Square for Retail Review: Best POS for Brick and Mortar

The main difference between Square for Retail Free and Plus is access to premium features, including vendor management and advanced inventory reporting and the ability to create and print barcode labels and track and adjust stock transfers.

All Square software works on iPads and iPhones and allows for unlimited transactions. Square for Retail also operates on Square Register (one of Square’s proprietary POS hardware systems), though with a few limitations.

In our experience working with both Square for Retail Plus and the free plan, the free option has more than enough features to get your business up and running smoothly. While the inventory controls and reporting are basic, Square will still track product levels and allow unlimited items in your inventory list. The advanced features you see in the Plus subscription become necessary if you grow to multiple locations or desire more advanced business insights.

Square offers a range of hardware to support both desktop and mobile POS. Square for Retail software users can choose between a fully integrated POS terminal (Square Register) or an iPad-based stand with a contactless and chip reader (Square Stand).

The main difference between the two options is the display. Square Stand is a better choice if you prefer more mobility and already have a compatible iPad. Meanwhile, Square Register offers a larger screen and customer-facing display that is ideal for stationary countertop checkouts.

Square Register vs Square Stand

Square Register	Square Stand for iPad
$799 (or $39 per month for 24 months)	$149 (or $14 per month for 12 months)
Connects via Bluetooth and accepts EMV and NFC payments. Optional receipt printer, cash drawer, and barcode scanner.	Built-in EMV, NFC, and Cash App payments. Optional accessories include receipt printer, cash drawer, scale, mount, and barcode scanner.
Buy Square Register	Buy Square Stand

Note that some features are currently unavailable on Square Register, including purchase order receiving, purchase order creation, and cross-location inventory lookup. If you use this hardware, you’ll need to access these features via Square Dashboard. Also of note—Square Register can only connect to peripherals like receipt printers and barcode scanners through hard connections like USB or Ethernet—there is no Bluetooth capability.

Square for Retail Hardware Accessories

	USB	Bluetooth
Receipt Printers
	Star Micronics TSP143IIU $299	Star Micronics mC-Print3 Thermal Printer* $359
Cash Drawers
	APG VB554A-BL1616 $249	Star Micronics mPOP* 39650810 $439
Barcode Scanners
	Zebra Symbol LS2208 $119	Socket Mobile SocketScan S700** $229

*Compatible with Square Register only through USB

** Not compatible with Square Register

Square for Retail is part of the Square ecosystem, meaning you can seamlessly integrate any of Square’s many programs into your Square for Retail POS. A few of the top add-ons that retailers may include in their Square for Retail subscription include:

• Square Online: Build a basic online store for free, upgraded plans from $12 per month. Read our Square Online review.
• Square Marketing: Starts at $15 per month
• Square Loyalty: Starts at $45 per month
• Square Payroll: $35 + $5 per employee each month. Read our full Square Payroll review.
• Team Plus: $35/month (included for free in Retail Plus plan)

All Square for Retail plans include a basic online store, though upgrades are available. For employee management, all Square for Retail accounts offer basic features, but advanced features are included for no additional cost to Retail Plus subscribers, which we detail in the sections below.

Square has built-in payment processing via Square Payments. It offers predictable, flat-rate transaction fees that are fairly competitive, and discounts are available with certain subscriptions and for retailers processing over $250,000. Square’s payment processing is EMV-compliant and has built-in end-to-end encryption. It also has excellent chargeback protection, offering up to $250 in coverage each month. And, you can get same-day instant payouts for a 1.5% fee.

If you unsubscribe from Square for Retail’s Plus plan or if your plan lapses, you can still use Square to process payments. However, the processing fee will go back to the standard 2.6% + 10 cents.

Read our dedicated Square Payments review to learn more.

Square for Retail allows you to keep your business going even during a temporary loss of internet connectivity. You can still take payments and create and manage items in offline mode. Additionally, you can still access and manage inventory and customer directory data from your register or iPad stand. Note that offline payments will be processed automatically as soon as an internet connection is established; otherwise, they will expire after 72 hours.

*Offline mode is available only for card-present transactions using magnetic stripe cards.

Square Invoice is a smart invoicing tool that automates your billing process and allows you to streamline billing and client/vendor information in one place.

With Square for Retail’s invoicing, you can:

• Keep card information on file
• Send out custom notes on time
• Monitor the status of your sent invoices from any device
• Accept and create invoices
• Assign discounts and taxes so that you can add them quickly to your invoices in a few clicks

Customization tools allow you to personalize your invoice design with line item notes, your company logo, color scheme, and personalized messages. Aside from regular invoices, you can issue progress invoices and multi-package estimates.

Square for Retail’s invoice capabilities makes managing your billing easy and efficient.

Square’s Dashboard is where all your back-office tools are located, in addition to your Square software subscriptions.
(Source: Square)

Square’s web-based dashboard is the nucleus of your POS system. It can be accessed from anywhere to view reports, manage inventory, track orders, process payroll, adjust account settings and subscriptions, receive stock, print barcode labels, and more.

On your dashboard’s home screen, it will display an overview of your daily business data, helpful insights, and important notifications—such as low-stock alerts and loan application status. This helps you stay on top of everything you have to manage at the moment and gives you a live picture of your business’s daily performance.

Square for Retail provides intuitive management features to handle inventory. Like other Square POS solutions, you can upload unlimited items, track inventory in real time across locations and your online store, set low stock alerts, and view inventory reporting and forecasting. The most important inventory alerts will appear right on your dashboard as notifications, and you can manage your employee access controls so you are the only one to see them.

Square’s inventory management system also lets you organize and manage your stock with advanced controls. You can use Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) barcodes, organize your inventory with item categories, and perform cross-location stock counts all from your Square for Retail POS.

View your stock adjustment history to gain valuable business insights.
(Source: Square)

The primary differences between Square for Retail’s Free and Plus plans are in the inventory control features. With a Plus subscription, you can add and transfer stock across locations in bulk and create and print different label sizes. It also makes processing exchanges easy as stock adjustments are automatic. Users can even create and send purchase orders and manage vendor information all from their POS platform.

Square for Retail Plus plan users also get access to other advanced tools, such as inventory counting (makes inventory count easier and more accurate with real-time stock adjustments) and smart stock forecasts (highlights the projected profit of each category in your inventory on a daily report).

Inventory Management Features in Square for Retail Free vs Plus Plans

Square’s free online store builder takes just a few minutes to set up.
(Source: Square)

Every Square account comes with a free online store that links directly to your POS. Square Online includes a smart website builder, which lets you create a professional and completely custom branded online store without the need for experienced web developers. It is fully integrated with your retail POS system, so it automatically syncs all your online and in-store orders, items, and inventory.

Square’s online selling features allow you to reach a diverse group of customers. You can hand out e-Gift cards to potential customers and sell them directly from your Instagram page. Omnichannel tools give your customers the freedom to choose from shipping options, like in-store pickup and local delivery. And, Square has tools to sell on social channels including Instagram and TikTok.

Square Online Features Included in Square for Retail

Even without a website, you can still sell your products online with Square if you:

• Create a link and paste it on emails, text, and social media
• Make a payment button and embed it on websites and blogs
• Print a payment QR code and display it in-store and on other printed materials

Square for Retail Free users have access to Team Management, while Square for Retail Plus subscribers receive full access to Team Management Plus plan features, which are detailed in the chart below. The latter option allows you to create team member profiles with corresponding personal passcodes, customize roles, and assign permission for each of your staff.

Team management features like employee scheduling, timecard reporting, and unique logins come with every Square for Retail account.
(Source: Square)

Employee schedule creation only takes minutes, and you can view your staff’s availability, plot which roles you need filled week by week, and publish schedules with assigned staff members or as open shifts. Retailers and their employees also get access to the Square Team app, where members can trade and claim open shifts. Time tracking and analytics tools for better staff performance management are also available.

Team Management Features Included in Square for Retail

Square Customer Directory is free for all Square for Retail account holders. Use the app to automatically generate customer profiles, create and segment customer groups, add shopper details, and send digital receipts with feedback surveys. And, because your directory syncs seamlessly across the Square ecosystem, you can access all this information when making appointments, sending marketing emails, and creating invoices.

Instant Profile is Square’s CRM tool that allows you to create customer profiles during checkout. You can even save cards on file for your regular customers, so the checkout process is easy and can be completed with a few taps of a button. From there, you can accurately record and keep track of their purchases during every visit.

Square for Retail also has a built-in messaging tool within the POS app and dashboard that consolidates all customer email, texts, and Facebook messages in one place, so you can send customers notes when their favorite products are in-stock or if they left something at your store. You can also send payment links and invoices.

Optional add-on CRM and marketing tools include:

• Square Email Marketing
• Square Text Marketing
• Square Loyalty

Square for Retail’s basic reporting lets you know in minutes how much inventory is being moved, along with its corresponding sales value. This provides a quick overview of your inventory management system’s effectiveness and alerts you just in time to make corrections and adjustments when necessary.

Every Retail plan comes with basic sales reports that can be viewed from Dashboard or the POS app.
(Source: Square)

With Square for Retail’s built-in reporting, you can see:

• Sales history
• Sales trends
• Payment methods
• Item sales
• Category Sales
• Team Sales
• Gift Cards
• More

Advanced reporting tools are available in Square for Retail’s Plus plan. In addition to vendor sales reports that help you create an efficient purchase strategy, you get valuable insights into your inventory and sales performance. You can track inventory value by item, along with any adjustments made, and filter reports according to adjustment type.

Advanced retail reports available in the Plus plan offer much more insights, especially when it comes to pricing and re-stocking.
(Source: Square)

Additional advanced reporting features include:

• Inventory reporting by category
• Automated cost of goods sold (COGS) report
• Projected profit margin report
• Adjustment history log

These granular reports give you a deeper insight into which items in your inventory are getting the most sales and which type of sales are the most cost-effective and driving your revenue.

Square offers a huge list of third-party integrations. You can search by category—which ranges from accounting to ticketing and events—or view curated selections based on the type of use. The search toolbar helps you find specific applications or keywords. Each third-party app shows you an overview of its features, including pricing, additional requirements, and supported Square solutions. Reviews are also available.

Here are some of Square’s available third-party integrations in its App Marketplace:

• Faire
• Shopventory
• SKU IQ
• BigCommerce
• Ecwid
• Shippo
• ShipBob
• Xero
• QuickBooks
• Zoho Books
• WooCommerce
• Mailchimp
• 3dcart
• Postmates