Shopify vs Square Online for a small South Carolina shop

Shopify vs Square Online is one of the first choices a small South Carolina shop makes when it starts selling online, and the two are closer than their marketing suggests. Both host your store, take cards and can charge sales tax. The difference is where each one starts: Square from the register, Shopify from the website. We checked both pricing pages on October 9, 2026. Prices change often, so check again before you sign up.

What's the difference between Shopify and Square Online?

Square Online works alongside Square's point of sale. Square says its inventory tools work "with your POS and online store, keeping everything in sync," and that basic item management comes with its free plan. If you already ring up sales on Square at a counter, a market stall or a food truck, your online store starts with the items you already have.

Shopify starts from the other end: its plans are built around an online store, and in-person selling comes in two levels. Every plan includes basic in-person selling (limited staff access, simple customer profiles, returns at the original location). The POS Pro add-on, with inventory management, staff roles and returns at any location, costs $89 a month per location.

Neither is the wrong choice. The right one is the one that matches where most of your sales happen.

How much do Shopify and Square Online cost?

Two costs matter: the monthly plan, and the fee on every card payment. These are the US prices on each company's pricing page on October 9, 2026.

A few details change the math:

• Trials. Square's paid plans come with a 30-day free trial. Shopify's Basic plan was offered at 3 days free, then $1 a month for three months.
• Shopify's own payments. Shopify's rates above use Shopify Payments. If you take payments through another provider, Shopify adds a fee of its own: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
• Square's "per location." Square's paid plans are priced per location, so a business with two storefronts pays twice.

Shopify vs Square Online: which is cheaper for a small shop?

Here's a worked example, using the rates above. Take a shop that sells $3,000 a month online across 60 orders:

• Square Free: no monthly fee, plus $99 in percentage fees and $18 in per-order fees, so about $117 a month.
• Shopify Basic, billed yearly: $29, plus $87 and $18 in fees, so about $134 a month.
• Square Plus: $49, plus $87 and $18 in fees, so about $154 a month.

Both charge the same 30¢ per order, so the comparison comes down to Square Free's extra 0.4% against Shopify's $29 a month. Those even out at about $7,250 a month in online sales. Below that, Square's free plan usually costs less; above it, Shopify Basic does. Billed monthly at $39, the crossover moves up to about $9,750.

Fees aren't the whole cost. Apps, themes, shipping labels and a domain name can all add to the monthly total on either platform, and so does your time. The cheapest store is the one you'll actually keep up to date.

What do you give up on Square's free plan?

On the free plan, your store lives at an address ending in square.site, like mybusiness.square.site. Square's instructions for connecting your own domain name are written for Plus and Premium subscribers, and its website builder lists design features such as mega menus and custom fonts under its paid plans.

For a shop testing online sales, that can be fine. For a business that wants customers to find it at its own name, plan on a paid Square plan or Shopify, and register the domain in your own name either way.

How does sales tax work for an online shop in South Carolina?

South Carolina's statewide sales and use tax is 6%, and "counties may impose an additional 1% local sales tax if voters in that county approve the tax." You apply for a retail license through the state's Business Tax Application. Once approved, you file and pay monthly through MyDORWAY; quarterly or annual schedules are available on request.

Both platforms can add tax at checkout:

• Square lets you set tax rates for Square Online orders by state or ZIP code, and has an automatic US sales tax calculator based on the tax registrations you add to your account. Square is clear that configuring, collecting and paying the right taxes is still the seller's job.
• Shopify Tax calculates sales tax for you. For stores created on or after May 13, 2026, it's free for the first $100,000 in lifetime sales, then 0.35% of each order with calculated tax on the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans.

The platform calculates; you still register, file and pay. If you sell to customers in other states, ask an accountant whether and when you need to collect there.

Which should a South Carolina shop choose?

• You already use Square at the register. Start with Square Online. Your items are already there, and the free plan lets you test online orders without a new monthly bill.
• Online is, or will be, most of your sales. Shopify is built for that, and past about $7,250 a month online it usually costs less in fees too.
• You sell a handful of things. You may not need a full store at all. Payment links or a buy button on a regular website can be simpler; we explain the options on our online store websites page.
• You're already on one. Staying put is usually cheaper than moving, unless the platform is clearly holding you back.

Where does a web designer fit in?

You can set up either store yourself. A designer helps with the work around it: product photos and descriptions that read well on a phone, shipping and tax settings that match how you actually deliver, accessibility built into the code, and a store that sits inside the rest of your website.

When we build an online store, the store account, the payment account and the domain are all in your name, and the platform's fees go to the platform, not to us. A small catalog alongside a business site is our Business Site at $8,500; a large catalog or a custom checkout is a Custom Build from $15,000. See all our prices, or read what a small business website costs in South Carolina for the wider picture.

Frequently asked questions

Is Square Online really free?

The plan is: Square Free has no monthly fee. You pay per sale instead, at 3.3% + 30¢ for online card payments as of October 9, 2026.

Can I switch from Square Online to Shopify later?

Yes, but plan for some work. Products, customers and order history need moving, and your web address should stay the same so customers and Google can still find you.

Do I need a separate website if I have an online store?

Not always. Both platforms can host your whole site. If you sell only a few items, a regular website with payment links may be the better fit.

Can I use Shopify for in-person sales too?

Yes. Every plan includes basic in-person selling, and POS Pro adds inventory management, staff roles and more for $89 a month per location.

This post is general information, not tax advice.

Sources

• Shopify, Pricing, checked October 9, 2026
• Shopify, Shopify POS pricing, checked October 9, 2026
• Shopify Help Center, Shopify Tax pricing
• Square, Square Online plans, checked October 9, 2026
• Square, Inventory management
• Square, Website builder
• Square Support, Use a free subdomain with your website
• Square Support, Connect a custom domain to your Square Online site
• Square Support, Create and manage sales tax settings
• SC Business One Stop, South Carolina sales tax