Clover vs PayPal Zettle
PayPal Zettle comes out ahead of Clover on 5 of the 8 things that decide this, going by what each company publishes and what independent review sites report. The one that matters for you may be one the leader loses.
The verdict
PayPal Zettle takes it, 5–3 on rounds.
On the published figures and the independent review sites, PayPal Zettle takes 5 of 8 rounds. Treat that as a starting point and check the current figures on both pages, because prices and plans move.
Choose Clover if…
- • You want Clover's edge on who picks up when the till is down and what customers say on trustpilot
Choose PayPal Zettle if…
- • You want PayPal Zettle's edge on what the software costs and what it costs to get a card reader
Round by round
- Round 1What the software costsPayPal Zettle winsClover5/10
$29.95/mo
Essentials plan — cheapest software plan on clover.com
- $14.95, against $0
Source: clover.com ↗
PayPal Zettle wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 2Who picks up when the till is downClover winsPayPal Zettle5/10
9:00 am - 5:00 pm on weekdays (no timezone)
Zettle help center contact page (PayPal brand); PayPal US/USD pages state no Zettle support hours at all
- phone and chat 6am to 6pm PT daily, against 24/7 phone support
Source: zettle.com ↗
Clover wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 3What it costs to get a card readerPayPal Zettle wins
PayPal Zettle wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 4How long you are locked inPayPal Zettle winsClover5/10
36 months
when hardware is financed in the monthly price; buying hardware upfront avoids it
- 36 months, against No contract
Source: posusa.com ↗
PayPal Zettle wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 5What customers say on TrustpilotClover winsPayPal Zettle5/10
1.4 out of 5
TrustScore from 41,713 reviews on Trustpilot
- 1.4 out of 5, against 1.9 out of 5
Source: trustpilot.com ↗
Clover wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 6What each card sale costsPayPal Zettle winsClover5/10
2.6% + 10¢ in person (Starter)
Starter software plan (Clover Go / Retail Basic system); trial = Essentials
- 2.6% + 10¢ in person (Starter), against 2.29% + 9¢ card-present
Source: clover.com ↗
PayPal Zettle8/102.29% + 9¢ card-present
PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle), no monthly fee
Source: paypal.com ↗
PayPal Zettle wins this round on what the published sources say.
- Round 7Selling when the internet dropsClover winsClover8/10
Offline payments up to 7 days
Starter software plan (Clover Go / Retail Basic system); trial = Essentials
Source: clover.com ↗
PayPal Zettle5/10Only via third-party SDK apps
PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle), no monthly fee
- Only via third-party SDK apps, against Offline payments up to 7 days
Source: paypal.com ↗
Clover wins this round on what the published sources say.
- Round 8Tracking stock on the starter planPayPal Zettle winsClover5/10
Item management not in Basic
Starter software plan (Clover Go / Retail Basic system); trial = Essentials
- Item management not in Basic, against Inventory tracking included
Source: clover.com ↗
PayPal Zettle8/10Inventory tracking included
PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle), no monthly fee
Source: paypal.com ↗
PayPal Zettle wins this round on what the published sources say.
Side by side
- the cheapest plan, per month; it varies by reseller
- every day, phone and online chat
- $14.95, against $0
- $199, against $59
- 36 months, against No contract
- 1.9 out of 5, against 3.7 out of 5
- 1.4 out of 5, against 3.7 out of 5
- Only via third-party SDK apps, against Offline payments on every plan
- phone and chat 6am to 6pm PT daily, against 24/7 support
- 1.4 out of 5, against 2.7 out of 5