Square POS vs Rain POS

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Our analysts compared Square POS vs Rain POS based on data from our 400+ point analysis of POS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Square is a cloud-based POS system for retail stores of all sizes. It automatically creates customer profiles and tracks their information and purchase histories. Its key capabilities include sales reports, online payment processing, inventory tracking control, marketing campaigns, digital receipts, sales management, e-commerce and more. It accepts offline payments and automatically syncs payment information when mobile devices reconnect.

It is available on Android and iOS devices and includes optional hardware such as terminals, cash drawers, scanners, scales and card readers. Users can manage order pick-ups from third-party services like DoorDash, Postmates and more.

Pros
  • Easy to use and set up
  • Affordable pricing plans
  • Mobile payments and online ordering
  • Integrates with Square ecosystem
  • Free basic plan available
Cons
  • Limited customization options
  • May not be suitable for high-volume businesses
  • Transaction fees can add up
  • Limited reporting features in free plan
  • Customer support could be improved
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Rain POS is a cloud-based point-of-sale system designed for businesses of all sizes, from independent retailers to multi-outlet chains. It offers features like inventory management, customer relationship management, employee management, and reporting tools. Rain POS is praised for its ease of use, affordability, and scalability. Users appreciate its intuitive interface, mobile accessibility, and integrations with popular accounting and marketing software. Compared to similar POS systems, Rain POS stands out for its competitive pricing, which typically falls within the $50-$200 per month range, depending on the number of users and features needed. However, some users mention limitations in advanced reporting and customization options compared to more expensive competitors.

Pros
  • Easy to use
  • Affordable
  • Mobile accessible
  • Integrations
  • Scalable
Cons
  • Limited reporting
  • Limited customization
  • Basic marketing tools
  • Support wait times
  • Few industry-specific features
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$29 Monthly, Freemium, Plus Transaction Fees
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$49 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
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Medium 
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Large 
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Small 
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Medium 
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Large 
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Streamlined Operations: Simplify day-to-day tasks like sales, inventory management, and employee management with an intuitive interface and mobile accessibility. Square POS offers a clean and user-friendly interface that minimizes the learning curve for new users and streamlines operations for established businesses. Additionally, its mobile app allows you to manage your business on the go, whether you're taking inventory, processing payments, or checking sales reports.
  • Omnichannel Engagement: Facilitate seamless omnichannel experiences by offering mobile payments, online ordering, and click-and-collect options. In today's digital age, customers expect a smooth and consistent experience across all channels. Square POS empowers you to meet these expectations by providing omnichannel features that bridge the gap between physical and online storefronts.
  • Scalability and Flexibility: Adapt to your evolving business needs with a range of pricing plans and integrations with Square's broader ecosystem of tools. Square POS doesn't lock you into a one-size-fits-all solution. With its flexible pricing plans and vast ecosystem of integrations, you can tailor the system to your specific needs and budget, whether you're a small startup or a growing enterprise.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Gain valuable insights into your business performance with sales reports, inventory tracking, and customer analytics. Square POS equips you with the data you need to make informed decisions. Its comprehensive reporting and analytics suite provides insights into sales trends, customer behavior, and inventory levels, empowering you to optimize your operations and marketing strategies.
  • Enhanced Customer Experience: Delight your customers with features like loyalty programs, gift cards, and email marketing tools. Square POS goes beyond just processing transactions. It helps you build stronger customer relationships by offering tools to implement loyalty programs, send personalized marketing campaigns, and offer convenient gift card options.
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  • Save Time: Automate in-store and online inventory syncs, customer-specific marketing tools, and data entry to save time on annual tasks. 
  • Streamline E-commerce: Sync your web inventory with the POS, use interactive tools and elements to customize pages, and process secure checkouts to create an exceptional experience for customers and simplify business processes. 
  • Boost Engagement: Keep customers coming back for more with the right messaging and marketing tactics to improve retention and revenue. Use automated email and text marketing, Facebook and Google review invites, and targeted strategies to attract new users. 
  • Enhance Services: Add fuel to business performance and deliver excellent service with an advanced point-of-sale solution that offers comprehensive inventory management, powerful reporting tools, and online and in-store rewards tracking. 
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  • Intuitive Register Interface: Easy-to-use touch-screen interface with customizable menu items, modifiers, and employee permissions.
  • Payment Processing: Accept all major credit cards, debit cards, contactless payments, gift cards, and cash.
  • Inventory Management: Track stock levels, set low-stock alerts, and generate purchase orders.
  • Employee Management: Track employee hours, create schedules, and manage payroll.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Store customer information, track purchase history, and send targeted marketing campaigns.
  • Sales Reporting: Generate reports on sales, inventory, employee performance, and customer behavior.
  • Mobile App: Access Square POS from your smartphone or tablet to process payments, manage inventory, and view reports on the go.
  • Online Ordering: Allow customers to order and pay online for pickup or delivery.
  • Loyalty Program: Reward customers for repeat business with points, discounts, and special offers.
  • Gift Cards: Sell physical and digital gift cards to boost sales and customer loyalty.
  • Integrations: Connect Square POS with other business tools, such as accounting software, payroll providers, and email marketing platforms.
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  • Cloud-based POS: Centralize inventory, automate backups, manage customer data and track service updates through a centralized point of sale. Send text messages to customers, access purchase history, sync inventory data to the system and deliver exceptional customer service with an all-in-one retail system. 
  • Online Booking: Register and pay for classes virtually. Save a seat without walk-in hassles. Eliminate lost revenue from no-shows for unpaid bookings and ensure that the slots fill as per availability. 
  • E-commerce: With the help of an integrated POS and website, in-store and online inventory status remains the same. View and shop online, make payments, and check order status from a single touchpoint on the web or mobile phones. Manage calendars, receive payments, upload files, send forms and fulfill other critical content management functionalities with an integrated eCommerce platform. 
  • Customer Marketing: Keep customers coming back and grow the user base with practical branding tools like targeted emails, business updates, advertising campaigns and daily reminders. Send notifications to clients about important events and access reviews to understand customer behavior. 
  • Integrations: Regulate the workflow and manage multiple service channels across the workforce with smart integrations powered by intuitive APIs. 
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Product Ranking

#13

among all
POS Software

#158

among all
POS Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

92
76
100
17
100
93
100
74
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Compliance and Security
Customer and Loyalty Management
Employee Management
Integration and Extensibility
Items and Service Management
Inventory Management
Customer and Loyalty Management
Reporting and Insights
Types of POS

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Square POS
Rain POS
+ Add Product + Add Product
Compliance And Security Customer And Loyalty Management Employee Management Inventory Management Items And Service Management Payment Transactions And Cash Management POS Hardware Reporting And Insights Sales And Marketing Management Store Management Types Of POS 100 100 100 98 100 100 74 100 74 69 100 17 93 74 95 75 78 50 88 78 83 87 0 25 50 75 100
100%
0%
0%
17%
0%
83%
100%
0%
0%
90%
0%
10%
100%
0%
0%
60%
20%
20%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
71%
0%
29%
100%
0%
0%
78%
0%
22%
50%
0%
50%
20%
0%
80%
100%
0%
0%
88%
0%
12%
60%
0%
40%
70%
0%
30%
56%
0%
44%
78%
0%
22%
100%
0%
0%
88%
0%
12%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

100%
0%
0%
80%
0%
20%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 2169 reviews
Great User Sentiment 159 reviews
93%
of users recommend this product

Square POS has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 2169 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

89%
of users recommend this product

Rain POS has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 159 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

4.6 (495)
4.0 (17)
n/a
4.83 (71)
4.7 (1637)
4.2 (71)
4.5 (37)
n/a

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Square POS and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall POS Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Compliance and Security, Customer and Loyalty Management, Items and Service Management, Payment Transactions and Cash Management and Types of POS. Square POS stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

Analysts' Pick Award
User Favorite Award
Compliance and Security Award
Customer and Loyalty Management Award
Items and Service Management Award
Payment Transactions and Cash Management Award
Types of POS Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Rain POS and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Store Management.

Store Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly: 96% of users who reviewed this element said the software is flexible and mobile with a clean user interface.
Economical: According to 70% of users who mentioned this aspect, the pricing is fair and competitive.
Card Payments: 80% of users who reviewed payments said the platform is useful for processing cashless transactions with cards and sending invoices.
Invoicing: Regarding this feature, 95% of users said it’s easy to create, add and send invoices to clients.
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User-Friendly: The software is easy to understand and robust, according to 95% of users.
Customer Support: According to 100% of users who reviewed this pro, support executives are knowledgeable and responsive.
Inventory Management: About 80% of users who mentioned this pro said it is easy to sync offline and online inventory, update items, and serialize products.
Integration: Regarding this feature, approximately 70% of users said that it provides seamless integrations across business activities.
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Costly for high-volume transactions: The per-transaction fees become significant as your business grows, pushing Square beyond cost-effective for many merchants.
Limited reporting and inventory: Users find Square's reports lack depth and flexibility, making detailed sales analysis and inventory management challenging.
Unreliable customer support: Users report difficulty reaching support, long wait times, and frustrating email-only communication, leaving them feeling helpless when issues arise.
Account holddowns and closures: Square's automated fraud detection can lead to sudden account freezes and closures, causing business disruptions and difficulties resolving the issue.
Clunky hardware: Some users find the Square hardware, particularly the chip reader, clunky and frustrating to use, impacting checkout workflow and customer experience.
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Reporting limitations: Some users find the built-in reporting features too basic for in-depth analysis, lacking customizable options and advanced visualizations.
Customization restrictions: The ability to tailor the system's appearance and functionality to match specific business workflows is somewhat limited compared to competitors.
Basic marketing tools: While offering email marketing integrations, Rain POS lacks built-in features for advanced campaigns, loyalty programs, or customer segmentation.
Inconsistent customer support: User experiences with support vary, with some reporting delays, limited technical expertise, or difficulty reaching knowledgeable representatives.
Few industry-specific features: While highlighting expertise in specialty sectors, Rain POS lacks a wide range of features tailored to unique needs of industries like restaurants, salons, or healthcare.
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Square POS shines for its ease of use and affordability for small businesses, especially those starting out. Users praise its intuitive interface, seamless setup, and mobile accessibility, making it a breeze to ring up customers and manage basic sales. It also integrates well with popular tools like email marketing and accounting software, offering a centralized platform for managing various aspects of their business. However, Square's appeal wanes as businesses grow. Users lament its limited reporting and inventory management features, lacking the depth and customization offered by competitors like Shopify POS or Clover. Square's higher transaction fees for larger volumes also become a drawback compared to options like Stripe, which offer lower rates based on monthly transaction volume. Furthermore, Square's customer support receives mixed reviews. While some appreciate its responsiveness, others face frustrating wait times and limited communication channels, especially compared to the dedicated phone and live chat support offered by competitors. Overall, Square POS is a strong contender for solopreneurs and micro-businesses seeking a user-friendly and affordable POS solution. However, its limitations become apparent as businesses scale, pushing them towards more robust and feature-rich platforms. The choice ultimately boils down to prioritizing ease of use and affordability in the early stages versus scalability and advanced features as a business grows.

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Rain POS garners praise for its user-friendly interface, affordability, and scalability, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes. Users appreciate its mobile accessibility, integrations with popular software, and cloud-based setup. However, some find its reporting and customization options limited compared to competitors like Square or Shopify POS. While Rain POS boasts strengths in specific industries like music stores and boutiques, users in other sectors might miss industry-tailored features. A key differentiator is Rain POS's focus on customer relationships. Users value its customer profile management, targeted marketing tools, and loyalty program integrations. However, some find these features basic compared to dedicated marketing platforms. Additionally, inconsistent customer support experiences raise concerns for some users. Ultimately, Rain POS seems like a solid choice for businesses seeking a user-friendly, affordable POS with good customer relationship management tools. However, if in-depth reporting, advanced customization, or industry-specific features are crucial, exploring competitors might be necessary. Weighing your specific needs against Rain POS's strengths and weaknesses will help you make an informed decision.

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Screenshots

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