Epos Now vs Square for Retail
POS integration head-to-head for ERP teams: evidenced capabilities, published pricing, and which ERPs each actually integrates with.
| Starting price | Subscription + hardware bundle, quote-based | Per-location subscription plus card processing rates |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | SMB, Mid-market | Small business, Mid-market |
| Stated ERP integrations | QuickBooks, Xero | QuickBooks, Xero |
| Vendor | Epos Now | Block, Inc. (Square) |
Our take
Where Epos Now leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 9 of the 25 capabilities where they differ (led by kitchen display system and split & partial payments).
Where Square for Retail leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 16 of the 25 capabilities where they differ (led by integrated payment processing and returns, exchanges & layaway).
Where they differ
The 25 capabilities (of 54 in the POS integration taxonomy) where the evidence separates them, biggest gaps first. “Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| Integrated payment processingPayments & Payment Processing | Not evidenced | Core strength Square is itself the payment processor |
| Kitchen Display SystemHospitality & Vertical Operations | Core strength KDS with audio alerts and color-based order time-tracking | Not evidenced |
| Split & partial paymentsCheckout & Transactions | Supported Split billing | Not evidenced |
| Returns, exchanges & layawayCheckout & Transactions | Not evidenced | Supported Exchanges and discounts on in-person and online sales |
| Digital wallet supportPayments & Payment Processing | Supported Apple Pay and Google Pay / Google Wallet support | Not evidenced |
| Alternative payment methodsPayments & Payment Processing | Not evidenced | Supported Cash App Pay and Afterpay at checkout |
| Unified catalog & pricingOmnichannel & eCommerce Fulfillment | Supported Shopify integration with real-time inventory sync | Not evidenced |
| Gift cardsCustomer Engagement & Loyalty | Not evidenced | Supported Physical and eGift cards |
| Staff performance reportsReporting & Analytics | Supported Staff performance reports | Not evidenced |
| Role-based permissionsStaff & Workforce Management | Not evidenced | Supported Unlimited custom permission sets |
| Shift scheduling & timeclockStaff & Workforce Management | Not evidenced | Supported Shift scheduling, time off and trades |
| Commission & tip trackingStaff & Workforce Management | Not evidenced | Supported Tip pooling and commission tracking |
| Payroll integrationStaff & Workforce Management | Not evidenced | Supported Square Payroll integration |
| Table & floor plan managementHospitality & Vertical Operations | Supported Table management with customizable table plans | Not evidenced |
| Delivery order routingHospitality & Vertical Operations | Supported Takeout and delivery order routing to the kitchen | Not evidenced |
| Real-time multi-location inventoryInventory & Stock Management | Supported Multi-location stock tracking | Core strength Automatic item and SKU creation with an inventory counting tool |
| Inter-location stock transfersInventory & Stock Management | Not evidenced | Partial Transfer orders between locations is a Premium-tier feature |
| Native eCommerce platformOmnichannel & eCommerce Fulfillment | Supported Epos Now Online and Epos Now Delivery ordering platform | Core strength Square Online store builder synced to the in-store catalog |
| Ship-from-storeOmnichannel & eCommerce Fulfillment | Not evidenced | Partial Cross-location returns and fulfillment is a Premium-tier feature |
| Built-in loyalty programCustomer Engagement & Loyalty | Partial Native loyalty points tracking; fuller programs via Loyalzoo/LoyaltyDog partner integrations | Supported Loyalty rewards program and promotions |
| Marketing campaignsCustomer Engagement & Loyalty | Partial Email marketing via Mailchimp integration, not a native feature | Supported Automated email and text message marketing campaigns |
| Inventory performance reportsReporting & Analytics | Supported Best-selling/non-selling identification, profit and margin tracking | Core strength COGS, sell-through, aging-inventory and projected-profit reports |
| Menu managementHospitality & Vertical Operations | Partial At-table digital menu browsing; no multi-location menu-sync documented | Not evidenced |
| Vertical-specific complianceHospitality & Vertical Operations | Not evidenced | Partial Age-verification prompts and bottle-deposit handling |
| Certified ERP connectorPlatform, Accounting & Integrations | Supported Prebuilt QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Business Cloud apps on the Epos Now AppStore | Partial Native App Marketplace connectors to QuickBooks and Xero; accounting-app tier, not a full ERP-marketplace certified connector |
Both grade identically on the other 29 capabilities — see each product's full profile: Epos Now, Square for Retail.
Epos Now vs Square for Retail — FAQs
Is Epos Now or Square for Retail better for ERP integration?
Both state integrations with QuickBooks, Xero. Always verify the connector against your ERP version with a reference customer.
Which is cheaper, Epos Now or Square for Retail?
Neither publishes a list price — both quote. Ask each for the all-in first-year cost at your seat count, as one number, and compare those.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what Epos Now and Square for Retail should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.