Clover Pricing 2026: Plans, Processing Fees and Hardware Costs

Clover costs $0/mo on the Starter software plan, $29.95/mo on Essentials and $84.95/mo on Retail Growth, plus 2.6% + 10¢ per tapped or dipped card on Starter, falling to 2.3% + 10¢ on Retail Growth, with keyed-in cards at 3.5% + 10¢ on every plan. Hardware is a separate purchase from $199 for the Go reader to $2,648 for the two-device Advanced retail bundle, read on Clover's online pricing pages in October 2026.

Every figure below comes from Clover's own retail pricing page and its device pages for Go, Flex, Station Solo and Station Duo, read in October 2026. These are Clover's online-only prices: a bank or reseller that sells Clover can quote different rates and a different contract, which is the single biggest reason two shops with the same device pay different bills.

Toolradar data: of the 35 restaurant and retail POS tools tracked on Toolradar, the software directory we run, 11 have a free plan and the median entry paid plan is $50/mo, as of October 2026. Clover sits on both sides of that line: its Starter software is free, but the plans that add inventory and reporting cost above the median.

Our opinion up front: Clover's processing rate is the number to negotiate, not the software fee. A boutique on Retail Growth saves 0.3 points on every in-person sale against Starter, and by our arithmetic that discount covers the Retail Growth subscription only once the store runs about $28,300 a month in card sales. Below that volume the free Starter plan with a cheaper device wins on cost.

Clover plans at a glance

Prices are monthly, in USD, from Clover's online pricing pages in October 2026, and the online-only disclaimer sits on every one of them. Rapid Deposit, which moves card funds to your bank within minutes, costs 1.75% of each deposit on every plan. There is no annual discount: the software fee is the same twelve times a year.

The feature split matters more than the price gap. Starter does not track stock, cannot build an itemized order with discounts and has no detailed sales reports, so it suits a market stall or a service counter, not a shop with a catalog. Essentials adds the catalog and reporting a small retailer needs. Retail Growth is where returns, exchanges, gift cards and the online-store link live, and most stores selling physical goods end up there.

How much does Clover hardware cost?

Clover sells the device and the software plan as a bundle, and the hardware price is the same whichever plan you attach to it. A device can be bought outright or paid in monthly installments, and Clover's retail pricing page lists the Compact at $16/mo for 36 months or $349 outright (read 19 October 2026).

Three details change what you pay. First, the Growth plans are only sold with a Station, so a store that wants returns and gift cards cannot run them on a Compact. Second, the Advanced bundle carries two software fees because each device runs its own plan, which is why its monthly line reads $104.90 and not the single-plan fee. Third, the Mini appears in Clover's retail comparison table but is not part of any online bundle, so its price comes from a sales conversation.

Clover also sells devices on a subscription with no money down, which includes an equipment protection program and the option to buy or return the hardware at the end of the term. The subscription FAQ states that these contracts are non-cancelable and not refundable, the first bill arrives 30 to 60 days after approval, and a term that ends without a decision from you rolls on month to month at the same charge. Price a subscription over its full term before comparing it with an outright purchase.

What a boutique really pays in year one

The scenario is a single-register clothing store that takes $20,000 a month in card sales across 500 transactions, with every card tapped or dipped. Year-one cost is twelve months of processing and software plus the hardware bought outright, our arithmetic on the published rates and not a Clover or Square quote. It leaves out taxes, accessories, keyed-in sales and any negotiated rate.

Two things stand out. At this volume the cheapest Clover setup beats Square Free by $250 over the year, because Clover's 10¢ per-transaction fee undercuts Square's 15¢ on 500 sales a month. The Station Duo on Retail Growth costs $1,849 more than the Compact in year one, and the store buys returns, exchanges, gift cards and a customer screen for that money, not a lower bill.

Volume changes the answer. The 0.3-point gap between Starter and Retail Growth is worth $60 a month at $20,000 in card sales and $150 a month at $50,000. By our arithmetic the Growth discount covers its own subscription at about $28,300 a month, and above $50,000 a month the Station Duo setup is cheaper per month than the Compact even with the software fee. A store that grows past that line should move up, and one below it is paying for features, which is fine as long as it uses them.

Does Clover charge a monthly fee?

Only on the paid software plans. The Starter plan carries no subscription on the Go, Compact and Flex devices, so a store that buys a Compact outright pays processing fees and nothing else each month. Every Growth plan, and Essentials, is a recurring monthly fee per device.

The fee also moves with the device count. Each Clover device runs its own software plan, which is why the Advanced retail bundle lists two fees, and a second register means a second Retail Growth fee. Square prices its Plus plan per location rather than per device, so a two-register shop should run the comparison on its own device count before choosing, as laid out in our Square POS review.

What does Clover charge for processing?

In-person rates run from 2.6% + 10¢ on Starter to 2.3% + 10¢ on the Growth plans, with Essentials in between at 2.5% + 10¢. Keyed-in and card-not-present transactions are 3.5% + 10¢ on every plan, so an order taken over the phone costs about a point more than the same sale at the counter. Rapid Deposit takes 1.75% of each deposit on top, which on $20,000 a month is $350 for same-day access to your own money.

These are the rates on clover.com. Clover's own FAQ says it is sold by Citi, PNC, Wells Fargo and more than a thousand other financial institutions, and that contract terms and termination fees vary by provider. A bank-sold Clover account often comes with interchange-plus or tiered pricing instead of these flat rates, which can be cheaper for a high-volume store and harder to audit for a small one. Read the merchant agreement before the device ships, because the FAQ also states that a Clover device bought elsewhere cannot be moved to another payment processor.

Promotions and contract terms to check

Clover's online store ran two offers when we read it in October 2026, each with conditions:

• $450 statement credit on an online purchase that includes a Flex, Flex Pocket, Mini, Station Solo or Station Duo. It requires a 3-year contract, credit approval by January 31, 2027, a first batch of $25 or more within 30 days and at least $10,000 in card sales within the first four billing cycles. The credit is one per business, not per location.
• 90 days of free software on the Essentials or Services Growth plan for new accounts of selected business types, valid through December 31, 2026. After the trial the standard monthly fee applies, and a merchant gets one trial for life.

The $450 credit is the one to weigh carefully. On the Station Duo setup above it cuts year one to $8,588, but the 3-year contract behind it means the Retail Growth fee runs for 36 months at $3,058 in software alone. A store that is not sure it will keep the system should skip the credit and buy the device outright with no term.

Is Clover cheaper than Square?

On processing, yes at every plan level: Clover's 10¢ per-transaction fee is 5¢ below Square's 15¢ in person, and its 2.3% Growth rate matches Square's 2.4% Premium rate without the $149/mo Premium fee. On software and hardware, Square is cheaper: Square Free has no monthly fee, Square Plus costs $49/mo per location, and a Square Terminal costs less than half of a $749 Flex. Prices read on Square's fee page and hardware store in October 2026.

The pattern is clear: Clover charges more up front and less per sale. A store with a high transaction count and a long horizon leans Clover, and a new store that wants to spend $59 to find out whether it has a business leans Square. For a ranked view of both against Lightspeed, Shopify POS and the rest, see our best POS systems list, the best POS for clothing boutiques ranking, the best POS for coffee shops pick and the Lightspeed Retail review. Stores weighing the two big platform registers can read Lightspeed vs Shopify POS, and age-restricted sellers have their own list in best POS for liquor stores. Square's own pricing lives on its Toolradar page as well.

Which Clover plan should a retailer pick?

Pick Starter on a Compact if you sell a short list of items with no returns policy to speak of: a market stall, a kiosk, a food truck with a fixed menu. Pick Essentials on a Flex if you need an item catalog, stock counts and a handheld that walks the floor, which covers most pop-ups and small service shops. Pick Retail Growth on a Station once returns, exchanges, gift cards and an online store are part of daily trade, and the volume math above tells you when the rate discount pays for the plan.

The trap is the middle. Essentials charges its monthly fee for a 0.1-point processing cut and the catalog, and at the scenario's volume that cut is worth $20, so the plan is a $10 net cost for inventory features. That is a fair price for a shop that counts stock and a waste for one that does not. Loyalty and gift cards sit only on the Growth plans; a store that wants rewards without a Station can compare the standalone options in our cheapest loyalty program software guide, and one weighing a full platform switch should read the Shopify pricing breakdown and the Shopify review first.

How we built this page

We read Clover's online retail, Go, Flex, Station Solo and Station Duo pricing pages and its pricing FAQ, then Square's fee and hardware pages, in October 2026, and pulled the category figures from Toolradar's restaurant POS statistics. We did not open a Clover account or process a transaction for this page. The year-one scenario is our arithmetic on the published rates. We re-check the page when Clover changes a plan, rate or promotion. Louis Corneloup, who founded Toolradar and Dupple, edited it.

FAQ

How much does Clover cost per month in 2026?

Software runs from $0/mo on Starter to $29.95/mo on Essentials and $84.95/mo on Retail Growth, with Restaurant Growth at $89.95/mo, read on Clover's online pricing pages in October 2026. Add processing of 2.3% to 2.6% plus 10¢ per in-person sale and a one-time device purchase from $199.

What are Clover's credit card processing fees?

In-person cards cost 2.6% + 10¢ on Starter, 2.5% + 10¢ on Essentials and 2.3% + 10¢ on the Growth plans. Keyed-in or online cards cost 3.5% + 10¢ on every plan, and Rapid Deposit adds 1.75% of each deposit if you want funds within minutes.

Is there a free Clover plan?

Yes. The Starter software plan has no monthly fee on the Go, Compact and Flex devices, so a store pays only processing fees after buying the device. Starter has no stock tracking, itemized discounts or detailed reports, which pushes a shop with a catalog to Essentials.

Does Clover require a contract?

Buying a device outright on clover.com does not require a term, but the $450 statement credit requires a 3-year contract, and hardware subscriptions are non-cancelable for their term. Clover's FAQ says termination fees vary by the bank or reseller that sold the account, so the contract you sign decides it.

How much is the Clover Station Duo?

$1,899 outright on clover.com in October 2026, bundled with the Retail Growth or Restaurant Growth software plan and a cash drawer. The Station Solo, with a single screen, is $1,799, and adding a Flex handheld to the Duo makes the $2,648 Advanced bundle.

Is Clover or Square cheaper for a small shop?

Clover costs less per sale, with a 10¢ transaction fee against Square's 15¢, and Square costs less to start, with a $59 reader and a $299 terminal against Clover's Go and Compact. At $20,000 a month in card sales our scenario shows the cheapest Clover setup ahead of Square Free by $250 over the first year.

Cite this: Retailpresso, "Clover Pricing 2026: Plans, Processing Fees and Hardware Costs", October 2026.

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