Compare

Marketplaces help you make a sale. Roots HQ runs the business behind it.

Sell on Whatnot, Palmstreet, your own site, or at a market — Roots HQ gives every one of those channels the same inventory, the same customer list, and the same reports. It isn't a marketplace and it isn't trying to replace the ones you already use.

Roots HQ provisions and operates your storefront, tracks orders and keeps your business records synchronised. Customer payments are processed through your own connected payment account, and you remain the merchant of record. Roots HQ does not store raw card details.

See the comparison What would it cost me? →Talk to us

At a glance

What each one is actually good at.

4th platform to compare

ShopifyCommentSold

Roots HQ

Connected business headquarters — inventory, customers, events, and money in one system, across every channel you sell on.

Being the one place inventory, customers, events, and money connect across every channel
Running the operational side of the business: vendors, purchase orders, staff roles, mileage & tax
Marketing on channels you own: email, SMS, promotions, and a real website

Fees

0% Roots HQ platform commission. Monthly subscription and payment-processing fees apply.

Palmstreet

Niche live-shopping marketplace (plants, collectibles) — buyers discover and buy inside Palmstreet’s own app.

Reaching a built-in live-shopping audience for plants & collectibles with no marketing spend
A checkout and buyer trust Palmstreet already built
Per-product reviews, including photo reviews, native to the platform

Fees

$0 — no subscription · 6.9% standard selling fee

Whatnot

Live/marketplace selling — buyers discover and buy inside Whatnot’s own app, across almost any category.

A large, general live-shopping audience across almost any category
Auctions, claims & holds, and other live-selling mechanics buyers already know and trust
Zero marketing spend to reach that built-in audience

Fees

$0 — no subscription · 8% standard selling fee

Square

Payments, POS & merchant services — built around taking a card payment reliably, first.

Taking a card payment in person, reliably, with real hardware options
A free tier to start with no monthly fee
A broad merchant-services stack (payroll, banking, invoices) beyond just checkout

Fees

Square Free $0/mo; paid tiers (Plus, Premium) priced per location — the pricing page renders its figures client-side and could not be machine-read on this check · $0 platform commission on every plan — Square charges processing, not a cut of the sale

Shopify

Hosted e-commerce storefront — your own branded store; live-selling, deep CRM, and marketing come from apps or other tools.

A polished, ownable hosted storefront on your own domain
The largest app ecosystem to bolt on nearly any extra capability
Multi-channel selling add-ons (POS, wholesale) for stores that outgrow the basics

Fees

$29 / $79 / $299 per month billed annually (Basic / Grow / Advanced); $39 / $105 / $399 month-to-month; Plus "starts at $2,300/mo" · $0 platform commission on Basic/Grow/Advanced when using Shopify Payments; using a third-party gateway instead adds 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced), 0.2% (Plus)

CommentSold

Live-selling software for the audience you already have — not a marketplace, not an operations platform.

Purpose-built live-selling mechanics (auctions, claims & holds, overlays) for a seller’s own following
Turning an existing social audience into a live-shopping channel

Fees

$149/mo (Starter) · $499/mo (Small Business) · $999/mo (Large Business) · 6% of sales (Starter) · 5% (Small Business) · 4% (Large Business) — on top of the subscription

Feature comparison

The comparison.

Checked against each platform's own docs — not a checkmark count. Not applicable means a marketplace provides something by being a marketplace, not a gap on either side.

Feature comparison: Roots HQ versus Palmstreet, Whatnot, Square, and a swappable 4th platform (Shopify or CommentSold).
Capability	Roots HQ	Palmstreet	Whatnot	Square	Shopify	CommentSold
Selling & discovery
Built-in marketplace audience & buyer discovery	Not applicable	Native	Native	Not available	Not available	Not available
In-person card payments (POS, keyed card entry)	Available	Not available	Not available	Native	Native	Native
Phone Tap-to-Pay (no card reader needed)	Limited	—	—	Native	—	—
Live-stream scheduling	Native	Native	Native	—	—	Native
Auctions	Native	Native	Native	—	—	Native
Security & access control
Stored credentials & API secrets encrypted at rest	Native	—	—	—	—	—
Multi-factor authentication	Native	Not applicable	Not applicable	Native	Native	—
Security-action audit log (auth, access control, user management)	Native	—	—	—	—	—
Business ownership
Your own hosted storefront	Native	Marketplace-dependent	Marketplace-dependent	Native	Native	Native
You own the customer list	Native	Marketplace-dependent	Marketplace-dependent	Native	Native	Native
Sell on your OWN site (not a marketplace)	Native	Marketplace-dependent	Marketplace-dependent	—	Native	Native
Data export (contacts + consolidated sales)	Available	Marketplace-dependent	Marketplace-dependent	—	Native	—
Custom domains	Native	Marketplace-dependent	Marketplace-dependent	Available	Native	—
Operations
Product catalog & inventory	Native	Limited	Limited	Native	Native	Native
Local pickup & delivery	Native	—	—	Limited	Native	—
Shipping with live carrier rates + labels	Native	Limited	Limited	Integrated	Available	Native
Marketplace order imports (Whatnot, eBay, Etsy…)	Native	—	—	—	Add-on required	Integrated
Multi-channel order consolidation	Native	—	—	—	Add-on required	Native
Invoices	Native	—	—	Native	Limited	—
Vendor purchase orders & receiving	Native	—	—	—	—	—
Mileage tracker + Tax Center (accountant-ready export)	Native	—	—	—	—	—
Growth
Email campaigns	Available	Marketplace-dependent	Marketplace-dependent	Add-on required	Add-on required	Native
SMS campaigns	Available	Marketplace-dependent	Marketplace-dependent	Add-on required	—	—
One Promotions hub (coupons, wheels, giveaways, loyalty, offers)	Native	—	—	—	Add-on required	—
Marketing automations (trigger → action workflows)	Native	—	—	—	Add-on required	—
Business intelligence
Built-in AI business assistant	Native	Not available	Not available	Native	Native	—
Unified sales dashboard (all channels)	Native	Limited	Limited	Available	Available	Native
Revenue, expenses, COGS & margin	Native	—	—	Available	Limited	—
Does the information connect?
Sales update inventory automatically	Native	—	—	—	Native	—
Event sales roll up into a real event-profitability number	Native	—	—	—	—	—

Whatnot and Palmstreet are marketplaces — you sell inside their app and they own the customer relationship. Roots HQ is your own storefront and customer list, with the same live selling built in.

Selling & discovery

Built-in marketplace audience & buyer discovery
Roots HQ
Not applicable
Palmstreet
Native
In-person card payments (POS, keyed card entry)
Roots HQ
Available
Palmstreet
Not available
Phone Tap-to-Pay (no card reader needed)
Roots HQ
Limited
Palmstreet
—
Live-stream scheduling
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Native
Auctions
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Native

Security & access control

Stored credentials & API secrets encrypted at rest
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Multi-factor authentication
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Not applicable
Security-action audit log (auth, access control, user management)
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—

Business ownership

Your own hosted storefront
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Marketplace-dependent
You own the customer list
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Marketplace-dependent
Sell on your OWN site (not a marketplace)
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Marketplace-dependent
Data export (contacts + consolidated sales)
Roots HQ
Available
Palmstreet
Marketplace-dependent
Custom domains
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Marketplace-dependent

Operations

Product catalog & inventory
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Limited
Local pickup & delivery
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Shipping with live carrier rates + labels
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Limited
Marketplace order imports (Whatnot, eBay, Etsy…)
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Multi-channel order consolidation
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Invoices
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Vendor purchase orders & receiving
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Mileage tracker + Tax Center (accountant-ready export)
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—

Growth

Email campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Palmstreet
Marketplace-dependent
SMS campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Palmstreet
Marketplace-dependent
One Promotions hub (coupons, wheels, giveaways, loyalty, offers)
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Marketing automations (trigger → action workflows)
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—

Business intelligence

Built-in AI business assistant
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Not available
Unified sales dashboard (all channels)
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
Limited
Revenue, expenses, COGS & margin
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—

Does the information connect?

Sales update inventory automatically
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—
Event sales roll up into a real event-profitability number
Roots HQ
Native
Palmstreet
—

Selling & discovery

Built-in marketplace audience & buyer discovery
Roots HQ
Not applicable
Whatnot
Native
In-person card payments (POS, keyed card entry)
Roots HQ
Available
Whatnot
Not available
Phone Tap-to-Pay (no card reader needed)
Roots HQ
Limited
Whatnot
—
Live-stream scheduling
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Native
Auctions
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Native

Security & access control

Stored credentials & API secrets encrypted at rest
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Multi-factor authentication
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Not applicable
Security-action audit log (auth, access control, user management)
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—

Business ownership

Your own hosted storefront
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Marketplace-dependent
You own the customer list
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Marketplace-dependent
Sell on your OWN site (not a marketplace)
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Marketplace-dependent
Data export (contacts + consolidated sales)
Roots HQ
Available
Whatnot
Marketplace-dependent
Custom domains
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Marketplace-dependent

Operations

Product catalog & inventory
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Limited
Local pickup & delivery
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Shipping with live carrier rates + labels
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Limited
Marketplace order imports (Whatnot, eBay, Etsy…)
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Multi-channel order consolidation
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Invoices
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Vendor purchase orders & receiving
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Mileage tracker + Tax Center (accountant-ready export)
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—

Growth

Email campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Whatnot
Marketplace-dependent
SMS campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Whatnot
Marketplace-dependent
One Promotions hub (coupons, wheels, giveaways, loyalty, offers)
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Marketing automations (trigger → action workflows)
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—

Business intelligence

Built-in AI business assistant
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Not available
Unified sales dashboard (all channels)
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
Limited
Revenue, expenses, COGS & margin
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—

Does the information connect?

Sales update inventory automatically
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—
Event sales roll up into a real event-profitability number
Roots HQ
Native
Whatnot
—

Selling & discovery

Built-in marketplace audience & buyer discovery
Roots HQ
Not applicable
Square
Not available
In-person card payments (POS, keyed card entry)
Roots HQ
Available
Square
Native
Phone Tap-to-Pay (no card reader needed)
Roots HQ
Limited
Square
Native
Live-stream scheduling
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Auctions
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—

Security & access control

Stored credentials & API secrets encrypted at rest
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Multi-factor authentication
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Native
Security-action audit log (auth, access control, user management)
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—

Business ownership

Your own hosted storefront
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Native
You own the customer list
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Native
Sell on your OWN site (not a marketplace)
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Data export (contacts + consolidated sales)
Roots HQ
Available
Square
—
Custom domains
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Available

Operations

Product catalog & inventory
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Native
Local pickup & delivery
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Limited
Shipping with live carrier rates + labels
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Integrated
Marketplace order imports (Whatnot, eBay, Etsy…)
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Multi-channel order consolidation
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Invoices
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Native
Vendor purchase orders & receiving
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Mileage tracker + Tax Center (accountant-ready export)
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—

Growth

Email campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Square
Add-on required
SMS campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Square
Add-on required
One Promotions hub (coupons, wheels, giveaways, loyalty, offers)
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Marketing automations (trigger → action workflows)
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—

Business intelligence

Built-in AI business assistant
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Native
Unified sales dashboard (all channels)
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Available
Revenue, expenses, COGS & margin
Roots HQ
Native
Square
Available

Does the information connect?

Sales update inventory automatically
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—
Event sales roll up into a real event-profitability number
Roots HQ
Native
Square
—

Selling & discovery

Built-in marketplace audience & buyer discovery
Roots HQ
Not applicable
Shopify
Not available
In-person card payments (POS, keyed card entry)
Roots HQ
Available
Shopify
Native
Phone Tap-to-Pay (no card reader needed)
Roots HQ
Limited
Shopify
—
Live-stream scheduling
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
—
Auctions
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
—

Security & access control

Stored credentials & API secrets encrypted at rest
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
—
Multi-factor authentication
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
Security-action audit log (auth, access control, user management)
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
—

Business ownership

Your own hosted storefront
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
You own the customer list
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
Sell on your OWN site (not a marketplace)
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
Data export (contacts + consolidated sales)
Roots HQ
Available
Shopify
Native
Custom domains
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native

Operations

Product catalog & inventory
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
Local pickup & delivery
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
Shipping with live carrier rates + labels
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Available
Marketplace order imports (Whatnot, eBay, Etsy…)
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Add-on required
Multi-channel order consolidation
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Add-on required
Invoices
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Limited
Vendor purchase orders & receiving
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
—
Mileage tracker + Tax Center (accountant-ready export)
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
—

Growth

Email campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Shopify
Add-on required
SMS campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
Shopify
—
One Promotions hub (coupons, wheels, giveaways, loyalty, offers)
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Add-on required
Marketing automations (trigger → action workflows)
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Add-on required

Business intelligence

Built-in AI business assistant
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
Unified sales dashboard (all channels)
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Available
Revenue, expenses, COGS & margin
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Limited

Does the information connect?

Sales update inventory automatically
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
Native
Event sales roll up into a real event-profitability number
Roots HQ
Native
Shopify
—

Selling & discovery

Built-in marketplace audience & buyer discovery
Roots HQ
Not applicable
CommentSold
Not available
In-person card payments (POS, keyed card entry)
Roots HQ
Available
CommentSold
Native
Phone Tap-to-Pay (no card reader needed)
Roots HQ
Limited
CommentSold
—
Live-stream scheduling
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
Auctions
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native

Security & access control

Stored credentials & API secrets encrypted at rest
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Multi-factor authentication
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Security-action audit log (auth, access control, user management)
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—

Business ownership

Your own hosted storefront
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
You own the customer list
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
Sell on your OWN site (not a marketplace)
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
Data export (contacts + consolidated sales)
Roots HQ
Available
CommentSold
—
Custom domains
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—

Operations

Product catalog & inventory
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
Local pickup & delivery
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Shipping with live carrier rates + labels
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
Marketplace order imports (Whatnot, eBay, Etsy…)
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Integrated
Multi-channel order consolidation
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
Invoices
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Vendor purchase orders & receiving
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Mileage tracker + Tax Center (accountant-ready export)
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—

Growth

Email campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
CommentSold
Native
SMS campaigns
Roots HQ
Available
CommentSold
—
One Promotions hub (coupons, wheels, giveaways, loyalty, offers)
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Marketing automations (trigger → action workflows)
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—

Business intelligence

Built-in AI business assistant
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Unified sales dashboard (all channels)
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
Native
Revenue, expenses, COGS & margin
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—

Does the information connect?

Sales update inventory automatically
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—
Event sales roll up into a real event-profitability number
Roots HQ
Native
CommentSold
—

Pricing and feature claims are checked against each platform's own docs, last verified 2026-07-25. Sources: Shopify · Whatnot · Palmstreet · CommentSold · Square. Deeper pages for Palmstreet, Whatnot, Square, Shopify and CommentSold go deeper on fees and fair strengths/weaknesses. Product names belong to their owners; no endorsement or affiliation is implied.

Honesty, not a sales pitch

Roots HQ doesn't need to win every row.

Where a marketplace is genuinely stronger, this says so.

Where marketplaces shine

A built-in buyer audience that already exists, with no marketing spend to build it
A live-shopping audience already primed to buy in the format
Buyer accounts, saved payment methods, and buyer trust the seller did not have to build
A checkout buyers already know and already trust

Where Roots HQ shines

Ownership of the storefront, the domain, and the brand
One customer list across every channel sold on, not fragmented per marketplace
Operations that span every channel: inventory, orders, events, vendors, in one system
Marketing on channels the business controls — email, SMS, promotions, a real website
No per-sale platform commission, ever

Use marketplaces for what they do best. Use Roots HQ to run the business behind them.

See the whole platform against your real costs.

Bring your current stack — we will map it honestly and quote a founding-customer proposal.

Talk to us Why Roots HQ