The App Market is Clover’s biggest advantage and its most common source of surprise bills. There is an app for nearly everything, each with a fee, and a restaurant that installs eight of them has doubled its software cost without noticing. This page is the short list by business type, what each costs, and how to keep the bill in check.
How the App Market works
Apps are installed from the device or the web dashboard, billed monthly through Clover alongside the plan fee, and run on the device or in the dashboard. Pricing per app is on its listing. Installed apps and their charges are listed under the dashboard’s app or subscription management, where they can also be removed.
Three things to know before installing anything:
- The plan may already do it. Online ordering, contactless ordering and kitchen display are in the restaurant plans; returns, variants and basic loyalty are in Retail Growth; a virtual terminal and invoicing are in Essentials. Check the plan comparison first.
- Fees compound. Six apps at $25 is $150 a month, more than the plan itself.
- Some scale. Loyalty and marketing apps often charge more as the customer list grows.
Apps worth it, by business
| Business | Install | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, cafe, bar | Commerce Sync (QuickBooks), a delivery integration (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub) if you use them, one loyalty app, Homebase or a payroll connector if staffing is complex | Books, marketplace orders into the kitchen, repeat visits, schedules |
| Retail | Label printing, gift cards, an inventory app only if you need POs and vendors, an ecommerce connector (WooCommerce, Shopify) if you sell online | Shelf labels, holiday sales, catalog depth, one inventory across channels |
| Salon, spa, barber | A scheduling app that runs on Clover, or the connector for your existing scheduler; gift cards | Appointments become tickets; gift cards are a top seller |
| Contractor, service | Invoicing and text-to-pay if not using a separate platform; Commerce Sync | Get paid faster; books |
| Any business | Commerce Sync or another accounting connector | Stop hand-entering sales |
Specific costs: Commerce Sync about $49 a month; gift card programs are mostly card cost rather than subscription; loyalty apps $10 to $60 rising with customers; delivery integrations vary by provider; scheduling apps $20 to $60.
Apps to skip
- Anything that duplicates a plan feature you already have.
- A second loyalty or gift card app; one of each.
- Marketing and email apps you will not staff; they charge for the list whether you send or not.
- Reporting apps when the dashboard export covers it.
- Games, screensavers and novelty apps on a register.
Managing the bill
Once a quarter, open the installed apps list, read the charges, and remove what has not been opened in a month. On install we set up only what you asked for and list each app’s fee on the quote. On support visits we check the list. That discipline is the difference between a $90 software bill and a $250 one.
Related
Accounting: Clover QuickBooks integration. Loyalty and gift cards: Clover gift cards and loyalty. Delivery: Clover online ordering.