SkyTab vs Clover: we sell both, so here's when we point you at each one
We run this comparison more than any other in Arkansas, because both systems sit on our line card. Three things decide it: how many stations you run, whether you want to own the hardware, and the rate.
Clover publishes restaurant bundles from $135 to $354 a month on 36 month terms, plus 2.3% and 10 cents on a card present sale. Shift4 publishes no monthly figure for Dine and no card rate. Clover is the one you can price yourself. Dine is the one where you have to make someone commit a number to paper, and the 36 month term is the thing to read twice on the Clover side.
| SkyTab (Shift4 Dine) | Clover | |
|---|---|---|
| Software and hardware | Not published by Shift4 (advertises $0 to get started) | Full service bundles $179 to $354 per month for 36 months |
| Buy outright instead | Not offered | $849 to $4,447 plus $89.95 to $129.85 per month |
| Card present rate | Not published | 2.3% + $0.10 |
| Keyed in rate | Not published | 3.5% + $0.10 |
| Hardware warranty | Lifetime warranty, replaced at no charge | Varies by plan and by provider |
| Contract | Not published | Subscriptions non cancelable, terms vary by seller |
What do the two of them print?
Shift4 says Dine takes nothing upfront and that the monthly fee covers software and updates, hardware with a lifetime warranty, 24/7 support and cloud back office reporting. The monthly fee itself is not printed anywhere on the site.
Clover publishes more detail. Quick service bundles run $135, $185 and $245 monthly across 36 months. Full service runs $179, $239 and $354. Buy outright and you are looking at $849 to $4,447, plus software.
Only one of them will show you a card rate
Clover lists 2.3% plus 10 cents for cards tapped, swiped or inserted, and 3.5% plus 10 cents for keyed entry, right on its own site. Shift4 lists no rate for Dine and negotiates yours instead.
Neither approach is a trick. A published rate is easy to verify. A negotiated rate can go lower for a high volume room. Ask us for both in writing and hold us to them.
Do you want to own the hardware, or never think about it?
Clover lets you buy the equipment and keep it. Good fit for an owner who plans to be in the same building in ten years and hates a charge that never stops.
SkyTab will not sell you hardware outright. Equipment stays inside the monthly fee, with free replacement for life. Good fit for a room where a dead terminal on a Saturday in December is the thing that scares you.
A real person calls you back within two hours, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm Central.
How does the paperwork differ?
Clover states subscriptions are non cancelable and ineligible for refunds, and that terms and termination fees vary by whichever selling institution wrote your agreement.
Shift4 publishes no term length for Dine at all. There is a risk free trial, and equipment can be returned. Either way, make somebody put the term and the exit route on paper.
Why the rate outranks both monthly prices
A restaurant pays the card networks several times over what it pays for POS software. We ask for statements before quoting either system for exactly that reason.
Work out your effective rate, meaning total fees divided by total card volume, and hold both offers against it. Then add software and hardware across three years. The winner is often not the cheaper monthly.
What we would tell you across the table
Choose this one when
- You run three or more stations and want to pay per station instead of buying a fixed bundle.
- You want a dead terminal replaced free for as long as you run the system, with no claim and no invoice.
- You want online ordering, loyalty and reservations turned on with no per feature fee.
Choose the other when
- You want to read your card rate on the vendor's own website before anyone calls you. Only Clover lets you do that.
- You would rather write one check for the equipment than pay for it monthly for three years.
- You are a bakery, a coffee counter or a one register quick service line, where a full platform rollout is money burned.
- You already bank with an institution that sells Clover and you want the whole thing in one relationship.
The weak spots in both, because we sell both
No reason for us to hide either list. These objections come up in real quotes, so here they are.
What works
- SkyTab: $0 upfront and a lifetime hardware warranty.
- SkyTab: online ordering, loyalty and reservations at no extra fee.
- Clover: a published card present rate of 2.3% plus 10 cents.
- Clover: you can buy the hardware outright and keep it.
What does not
- SkyTab publishes no processing rate and no contract term.
- SkyTab requires Shift4 processing, so you can never shop the rate later.
- SkyTab equipment cannot be bought outright, so the monthly fee never ends.
- Clover subscriptions are non cancelable and ineligible for refunds.
- Clover terms and termination fees change with whichever institution sold it.
- Clover 36 month bundles cost more in total than buying the same system outright.
Questions restaurant owners ask
Which one do you sell more of?
Depends entirely on the room. Full service restaurants and bars with several stations usually land on SkyTab, because per station pricing and included hardware fit how they run. Counters, bakeries and small quick service lines often land on Clover for the published rate.
Can I get SkyTab hardware without a monthly fee?
No. Shift4 publishes $0 upfront cost and folds hardware into the monthly fee, which also covers software updates, the lifetime warranty, 24/7 support and cloud reporting. If owning your equipment matters, Clover publishes buy outright prices starting at $849 for a quick service starter.
Is the 2.3% Clover rate what I will pay?
Only if you buy on Clover.com. Clover publishes 2.3% plus 10 cents there for cards tapped, swiped or inserted, and 3.5% plus 10 cents for keyed entry. Bank resellers price differently, and card network assessments and monthly account fees sit on top of whatever you are quoted. Read the whole schedule.
How do I decide without guessing?
Pull twelve months of processing statements, divide total fees by total card volume, and use that effective rate as your yardstick. Then add software and hardware for each system across three years. Once both quotes are written down, the answer is usually obvious.
Vendor pricing and tax rates change without notice. Confirm current figures with the vendor, the city or your accountant before you rely on them. Not tax, legal or accounting advice.
Every number on this page traces to a primary source
- Shift4 Dine pricing page advertises getting started at $0 and publishes no monthly software price and no card processing rate (verified in browser 2026-07-29, page is client rendered)dine.shift4.com / pricing
- Shift4 Dine monthly fee includes POS software and future updates, POS hardware with a lifetime warranty, 24/7 support, cloud back office reporting and a mobile app; third party Marketplace integrations carry additional fees; a risk free trial allows the equipment to be sent backdine.shift4.com / pricing
- SkyTab is now branded Shift4 Dine and skytab.com resolves to dine.shift4.com. Marketing and loyalty, reservations and waitlist, QR code ordering and a website builder are listed as included at no extra cost, hardware carries a lifetime warranty and support is 24/7dine.shift4.com
- Clover full service restaurant systems: Starter $179 per month for 36 months or $1,799 plus $89.95 per month; Standard $239 per month for 36 months or $2,548 plus $109.90 per month; Advanced $354 per month for 36 months or $4,447 plus $129.85 per month. Transaction fees 2.3% + $0.10 for cards tapped, swiped or inserted and 3.5% + $0.10 for card information typed in. Prices shown are only available on Clover.comclover.com / restaurant
- Clover quick service restaurant systems: Starter $135 per month for 36 months or $849 plus $89.95 per month; Standard $185 per month for 36 months or $1,899 plus $89.95 per month; Advanced $245 per month for 36 months or $2,648 plus $109.90 per month, with the same 2.3% + $0.10 and 3.5% + $0.10 transaction feesclover.com / quick service restaurant
- Clover states subscriptions are non cancelable and ineligible for refunds but can be paid off at any time or broken during a buyout or upgrade; at the end of the term you may purchase or return the equipment; contract terms and any termination fees vary by service provider, including Citi, PNC, Wells Fargo and more than 3,000 other financial institution partners that sell Clover in the USclover.com / pricing