricing
Clover stands out for its hardware selection and the fact that you can use it with third-party payment processors.
The bottom line:
Clover POS is a solid option for brick-and-mortar businesses that need an individual merchant account. These are typically more stable than aggregated accounts. If you don’t want to process payments through Clover, you can pair its POS system with a third-party processor instead. That way, you can hunt for the cheapest rates. Otherwise, alternatives like Square have less expensive POS plans.
Software details
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.5% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Monthly fee
$0
and up.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free plan available if you’re only using a mobile card reader.
24/7 phone support.
Offers a variety of plans tailored to six specific types of businesses.
Can pair POS systems with third-party payment processors.
Cons
Promotions require a three-year contract.
May be subject to early termination fees if you use Clover as your payment processor.
Compare to other products
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.5% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Payment processing fees
0.2% + $0.00
to 1.95%, plus interchange.
Payment processing fees
2.49% + $0.15
if you buy hardware upfront; 3.09% + $0.15 for pay-as-you-go option.
Need more options? Check our picks for best payment processing systems
Square: Better free POS plan. Square’s free POS plan includes features like low-stock alerts, shipping discounts and item and menu management. And it extends to retailers, restaurants and service-based businesses. You can pair it with just a card reader or a full countertop register.
Clover, on the other hand, only offers free plans for its card readers — and they have fewer features. These plans are available to retailers and personal service businesses, but not businesses in other industries. Read our full Square review.
» MORE: Clover vs. Square comparison
Payment Depot: Better for interchange-plus processing. Higher-volume businesses might prefer Payment Depot’s interchange-plus pricing structure to Clover’s flat-rate processing. That way, they save when customers use payment options, like debit cards, with low interchange fees. Plus, Payment Depot is compatible with Clover’s POS hardware. Read our full Payment Depot review.
Toast: Better for restaurant-specific features. Unlike Clover, Toast was initially built for restaurants. Standout features include a built-in reservations solution called Toast Tables. There are also more add-ons for things like marketing and catering. Read our full Toast review.
Full review
Clover is a great choice for brick-and-mortar business owners who want to mix and match POS systems and processing services. Most alternatives only let you use their POS system if you process payments through their company.
Having the ability to shop around for rates opens up lots of new (and potentially cheaper) processing options — maybe even some local ones. You just need to make sure to buy your Clover hardware from that processor, so that it’s programmed correctly.
Clover is also a good fit for businesses that need a dedicated merchant account. You can apply for one via Clover or through a compatible third-party processor. Dedicated accounts involve an underwriting process. But they’re usually better tailored to your business than aggregated accounts are. They’re also less likely to experience account freezes.
We recommend higher-volume businesses seek out dedicated account providers. That’s because these providers are typically more willing to negotiate processing rates. This may apply to you if your business’s average transaction amount exceeds $50 and you do more than $8,000 per month in sales.
Dedicated accounts are also a good idea for businesses selling potentially “high-risk” items. These could include CBD drinks or online subscriptions.
If you don’t need a dedicated merchant account and you’re fine with processing payments through your POS system’s company, there are less expensive options out there. Clover’s plans cost a lot for what they offer. For example, Square provides appointment management features in its free plan. Clover only has them in its $84.95-per-month plans.
Clover is best for:
✔️ Choosing your own payment processor.
✔️ Dedicated merchant accounts.
✔️ 24/7 phone support.
Clover POS overview
| Payment processing model | Flat rate. |
| Payment processing fees |
Note: Prices are based on using Clover’s parent company, Fiserv, as your merchant service provider. If you use a different provider, your costs may differ. |
| Monthly fee |
|
| Hardware cost |
|
| Contract length | POS software plans are month-to-month, but payment processing may require a long-term contract. |
| Customer support | 24/7 phone support, plus chat support 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. |
Where Clover stands out
Offers a dedicated merchant account
Clover gives businesses dedicated merchant accounts. Competitors — think payment service providers like Square, Shopify and Stripe — combine multiple businesses’ funds into one account. This is OK for small businesses prioritizing convenience and quick setups. But it can also lead to more frequent account freezes.
Dedicated accounts involve more complex applications upfront. But they can be worth it for quickly growing businesses that need more control over their account.
Compatible with third-party processors
Lots of other payment processing companies, like Payment Depot, sell Clover POS systems. (You can find a list of official resellers here.) This gives you the option to compare credit card processing fees across a variety of providers to find the best deal.
Some providers even discount Clover hardware. A local company offered a price cut for my husband’s brewery, for instance. Just remember independent processors program Clover hardware for their networks. That means you can’t switch processors without having to buy a new POS system.
That said, sticking with Clover can make sense. Its own in-person processing rates are competitive (2.3% to 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction). And its online rates are relatively standard at 3.5% plus 10 cents per transaction.
It’s true that 3.5% is higher than some competitors’ 2.9% rate. But those companies also charge 30 cents instead of just 10 cents. I’d take a 0.6% upcharge over having to pay an additional 20 cents per transaction. However, the better fit for your business will depend on its average sale amount.
I’d mainly suggest going with a third-party processor if you’re looking for interchange-plus pricing as opposed to flat-rate.
Where Clover falls short
Pricing
Clover’s POS plans and hardware are both expensive. Its mid-tier retail plan costs $84.95, and its entry-level restaurant plan costs $89.95. Square’s mid-tier plan costs just $49 and has most of the features retailers and quick-service restaurants need.
If you don’t need industry-specific features, you might opt for Helcim or PayPal POS instead of Clover. Both have free POS software with all of the basics (e.g., inventory management, reporting, customer management).
In terms of hardware, Clover’s mobile card reader costs $199. That’s how much Helcim’s card reader costs. But unlike Clover’s option, Helcim’s reader has a touchscreen. Square sells a more comparable mobile card reader to Clover’s. It costs just $59.
May require contracts
If you want to take advantage of Clover’s hardware promotions, you’ll need to sign a three-year contract. And if you use Clover as your payment processor, you’ll have to pay a termination fee if you cancel within three years.
This isn’t the norm. Most providers offer contract-free plans or lock you in for just a year. Others have discounts that don’t lock you in long term. For instance, you can get a cheaper monthly rate with Lightspeed Retail simply by paying annually instead of monthly.
What small-business owners think of Clover
NerdWallet checked online forums like Reddit and reviews from sites like TrustPilot, G2, the App Store and Google Play to gauge how users feel about Clover. We used an AI tool to help analyze this feedback. Here are the major trends we spotted.
👍 Variety of hardware
Online commenters praise Clover’s hardware variety, and I can see why. It might be expensive, but chances are you’ll find what you’re looking for.
There are two handheld Flex terminals (one fits in your pocket), a compact card reader, mobile card reader, mini POS system and two different POS registers. You’ll also find a kiosk that lets customers punch in orders themselves.
👎 Bare bones reporting
Some Reddit users complain that Clover’s reporting is too basic. Comments suggest that’s one of the trade-offs of opting for a user-friendly system.
For example, online commenters mention a lack of customization options. Currently, they’re limited to date, order type, employee, order source or device. It’s possible that some businesses — especially restaurants — could benefit from filtering by item category too.
Integrating with a third-party app for advanced reporting seems like a popular option. But this will likely cost extra.
How we evaluated Clover
NerdWallet’s writers and editors independently review POS systems, like Clover, by analyzing more than 30 data points. We collected data from Clover’s public-facing website, help articles and company representatives.
Our evaluations also take user sentiment into account. This involves looking through individual reviews and feedback on sites like Trustpilot, the App Store, Google Play and Reddit. Then, we use AI tools to help spot larger trends within those comments. Since we cannot verify each user’s individual experience, we don’t incorporate user reviews in our star ratings. For more information on how we score POS systems, see our full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Clover and Square are comparable on many factors related to POS systems, including flat-rate payment processing, transaction fees, industry-tailored solutions, offline mode to accept payments during internet outages, virtual terminal to manually enter credit card transactions, a long list of features, add-on tools and numerous app integrations. It ultimately comes down to your business needs and priorities.
Clover charges a monthly software fee that varies by industry and plan tier. The monthly fee ranges from $0 to $129.85.
With its distinctive hardware, competitive payment processing fees and solid list of features and capabilities, Clover POS is a worthy contender for most small businesses.