The specs
Square CapitalClover Capital
Product typeMCAMCA
Amount range$300 – $250K$500 – $1M (varies by Clover volume)
Cost (factor / APR)Single fixed fee (10 – 16% of loan amount); no APR / no compoundingSingle fixed fee (factor 1.12 – 1.30 typical); no APR / no compounding
Speed to fundAs soon as next business day1 – 2 business days after acceptance
Min time in business12 months6 months
Min monthly revenue$10,000+ in Square card sales typical floor~$5,000+ in Clover card sales typical floor
Min credit scoreNo FICO pull — underwrites entirely against Square sales historyNo FICO pull — underwrites against Clover POS history
Products
- Embedded seller working capital (Square sellers only)
- Embedded working capital (Clover merchants only)
Verdicts by use case
- Pricing transparency — Winner: Square Capital. Square publishes a single fixed-fee structure (10 – 16% of advance). Clover Capital routes through partner lenders so the exact fee depends on which capital partner Clover assigns you — less merchant-transparent.
- Restaurant / hospitality merchant — Winner: Clover Capital. Clover is dominant in full-service restaurants and bars via Fiserv distribution. If you're already on Clover POS, Clover Capital integrates natively with your batch reporting.
- Speed to fund — Winner: Tie. Square funds next business day; Clover funds 1 – 2 business days. Functionally the same on a clean approval.
- Mobile / micro-merchant — Winner: Square Capital. Square Capital starts as low as $300 advances and accepts the smallest Square sellers. Clover skews toward established brick-and-mortar locations.
- Largest advance available — Winner: Clover Capital. Clover Capital scales to ~$1M via partner lender network. Square Capital caps at $250K.
The honest takeaway
Square Capital and Clover Capital solve overlapping but distinct problems. The right choice depends on three things you already know about your business: how fast you need the money, how long you've been operating, and whether the capital need is one-time or recurring.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I switch from Clover to Square (or vice versa) while I have an advance?
- No — both products require continued processing on the issuing platform. Switching POS terminates the advance: Clover Capital typically requires full payoff within 60 days; Square converts to fixed daily ACH debits.
- Which has lower effective cost?
- Square if you qualify for its lowest fee tier (~10%). Clover Capital's pricing varies by which partner lender funds your deal — get the exact fee in writing before accepting.
- Will either one pull my credit?
- Neither typically does a hard FICO pull. Both underwrite against your processing history on their respective platforms. This is one of the biggest advantages of embedded capital products vs traditional MCA shops.