Square is the best starting point for many U.S. small businesses because its entry-level POS software has no monthly subscription and it can support in-person sales, services, restaurants, and basic online selling. It is not the right choice for every operation: Shopify POS is a stronger fit when ecommerce is central, Toast is designed for restaurant workflows, Lightspeed suits inventory-heavy retail, and Helcim stands out for merchants comparing payment-processing economics.
The best POS depends on what you sell, average transaction size, monthly card volume, locations, and which features you actually need. Prices and availability in this guide are U.S.-oriented and were checked against vendor pages around August 16, 2026; software, processing, hardware, and contract terms can change. These are business-fit recommendations, not claims of hands-on testing.
Best POS systems for small businesses at a glance
These systems serve different workflows, so the table ranks them by fit rather than pretending a restaurant terminal and a boutique inventory system are interchangeable. “Not publicly listed” means the cited vendor page did not establish a comparable figure; get a written quote before committing.
| System | Best for | U.S. software price signal checked August 16, 2026 | Payments and hardware signal | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Best overall for many startups and small businesses | Free entry plan; Square Retail Free is $0/month and Plus is $89 per location | Processing varies by product and payment type; hardware listed from $59 | Advanced workflows and add-ons can raise cost |
| Shopify POS | Ecommerce-first and omnichannel retail | Basic $39/month, Grow $105/month, Advanced $399/month; POS Pro adds $89/month per location | Rates vary by plan and channel; hardware pricing not stated here | Can be costly if the business does not need Shopify’s online stack |
| Lightspeed Retail | Complex retail inventory | Current price should be confirmed with vendor; public comparison coverage cited roughly $89+/month | Current processing and hardware figures not stated | Higher cost and setup complexity |
| Toast | Full-service restaurants | Quote-based; confirm current offer with vendor | Processing and hardware terms depend on the offer | Contract, processor, add-on, and hardware terms need close review |
| Clover | Flexible countertop and mobile hardware | Bundles vary; some configurations require a sales conversation | Dealer and processor dependent | Reseller terms can make total cost hard to compare |
| Helcim | Transparent interchange-plus processing | Current software price not stated here | Check current U.S. processing and hardware terms with Helcim | Less industry-specific POS depth than specialist systems |
| SumUp | Bundled tools for small shops and cafes | Connect Plus $199/month; Connect Pro $289/month | Published U.S. rate checked: 2.6% + $0.10 in person; 3.5% + $0.15 online/manual entry | Monthly tiers may exceed a microbusiness’s needs |
| PayPal Zettle | PayPal-centric mobile sellers | Current price not stated; verify with vendor | Reader and processing terms should be checked on the U.S. page | Less suited to deep inventory, staff, and multi-location needs |
| SpotOn | Restaurants seeking an operations and marketing platform | Sales-led; ask for a written quote | Terms depend on quote | Not possible to compare fully without quote details |
| TouchBistro | iPad-first restaurants | Current subscription and add-on pricing should be confirmed | Hardware and integration costs may vary | May be less flexible than general-purpose setups |
| Revel Systems | Multi-unit and complex restaurant operations | Sales-led; ask for a written quote | Terms depend on quote | Can be excessive for a one-register startup |
| KORONA POS | Specialty retail, ticketing, and regulated-goods workflows | Confirm current plans with vendor | Current processing and hardware figures not stated | May take more setup than a simple service business needs |
| Epos Now | Configurable retail and hospitality bundles | Confirm current software and hardware offer | Payment and reseller terms need review | Contract and support terms require scrutiny |
| WooCommerce-connected POS options | Stores already built on WooCommerce | Varies by extension and provider | Hardware, payments, and support vary by provider | No single standardized product or support model |
Price signals above are not guaranteed quotes. Check the vendor’s current offer, applicable plan, payment channel, hardware ownership, and any location or register charges. Relevant official pages include Square pricing, Square Retail pricing, Square hardware, Shopify POS pricing, Lightspeed Retail pricing, Toast, Clover Retail pricing, Helcim pricing, SumUp POS pricing, and PayPal point of sale.
#1 Best Overall
- With Square Terminal, you can ring up sales, accept payments, and print receipts, all with one device. Use it at the counter or ring up customers anywhere in your store.
- Accept all major credit and debit cards and pay one low rate with no hidden fees and no long-term contracts.
- Process chip cards in just two seconds.
- Get your money as soon as the next business day.
- Use it cordlessly with the built-in battery, designed to last all day.
How to choose a POS system
Start with the workflow, not the advertised monthly fee. A retail shop needs accurate variants and stock movement; a restaurant needs order routing and kitchen coordination; a mobile seller needs reliable portable checkout. A system that covers those tasks natively can be better value than a cheap base plan assembled with paid apps.
Match the system to the business
- Retail: Check size/color matrices, barcode scanning, purchase orders, vendor records, stock transfers, cycle counts, low-stock alerts, returns, gift cards, loyalty, ecommerce sync, and location reporting.
- Restaurants: Check table maps, coursing, modifiers, split checks, tips and gratuity, kitchen displays or printer routing, online ordering, delivery connections, QR ordering, handhelds, scheduling, and ingredient-level inventory.
- Salons and appointment businesses: Look for online booking, deposits, cancellation policies, staff calendars, commissions, memberships, packages, customer history, product inventory, and reminders.
- Mobile and pop-up sellers: Prioritize phone-based checkout, Tap to Pay, battery life, offline behavior, portable receipts, quick setup, low hardware cost, and simple tax configuration.
- B2B, wholesale, and higher-ticket businesses: Assess interchange-plus pricing, invoicing, customer-specific prices, purchase orders, deposits, partial payments, accounting links, transaction limits, and ACH or bank-payment options.
Consider your sales pattern
- Low sales volume: A no-subscription plan can beat a paid tier even if its processing rate is less favorable.
- High average ticket: The percentage portion of a fee matters more, so compare interchange-plus or negotiated offers using actual statements.
- Many small transactions: A fixed per-transaction charge takes a bigger share of each sale; calculate with your real average ticket.
- Multiple locations: Ask whether fees apply per location or register, and test centralized catalog, transfers, permissions, location-specific tax and pricing, and consolidated reports. Shopify describes multi-location support and charges POS Pro per location on its pricing page.
- Seasonal business: Confirm whether software can be paused and whether hardware financing continues during closed months.
- Regulated goods or weighed products: Verify age checks, product eligibility, tax and reporting, scale support, unit pricing, barcode handling, and payment-provider approval before buying.
- Existing ecommerce or accounting stack: Prefer dependable synchronization over a nominally cheaper system that forces duplicate entry or breaks fulfillment.
What a POS system includes
A point-of-sale system can combine checkout and payment acceptance with a product or menu catalog, inventory, receipts, refunds, customer profiles, staff permissions, sales reports, and tax settings. Depending on the provider and plan, it may also support ecommerce, online ordering, loyalty, marketing, appointments, payroll, or accounting integrations.
Hardware may include a card reader, register, barcode scanner, receipt printer, cash drawer, scale, kitchen display, or handheld terminal. Do not assume every feature or device is included in the base subscription: verify the plan, add-ons, and compatible hardware before comparing offers.
How much does a POS system cost?
Estimate five separate cost buckets rather than comparing software subscriptions alone:
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- Payment processing: Card-present, keyed, online, and other payment rates, plus any monthly processor or account charges.
- Hardware: Upfront purchase or financing, shipping, warranty, replacement, and any equipment return obligations.
- Add-ons and integrations: Inventory, loyalty, scheduling, payroll, online ordering, delivery, accounting, and other connections.
- Implementation and exit: Setup, training, support, cancellation, early termination, and data-export costs.
Square’s U.S. retail page listed Free at $0 per month and Plus at $89 per location when checked. Square hardware listed a contactless-and-chip reader at $59, Stand at $149, Terminal at $299, Handheld at $399, and Register at $899. These are dated listed prices, not a guarantee of current stock, financing, or total setup cost. See Square Retail plans and Square hardware.
Shopify’s U.S. page listed Basic at $39/month, Grow at $105/month, Advanced at $399/month, and POS Pro at an additional $89/month per location. The underlying Shopify plan and POS Pro charge are separate parts of the bill. See Shopify POS pricing.
SumUp listed Connect Plus at $199/month and Connect Pro at $289/month, with in-person processing at 2.6% + $0.10 and online or manual entry at 3.5% + $0.15. Those are the rates and plans shown on its U.S. pricing page when checked; confirm eligibility and current terms at SumUp POS pricing.
For systems with quote-based, reseller-dependent, or unconfirmed prices, ask for an itemized written offer. Clover’s official page presents bundles, but some configurations require contacting sales; do not assume a reseller’s quote applies to every Clover buyer. See Clover Retail pricing.
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Compare processing with your own transactions
Flat-rate pricing is easy to forecast but can cost more as volume rises. Interchange-plus separates underlying card-network costs from the processor’s markup and may suit larger or higher-ticket merchants, though the bill is less simple. A subscription or membership model can trade a monthly fee for different processing economics. High-volume businesses may be able to request custom pricing. Some POS providers also require their own processor or hardware ecosystem.
For illustration only, a $20 in-person sale costs $0.67 at 2.6% + $0.15, $0.62 at 2.6% + $0.10, and $0.548 at 2.29% + $0.09. These are arithmetic examples, not a comparison of universal vendor rates. Actual fees depend on channel, card type, plan, country, and negotiated terms.
Use this formula for a realistic estimate:
Annual POS cost = software subscriptions + payment processing + hardware + add-ons + support or implementation + contract or financing costs
Calculate at your own monthly card volume and average ticket, separating in-person, online, and keyed sales. Include location and register counts, then price only the add-ons needed to run the business.
Is free POS software really free?
Usually, “free” means the entry-level software subscription has no monthly charge. It does not mean card acceptance or a complete checkout setup costs nothing: processing still applies, hardware may be extra, and more advanced inventory, loyalty, employee, marketing, restaurant, or reporting tools may sit behind paid plans or add-ons.
Square is a clear example of a $0 entry plan, with paid industry plans available. Review the current qualifications and product-specific terms on Square’s pricing page. A free plan is most attractive when sales are modest and its included feature set already covers the daily workflow.
Which POS systems are best for each business?
1. Square: best overall for many small businesses
Best for: Startups, small retailers, service businesses, cafes, and mobile sellers that want to start simply and add capabilities as they grow.
Square combines a free entry-level software option with products for retail, restaurants, services, online selling, invoices, bookings, and mobile payments. The breadth makes it a practical default when a business needs more than a card reader but is not yet committed to a specialized platform. Retail Free and Plus plan signals are described above; see Square pricing and Square Retail.
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Trade-off: More demanding inventory, loyalty, marketing, payroll, or restaurant operations can require paid plans or add-ons. A business with high processing volume should compare its actual effective processing cost with competing offers rather than assuming the free subscription makes the whole system cheapest.
Not ideal for: A large catalog with specialized purchasing and multi-location needs, or a restaurant whose table, kitchen, and service workflows call for deeper dedicated tools.
2. Shopify POS: best for ecommerce-first and omnichannel retail
Best for: Shopify merchants, boutiques, direct-to-consumer brands, and multichannel sellers that need online and in-store products, inventory, and orders connected.
Shopify’s paid plans combine online selling with in-person POS. POS Pro adds more advanced inventory, staff permissions, customer, reporting, and omnichannel capabilities; its U.S. listed price was $89/month per location in addition to the Shopify plan. Review plan and regional conditions at Shopify POS pricing.
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Not ideal for: A full-service restaurant, or a small operation that only needs low-cost in-person checkout with no meaningful online catalog.
3. Lightspeed Retail: best for advanced retail inventory
Best for: Apparel, bicycle, specialty, and multi-location retailers managing many SKUs, variants, vendors, purchase orders, or stock workflows.
Its strongest case is inventory depth and specialized retail operations rather than the lowest entry price. Public comparison coverage cited plans in roughly the $89+ monthly range, but that is not a verified current quote; confirm today’s plan and features directly at Lightspeed Retail pricing.
Trade-off: Higher software cost and a more involved setup can be worthwhile for a complex catalog but unnecessary for a simple seller.
Not ideal for: A service business, pop-up, or small shop with few products and no need for detailed inventory controls.
4. Toast: best for full-service restaurants
Best for: Restaurants that need menus, modifiers, table service, order handling, kitchen operations, handhelds, online ordering, and restaurant reporting in a connected workflow.
Toast is restaurant-oriented rather than a general retail system. Pricing is quote-based for the current offer; request a written breakdown of software, processing, hardware, add-ons, and contract terms at Toast.
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Trade-off: Processor and hardware ecosystem commitments, add-on pricing, and contract conditions can matter as much as the advertised software offer.
Not ideal for: A retail boutique or service business that would pay for restaurant features it does not use.
5. Clover: best for hardware flexibility
Best for: Retail, quick-service, and mobile checkout businesses that want a choice of terminal styles or are working with a particular merchant-services provider.
Clover offers hardware and software bundles, but the commercial offer can vary by seller. Review the official Clover Retail page and compare the actual processor agreement, equipment ownership, financing, cancellation terms, and support contact in the written deal.
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Not ideal for: Buyers who cannot get a clear itemized quote or who want an easily comparable, single-provider contract.
6. Helcim: best for transparent payment economics
Best for: B2B, wholesale, higher-ticket, or higher-volume merchants who prioritize understanding processing costs and are comfortable comparing interchange-plus pricing.
Interchange-plus separates card-network interchange from the processor’s markup, which can make costs more transparent than a single flat rate. Check current U.S. processing, software, and hardware terms at Helcim pricing, and evaluate its native workflow against the business’s inventory, restaurant, and service requirements.
Trade-off: It may not offer the same breadth of industry-specific workflows as Square, Shopify, Lightspeed, or Toast.
Not ideal for: A restaurant or inventory-heavy retailer that needs specialist operational features above all else.
7. SumUp: best bundled budget alternative for small operators
Best for: Cafes and small shops that value an integrated toolset with marketing and loyalty options.
SumUp’s U.S. page listed Connect Plus and Connect Pro at $199/month and $289/month, respectively, alongside the published processing rates shown in the cost table. Review the exact bundle and exclusions at SumUp POS pricing.
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Not ideal for: A new low-volume seller seeking the smallest recurring bill.
8. PayPal Zettle: best for PayPal-centric sellers
Best for: Pop-ups, occasional sellers, and small operators already using PayPal who value a straightforward way to accept in-person payments.
Check current reader availability, processing, and account terms on PayPal’s U.S. point-of-sale page; comparable current figures are not established here.
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Not ideal for: A high-SKU retailer or restaurant that needs deep operational management in the same system.
9. SpotOn: best restaurant growth-platform alternative
Best for: Restaurants looking to combine operations with loyalty, online ordering, marketing, and payments.
SpotOn is sales-led in the available pricing information, so request an itemized quote that separates software, processing, hardware, integrations, and term commitments. Start at SpotOn.
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Not ideal for: A buyer unwilling to review custom terms or a simple non-restaurant operation.
10. TouchBistro: best iPad-first restaurant option
Best for: Cafes, bars, and table-service restaurants that prefer an iPad-oriented restaurant POS.
Check current subscription, hardware, integrations, and add-on costs directly on TouchBistro pricing; those details are not established as a single comparable figure here.
Trade-off: Hardware and integration choices may be less flexible than a general-purpose system assembled around devices already owned.
Not ideal for: A business that needs a broad general retail system or wants to keep hardware choices open.
11. Revel Systems: best for sophisticated restaurant operations
Best for: Multi-unit restaurants and operators with demanding workflows that justify a more involved implementation.
Revel is sales-led; obtain a written quote and implementation plan from Revel Systems pricing. Ask what onboarding, hardware, integrations, and continuing support cost in addition to software.
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Trade-off: Setup and system complexity can be more than a very small operation needs.
Not ideal for: A startup with one register and uncomplicated service.
12. KORONA POS: best for specialized retail and ticketing
Best for: Convenience, liquor, museums, amusement, ticketing, and other specialty retail settings with workflows beyond a basic checkout.
Confirm current plan and industry-specific terms at KORONA POS pricing. Verify any category-specific needs—such as age checks or ticket redemption—in the actual configuration before purchase.
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Trade-off: A specialist system can involve more setup and evaluation than a simple service business needs.
Not ideal for: A mobile seller or appointment provider seeking only payments and basic customer records.
13. Epos Now: best for configurable retail or hospitality bundles
Best for: Small retailers and hospitality businesses considering configurable hardware and software bundles.
Request current hardware, software, processing, support, and cancellation terms from Epos Now U.S. pricing. Make sure the offer identifies what hardware is owned, financed, or returnable.
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Not ideal for: A business that cannot get clear written terms or needs a known integration not confirmed for its configuration.
14. WooCommerce-connected POS: best for WooCommerce-first stores
Best for: Businesses already operating a WordPress and WooCommerce store that want to connect in-person sales with their existing catalog.
There is no single standardized WooCommerce POS product: extensions and providers differ in hardware compatibility, payments, synchronization, support, and fees. Begin at WooCommerce, then assess the specific extension and provider rather than treating the platform as one uniform POS.
Trade-off: The business may need to coordinate separate providers and troubleshoot integrations across its site, payments, and checkout hardware.
Not ideal for: An owner who wants one vendor responsible for a complete retail or restaurant system without managing plugins.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do you need online selling or more than one location?
If ecommerce is central—your website, catalog, fulfillment, and marketing are already on Shopify—Shopify POS is the natural first system to assess. Its paid plans connect online selling with in-person POS, while POS Pro adds advanced retail and omnichannel capabilities at a per-location fee. For online selling that supports rather than drives a small business, Square may be a simpler starting point. A WooCommerce-connected POS is most relevant when WordPress and WooCommerce already anchor the operation. Restaurant operators should compare restaurant-specific ordering and delivery workflows rather than assume a general ecommerce POS will cover them.
For several stores, confirm centralized inventory and catalog behavior, transfers, location-level access, consolidated reporting, and the actual location-based subscription charges. For international sales, separately verify country availability, currencies, tax support, hardware, and payment-service eligibility. Shopify notes that its hardware and Shopify Payments are available only in selected regions; see Shopify POS pricing.
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A card reader is not necessarily a complete POS setup. Choose equipment around the checkout and service workflow, and confirm compatibility with the software before buying.
Minimal mobile checkout
- Smartphone or tablet
- Card reader or supported Tap to Pay
- Optional portable receipt printer
Countertop retail checkout
- Tablet or dedicated terminal
- Customer-facing display if useful
- Cash drawer and receipt printer
- Barcode scanner; label printer where needed
Restaurant service
- Counter terminal and cash drawer
- Handhelds for tableside ordering if required
- Kitchen display or kitchen printers with tested routing
- Customer display and any required online-ordering equipment
Square’s listed U.S. hardware prices at the date checked are examples of device costs, not a complete setup quote. Check compatibility, financing, ownership, warranty, and return conditions with the provider.
Will the POS work during an internet outage?
Offline payment capability can be a deciding factor for rural, mobile, or event-based businesses, but the word “offline” does not guarantee that every operation remains available. Square says its hardware can process payments securely offline; check the current limits and risks on Square hardware and confirm equivalent details with any other provider.
- Can card payments be accepted offline, and for how long?
- Are there transaction or dollar limits, and what happens if a stored payment is declined after reconnection?
- Can staff still see products and prices?
- Will orders and inventory sync without duplication when service returns?
- Do online ordering, delivery connections, kitchen routing, or other connected functions stop?
- Can local receipts print, and is cellular backup practical?
How to assess contracts, security, and data portability
Do not treat a software subscription’s cancellation language as proof that every part of the deal is commitment-free. Review software term, payment-processing agreement, hardware financing, early termination charges, automatic renewal, equipment return requirements, and data-export rights as separate items.
Security obligations also depend on the configuration and payment method. Ask how the system supports PCI DSS responsibilities, encryption and tokenization, two-factor authentication, role-based access, audit logs, device management, backups, and removal of former employees’ access. Set manager approval for refunds and discounts where appropriate. A POS provider does not eliminate the business’s own compliance, access-control, and data-protection responsibilities.
Quick Recap
How to migrate to a new POS system
- Export products, customers, vendors, tax rules, and historical reports from the existing system; confirm what data remains exportable after cancellation.
- Clean duplicate SKUs and customer records before import.
- Map categories, modifiers, variants, tax rates, and location-specific prices.
- Confirm that existing or purchased hardware is compatible.
- Reconnect accounting, ecommerce, payroll, loyalty, and delivery services, and check whether any integration has a separate fee.
- Test refunds, discounts, gift cards, taxes, tips, returns, and end-of-day reporting with staff.
- Run a short parallel period if the business cannot tolerate downtime, then reconcile sales before retiring the old system.
- Document who owns customer and transaction data and how it can be exported after the agreement ends.
Questions to ask before signing
- What are the in-person, keyed, online, and card-type-specific processing charges, and can the rate change?
- Which monthly charges apply per account, location, register, or employee?
- What hardware is included, purchased, financed, owned, or returnable? What are the warranty and financing terms?
- What is the contract length, renewal mechanism, cancellation process, and any early termination charge?
- What features require add-ons or a higher plan, including inventory, loyalty, scheduling, online ordering, or kitchen displays?
- What still works offline, for how long, and who bears the risk of a later-declined offline payment?
- What are support hours and response commitments, and is implementation or training charged separately?
- Can products, customers, and transaction history be exported in a usable format after cancellation?
- Does the system support the business’s tax, regulatory, accounting, ecommerce, delivery, and payment requirements?
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
