Based in California, Clover is a popular point of sale (POS) system used in a wide variety of businesses — from general retail and restaurants to healthcare and law firms.
Clover’s straightforward setup and sleek hardware make it a beginner-friendly system — but those same strengths can make it fall short for thrift stores and secondhand shops with tighter budgets, production management and nonstandard inventory, and stricter reporting requirements.
But switching POS systems is not a decision you should take lightly — and it’s important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different systems.
In this article, we’ll do a deep dive into Clover’s strengths and weaknesses, and provide some top Clover alternatives for 2026.
A subsidiary of Fiserv, a global financial technology and payments company, Clover has been in business since 2010. They offer a wide variety of sleek, user-friendly hardware to run payments either from a register or a mobile POS.
Their solutions are popular because they are fairly affordable, with most hardware available in upfront or monthly payment options. Their back-office software is beginner-friendly and handles real-time inventory tracking, basic financial reporting, employee tracking, and payments.
Clover’s hardware variety is one of its most cited strengths. Clover makes it easy to run your business and ring up customers from practically any type of storefront. The software also supports service-based businesses like salons and coaching better than other systems.
Instead of making industry-specific solutions, Clover gives users an app marketplace to add on functionality as they need it. They also support a wide range of integrations with other software, like QuickBooks and e-commerce solutions.
Clover works for many standard retailers — but, as we all know, thrift is far from standard. Here are some issues that can arise with Clover at secondhand shops:
| Area of concern | Why it's a problem for thrift stores |
|---|---|
| Payment processing | Clover's processing fees can run as high as 3.99% + surcharging, and all processing goes through Clover's parent company, Fiserv — with required 36-month processing contracts. |
| Proprietary hardware | Clover requires its own branded hardware — you can't use equipment you already own. If you leave, the hardware is tied to your merchant account and can't be repurposed. |
| Reporting | Thrift shops need detailed records to separate revenue, donations, grants, and operating costs. Advanced reporting is only available on Clover's Standard tier ($84.99/month) and above. |
| Inventory | Clover handles standard UPCs and SKUs well, but donation tracking, intake, color discounting, and other thrift-specific features require workarounds or paid third-party add-ons. |
| Volunteer management | Clover offers employee management out of the box, but has no native features for volunteers or short-term staff — a common need for thrift and nonprofit operations. |
| Customer service | Many Clover reviews cite downtime and poor support as pain points. Service quality is highly dependent on resellers. |
It’s worth noting that Clover does the basics well. If you work with more standardized inventory and are willing to pay for the advanced reports or can run them on your own, it can be a worthwhile option.
Clover’s hardware and software pricing for standard retail is $180/month or $1,899 upfront and then $84.99 a month.
Thrift shops have to deal with nonstandard use cases daily. These edge cases — like donation production or roundup donations — result in thrift shop managers doing a lot of manual work and only using their POS for basic payments.
This is why we always recommend thrift stores use industry-specific tools like ThriftCart. Software built for thrift shops will include standard POS functions along with specialized features.
These are some of the thrift-specific features that make ThriftCart stand out from the crowd:
| Feature | What it does for your thrift store |
|---|---|
| Production management | Log items at intake, set pricing rules, and create standardized workflows for faster stock updates and real-time stock tracking. |
| Detailed financial reports | Get accurate financial reports that separate store revenue, donations, grant funds, and processing fees. Use visual graphs and reports to better communicate with stakeholders and board members. |
| Roundup donations | Further your mission with hundreds of dollars in additional monthly funds by prompting for roundup donations at the register, and automatically track roundup values separately from transactions. |
| Color tags and automatic pricing | Eliminate manual labor by assigning colors to received items and setting up discount schedules entirely in the system. Price tags can display both the full price and the discount schedule tied to the color tag. |
| Simplified UI for volunteers | Get new volunteer workers up to speed in minutes — not hours — with simplified workflows for intake and checkout. |
| Pickup scheduling & route optimization | Allow donors or staff to request pickups online or in store, then arrange pickups with built-in route optimization and status updates. |
| Standardized donation intake | Log donations from a tablet or desktop, create donor records automatically, and email or print receipts for large donations. |
| Compliant payments and accounting | Set the correct sales tax based on item type, jurisdiction, or nonprofit exemptions — then automatically track different types of revenue and donation streams within the same system. |
| Integrations | Connect your POS system with tools like In the Loop AI, Shogo, Shopify, Zapier, and CharityProud. |
| Flexible hardware options | Save money on upgrading your POS system by using compatible hardware — if it isn't broken, don't fix it! |
Using an all-in-one system gives thrift store owners a holistic view of store performance and current stock. It also simplifies accounting and other aspects of store performance.
ThriftCart is built specifically for thrift and secondhand shops and is trusted by nonprofits across the country to manage their business. Our top-rated solution starts at $99/month.
While we’d love to say that ThriftCart is perfect for every thrift store, it’s just not true. If you need other Clover alternatives, here are some options:
| Alternative | Standout features | Pricing & best for |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleConsign | AI-automated item entry Individual & batch payouts for consigners, vendors, or dealers Store credit Accurate tax rates Unlimited consigner and vendor management | Best for: Stores with consignment options Pricing: Professional plan starts at $99/month for the first year. |
| AntiqueSoft | Space rental features Detailed dealer management Integrated payment processing Retail, layaway, and consignment support Shopper wishlists | Best for: Antique malls and stores that rent out their space Pricing: Not listed — visit their website for a custom quote. |
| S-Tags | Streamlined tagging and label printing Real-time inventory tracking Offline sales and store management Volunteer-friendly design Accurate reporting Self-checkout | Best for: Stores where production speed is the primary concern Pricing: All pricing is done through custom quotes on their website. |
| Thrift Works | Color-coded alerts and metrics Pre-built reports for sales, production, and more Various hardware leasing tiers Real-time inventory management Pickup scheduling | Best for: Thrift stores who would rather lease their hardware Pricing: Request a custom quote on their website. |
Go to our comparisons page for a detailed rundown of how different systems stack up to ThriftCart.
Many POS systems take a one-size-fits-all approach. This is fine for general retail, but it can cause more problems than it solves for thrift stores and nonprofit secondhand shops.
To simplify your day-to-day and get an honest picture of store performance, use a POS system that is truly built for thrift stores.
ThriftCart is trusted by hundreds of thrift stores around the country. With industry-specific features like donation scheduling, production management, color-tag discounting, and detailed reporting — ThriftCart puts everything you need to efficiently run your business in a single solution.
Schedule a custom demo today to see ThriftCart in action.