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Business owners may find themselves torn between traditional point of sale systems like Square and the upcoming new wave of technology. Vend’s convenience is a tempting option, but what are its drawbacks?
The “square vs clover” is a question that has been asked many times before. What retail POS system will be the best in 2022?
Square and Vend are two companies that provide user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) software to assist merchants manage their in-store and online operations. Both are capable of processing sales, managing customers, and producing reports. Vend, on the other hand, has more robust and extensive functionality and works with a wider range of payment processors. In contrast, Square is a free POS system with less functionality.
We evaluated Vend vs Square for Retail in terms of cost, hardware, and features to help you pick the perfect retail POS for your company. Here are some of our suggestions:
- Vend: Best for handling huge databases of product and customer information; also suitable for fashion boutiques, gift shops, sporting goods stores, health and beauty stores, and other businesses with complicated inventory.
- Square for Retail: Recommended for startups, mobile vendors, coffee shops, food trucks, and solitary service providers that require a quick and dependable method to receive payments, manage clients, and see basic reports.
Quick comparison between Vend and Square
Vend and Square are two of our top recommendations for the:
Square is the most affordable option.
With a fully free online shop platform and POS system for any single location, Square is by far the most economical POS alternative. In minutes, anybody can join up for a free Square account and begin selling via an online shop and the Square POS mobile app. Square POS also offers premium plans with more sophisticated capabilities starting at $60 per month, as well as add-on items such as payroll and loyalty that may be added to your POS account for a monthly price.
Vend provides a basic subscription (Lite) that costs $119 a month for one location and one register, but Square has a free plan for a single location. It also provides a $159 a month Pro package for one location/register (with more features) and an enterprise pricing option where you work with a sales person to design a bespoke plan and monthly fee.
If you pay for Vend and Square yearly rather than monthly, your rate will be somewhat lower, saving you money throughout the year.
Payment Processing: Square vs. Vend
Square’s free plan appeals to the budget-conscious entrepreneur, but if you generate consistent sales, you need factor in payment processing expenses when comparing prices.
Square insists on using their own payment processor. It provides lower pricing for high-volume sales and charges straightforward flat rates with no frills or surprises put on. This makes the supplier appealing to a beginning entrepreneur or a casual solopreneur. Apple Pay and other contactless payment alternatives are also supported by Square Payments.
For many firms, Square’s in-house payment processor is a fantastic option. (Image courtesy of Square)
While Square’s payment processor is simple and competitive, you may save money by shopping around for other payment processors, which Vend enables you to do. You may be able to get a better bargain based on your sales volume and the kind of sales you make—and it may even cover the cost of the Vend system.
Tie is the best for retail sales.
Square’s retail POS, Square for Retail, received the top rating in our review of the best retail POS systems (4.54 out of 5). Vend was one of the most expensive systems on the market, therefore it lost a lot of points for its high price tag, scoring a 3.66 out of 5 overall.
While Square had a pricing advantage over Vend, Vend outperformed Square in terms of ease of use of the register and checkout functionalities. Vend outperformed the competition in terms of order and return management, inventory monitoring, and dashboard customisation.
Square for Retail Is Best for New & Small Shops
Square for Retail is a barcode-based program designed exclusively for merchants by Square. (Image courtesy of Square)
Because it is so simple to use, handles in-store and mobile payment processing, and works well for solopreneurs or hobbyists with a few goods and brick-and-mortar establishments, Square receives excellent grades from our on-staff reviewers and real-world users. It is the greatest solution for any new shop or company with minimal inventory requirements because to its cheap price point, simplified interface, business management add-ons like payroll, and integrated online ordering.
Vend is best for businesses that are already established.
Vend provides detailed data on all of your inventory metrics. (Image courtesy of Vend)
Vend’s stock controls make managing your inventory catalog a breeze. (Image courtesy of Vend)
Inventory reports take up a significant area of Vend’s reporting, allowing you to monitor performance and understand your levels. (Image courtesy of Vend)
Vend offers a simple selling interface that allows you to create unique fast keys and handle simple refunds. (Image courtesy of Vend)
Vend is a better alternative for established enterprises with a big sales volume and huge inventory because of its price and extensive features. The system is praised for its simplicity of use and extensive resource collection. Vend University offers videos, training materials, and even seminars on how to manage a successful retail firm.
Vend also has a user-friendly register with customizable fast buttons (something Square lacks). You may use this tool to add your top goods or checkout actions to your checkout screen dashboard for quick access while checking out consumers. Vend also makes it simple to provide store credit instead of cash, offer discounts, handle layaway, create gift cards, add people to your database, and set up and manage numerous registers—connecting everything from stock levels to customer purchase records across all locations.
Vend, however, falls short of Square in one key area: it lacks an in-house website builder, so you’ll have to incorporate a third-party solution. This brings me to another point where Square is the superior choice.
Vend, unlike Square, does not provide in-house add-on solutions like as Square Payroll, Square Online, Square Loyalty, and so on. With Vend, you’ll need to hunt for third-party applications that are compatible and can be linked with the POS system. Vend, on the other hand, allows you to design your own API if one does not already exist.
Vend’s loyalty program is included with your POS subscription, unlike Square, where it is an add-on service that costs extra. You may create a bespoke loyalty program with rewards points, shopper levels, and marketing campaigns using Vend’s customer management tools, in addition to a customer database and tracking capabilities.
Vendor: Vendor: Vendor: Vendor: Vendor: Ven
If you require a POS system that can handle a big or sophisticated inventory, Vend is the superior option. It had a lower overall score (4.20 out of 5) than Square (4.35 out of 5) in our review of the top POS systems for inventory management, but that’s because pricing was the decisive factor, making Square the clear winner with its free plan.
Vend, on the other hand, scored a better score for inventory features than Square (4.17 vs. 3.83). Vend is the obvious option for more advanced inventory management capabilities that can better handle variations, bundles, and many locations due to the depth of its features and the granularity of its management tools.
Expand to see our Vend Inventory Management video.
Vend’s major strength as a POS system is inventory management. From your POS system, you may add items using Vend’s interface or bulk upload them, set up size and color modifiers, monitor live stock levels, build bundles, establish low stock alerts, order and receive shipments, manage vendors, run a variety of reports, and execute inventory counts.
Vend helps you handle orders from your POS interface and enables for more detailed product control. (Image courtesy of Vend)
The Vend Scanner mobile app is one of Vend’s most notable features. Employees may use mobile devices to do rapid stock counts, accept orders, and check up things.
While Vend’s pricing is more than Square’s for all of these capabilities, it does include some of the most extensive inventory management tools available, making its expensive price tag well worth it for firms with significant inventories.
Square is a cost-effective way to manage a small number of SKUs.
Square makes it simple for companies to create product pages for both in-store and online purchasing. (Image courtesy of Square)
If you’re on a tight budget or have a limited inventory, Square is a terrific option for inventory management.
Square, unlike Vend, lacks many of the customisation tools for stock classification that Vend offers. Even on the free plan, Square’s inventory capabilities allow you to construct a product catalog with photos, some modifiers, item count, and low stock notifications. Bulk transfers between sites, barcode printing, vendor management, and bulk inventory input are all included in the Pro package. It can also read barcodes and make stock modifications.
Square is the best hardware.
Square, on the other hand, outperforms Vend because it has two features that Vend lacks: dedicated registers and a card reader that can be used with your phone for mobile sales. Square becomes more adaptable as a result of this since it allows you to perform mobile sales outside of your business and use your own tablet as a cash register.
If you need to pay for a piece of hardware over time, both Square and Vend offer payment plans.
Mobile Card Readers that are Square
Terminal Square
Terminals for selling goods
Conclusion
Unless cost is a major consideration, you’ll generally be happy using either Square or Vend. Vend is a more robust solution that is ideal for busy, multi-location enterprises and high-volume firms who choose to utilize their own payment processor. Meanwhile, Square is a better option for small companies looking for a cost-effective solution that will scale with them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What POS system do most retailers use?
A: Most retailers use the Point of Sale system.
Which POS system should I use?
A: We recommend that you use the Windows POS system.
Which POS terminal is the best?
A: There is no best POS terminal because the industry is full of different POS terminals with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Related Tag
- clover vs square
