How Much Does Clover Cost? Your Ultimate Guide To Clover Fees

Clover is a big name in the small business point of sale world, and if you’re currently in the market for a POS system, Clover POS is likely on your radar. Clover is easy to set up and start selling with, and Clover costs less than most other all-in-one POS systems. When it comes to the POS software, Clover fees are reasonable and month-to-month; Clover POS hardware is also fairly priced. But with so many different entities selling Clover, it can be difficult to gauge how much you should pay in terms of Clover fees or what’s a good deal (and what’s not).

There are three aspects to Clover fees: one-time hardware costs, Clover monthly software fees, and Clover credit card 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?

Though Clover is a First Data product that comes with a First Data merchant account, you have a lot of different options when it comes to where you purchase your Clover POS hardware and associated First Data merchant account. Many entities sell Clover, ranging from national banks and merchant services companies to even retailers, such as Sam’s Club.

The following are some popular Clover POS system vendors:

• Bank of America Merchant Services*
• Clover.com
• Dharma Merchant Services
• First Data (now 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 a high-quality Clover reseller, such as Payment Depot, Dharma Merchant Services, National Processing, or AND Processing.

Some things to know about the Clover ecosystem: Wherever you purchase your Clover system from, your monthly Clover fees are billed through Clover. Also, whichever merchant services provider you obtain your Clover merchant account from, First Data is still ultimately the merchant services provider. The main considerations that will vary based on where you purchase your Clover system are credit card processing fees, additional service fees (that may be tacked onto Clover’s software fees), merchant services contract length, and quality of customer service.

How Much Does A Clover Credit Card Machine Cost?

As with the cost of POS systems in general, Clover POS pricing depends partly on where you purchase it and which pieces of hardware you want to include in your POS setup. Your hardware options include Clover Station Solo, Clover Station Duo (Clover Station with a customer-facing display), Clover Mini, and/or Clover Flex.

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

	Clover Station Solo	Clover Station Duo	Clover Mini	Clover Flex
	Visit Site Read Review	Visit Site Read Review	Visit Site Read Review	Visit Site Read Review
Pricing	Starting at $1,349	$1,649	$749	$499 ($350 if purchased with Clover Station)
Hardware Included	Station, cash drawer, receipt printer	Station, customer-facing display, cash drawer, receipt printer	Clover Mini with built-in receipt printer and scanner (cash drawer sold separately)	Clover Flex with built-in receipt printer and scanner (cash drawer sold separately)
Compatible Software Plans	Register, Table Service, Counter Service	Register, Table Service, Counter Service	Payments, Essentials, Register, Table Service, Counter Service	Payments, Essentials, Register, Table Service, Counter Service
Optional Installment Plan	3 monthly payments of $450	3 monthly payments of $549	3 monthly payments of $250	3 monthly payments of $166

Additional hardware add-ons, such as scales, barcode scanners, kitchen printers, and debit PIN pads, can drive Clover pricing up further. For example, if you want to add a Clover mobile reader that you can take anywhere with your phone and which will sync your sales with your main POS, you can purchase a portable Clover Go device for another $99.

If you want to finance your Clover hardware, Clover’s optional monthly installment plans offer 0% financing, and you will own your Clover hardware outright after three months — this is different from leasing your POS hardware, which we do not recommend. Note that various vendors may offer lower Clover pricing in terms of hardware (Clover.com hardware prices are MSRP), but those lower prices may come with a catch, such as having to sign a long-term merchant services contract for payment processing. If you’re shopping around online, be sure to beware of Clover POS scams.

Understanding Clover Fees For POS Software

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

As follows are Clover monthly fees for software:

Clover Payments Plan

• Best for businesses that need payment processing only, with no POS features*
• Flat-rate processing at 2.6% + $0.10
• In-person payment processing (contactless and traditional)
• Integrate with barcode scanners, weight scales, and other accessories
• Send paperless receipts
• Generate sales reports

*Not available on Clover Station

Clover Essentials Plan: $9.95/Month

• Best for businesses with credit card sales of less than $50,000/year*
• $9.95/month for each additional device
• Flat-rate processing at 2.6% + $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
  • Customer-facing online ordering module
  • Virtual terminal for online payment processing
  • Track cash payments
  • Process payments when offline
  • Send paperless receipts
  • Accept on-screen signatures and tips
  • Ring up items, discounts, and 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 the Clover app market
  • Monitor activity, sales, and refunds remotely
  • Track sales with item-level reporting

*Plan not available on Clover Station

Register Plan: $39.95/Month

• Best for businesses with credit card sales of more than $50,000/year
• $9.95/month for each additional device
• 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, and 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

Table Service Restaurant Plan: $69.95/Month

• Best for full-service restaurants
• $9.95/month for each additional device
• 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

Counter-Service Restaurant Plan: $39.95/Month

• Best for fast-casual, quick-serve, and counter-service restaurants (doesn’t include Floor Plans)
• $9.95/month for each additional device
• Flat-rate processing at 2.3% + $0.10 (if plan is purchased directly from Clover)
• Includes everything in Register plan, plus:
  • Orders, Bar Tab Auths, Tips, Shifts, and Discounts apps
  • Run reports per revenue class (food, wine, etc.)
  • Apply service charges to large parties
  • Split checks in any proportion

No Hardware Plan: $9.95/Month

• Best for businesses that want to process payments online in a web browser, with no POS hardware
• 3.5% + $0.10 online credit card processing
• Includes virtual terminal with invoicing option for customers to submit their payments
• Does not require the purchase of any Clover hardware – can use on any laptop, browser, or phone

Unless otherwise stated, Clover monthly fees are month-to-month, meaning you can cancel at any time without penalty (though you can only return your Clover hardware within the first 60 days).

Clover charges an extra software fee of $9.95/month for each additional device (for any plan except Clover Payments, on which you can use multiple devices for free, and the No Hardware plan, on which you cannot use any POS devices). So, for example, if you want to use the Station on the Table Service plan with a Clover Flex for tableside ordering at your restaurant, your total monthly cost will be $79.90.

Finally, it’s important to note that most Clover providers charge additional monthly service fees on top of Clover’s monthly software 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, in which you’ll pay one of the following rates, depending on your plan:

• 2.6% + $0.10 (Payments, Essentials)
• 2.3% + $0.10 (Register, Table Service, Counter Service)

The above Clover transaction fees are for card-present transactions; Clover charges 3.5% + $0.10 for card-not-present transactions, regardless of plan. Since the No Hardware plan is only for keying in card payments online, processing on this plan is 3.5% + $0.10 for every transaction.

Clover credit card fees are straightforward and do not include any extra merchant services fees, apart from a $25 chargeback fee. Generally, flat-rate processing works great for small, low-volume businesses. Clover processing fees on the Register or restaurant plans (2.3% + $0.10) are quite competitive, especially compared to Square’s rate (2.6% + $0.10). If you’re also considering Square, you can learn how Clover and Square stack up against one another by reading Clover VS Square: Which POS System Is Best For Your Small Business?

Can You Get A Better Rate For Clover Merchant Fees?

Not all Clover sellers offer flat-rate processing; some providers, such as 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 their rates may be higher than Clover processing fees. 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?

Clover fees are reasonable as long as you buy your POS system from a high-quality merchant services provider. All in all, most businesses can expect to pay somewhere around $1,400 for a complete Clover Station setup, with a $39.95/month software fee and credit card processing fees of 2.3% + $0.10. Here’s how to ensure you get the best Clover rates:

• Consider buying directly from Clover.com or a top-rated Clover provider such as Payment Depot, National Processing, Dharma Merchant Services, or AND Processing.
• Beware of subpar resellers offering equipment leases, tiered pricing, or long-term processing contracts.
• If a reseller’s Clover rates are lower than what’s offered from Clover directly, make sure you understand what Clover 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, or if you feel Clover POS pricing is too high, you might want to evaluate some of the best Clover alternatives.