Commerce, Shopify or Square?
For: One shop that sells online and at one counter, with up to 100 products, and wants each cashier on their own sign-in with a manager role above them.
The short answer
- Subscription difference
- Not comparedSubscription only, at the dated prices below
- Main advantage
- Staff roles, PINs, manager approval, split payments, parked sales and the cash drawer come with the plans that include in-person selling. Shopify lists staff roles and permissions under POS Pro, an add-on per location.
- Main trade-off
- Commerce plans cap products, monthly orders, staff and locations. Check the plan comparison before you choose.
For a single shop with a modest catalog that needs staff roles at the till, Commerce includes those roles in its in-person plans, where Shopify lists them under an add-on per location. Shopify is the stronger choice for a large catalog, several locations or its app ecosystem, and Square is the cheaper way to start if you do not need staff roles.
Competitor prices observed October 10, 2026. Commerce prices are current.
Choose Commerce when
- You sell online and at one counter from a catalog within the plan’s product limit.
- Cashiers need their own PINs, with a manager approving larger discounts.
- You want split payments, parked sales and a cash drawer record included in the plan.
- You already use, or plan to use, other Adiuvo tools on the same account.
Choose an alternative when
- You need more products, more locations or more orders than the Commerce plans allow. Shopify lists 10 inventory locations on Basic.
- You rely on a large app and theme ecosystem.
- Casual counter sales without staff roles are enough. Shopify Basic or Square’s free online plan then costs less.
- You want lower card rates: Shopify Payments rates on Basic are below Stripe’s Canadian rates.
Side by side.
What each option covers for this job, from each vendor’s own pages. “Not verified” means we could not confirm it, not that it is missing.
Scroll sideways to see every option.
| Capability | Commerce | Shopify Basic + POS Pro | Square Online + Square POS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selling | |||
| Online store and checkout | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| One catalog and inventory for online and counter | Supported | Supported | SupportedInventory syncs with Square POS |
| At the counter | |||
| Staff roles at the till | Plan-dependentManager and cashier on plans with in-person selling | Plan-dependentPOS Pro | Not verified |
| Cashier PINs and manager approval of discounts | Plan-dependentPlans with in-person selling | Not verified | Not verified |
| Split payments, parked sales, cash drawer record | Plan-dependentPlans with in-person selling | Not verified | Not verified |
| Platform | |||
| Card processor | SupportedYour own Stripe account | SupportedShopify Payments, or 2% extra with another provider | SupportedSquare |
| Locations | Plan-dependentOne location on the business plans | Supported10 inventory locations on Basic | Not verified |
| App and theme marketplace | Not verifiedNo public app marketplace | Supported | Not verified |
What it costs.
Yearly subscription for this scenario, billed yearly on every side. Card fees, hardware and provider costs are kept separate below.
Current Commerce prices could not be loaded just now, so no totals are shown.
| Option | Matched plan and billing | Per year | Subscription difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic + POS Pro (1 location) | Basic (billed yearly): CAD $444 a year, per storePOS Pro: CAD $1,428 a year, per location | CAD $1,872 | Not compared |
| Square | Square POS pricing for staff permissions was not verified, so no total is shown. | Not compared | No verified total |
Outside the subscription
- Card processing
- Card processing is extra on every option. Commerce uses your Stripe account: 2.9% + CA$0.30 online and 2.7% + CA$0.05 in person for Canadian cards. Shopify Payments on Basic: 2.8% + 30¢ online and 2.6% in person.
- On a CAD $20 card sale: CAD $0.59 with Stripe Terminal, CAD $0.52 with Shopify Payments on Basic.
- Hardware
- Commerce needs a Stripe Terminal reader for the counter: CA$79 for the BBPOS WisePad 3, CA$419 to CA$469 for other models. Shopify and Square hardware was not compared.
- Billing basis
- POS Pro is listed as billed yearly, so this comparison uses yearly prices on both sides. Month-to-month totals are not compared.
More on where Commerce fits
- Payouts go to your own Stripe account, and the Commerce plan price does not change with your sales volume.
- The same account can run your other Adiuvo tools, and ADI can prepare product and stock changes for you to review. ADI access is included, but it is not counted as a saving here.
Other trade-offs
- Card fees through Stripe are slightly higher than Shopify Payments on Basic. On a very high card volume, the fee difference can outweigh the subscription difference.
- There is no public app marketplace. Integrations beyond the Adiuvo products and Stripe were not verified for this page.
Switching and setup
- You need a Stripe account and your product details. For the counter, a supported Stripe Terminal reader.
- Moving from another platform means re-creating your catalog and staff in Commerce. Ask us before you plan a migration; we did not verify an import tool for this page.
A few useful answers.
Does Commerce cost less than Shopify for every shop?
No. It depends on what you need. If casual counter sales are enough, Shopify Basic on its own costs less than the Commerce plans with in-person selling. The difference shown here applies when you need staff roles at the till, at the dated prices on this page.
Do the competitor prices update automatically?
No. They were read from each vendor’s official page on the date shown and do not change on their own. Adiuvo prices on this page come from our current plan list.
Are card fees included?
No. Every option charges card processing on top of the subscription. The rates we observed are listed above.
Can I keep my existing card reader?
Commerce works with supported Stripe Terminal readers. Readers from other providers were not verified.
Sources
Competitor details were read from these official pages on October 10, 2026. They do not update automatically, so check the vendor’s page before you decide. Commerce prices come from our current plan list.
Check the plan that fits.
See current Commerce plans and limits, or tell us what you need and we will confirm the fit.