Square POS vs SpotOn

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Our analysts compared Square POS vs SpotOn based on data from our 400+ point analysis of POS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Square is a cloud-based POS system for retail stores of all sizes. It automatically creates customer profiles and tracks their information and purchase histories. Its key capabilities include sales reports, online payment processing, inventory tracking control, marketing campaigns, digital receipts, sales management, e-commerce and more. It accepts offline payments and automatically syncs payment information when mobile devices reconnect.

It is available on Android and iOS devices and includes optional hardware such as terminals, cash drawers, scanners, scales and card readers. Users can manage order pick-ups from third-party services like DoorDash, Postmates and more.

Pros
  • Easy to use and set up
  • Affordable pricing plans
  • Mobile payments and online ordering
  • Integrates with Square ecosystem
  • Free basic plan available
Cons
  • Limited customization options
  • May not be suitable for high-volume businesses
  • Transaction fees can add up
  • Limited reporting features in free plan
  • Customer support could be improved
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SpotOn offers a cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system catering to diverse businesses, from single-location setups to multi-outlet chains. Its core strength lies in its flexibility, allowing customization for restaurants, retail stores, salons, and more. Users praise its intuitive interface, streamlining checkout processes and inventory management. SpotOn integrates seamlessly with payment processing, payroll, and marketing tools, providing a centralized platform for business operations. However, some users report occasional glitches and limitations in advanced reporting features. Pricing varies based on chosen modules and transaction volume, ranging from per-month subscriptions to tiered transaction fees. Overall, SpotOn shines for businesses seeking a user-friendly, adaptable POS solution, particularly those comfortable with cloud-based systems.

Pros
  • Cloud-based & accessible
  • Flexible for many industries
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Payment & marketing tools
  • Inventory management
Cons
  • Occasional glitches reported
  • Limited advanced reporting
  • Pricing based on transactions
  • May not suit complex needs
  • Cloud dependence concerns
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$29 Monthly, Freemium, Plus Transaction Fees
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$25/Station, Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Streamlined Operations: Simplify day-to-day tasks like sales, inventory management, and employee management with an intuitive interface and mobile accessibility. Square POS offers a clean and user-friendly interface that minimizes the learning curve for new users and streamlines operations for established businesses. Additionally, its mobile app allows you to manage your business on the go, whether you're taking inventory, processing payments, or checking sales reports.
  • Omnichannel Engagement: Facilitate seamless omnichannel experiences by offering mobile payments, online ordering, and click-and-collect options. In today's digital age, customers expect a smooth and consistent experience across all channels. Square POS empowers you to meet these expectations by providing omnichannel features that bridge the gap between physical and online storefronts.
  • Scalability and Flexibility: Adapt to your evolving business needs with a range of pricing plans and integrations with Square's broader ecosystem of tools. Square POS doesn't lock you into a one-size-fits-all solution. With its flexible pricing plans and vast ecosystem of integrations, you can tailor the system to your specific needs and budget, whether you're a small startup or a growing enterprise.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Gain valuable insights into your business performance with sales reports, inventory tracking, and customer analytics. Square POS equips you with the data you need to make informed decisions. Its comprehensive reporting and analytics suite provides insights into sales trends, customer behavior, and inventory levels, empowering you to optimize your operations and marketing strategies.
  • Enhanced Customer Experience: Delight your customers with features like loyalty programs, gift cards, and email marketing tools. Square POS goes beyond just processing transactions. It helps you build stronger customer relationships by offering tools to implement loyalty programs, send personalized marketing campaigns, and offer convenient gift card options.
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  • Increase Mobility: Access the system from multiple locations and devices to facilitate flexible business management. 
  • Improve Efficiency: Enhance business productivity with Terminal, a smart device made for managing operations like customer management, marketing, reporting and payments. 
  • Customize Layouts and Workflows: Fulfill industry-specific needs and enhance branding using multiple customizations and combining different hardware and software components. 
  • Streamline Processes: Manage tables, send pickup notifications, access guest data and streamline operations to create a seamless experience and boost revenue using Reserve. 
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  • Intuitive Register Interface: Easy-to-use touch-screen interface with customizable menu items, modifiers, and employee permissions.
  • Payment Processing: Accept all major credit cards, debit cards, contactless payments, gift cards, and cash.
  • Inventory Management: Track stock levels, set low-stock alerts, and generate purchase orders.
  • Employee Management: Track employee hours, create schedules, and manage payroll.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Store customer information, track purchase history, and send targeted marketing campaigns.
  • Sales Reporting: Generate reports on sales, inventory, employee performance, and customer behavior.
  • Mobile App: Access Square POS from your smartphone or tablet to process payments, manage inventory, and view reports on the go.
  • Online Ordering: Allow customers to order and pay online for pickup or delivery.
  • Loyalty Program: Reward customers for repeat business with points, discounts, and special offers.
  • Gift Cards: Sell physical and digital gift cards to boost sales and customer loyalty.
  • Integrations: Connect Square POS with other business tools, such as accounting software, payroll providers, and email marketing platforms.
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  • Centralized Workspace: Organize workflows and accelerate revenue growth with efficient customer service tools. Add employee profiles, view customer contact information, access sales reports, send invoices, manage inventory, monitor employee activity, process payments and more using Register. 
  • Online Customer Service: Create a centralized customer service platform on a single dashboard. Manage employee schedules, send automated reminders, offer loyalty rewards and process checkouts with a digital user interface. Benefit from two-way texting with clients, integrated payment options and digital marketing tools. 
  • Intuitive Reporting: Provide intelligible insights into key KPIs with real-time, intuitive reports. Get easy-to-understand, cloud-based reports based on business data on a consolidated dashboard, accessible on the desktop and mobile phone. 
  • Virtual Payments: Offer a secure and seamless transaction process with mobile-friendly, online payment options. Send invoices, set up billing plans, collect deposits, send digital receipts and more on a secure platform. 
  • Customer Marketing: Drive customer engagement using hands-on digital marketing tools. Create custom rewards, enroll customers during checkout, offer limited-time deals, create marketing campaigns, send promos on special occasions and improve advertising to boost customer retention. Track marketing performance with comprehensive reports on a consolidated dashboard. 
  • Interactive Reviews: Facilitate a robust communication system with dynamic interactive features. Monitor, manage and respond to online reviews through a personalized dashboard and receive real-time alerts for new reviews to understand customer sentiments and expectations. 
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Product Ranking

#13

among all
POS Software

#20

among all
POS Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

92
68
100
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76
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60
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Compliance and Security
Customer and Loyalty Management
Employee Management
Integration and Extensibility
Items and Service Management
Payment Transactions and Cash Management
Items and Service Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Square POS
SpotOn
+ Add Product + Add Product
Compliance And Security Customer And Loyalty Management Employee Management Inventory Management Items And Service Management Payment Transactions And Cash Management POS Hardware Reporting And Insights Sales And Marketing Management Store Management Types Of POS 100 100 100 98 100 100 74 100 74 69 100 67 76 60 63 98 100 74 50 62 46 65 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

100%
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 2169 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 85 reviews
93%
of users recommend this product

Square POS has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 2169 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

94%
of users recommend this product

SpotOn has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 94% when considering 85 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

4.6 (495)
n/a
4.7 (1637)
4.7 (85)
4.5 (37)
n/a

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Square POS and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall POS Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Compliance and Security, Customer and Loyalty Management, Items and Service Management, Payment Transactions and Cash Management and Types of POS. Square POS stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

Analysts' Pick Award
User Favorite Award
Compliance and Security Award
Customer and Loyalty Management Award
Items and Service Management Award
Payment Transactions and Cash Management Award
Types of POS Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated SpotOn and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Payment Transactions and Cash Management. SpotOn stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Payment Transactions and Cash Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly: 96% of users who reviewed this element said the software is flexible and mobile with a clean user interface.
Economical: According to 70% of users who mentioned this aspect, the pricing is fair and competitive.
Card Payments: 80% of users who reviewed payments said the platform is useful for processing cashless transactions with cards and sending invoices.
Invoicing: Regarding this feature, 95% of users said it’s easy to create, add and send invoices to clients.
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User-Friendly: The system is easy to set up and navigate, 90% of users said about this element.
Customer Support: 100% of users who reviewed the support said it’s informative and company representatives are knowledgeable.
Integration: About 70% of users who mentioned this feature said the product offers effortless and smooth integrations.
Reporting: Approximately 90% of users who talked about this aspect said it's extensive and insightful.
Menu Management: Items are easily changeable and update instantly, said 95% of users about the menu.
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Costly for high-volume transactions: The per-transaction fees become significant as your business grows, pushing Square beyond cost-effective for many merchants.
Limited reporting and inventory: Users find Square's reports lack depth and flexibility, making detailed sales analysis and inventory management challenging.
Unreliable customer support: Users report difficulty reaching support, long wait times, and frustrating email-only communication, leaving them feeling helpless when issues arise.
Account holddowns and closures: Square's automated fraud detection can lead to sudden account freezes and closures, causing business disruptions and difficulties resolving the issue.
Clunky hardware: Some users find the Square hardware, particularly the chip reader, clunky and frustrating to use, impacting checkout workflow and customer experience.
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Pricing Complexity: SpotOn's pricing structure can be confusing, with multiple plans, add-ons, and varying fees depending on industry and features. Users report difficulty getting clear quotes and unexpected charges.
Limited Offline Functionality: While cloud-based, SpotOn struggles during internet outages. Some features become completely unavailable, impacting critical operations like order processing and payment acceptance.
Customer Support Inconsistencies: User experiences with customer support are mixed. Some praise quick and helpful responses, while others encounter long wait times, technical issues, and inconsistent resolutions.
Integration Glitches: While offering many integrations, users report occasional bugs and connectivity problems with third-party tools, disrupting workflows and requiring time-consuming troubleshooting.
Interface Learning Curve: While generally user-friendly, some advanced features, particularly in industry-specific plans, have a steeper learning curve, requiring additional training for staff.
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Square POS shines for its ease of use and affordability for small businesses, especially those starting out. Users praise its intuitive interface, seamless setup, and mobile accessibility, making it a breeze to ring up customers and manage basic sales. It also integrates well with popular tools like email marketing and accounting software, offering a centralized platform for managing various aspects of their business. However, Square's appeal wanes as businesses grow. Users lament its limited reporting and inventory management features, lacking the depth and customization offered by competitors like Shopify POS or Clover. Square's higher transaction fees for larger volumes also become a drawback compared to options like Stripe, which offer lower rates based on monthly transaction volume. Furthermore, Square's customer support receives mixed reviews. While some appreciate its responsiveness, others face frustrating wait times and limited communication channels, especially compared to the dedicated phone and live chat support offered by competitors. Overall, Square POS is a strong contender for solopreneurs and micro-businesses seeking a user-friendly and affordable POS solution. However, its limitations become apparent as businesses scale, pushing them towards more robust and feature-rich platforms. The choice ultimately boils down to prioritizing ease of use and affordability in the early stages versus scalability and advanced features as a business grows.

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SpotOn scores high marks for user-friendliness, adaptability, and customer insights, often outshining larger competitors like Clover with its intuitive interface and customizable features. For restaurants, its table management shines, while retailers appreciate the inventory control tools. However, the pricing structure can be confusing, with hidden fees and add-ons that inflate the initial quote. Offline functionality struggles during internet outages, which can be a dealbreaker for some businesses. While SpotOn boasts extensive integrations, some users encounter glitches and connectivity issues, disrupting workflows. Customer support also receives mixed reviews, with some praising prompt assistance and others facing long wait times and inconsistent resolutions. Compared to Square, SpotOn offers more features but lacks its sleek simplicity and ease of use for solopreneurs. Overall, SpotOn is a powerful POS that shines for its adaptability and industry-specific strengths. However, potential users should be prepared for pricing complexities, potential internet hiccups, and occasional integration troubles. If you value user-friendliness, intuitive features, and deep customer insights, SpotOn deserves a closer look, but if transparency and consistent performance are top priorities, other options might be a better fit.

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Screenshots

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