Comparisons

Clover vs Square: Fees, Contracts, and the Question That Decides It

Clover and Square both bundle a point-of-sale system with payment processing, and at their published rates they cost about the same. The real difference is not the rate. It is who sells you the system, what you sign, and how hard it is to leave.

Written by Robert Day, Founder and Managing Partner of weAudit.com, previously an executive at Fifth Third Processing Solutions, later Vantiv and Worldpay, now part of Global Payments, the world’s largest card processor. Published October 2026.

The short answer

Square is one company with one published price and no contract. What you see is what you sign.

Clover is owned by Fiserv. Its direct price is published, but many merchants buy it through a bank or reseller that sets its own processing rate, contract and equipment lease. Ask who is selling it to you before you compare anything else.

weAudit scores

Square: 60/100
Clover: 44/100

The gap is mostly contracts, leases and reseller pricing, not the rate.

Run your own numbers. Enter your sales and average ticket to see what each costs you, and what the same sales would cost on interchange plus.

Clover fee calculator Square fee calculator

Clover vs Square fees, side by side

	Square	Clover (direct)
In-person cards	2.6% + 15¢ (Free plan); 2.5% + 15¢ (Plus); 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium)	2.6% + 10¢ (entry plans); 2.3% + 10¢ (higher tiers)
Online and keyed	3.3% + 30¢ online (Free plan); 3.5% + 15¢ keyed	3.5% + 10¢ keyed and card-not-present
Monthly software	$0, $49 or $149 per location	$0 to $89.95, plus $14.95 per extra device
Hardware	Bought outright	About $49 to $1,799 outright; leases common through resellers
Contract	Month-to-month	Software: one year with a 30-day exit. Reseller processing agreements and 36 to 48 month leases are common.
Who sets your rate	Square	Fiserv directly, or the bank or reseller that sold it
weAudit score	60/100	44/100

Sources: Square’s published US pricing, including its January 2026 online-rate change; Clover’s published direct pricing as covered on our Clover fees page. Reseller pricing varies; your agreement shows what applies to you.

What the difference is on a real month

Take a counter-service shop doing $20,000 a month in in-person card sales at a $25 average, which is 800 payments.

$640 vs $615

Square’s free plan, at 2.6% plus 15 cents, against Clover’s Essentials plan, at 2.6% plus 10 cents plus $14.95 in software. At published direct prices, the difference is about $25 a month.

4×

how much more the same Clover software can cost when a reseller sets the monthly fee, before any higher processing rate or equipment lease is added. That is where the real gap opens, and why who set your Clover rate matters more than the plan you picked.

The question that decides it: can you leave?

Square is month-to-month, and its hardware is yours. If a better deal comes along, you can switch. Clover devices run on Fiserv’s processing, and devices bought through a reseller are often tied to that reseller’s account. Leaving can mean an early termination fee, the rest of a non-cancelable lease, and new hardware.

Both are bundled flat rates. Every card costs the same price on either system, whatever it really costs, so the savings on cheap debit cards stay with the processor. For a growing business, the bigger question is whether either one is the right model. See credit card processing fees for small business and the credit card processing fees comparison.

How to choose

If you are buying Clover, find out who is selling it. Clover directly, your bank, or an independent reseller, and get their processing rate in writing.
Never sign an equipment lease without reading it. Compare the total lease payments with the price of buying the hardware.
Compare the total monthly cost at your volume, software included. The Square fee calculator helps.
Check the exit before you sign: the term, the termination fee, and who owns the hardware.

Common questions

Is Clover or Square cheaper?

At their published direct rates they are close. Square’s free plan charges 2.6% plus 15 cents in person; Clover’s entry plans charge 2.6% plus 10 cents, with a monthly software fee from $0 to $89.95. The bigger difference is that many Clover merchants buy through a bank or reseller that sets its own processing rate and equipment terms.

Does Clover require a contract?

Clover’s own software plan has a one-year term with a 30-day exit. But merchants who buy through a reseller often sign a separate processing agreement with an early termination fee, and an equipment lease that can run 36 to 48 months and be marked non-cancelable.

Does Square require a contract?

Square’s standard processing is month-to-month with no long-term contract and no cancellation fee.

Can I use Clover hardware with Square?

No. Clover devices run on Fiserv’s processing, and devices bought through a reseller are often tied to that reseller’s merchant account. Moving away from Clover usually means replacing the hardware.

Which is better for restaurants?

Both have restaurant plans. Clover’s table service plan costs $89.95 a month in software; Square’s restaurant plans have their own monthly tiers. Compare the total monthly cost at your card volume, including hardware, not just the rate.

How do weAudit’s ratings compare?

Square scores 60 out of 100 on the weAudit Processor Scoreboard and Clover scores 44. The gap is mostly about contracts, leases and reseller pricing, not the published rate.

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weAudit is not affiliated with Square, Block, Clover or Fiserv. Names are trademarks of their respective owners. weAudit is processor-neutral and receives no revenue share, referral payment or other financial tie from any processor or ISO.