Comparison

ShoWorks™ vs Square

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ShoWorks™

This companion app streamlines event management for fairs and livestock shows. It allows for easy check-in, judging, and updating of exhibits by syncing with desktop software. Utilize your device's camera for quick scanning and efficient data management.

Highlights
  • Entry management for events
  • Check-in and judge exhibits
  • Syncs with desktop software
  • Barcode scanning via camera
  • Kiosk check-in functionality
  • Animal weigh-in and placing
Features
Read full description

ShoWorks is the world’s leading entry management software for fairs, festivals, livestock shows, and exhibitions. Manage, check-in and judge exhibits with this “must have” tool by swiping ribbons, places, weights, and more, onto entries downloaded from your existing ShoWorks fair management software for Windows. Not a ShoWorks user? Start your FREE trial today. How does ShoWorks work? • Install the full client version of ShoWorks onto any Windows machine. • Receive entries to your show via the built-in online entries website or manual data entry, letting exhibitors optionally print their barcoded receipts and entry tags. • Use this free iPad app as a companion to manage and update these entries in various ways, such as kiosk check-in, animal weigh-in, judging and placing, and more. • Use the existing built-in iPad camera to scan barcoded tags and receipts for quick access. • Sync the changes back to the client version of ShoWorks where you can complete the process of distributing awards and reports for your participants. Requires ShoWorks for Windows.

About

Square

Manage your restaurant's front and back-of-house operations with a powerful point-of-sale system. Handle orders, customize menus, accept payments, and gain insights from real-time sales reports. Designed for dining in, takeout, and online orders.

Highlights
  • Order and payment processing
  • Customizable online ordering site
  • Menu management
  • Flexible payment acceptance
  • Offline payment capability
  • Floor plan customization
  • Real-time sales reports
Features
Read full description

The Square for Restaurants Point of Sale app helps you manage front- and back-of-house operations for your full-service restaurant, quick-service restaurant, fast-casual restaurant, bar, or brewery. Get the powerful point-of-sale system designed to serve guests who are dining in, getting takeout, or ordering online. Handle orders, set up menus, manage table layouts, accept payments, enable coursing, get insights from real-time sales reports, and more. ORDERS & PAYMENTS * Turn tables faster and keep lines moving. Increase staff efficiency with an easy-to-use, intuitive interface. * Empower servers to get every order right with the ability to enter orders the way people talk. * Take orders even when you’re short-staffed with QR codes. ONLINE ORDERING * Create a free, customizable online ordering site. * Manage all orders from your POS, including in-person, online, and third-party delivery orders. * Reach more diners with Google, Instagram, and Facebook selling integrations. MENU MANAGEMENT * Create and customize your menus from the office, remotely, or directly from your POS. * Keep service running smoothly with your staff always in the know of what’s selling and what’s about to sell out. FLEXIBLE PAYMENTS * Accept all major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay so you never have to turn a diner away. * Set up automatic tipping, move or assign checks to your staff, reopen closed checks, and manage voids with just a few taps. * Never miss a sale with offline payments. Learn more at https://squareup.com/us/en/payments/offline-payments-guide.  * Square handles all PCI compliance fees or chargebacks on your behalf. * Get deposits in your bank account as fast as the next business day or access your sales instantly with a Square Checking account. Learn more at squareup.com/us/en/banking.  FLOOR MANAGEMENT * Customize your floor plan with intuitive click-and-drag layouts. * Tip out staff, close out the cash drawer, manage comps and voids, and run close-of-day reports all from the POS. * Keep tables turning by monitoring their real-time status. * Stay on pace with coursing — letting the kitchen know when to hold or start firing dishes. SUPPORT * Customer support available to guide you through any questions. Learn more about Square for Restaurants and set yourself up from Square Dashboard before activating this app on an iOS device: https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants

Verdict

The call

ShoWorks™ and Square both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of ShoWorks™'s written reviews are positive against 34% of Square's. Square's advantage is ratings volume (4.2K vs 2) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShoWorks™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square has 4.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of ShoWorks™'s written reviews are positive against 34% of Square's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShoWorks™ ships an update every 4 weeks, Square every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ShoWorks™ versus Square: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShoWorks™Square
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better4.3 (4.2K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better34.4% of reviews
Number of ratings24.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB775 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGladstone Inc.Block, Inc.

Customer experience

ShoWorks™

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Square

All ratings4,198 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative13.2%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive34.4%
Neutral7.5%
Negative58.1%

Bugs and requests

ShoWorks™

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Square

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Orders not processing correctly
  • Transactions not completing
  • Inventory updates not syncing
  • Shift reports not printing properly
  • Card reader disconnection issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to split items across checks
  • Hold/save orders functionality
  • Improved inventory management
  • Better reporting and analytics
  • Mobile app for managing the restaurant

In-app purchases

None

ShoWorks™

No in-app purchases

None

Square

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShoWorks™ free?
ShoWorks™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Square free?
Square is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ShoWorks™ or Square?
ShoWorks™ is rated higher. ShoWorks™ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Square averages 4.3 from 4.2K ratings.
Do ShoWorks™ or Square have ads?
Neither ShoWorks™ nor Square shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShoWorks™ or Square?
ShoWorks™ ships an update every 4 weeks, and Square every 6 days. Most recently, ShoWorks™ was updated on November 6, 2026 and Square on November 6, 2026.

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