Shopify POS vs Square

If you’re running a retail business today, chances are you’ve heard of both Shopify POS and Square. Both platforms promise simplicity and flexibility, but as your business grows — from one store to many, or from local to online — their differences become much more apparent.

After implementing dozens of retail systems and reviewing recent Shopify Partner TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) findings, we can confidently say: Shopify POS is built for growth, while Square is built for simplicity.

Here’s why that matters — and how working with an expert implementation partner like LATECH ensures you unlock the full potential of Shopify POS.

Free guide: 7 Reasons Brands Switch from Square to Shopify.

1. Unified Commerce vs. Fragmented Systems

Square’s strength lies in point-of-sale simplicity. It’s great for pop-up shops or single-location stores. However, as soon as you start selling online, Square becomes a patchwork of connected tools — Square Online, Square for Retail, Square Appointments — each with its own limitations and pricing tiers.

Shopify POS, on the other hand, is natively unified with Shopify’s ecommerce platform. This means your inventory, customers, sales, and analytics live in one ecosystem. No third-party connectors. No data syncing delays. One source of truth.

This unified approach allows merchants to: - Manage in-store and online inventory in real time. - Offer omnichannel experiences like buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS). - Track sales and customer behavior seamlessly across channels.

For multi-store or fast-growing retailers, that difference becomes exponential.

2. The True Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Square’s entry-level plans appear inexpensive — but when scaling, costs rise fast. Add-ons like advanced inventory, multiple registers, or team management can double your monthly bill. Integration with third-party tools adds even more recurring expenses.

According to Shopify’s TCO study, retailers using Shopify POS enjoy: - 22% lower total cost of ownership on average. - 37% lower implementation and integration costs. - 89% lower third-party support costs than competitors that rely on middleware or custom integrations.

Because Shopify POS is unified by design, it eliminates many of the “hidden costs” that Square merchants eventually face when expanding operations.

Want the full comparison? Cost breakdown worksheet included in the guide.

3. Scalability and Performance

As your business grows, you need a system that scales with you — not one that holds you back.

• Shopify POS supports unlimited locations and seamlessly integrates with online and offline channels. Whether you open your second store or your twentieth, your workflows remain consistent.

• Square, by contrast, becomes increasingly complex to manage with multiple stores and inventory sources. Reporting and customer data can quickly become fragmented.

Shopify’s cloud infrastructure ensures 99.9% uptime even during high-traffic events like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Square, while reliable, doesn’t offer the same level of enterprise-grade scalability or integration depth.

4. How an Expert Partner Multiplies Your ROI

Migrating from Square to Shopify POS can seem daunting — but that’s where a certified Shopify Partner like LATECH comes in.

We help you: - Plan and execute a seamless migration. - Configure your POS to align with your retail operations. - Train your team for quick adoption. - Implement omnichannel strategies that convert — online and in-store.

With the right setup, the switch from Square to Shopify POS becomes a strategic upgrade, not just a technical change.

Bonus in the guide: our POS migration checklist (people, data, hardware, training).

Square is ideal for startups and small shops. But once your business starts scaling — multiple stores, higher volume, online and in-person integration — Shopify POS outpaces it in cost efficiency, scalability, and long-term growth potential.

At LATECH, we don’t just install systems — we architect retail ecosystems that scale.