Shopify VS Square: Which One For Your Small Business? - YouTube

Welcome back Mavericks! Today, we're comparing Shopify versus Square to find out which one of these platforms is best for your business.

There are good reasons why merchants like Shopify and Square. They are two of the largest all-in-one merchant solutions as they rise above the pack

in terms of the value they promise.

Today we examine the similarities and differences between the 2, so you can choose the right one that best fits your needs.

But before we dive into this comparison, be sure to ring the bell and subscribe to our youtube channel.

I don't know somewhere... somewhere around here.

All right, let's get started! Both Shopify and Square have grown considerably in the past few years. The result

Is that the two services started off catering to very different audiences,

now have very similar offerings. Both provide the tools needed for a brick and mortar shop or an online store.

So let's take a quick look at the two company services before we do an in-depth comparison.

Shopify originally launched in 2006

as an eCommerce software. Since then shopify has made selling online much easier for merchants,

especially those who are just starting their business.

They provide all the basic tools that you would need as a merchant, or for more advanced eCommerce functions

they offer over 2000 integrations and apps to fill any feature gaps,

essentially. And if you're a brick and mortar business owner, you can enjoy the solid inventory management,

reporting options, crm functionality,

gift cards and much more. Countless integrations are available and shopify provides free

24/7 tech support. So I encourage you to read our Shopify review to get the full scoop.

The link is below! But in terms of pros Shopify has some great reporting and crm features,

a stronger pos system than that of Square, a massive amount of integrations, and 24/7 customer service.

As for the cons, Shopify charges a monthly fee,

the cost of add-ons can add up fast and, Shopify's POS offline mode is a bit weak.

On the other hand, Square is the most comprehensive free mobile POS out there. When the company was founded in 2009,

they were the first to make card processing widely available to everyone using a free card reader and a smartphone. Having grown

exponentially since then, Square now offers a comprehensive suite of business products for merchants just like you

looking to sell in-store, online, and on the go. And unlike Shopify,

Square and its POS app, Square point of sale charges no monthly fee making it great if you sell in person

but only process card payments once in a while. If you're processing a low volume

each month, Square is a particularly attractive solution.

So, click the link below to read our full review of Square to get the bigger picture. As for Square's pros,

it has affordable chip card readers, no monthly fees - unlike Shopify - a great feature set, tons of integrations.

And for the cons, the customer service is not 24/7,

there are some account stability issues, and costs can accumulate with add-ons.

In terms of features, when we compare both side by side, Shopify is the clear winner.

There's definitely a lot to discuss in this section. So i'll cover the essential points. Let's look at the pos apps!

Shopify's POS used to be strictly for iOS but the app is now available for android smartphones,

and tablets as well. Square also supports your choice of android and iOS devices with its free point of sale app.

Square's premium app for retailers, called Square for retail,

is an iPad exclusive piece of software with some advanced features. Now,

let's take a look at what Shopify's POS system includes. It accepts all forms of payments,

you can split tender which is useful, you can accept two or more forms of payment in a single transaction, features discounts,

store credit,

invoicing: you can send invoices to your customers with a secure checkout link- reporting, item variants:

like set colors styles and pricing-, syncing: automatically syncs to your inventory across all channels, email or print receipts,

connect with external payment processors,

inventory: track stock levels different barcodes,

employee accounts, full and partial refunds, gift cards which are only for iPad,

offline capabilities which are limited for Shopify, tax rate calculation, and much more!

The detailed list is available in the article that we've linked below,

so again,

please check it out to get more information! And so Square's pos includes: the ability to accept credit card payments, also split tender,

discounts,

reporting, item variants: like set color styles and pricing. You can also sync your inventory across multiple channels,

you can get stock alerts, email sms and print receipts, inventory management, employee accounts including timekeeping,

invoicing,

full and partial refunds, gift cards, offline capabilities, tax features,

loyalty programs and much more. And these are just the basics of what Shopify and Square offer in terms of POS and e-commerce features.

Both also offer a range of hardware options.

From free credit card readers to full-fledged retail kits with everything you would need for a conventional register setup.

At the very least, you'll need a card reader to use with your smartphone or tablet.

And if you decide you need more of a registered type setup, both provide

ready-to-go retail bundles that you can use to set up your system: from receipt printers to cash drawers and more.

There are also many other hardware options available, including card readers,

shipping label printers, receipt printers, cash drawers, and stands... In many different configurations, depending on your needs and budget!

So, for the complete list of hardware pricing be sure to visit our in-depth review again at the link below!

A lot of businesses don't have the time or manpower to spend on learning new software,

or training new employees. So ease of use is a big factor when choosing a pos system.

It's difficult to judge which system is easier to use because both Square and Shopify have so many features included in their products.

They both target very similar audiences with similar needs,

and for both services, the idea of making everything easier for small businesses to operate

iIs part of why they exist. And for the most part, their products succeed in terms of easing the burden on the end-user

which is you, and your employees. Both companies payment processing charges are easy to understand

and are far more straightforward than your average merchant account provider.

Both companies provide POS setups that you won't have to spend much time learning or training your employees to use. While there are differences

and some are important differences,

they don't really affect the way the systems are utilized in everyday commerce or function.

And if you do have a question or a problem with your service,

customer service and support can be a major sticking point for any product or system. And often,

a lack of these is why so many products fail. And Shopify is the clear winner in terms of

support. No matter what plan you have, they offer 24/7 access to their support team

which is actually quite remarkable in any industry.

And their support team's reputation is really good as well with timely responses

and helpful solutions. Their online knowledge base is also very detailed,

so you may be able to find your answers there without ever having to pick up

the phone.

Square has invested a great deal of effort into improving their customer service and it seems to have paid off.

But it's still a flawed system.

Square's phone support is not available 24/7,

and, before you can even call in, you have to go through an online support system to receive a code. However,

Square's online resources are outstanding! And unless you're dealing with a complicated account-specific issue,

you should be able to find your answer without having to contact Square directly.

So, after all this information... which service is right for you?

We've examined the major components of each service

including the POS apps, the hardware, ease of use, and customer support.

So let's boil it down to the few key points:

For POS apps, Shopify has one POS system that can be adapted to a variety of retail settings,

while Square has a base POS app, as well as more advanced apps for retail and restaurant industries. For e-commerce integrations,

Shopify has over 2 000 feature integrations. Square's online store has over 130.

For hardware, both Shopify and Square offer mobile card readers, along with more advanced POS retail kits.

Both companies' offerings are strong but Square has a few more options in terms of the retail packages offered. Customer support:

Shopify offers 24/7 life support in addition to their extensive online knowledge base and their community forum.

Square offers a truly industry-leading knowledge base and a community forum.

But only offers live support during their business hours. So choose Shopify

if you want to use your POS app on multiple devices without extra fees; Or, you're building a large complex ecommerce site;

Or you want to connect to your existing payment processor.

And you need the security of 24/7 live help!

You can choose Square if you already use Square for payment processing, and you're satisfied with the

service.

If you want to sell items online without having to pay a monthly fee, if your business is in the restaurant industry,

or if you want a POS system that has solid inventory and team management features and impressive offline capabilities.

It's hard to say unequivocally that Shopify or Square is better than the other.

We recommend them both to merchants because they both have a lot of advantages,

as well as generally transparent and fairly priced options.

In the end, you need to take into consideration what your budget is and which features are the most important for you to have.

For more info, check out our full detailed comparison article

in the description below. And if you've had any experience with either of these services - or both of them -

drop us a comment below, and let us know what you think! And as always, you can visit our website at merchantmaverick.com

for more articles and advice to help make your business a success.

We'll see you next time! Check out in our "new to the channel" playlist

all of our other versus videos!