Get My Free Review

Home / Equipment / Software plans

Software & service plans

POS software plans — and what they cost per month.

Your hardware is one piece. The software plan is the monthly subscription that actually runs it — inventory, menus, table management, reporting, and more. Here's a clear, no-surprises breakdown of the Clover, Square, Valor, and PAX plans, what each tier unlocks, and how they differ.

Yes — you can run on a free plan

Square's POS is free with no monthly software fee, and Clover's entry Payments plan has no monthly software fee either — plenty of businesses start there. But most owners pick the plan matched to their business, because the right tier unlocks the features (and often a lower processing rate) that more than cover the monthly cost. On a free review I'll help you land on the plan that actually fits — never overpaying for tools you won't use.

Software plan ≠ card processing

Two different costs: the software/service plan (a monthly subscription set by the platform for the POS features) and card processing (the cost of accepting cards). My zero-cost program addresses the card-processing fees. The plan fees below are the platform's monthly software subscription — confirmed exactly for your business on your free review.

Clover

Clover plans

Clover plans step up by business type — each tier adds more of the tools that run a fuller operation. Every additional device adds a small monthly fee. Here's what you get, and what each step up unlocks.

Payments
~$0/mo

Payment-only & getting started

  • No monthly software fee
  • Accept every card & tap
  • Basic register & receipts
  • Virtual terminal & reporting
  • Tipping & simple items
Essentials
~$14.95/mo

Small retail, salons & cafes

  • Everything in Payments, plus:
  • Item & inventory library
  • Employee logins & permissions
  • Discounts & tax rules
  • App market access
Counter Service
~$59.95/mo

Quick-serve & fast-casual

  • Restaurant tools, plus:
  • Menus, modifiers & combos
  • Online ordering
  • Kitchen display (KDS) routing
  • Dine-in / takeout order types
Retail / Register
~$84.95/mo

Full retail operations

  • Everything in Essentials, plus:
  • Advanced inventory & variants
  • Vendors & purchase orders
  • Loyalty & promotions
  • Exchanges & deep reporting
Table Service
~$89.95/mo

Full-service restaurants

  • Everything in Counter Service, plus:
  • Floor plans & table management
  • Coursing & seat-level ordering
  • Server banking & tip management
  • Reservations-ready

Each additional Clover device adds roughly $11.95–$19.95/mo depending on the plan tier. Plan names and pricing are set by Clover and confirmed on your free review.

See the Clover hardware lineup →

Square

Square plans

Square now uses three plans that work across business types — restaurants, retail, and appointments share the same tiers. You can run on Free with no monthly fee; stepping up adds advanced, industry-specific tools and can lower your processing rate.

Free
$0/mo

New & small businesses

  • Square POS, no monthly fee
  • Every payment type
  • Basic inventory & items
  • Sales reporting
  • Free online store & invoices
Plus
from $49/mo per location

Growing restaurants, retail & services

  • Everything in Free, plus:
  • Advanced, industry-specific tools
  • Deeper inventory & menus
  • Table management / appointments
  • A lower processing rate than Free
Premium
$149/mo per location

Established & multi-location

  • Everything in Plus, plus:
  • The lowest processing rates
  • Advanced team & labor tools
  • Advanced reporting
  • Priority support options

Square plan pricing is per location and set by Square; higher tiers can reduce your per-transaction rate. Confirmed on your free review.

See the Square hardware lineup →

Valor PayTech

Valor PayTech — software included

Valor works differently from Clover and Square: there aren't public monthly plan tiers. Instead, the software comes included with every device, and your pricing is configured within your merchant program — a natural fit for dual-pricing and zero-cost.

Included with every device

Software, no extra tier

A virtual terminal, invoicing, recurring billing, and the Valor management portal come included with each Valor device — no separate plan to buy.

Flexible pricing models

Built for dual-pricing

Supports dual-pricing, interchange-plus, flat-rate, or tiered pricing — so it slots cleanly into a zero-cost program.

Set in your program

Confirmed at review

Any monthly cost is configured within your merchant account, not a public tier — I'll lay out clear, simple terms on your free review.

PAX

PAX — app-based platform

PAX terminals run on the PAXBiz Android platform with apps from the PAXSTORE. Like Valor, PAX doesn't sell public monthly plan tiers — the software and any fees are configured through your merchant program.

PAXBiz Android platform

Flexible & modern

A capable Android base that adapts to retail, restaurant, and service use — with the apps your business needs.

PAXSTORE apps

Add what you need

Load the apps and features that fit your counter, from payments to value-adds, on a platform built to grow.

Set in your program

Confirmed at review

Software and any monthly cost are configured within your merchant account and confirmed on your free review — and it pairs naturally with zero-cost processing.

Questions

Software plan FAQ

Do I have to pay for a software plan?

No. Square's POS and Clover's entry Payments plan have no monthly software fee, and Valor and PAX include software with the device. Most owners choose a paid tier only when its features (and often a lower processing rate) more than cover the cost.

Is the software plan the same as my card processing fees?

No — they're two separate costs. The software plan is the platform's monthly subscription for POS features; card processing is the cost of accepting cards, which my zero-cost program addresses.

Can you lower both my plan cost and my processing?

Often yes — I match you to the right plan so you're not paying for unused tools, and set up zero-cost processing on the card-acceptance side.

Which plan is right for my business?

It depends on how you operate. Tell me your business type on a free review and I'll match you to the right Clover, Square, Valor, or PAX plan and show the exact monthly cost.

Not sure which plan you need?

Tell me your business type and how you operate, and I'll match you to the right Clover, Square, Valor, or PAX plan, show the exact monthly cost, and pair it with zero-cost processing and the equipment — provided at $0 to get started.

Get My Free Review