Clover Mini Review

Clover Mini is an extremely compact, all-in-one POS hardware system that keeps your checkout counter clutter-free. The Mini can be used all by itself with no connected equipment, but most businesses will at least want to connect a cash register.

You can also use a Clover Mini as a customer-facing screen/PIN pad as part of a larger setup with a Clover Station.

The Clover Mini is portable in that it can easily be moved to another outlet or even used unplugged for a very short period of time (around 20 minutes.) If you want a handheld Clover device to use unplugged regularly, your best bet is the Clover Flex.

This device is primarily a countertop POS. Many businesses will want to bolt their heavy 2.6-lb “Mini” to their counter because it would definitely break if you dropped it (and might also break your toe).

At eight inches (or seven inches if you get the Mini 2 instead of the new Mini 3), the screen is a bit tiny. Still, the screen is large enough to see everything you need to see and navigate the menus without having to squint.

The Clover Mini terminal does not swivel out of the box, like the Clover Station screen or the Square Stand, but you can separately purchase a Clover Mini swivel stand. The stand mounts to your counter and will allow the Clover Mini to swivel when the customer pays.

Clover offers three versions of the Clover Mini, with the latest model (the Clover Mini 3) having the following device specs:

• Screen Size: 8″ color LCD touch screen (1280 x 800 resolution)
• Overall Dimensions: 6″ H x 8″ W x 4.7″ D
• Weight: 2.6 lbs
• Payment Types: Chip, swipe, contactless (tap card or mobile wallet) payments
• Barcode Scanner: 1D and 2D (to scan barcodes and QR codes)
• Receipt Printer: Built-in thermal receipt printer
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 4G/LTE (available with a monthly data plan)
• Operating System: Hardened version of Android (AOSP) 10.0 (API Level 29)
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core processor

The older versions of the Clover Mini can be used but have smaller screens, slower operating systems, and a less streamlined user interface. Consider how long you’ll have your device when choosing between the newest and the older versions of Clover devices.

If you want to integrate additional hardware, you can use the included device hub to plug in a cash register, barcode scanner, kitchen printer, and/or weight scale.

Since the Clover Mini has such a short internal battery life (20 minutes unplugged), you’ll want to keep it plugged in for the majority of the time you’re using it.

Your Clover Mini box will include the following components:

• Clover Mini
• Hub
• Power brick
• Power cord
• Receipt paper
• Screwdriver
• Ethernet cable
• USB cord

To start your Clover Mini setup, you just need to plug everything in per the simple instructions in the box, put the receipt paper in, and turn that bad boy on. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

After the Mini powers on, you’ll be prompted to set up your Clover Mini Wi-Fi and activate your device. Then you can set up your admin account, install apps, and start customizing your Mini.

If you want to connect Clover Mini accessories, such as a cash drawer, external barcode scanner, or weight scale, you can use the included hub, which has four USB device ports and one RJ12 port for a Clover Mini cash drawer.

Clover is a unique POS provider because your Clover hardware, software, and payment processing are all connected through one Clover hardware seller. That means that by the time you get a Clover Mini, you should already have an associated merchant account prior to installation. It also means that you can’t use your Clover hardware if you decide to switch your POS software.

If you don’t have a merchant account set up yet, you’ll get an error when you try to activate your Mini and will have to give Clover customer service a ring.

You can get a merchant account through Clover.com or purchase your Clover hardware and sign a merchant agreement with a reputable Clover reseller.

The Clover Mini can accept almost any payment type, including Apple Pay, Google Wallet, credit, debit, EBT, QR codes, PayPal, Venmo, digital/physical gift cards, and cash.

The Clover Mini is the only Clover POS hardware that allows you to take manual PIN payments, making it the only Clover system that can accept EBT cards.

You can also manually enter card numbers or take sales over the phone using the Phone Sales app (but your payment processing rates will typically be higher for these transactions, so try to avoid them when possible).

Related: Clover’s free, built-in EBT payment app is one of the reasons Clover is great for grocery stores. Read about Clover and the rest of our best grocery store POS systems if you’re starting your own market. 

When you’re selling with Clover POS software, you can:

• Build a Clover online ordering site
• Add Clover to an existing website and sell from there
• Allow customers to pay online ahead of time or pay at pickup
• Connect to third-party delivery apps and allow customers to order from there
• Set up recurring invoicing (which is great for B2B businesses)

Clover Mini lets you view and edit customer profiles and associate orders with those customers.

You can add custom notes, such as “always orders a cortado,” and enter other information, such as their birthday, whether they should be included in the promos you send out, and even their YouTube profile.

Simply tap the “Customers” app to pull up a customer profile to see all their information, as well as their past orders, loyalty program info, and any notes you’ve added.

Clover provides retail- and restaurant-specific apps for everything from voice authorization to bar tabs, refunds, discounts, and restaurant inventory management. Clover can also be customized for service-based businesses.

However, Clover Mini is especially well-suited for restaurant businesses, as it offers dedicated software plans for counter-service and full-service restaurants, which include apps that allow you to accept tips, receive online orders, manage tables, and more.

All Counter Service and Table Service plans include online ordering for free.

Optionally, restaurants can use a Clover Mini as their main register, along with a Clover Flex for tableside and curbside orders.

Depending on your software plan, various apps will come preloaded on your Mini.

For example, the Clover Standard POS software plan includes apps that provide customer management, employee management and permissions, loyalty, gift cards, inventory management, reporting, and promotions.

Clover also has an app market that allows you to add third-party software to your Clover setup. Apps add features and/or tools your business requires, such as coupon processing, advanced reporting, and integration with other business software you might use.

Some of the apps are free, though many are an added monthly subscription.

If you have very specific needs and would like to design your own application, the Clover API is available to developers.

While it’s easy to install new apps using the Clover Mini itself, for tasks such as detailed inventory management, advanced reporting, and viewing your monthly billing statements, you’ll need to use your accompanying Clover web dashboard.

You can access your Clover web dashboard using a computer or mobile device. Clover stores every report, order, employee clock-in, inventory adjustment, etc., in the cloud, ensuring that the information is always kept current.

The dashboard-based reporting suite can provide insights about your sales, such as your top-selling items, top card types, top categories, and top-selling items.

It’s also easy to use the web dashboard to send a message to a customer, set up your loyalty program, view customer feedback, or create a promo or announcement.

One of the Mini’s best features is its receipt functionality. Not only is the printer fast, but the Mini also gives you numerous receipt options:

• Print, text, or email receipts
• Choose whether customers sign on-screen or on a printed receipt
• Add a custom message to all receipts
• Add a unique customer feedback code to all receipts
• Print gift receipt
• Reissue receipt for a past order
• Print bill for a past order

The Mini receipt printer can print basic reports, including Sales Overviews and Sales by Employees.

You can also add an external receipt printer, order printer, or label printer if you want.

• Confusing Merchant Services Setup: Clover’s confusing hardware/merchant services provider setup has caused merchants to get scammed, pay more than they expect per month, and have a hard time knowing where to find customer support.
• Inconsistent Customer Service: Customer service (or the lack thereof) is a major complaint among many unhappy Clover customers.
• Clover Mini Cost: The Mini itself is more expensive than POS hardware from its biggest rival, Square. The monthly software pricing is also a little expensive, plus third-party app subscriptions, which Clover merchants may heavily lean on, can really add up.
• Bugs: Many Clover Mini users experience system glitches and freezes, but at least the Clover Mini reboots pretty quickly.

• User-Friendly: Because it is such an intuitive system and includes everything you need out of the box, you can basically just plug your Mini in, boot it up, and start using it right away.
• Sleek Hardware: Happy customers love the Mini’s small but functional hardware and how slick, modern, and attractive it looks on their counters. Users also like its built-in receipt printer, camera, and Apple Pay acceptance and appreciate that the hardware is portable and easy to place, with lots of accessory options.
• Customizability: Clover is highly flexible in that it is easy to customize your system to do virtually whatever you want it to do. The vast app market lets you add integrations for payroll, accounting, appointments, and much more. This makes Clover suitable for all kinds of industries.