Clover POS System 2019 Review: Features, Costs, Reviews

Ever since the portable point of sale came onto the scene, the market seems to have flooded with different versions of this product for small business owners to choose from. So much so, that wading through all of your options might feel more inconvenient than the portable point of sale promises in convenience.

Some of these many options out there? The Clover POS systems.

We’ve compiled a guide to this suite of options to help you shave down your search time and decide whether or not any of the Clover POS systems are the right point of sale options for you.

The Fundamentals on the Clover POS System Suite

One crucial thing to understand about Clover POS systems is their two-pronged nature.

When you choose a Clover POS system, you’ll be choosing from hardware options and from software plan options. This setup means you’ll be able to mix and match according to your business’s specific needs.

Following suit with the two-pronged nature of Clover POS systems, we’re going to break this review down into two sections—one on all of the Clover POS hardware options, and one on all of the Clover POS software plan options.

Clover POS System Hardware

Hardware	What It Costs	Setup	Capabilities
Clover Go	$59	Mobile smart device attachment	Processes magstripe-only cards, chip cards, and contactless payments
Clover Flex	$449	Self-sufficient, handheld POS system	Processes magstripe-only cards, chip cards, and contactless payments; scans barcodes; and prints receipts, all with its own handheld display
Clover Mini	Starts at $599	Powerful countertop POS system	Processes magstripe-only cards, chip cards, and contactless payments; scans barcodes; and prints receipts, all with its own mini countertop display
Clover Station	Starts at $1,199	Powerful countertop POS system	Processes magstripe-only cards, chip cards, and contactless payments; scans barcodes; and prints receipts, all with its own countertop display

Clover Go

Clover Go is the most portable of the Clover POS hardware options. This piece of Clover POS hardware is a Bluetooth smart device attachment that allows your business to process magstripe-only card, chipcard, and contactless payments.

However, unlike other Clover POS system hardware options, Clover Go requires you to come to the table with additional technology—whether that’s a smartphone, tablet, or iPad, the Clover Go will only be able to process payments if it’s attached to another device.

This Clover POS hardware is $59, making it the most affordable of the Clover POS hardware options.

Clover Flex

Your next option for Clover POS system hardware is the Clover Flex. This handheld point of sale hardware offers a remarkable amount of capabilities for its size.

Though small in stature, the Clover Flex can process all payments, capture customer signatures, scan barcodes, and print receipts—all in one, and all on the go.

Accessing this combination of mobility and power will cost you, though—the Clover Flex retails for $449.

Clover Mini

The first fully countertop options for Clover POS system hardware is the Clover Mini.

This hardware offers the power and speed of a countertop POS hub without taking up the large footprint that that typically entails.

With the Clover Mini, you’ll be able to process all payments, scan barcodes, and print receipts—and do so with greater speed than you would with mobile Clover POS hardware options.

Clover Mini starts at $599, so be sure your business needs to prioritize speed over mobility before you decide to invest in this Clover POS system hardware.

Clover Station

Finally, the most powerful of the Clover POS system hardware options is the Clover Station.

This Clover POS system allows you all the capabilities that the Clover Mini allows—but it offers them with the utmost speed and security that any Clover POS system can muster.

You’ll also have the option to access a second, customer-facing display with this Clover POS system, which could prove to streamline your checkout process even more.

Again, with this Clover POS system hardware option, you’ll need to be ready to invest—a starting price of $1,199 isn’t for the faint of heart.

Clover POS System Software Plans

Software Plan	What It Costs	Capabilities
Register Lite	$14 monthly fee, plus $0.10 and 2.7% per in-person transaction, and $0.10 and 3.5% for keyed-in transactions	Accept all forms of payment, set employees permissions and shifts, track sales and reports, process payments offline, access Clover App market, and more
Register	$29 monthly fee, plus $0.10 and 2.3% per in-person transaction, and $0.10 and 3.5% for keyed-in transactions	All Register Lite capabilities, plus inventory management, ability to access customer feedback add gratuity to checks, and much more

Register Lite

The first tier of the Clover POS software is the Register Lite plan. Register Lite will cost your business $14 per month. You’ll also pay $0.10 plus 2.7% per transaction for in-person transactions, and $0.10 plus 3.5% for keyed-in transactions.

For that price, you’ll gain access to the following capabilities:

• Accept and process all forms of payment, including credit, debit, chip, and contactless
• Track cash payments
• Process payments offline
• Ring up items, discounts, and tax
• Email, text, and store digital receipts
• Capture electronic signatures and tips
• Track sales and reports
• Item-level taxes
• Process refunds
• Set employee permissions and shifts
• Liability protection up to $100,000 in event of data breach
• Access the Clover App Market

Register

The more powerful software plan option for Clover POS is the Register plan. With this plan, your Clover POS system will cost your business more every month—$29 to be precise.

However, with that extra cost, your Clover POS system will be able to perform the following capabilities beyond the Register Lite plan:

• Inventory management
• Create customer loyalty program
• Add gratuity to checks
• Read customer feedback
• Build mailing list

Plus, if you’re running a quick-service restaurant, the Register plan will also allow you to:

• Edit orders easily
• Send orders to a remote printer or display in your kitchen
• Manage tables
• Connect a weight to your Clover POS
• Pre-authorize credit cards for bar tabs and reservations

Alternatively, if you’re running a retail business, the Register plan will empower your Clover POS system to:

• Add variants and item-level costs to inventory
• Exchange items
• Track item-level profitability

The Main Advantage of Clover POS Systems

Now that we’ve combed through both prongs of your Clover POS system options—and all of the options that constitute these prongs—it’s time to zoom out a bit.

Here is the most notable upside to opting for a Clover POS system for your business:

All-in-One Solution

With the exception of the Clover Go, all other Clover POS hardware options provide an all-in-one solution. Whether you need to process a contactless payment, scan a barcode, or print a receipt, odds are that your Clover POS system can do it.

The Main Disadvantage of Clover POS Systems

For all its merits. Clover isn’t a perfect product. Here’s the most notable downside to Clover POS systems:

No Free Hardware Options

One major flaw that Clover has as a whole? They don’t offer any free hardware options. This means that, on top of payment processing fees, your business will also have to shell out a lump sum for a piece of Clover POS hardware, no matter how simple your payment processing needs are.

As such, if you’re looking for barebones, affordable payment processing, then you might want to explore other POS options that offer free hardware.

The Top Alternatives to Clover POS Systems: Square

If you’re on the fence about Clover POS systems—or you just want to shop your options—we suggest you check out one of their top competitors—Square.

This POS company addresses the imperfections that Clover POS systems tend to suffer from. Not only does Square offer a completely free magstripe reader, it also offers a free version of Square POS software that comes complete with inventory management capabilities.

Clover POS Systems: What’s the Bottom Line?

There you have it—all the information you need to know in order to make the call on Clover POS systems for your small business. Now that you’re well acquainted with the ins and outs of Clover POS and their top competitor, what’s the last word?

As far as we’re concerned, despite their minor imperfections, Clover POS systems are some of the very best on the market, but it never hurts to shop your options to compare.

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