Is inventory included or is it an upgrade?

Included. Variants, barcodes, stock levels, purchase orders and vendor management are part of the platform. Several competitors reserve real inventory for a paid tier and give the free plan little more than an item list.

Can I run two shops on one account?

Yes, on Pro. Stock, staff and reporting are per-location, with transfers recorded on both sides, under one login and one bill.

What is the contract?

Month to month. Clover deals are frequently written as three-year agreements tied to the hardware — which is also why leaving tends to mean replacing the till.

What hardware do I need?

A supported tablet or computer, a Stripe reader, a Star printer and a standard barcode scanner. We certify the list and sell none of it, so you buy at market price and replace locally.

Built for the shop floor

A cash register is not an inventory system.

Variants, vendors, purchase orders and transfers belong in the same place you ring the sale — not in a spreadsheet you reconcile on Sunday, and not behind a higher tier.

Real inventory locked behind an upgrade
Three-year hardware-and-software contracts
Purchase orders and vendor management handled in spreadsheets
Per-location fees that punish a second shop

Apply for the beta See all plans

Run your own numbers against Clover

Pre-filled with a typical retail shop. Change anything — including which vendor you are comparing.

Card sales per month$35,000

Average sale$32.00

People who need a login

Kitchen / kiosk screens

0Your own devices

Screens are your own. ArkSlate runs on approved iPads, Android tablets, Stripe readers and Star printers — we sell no hardware and charge no per-screen software fee. Competitors license that same screen by the month.

Compare against

Clover

Retail Growth plan · cheapest that fits

Software subscription$84.95
Retail Growth plan
Extra user seats$0.00
Unlimited users
Scheduling & time clock$0.00
Included
Per-screen software (KDS/kiosk)$0.00
No screens
Online ordering$0.00
Not needed
Card processing$914.38
2.30% + $0.10 × 1,094 sales

Software$84.95

Processing$914.38

Total / mo$999.33

Contract: Hardware financed over 36 months

ArkSlate

Solo plan · cheapest that fits

Software subscription$59.00
Solo plan
Extra user seats$0.00
Unlimited users
Scheduling & time clock$0.00
Included
Per-screen software (KDS/kiosk)$0.00
No screens
Online ordering$0.00
Not needed
Card processing$999.69
2.70% + $0.05 × 1,094 sales

Software$59.00

Processing$999.69

Total / mo$1,058.69

Contract: None — month to month

Clover wins this one

$712/yr cheaper

At this volume Clover costs less than we do, and we would rather tell you than hide it. Our subscription only pays for itself once the lower card rate outruns it — or once you need the inventory, accounting and unlimited seats below.

Apply for the beta — no card required

Both sides quoted at that vendor's cheapest tier for this setup, using published list prices as of September 2026. Card-present rates only; keyed and online rates differ. Hardware is bought separately on every platform — ArkSlate sells none. Where we were unsure whether a vendor charges for something, we assumed they do not.

What you get on day one

Variants and barcodes that behave

Size, color and style as real variants with their own barcodes and stock counts — not four near-identical products fighting for one SKU.

Purchase orders and vendors built in

Raise a PO, receive it partially, and have the counts update themselves. Vendor-managed reordering flags what is running down before you notice.

Transfers between locations

Move stock between shops with a record on both sides, and see on-hand by location instead of one blended number.

Promotions without a second product

Coupon codes, auto-applied promotions, BOGO and gift cards are part of the platform and settle correctly in the books.

Accounting that already knows your margin

Cost of goods travels with the item, so the P&L reflects what you actually made rather than what you rang up.

No contract, no proprietary till

Month to month, on approved commodity hardware. Nothing here becomes a paperweight if you leave.

The kit for a retail shop

We sell no hardware. We certify a short list of commodity devices, guarantee they work, and support only what is on it — which is how support stays fast and your gear stays replaceable on a Saturday.

RegisterSupported iPads or any modern tablet or computer

Card readerStripe Terminal readers

ReceiptsStar CloudPRNT thermal printers

ScanningStandard USB and Bluetooth barcode scanners

Retail shops, specifically

Also built for

Coffee shops Food trucks Quick service restaurants Full service restaurants Hot tub & pool service Field service

Try it on your own numbers

Free during the beta, no card required, and no contract to sign your way out of.

Apply for the beta Talk to us