How Much Does Clover POS Cost? Everything You Need To Know About Clover Pricing

Clover is a big name in small business point of sale and if you’re currently in the market for a POS system, it’s likely that Clover is on your radar. But with so many different entities selling Clover, it can be difficult to gauge how much you should pay for a Clover system or what’s a good deal (and what’s not).

There are three aspects to Clover pricing: one-time hardware costs, monthly software costs, and ongoing credit card processing fees. In this article, I’ll break down how much you can expect to pay in each of these areas, and where you can find the best prices for Clover POS.

Who Sells The Clover POS System?

Many different entities sell Clover, ranging from national banks and merchant services companies to even retailers like Sam’s Club. The following are some popular Clover POS system vendors:

• Bank of America Merchant Services*
• Clover.com
• Dharma Merchant Services
• First Data/Fiserv*
• Leaders Merchant Services*
• Merchant One*
• National Processing
• Payment Depot
• Sam’s Club Merchant Services*
• Wells Fargo Merchant Services*

*Not a recommended Clover reseller

Generally, we recommend purchasing your Clover system directly from Clover.com or from a high-quality Clover reseller such as Payment Depot, Dharma Merchant Services, or National Processing.

How Much Does A Clover Credit Card Machine Cost?

As with the cost of POS systems in general, Clover hardware pricing depends in part on where you purchase it, as well as which pieces of hardware you want to include in your POS setup.

A Clover Station is the largest, most complete Clover POS setup, and includes 14″ swiveling POS screen, cash drawer, and receipt printer. The Clover Mini has a smaller swivel-screen and can be used by itself or with a Station. The Clover Flex is a handheld smart terminal with an even smaller screen that can also be used by itself or as part of a larger Station setup. Finally, the Clover Go is a mobile credit card reader that connects to an app on your iOS or Android device.

All Clover devices sync together so you can pretty much mix and match them however you like. For instance, you could have a Clover Mini with a cash drawer as your main terminal, while also using a Clover Go for occasional mobile sales. Or, you might just use a Clover Station and nothing else, or a Clover Flex with a Clover Mini, etc.

The following prices are what you can expect from Clover.com directly. Other Clover vendors vary in their pricing, and we recommend you do your research to compare prices to find the best options out there.

• Clover Station for any business: $1,399. Includes Station, cash drawer, and receipt printer with customer-facing display and NFC. Including Clover Mini: $1,749.
• Clover Station for full-service restaurants: $1,349. Includes Station, cash drawer, and standard receipt printer (kitchen printer sold separately). Including Clover Flex: $1,699.
• Clover Mini: $749. Has built-in scanner and receipt printer but does not include cash drawer.
• Clover Flex: $499. Has built-in scanner and receipt printer but does not include cash drawer.
• Clover Go: $69. Includes Micro USB charger. Charging dock sold for an additional $29.

Additional hardware add-ons, such as scales, barcode scanners, kitchen printers, and debit PIN pads can drive the price up further.

Various vendors may offer lower prices on Clover hardware (Clover.com hardware prices are MSRP), but those lower prices may come with a catch, such as having to sign to a long-term merchant services contract for payment processing. Many Clover vendors also offer the option to lease your Clover POS, but we never recommend leasing your POS system. It’s always a much better deal to buy your system outright, or pay for it installments if the vendor offers 0%-interest financing.

To learn what each of the Clover hardware devices can do and which ones you need for your business type, I recommend reading our dedicated reviews of the Clover Station, Clover Mini, Clover Flex, and Clover Go. My post on The Best (And Worst) Companies To Get a Clover Credit Card Machine From also has more information on the different Clover hardware options and how much you can expect to pay from different vendors.

Understanding Clover Fees For POS Software

Clover charges monthly fees for its software, letting you choose from several different plans that offer different features. You can also purchase additional software features from Clover’s App Store.

Here are Clover’s monthly software plans:

Register Lite Plan: $14/month

• Best for businesses with credit card sales of less than $50,000/year
• Flat-rate processing at 2.7% + $0.10 (if plan is purchased directly from Clover)
• Features include:
  • Accept all credit and debit cards, including chip (EMV) cards
  • Accept contactless (NFC) payments
  • Track cash payments
  • Process payments when offline
  • Send paperless receipts
  • Accept on-screen signatures & tips
  • Ring up items, discounts, & tax
  • Charge taxes at the item level
  • Process refunds
  • Theft protection (set employee permissions)
  • Employee management (payroll, shifts)
  • Export basic reports (sales, tax, payroll)
  • 24/7 support
  • Liability protection up to $100,000 in the event of a data breach
  • Access to 200+ apps and integrations on Clover app market*
  • Monitor activity, sales, & refunds remotely
  • Track sales with item-level reporting*

*Available on Flex, Mini, & Station only

Register Plan: $29/month

• Best for businesses with credit card sales of more than $50,000/year
• Flat-rate processing at 2.3% + $0.10 (if plan is purchased directly from Clover)
• Includes everything in Register Lite plan, plus:
  • Robust inventory management (items, categories, modifiers, & variants)*
  • Process exchanges
  • Integrate with a weight scale*
  • Pre-authorize credit cards (for bar tabs, reservations)
  • Build your mailing list automatically*
  • Read customer feedback, and reply with coupons*
  • Create a simple, custom loyalty program*
  • Fire orders to a kitchen printer or other stations
  • Add gratuity to checks
  • Manage tables

*Available on Flex, Mini, & Station only

Dining Plan: $69/month

• Best for full-service restaurants
• Flat-rate processing at 2.3% + $0.10 (if plan is purchased directly from Clover)
• Includes everything in Register plan, plus:
  • Floor Plans app: Build dynamic floor plans that match your layout
  • Orders app: Set up order types and categories; move or transfer orders; fire orders directly to kitchen or prep stations; add items to partially paid orders
  • Apply service charges to large parties
  • Split checks in any proportion
  • Run reports per revenue center (patio vs. bar)
  • Other bundled that come pre-installed: Bar Tab Auths, Tips, Shifts, Discounts, Happy Hour

As you can see, the Register Lite plan is best for very light, low-volume users who don’t need to do things like process exchanges, manage inventory, or accept tips. For most retail or quick-serve businesses, the Register plan is best, especially considering the lower rate for payment processing. Full-service restaurants may benefit from the Dining plan, but it depends on your needs; you might be fine with just the Register plan. Note that Clover used to offer Payments Plus, which was free and more limited in features. However, that plan has been discontinued.

Still, $14/month to $29/month is pretty affordable for a POS, especially since Clover doesn’t charge extra for additional registers or devices. Of course, Clover apps might add to the cost if you need specialized features. But again, most businesses will find everything they need in the $29/month plan.

Note that while most Clover providers sell Clover software services, those companies often charge their own markup on top of Clover’s monthly fees.

How To Navigate Clover Credit Card Fees

Clover is always offered in conjunction with a merchant account, whether you buy it from Clover.com or elsewhere. Clover.com offers a flat-rate pricing structure, whereby you pay 2.7% + $0.10 or 2.3% + $0.10 for all card-present transactions (and 3.5% + $0.10 for card-not-present transactions, regardless of plan).

Clover’s flat-rate pricing scheme is straightforward and doesn’t include any extra merchant services fees. Generally, flat-rate processing works great for small, low-volume businesses. The processing fee on the Register plan (2.3% + $0.10) is quite competitive, especially compared to Square’s rate (2.6% + $0.10). (Note that Clover merchant accounts are still subject to underwriting and approval—make sure you read the fine print as you sign up.)

Not all Clover sellers offer flat-rate processing; some providers like Payment Depot offer interchange-plus rates, which might work better for higher-volume merchants processing more than $10K/month. Other less-desirable Clover vendors offer tiered pricing or enhanced billback pricing, which are both confusing and expensive. And still other vendors offer flat-rate processing, but at rates higher than what Clover.com offers. For example, Bank of America sells the Register plan with 2.7% processing.

How Much Should You Pay For Clover’s Point Of Sale System?

All in all, most businesses can expect to pay somewhere around $1,400 for a complete Clover Station setup, with a $29/month software fee, and credit card processing fees of 2.3% + $0.10. As mentioned, Clover.com is a good place to buy your Clover devices and your system’s associated software and payment processing account. However, choosing one of the top-rated Clover providers could also be a good bet.

Whatever you do, beware of sub-par resellers offering expensive leases and tiered pricing. If you don’t buy directly from Clover.com, make sure you shop around and understand what fees are being absorbed or passed onto you in other forms.

Finally, if you’re not 100% sure whether you want to use Clover as your POS, you might also want to evaluate some of the best Clover alternatives.