Clover
Clover Mini
The Clover Mini is the small one that isn't stripped down. It takes up about the footprint of a card terminal, but it runs the same software as a full Clover Station, which is why it ends up being the right answer for a lot more counters than people expect.
At a glance
- Compact countertop POS, roughly a terminal-sized footprint
- Touchscreen that swivels toward the customer
- Built-in receipt printer
- Chip, tap and swipe in the one unit
- Runs the full Clover software and app market
- Connects a cash drawer, scanner and kitchen printer
What the Clover Mini actually is
It helps to be clear about the category, because the name misleads people. The Clover Mini is not a card reader with a screen bolted on. It is a full point of sale system that happens to be small: the same catalog, the same staff logins and permissions, the same reporting and the same app market you would get on a Station, in a unit that sits comfortably on a counter with a till and a card machine already competing for space.
That is the whole proposition. If you want a proper POS but your counter is two feet of wood beside an espresso machine, this is usually the device that fits.
What's built into it
- A touchscreen that turns. You ring the sale up facing you, then swivel the screen so the customer can tip, sign and choose a receipt themselves. No handing anything over.
- Card reading in the unit. Chip, contactless tap including phone wallets, and magstripe, all in the same device. Nothing separate to plug in.
- A receipt printer. Built in, so the counter is one box rather than three.
- Ports for the rest of it. A cash drawer, a barcode scanner, a kitchen or remote printer and a customer display can all hang off it, which is what lets it work as a real till rather than just a payment device.
- The full software. Items, categories, modifiers, discounts, refunds, staff permissions, reporting, and the app market for anything trade-specific.
- Wired or wireless. Ethernet or wifi. If your connection is at all temperamental, run it wired, and ask about how offline mode behaves before you rely on it.
Who the Mini suits
Two quite different jobs, and it is worth knowing which one you are buying it for.
- As the whole POS. Cafes, bakeries, salons, small shops, bars with a short menu, counter-service food: anywhere one person can serve from one spot and the counter is short on room. It does everything a Station does with a smaller screen.
- As the customer-facing half. Sat beside a Station Solo or at a second lane, facing out, so the customer taps, tips and signs on their own screen while staff work on theirs. This is a common pairing in restaurants and busier shops.
Mini or Flex?
This is the question most people are actually asking, and it comes down to where the sale happens rather than to features.
- The sale happens at the counter. Mini. It is a counter device with a printer, a drawer and a screen the customer can reach, and it is not running on a battery.
- The sale happens away from the counter. Flex. Tableside, in a queue, at a market, at the kerb. It goes where the customer is.
- Both happen. Both, and that is a normal setup. A Mini on the counter with a Flex for the floor share one catalog and one set of reports, so it behaves as one system rather than two.
The Clover Flex page goes through the handheld in the same detail if that is the way you are leaning.
What a Clover Mini costs
There is no single published price, and anyone quoting you one without knowing your business is guessing. Clover is sold through processors, so the hardware, the software tier and your card processing rate are all part of one arrangement, and the same device can come with very different terms depending on who sells it. Ask for the whole picture rather than a device price. We'll go through your current statement and put real numbers in front of you on a short call.
Common questions
Can a Clover Mini be my only POS?
Yes, and for a lot of small counters that is exactly what it is. It runs the same software as a Station, takes a cash drawer and a scanner, and prints receipts. The reason to go bigger is screen space, not capability: a deep menu with lots of modifiers, or several staff ringing up through one unit, is where a Station starts to pay for itself.
Does the Clover Mini have a receipt printer built in?
Yes. The printer is in the unit, which is much of the point of it. One box on the counter rather than a terminal, a printer and a tablet stand all competing for the same space and the same power outlet.
Can the customer tip and sign on it?
Yes. The screen swivels to face the customer so they tip, sign and pick a receipt themselves. That also means the card never leaves their hand, which people increasingly expect.
Can I use a Mini alongside a Clover Station?
Yes, and it is a common setup. The Mini either faces the customer beside a Station Solo, or runs as a second lane at busy times. They share one catalog, one set of staff logins and one set of reports, so it stays one system.
Does it work if the internet drops?
Clover devices have an offline mode that stores card transactions and forwards them once the connection returns, within limits, and the limits are the part worth asking about before you rely on it. If your connection is unreliable, run the Mini on ethernet rather than wifi and raise it while you are choosing hardware.
Can I take a Clover Mini to a different processor later?
Usually not. Clover devices are generally tied to the processor that provisioned them, so a unit bought elsewhere may not run on your account and moving processors can mean buying the hardware again. Ask about this before you buy, from anyone selling you one, and get the answer in writing.
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