5 Best Inventory POS Systems of April 2026
Details like product variants and ingredient tracking can have significant impact when determining which inventory point-of-sale system is best for your business.
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Square POS
Best for Overall option
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
and up.
Learn more on Square's website
Pros
- Free plan option available.
- Offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include a free online store.
Cons
- Free plan processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Complex industries might prefer a more specialized system.
Shopify Retail POS
Best for Shopify e-commerce users
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$39
and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.
on Shopify's website
Pros
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include an online store.
- Built specifically for online sellers.
- 24/7 chat support.
Cons
- No free plan options.
Lightspeed Retail POS
Best for Retailers
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$109
for Basic plan, $179 for Core plan, $339 for Plus plan.
on Lightspeed's website
Pros
- Includes detailed inventory management tools for creating product variants.
- No long-term contracts.
- 24/7 live chat support.
- Generate unlimited barcode labels.
Cons
- No free plan options.
- Accounting integrations are only available in Core and Plus plans.
Revel Systems
Best for Well-established restaurants
Payment processing fees
N/A
Quote-based.
Monthly fee
N/A
Quote-based.
Pros
- Cloud-based platform makes it easier to manage across multiple store locations.
- Extensive list of tools and features.
- Can configure to suit many business types and sizes.
- 24/7 customer support.
Cons
- Lack of pricing transparency.
- Requires a three-year contract.
Hike POS
Best for Customizable POS system
Payment processing fees
N/A
Monthly fee
$69
$69 Essential plan; $119 Plus. Custom plan available.
Pros
- Customizable with third-party hardware and payment processors.
- 24/7 live customer support.
- No contract, cancel any time with no penalty.
Cons
- Most key features are only available on the second tier plus plan.
- Quote-based pricing for the highest tier makes it hard to compare pricing.
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Default Square POS
Best for Overall option
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
and up.
on Square's website
Pros
- Free plan option available.
- Offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include a free online store.
Cons
- Free plan processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Complex industries might prefer a more specialized system.
Square is one of the most recognizable and well-established POS systems for small businesses. It offers a variety of plans — including select inventory management features with the free monthly plan — making it a good all-around option for newer and established businesses as well as businesses looking to scale. If you want to reap the benefits of all the inventory management capabilities, you’ll need to upgrade to the Plus plan, which allows you to manage and transfer stock across locations, create and print custom labels, reorder items from your POS and more. One standout feature is the automation. Not only does Square alert you when items are low, it can generate purchase orders and send them to you for approval based on stock numbers and sales forecasting.
Pros
- Free plan option available.
- Offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include a free online store.
Cons
- Free plan processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Complex industries might prefer a more specialized system.
Square is one of the most recognizable and well-established POS systems for small businesses. It offers a variety of plans — including select inventory management features with the free monthly plan — making it a good all-around option for newer and established businesses as well as businesses looking to scale. If you want to reap the benefits of all the inventory management capabilities, you’ll need to upgrade to the Plus plan, which allows you to manage and transfer stock across locations, create and print custom labels, reorder items from your POS and more. One standout feature is the automation. Not only does Square alert you when items are low, it can generate purchase orders and send them to you for approval based on stock numbers and sales forecasting.
Pros
- Free plan option available.
- Offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include a free online store.
Cons
- Free plan processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Complex industries might prefer a more specialized system.
Shopify Retail POS
Best for Shopify e-commerce users
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$39
and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.
on Shopify's website
Pros
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include an online store.
- Built specifically for online sellers.
- 24/7 chat support.
Cons
- No free plan options.
Comparable to Square and Toast, Shopify’s inventory management features allow you to order more inventory from your POS, set low stock alerts and access live sales data. With its more advanced plans, Shopify also offers robust reporting and analytics features that allow you to pull inventory data from any time frame and also compare data to previous time frames. In addition to typical month-end or end-of-quarter snapshots, you can pull analysis by specific product, day and more. These may be ideal features for more established businesses that are looking to dive deeper into their data, especially across multiple locations.
Pros
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include an online store.
- Built specifically for online sellers.
- 24/7 chat support.
Cons
- No free plan options.
Comparable to Square and Toast, Shopify’s inventory management features allow you to order more inventory from your POS, set low stock alerts and access live sales data. With its more advanced plans, Shopify also offers robust reporting and analytics features that allow you to pull inventory data from any time frame and also compare data to previous time frames. In addition to typical month-end or end-of-quarter snapshots, you can pull analysis by specific product, day and more. These may be ideal features for more established businesses that are looking to dive deeper into their data, especially across multiple locations.
Pros
- No long-term contracts or termination fees.
- All plans include an online store.
- Built specifically for online sellers.
- 24/7 chat support.
Cons
- No free plan options.
Lightspeed Retail POS
Best for Retailers
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$109
for Basic plan, $179 for Core plan, $339 for Plus plan.
on Lightspeed's website
Pros
- Includes detailed inventory management tools for creating product variants.
- No long-term contracts.
- 24/7 live chat support.
- Generate unlimited barcode labels.
Cons
- No free plan options.
- Accounting integrations are only available in Core and Plus plans.
Lightspeed’s highly regarded feature is its inventory management, which is particularly clean and attuned to retailers because of its detail in tracking specific products. The system differentiates between standard product entries, product variants like candles that come in a variety of scents or shirts that come in multiple colors. There is also a category for composite products, which are purchasing options that package several different items together, like a gift basket. The system also allows you to manage inventory across locations and generate your own custom barcodes. Like Square, you can set low-stock alerts and order more products directly from your POS.
Pros
- Includes detailed inventory management tools for creating product variants.
- No long-term contracts.
- 24/7 live chat support.
- Generate unlimited barcode labels.
Cons
- No free plan options.
- Accounting integrations are only available in Core and Plus plans.
Lightspeed’s highly regarded feature is its inventory management, which is particularly clean and attuned to retailers because of its detail in tracking specific products. The system differentiates between standard product entries, product variants like candles that come in a variety of scents or shirts that come in multiple colors. There is also a category for composite products, which are purchasing options that package several different items together, like a gift basket. The system also allows you to manage inventory across locations and generate your own custom barcodes. Like Square, you can set low-stock alerts and order more products directly from your POS.
Pros
- Includes detailed inventory management tools for creating product variants.
- No long-term contracts.
- 24/7 live chat support.
- Generate unlimited barcode labels.
Cons
- No free plan options.
- Accounting integrations are only available in Core and Plus plans.
Revel Systems
Best for Well-established restaurants
Payment processing fees
N/A
Quote-based.
Monthly fee
N/A
Quote-based.
Pros
- Cloud-based platform makes it easier to manage across multiple store locations.
- Extensive list of tools and features.
- Can configure to suit many business types and sizes.
- 24/7 customer support.
Cons
- Lack of pricing transparency.
- Requires a three-year contract.
Revel is a good option for well-established restaurant owners who are hands-on and managing multiple locations. It offers robust inventory management features that can be monitored through the mobile app. Revel’s multi-channel capability is also ideal for restaurants that are managing mobile orders, drive-thru and deliveries. The fact that they require a three-year contract may be a drawback for some.
Pros
- Cloud-based platform makes it easier to manage across multiple store locations.
- Extensive list of tools and features.
- Can configure to suit many business types and sizes.
- 24/7 customer support.
Cons
- Lack of pricing transparency.
- Requires a three-year contract.
Revel is a good option for well-established restaurant owners who are hands-on and managing multiple locations. It offers robust inventory management features that can be monitored through the mobile app. Revel’s multi-channel capability is also ideal for restaurants that are managing mobile orders, drive-thru and deliveries. The fact that they require a three-year contract may be a drawback for some.
Pros
- Cloud-based platform makes it easier to manage across multiple store locations.
- Extensive list of tools and features.
- Can configure to suit many business types and sizes.
- 24/7 customer support.
Cons
- Lack of pricing transparency.
- Requires a three-year contract.
Hike POS
Best for Customizable POS system
Payment processing fees
N/A
Monthly fee
$69
$69 Essential plan; $119 Plus. Custom plan available.
Pros
- Customizable with third-party hardware and payment processors.
- 24/7 live customer support.
- No contract, cancel any time with no penalty.
Cons
- Most key features are only available on the second tier plus plan.
- Quote-based pricing for the highest tier makes it hard to compare pricing.
Hike offers a highly customizable POS system with strong inventory management capabilities that are comparable to Square and Lightspeed, such as bulk inventory importing and exporting and product variant availability. You can enter an unlimited number of products, as well. Its pricing is transparent, and you can integrate with hardware and payment processing that’s affordable or hardware that you already own. The downside is that you have to pay attention to how much those external hardware and payment processing expenses are — you might end up spending more than a system with an all-in-one price. With Hike, you can change or downgrade your plan at any time with no penalty, and you have access to 24/7 live customer support.
Pros
- Customizable with third-party hardware and payment processors.
- 24/7 live customer support.
- No contract, cancel any time with no penalty.
Cons
- Most key features are only available on the second tier plus plan.
- Quote-based pricing for the highest tier makes it hard to compare pricing.
Hike offers a highly customizable POS system with strong inventory management capabilities that are comparable to Square and Lightspeed, such as bulk inventory importing and exporting and product variant availability. You can enter an unlimited number of products, as well. Its pricing is transparent, and you can integrate with hardware and payment processing that’s affordable or hardware that you already own. The downside is that you have to pay attention to how much those external hardware and payment processing expenses are — you might end up spending more than a system with an all-in-one price. With Hike, you can change or downgrade your plan at any time with no penalty, and you have access to 24/7 live customer support.
Pros
- Customizable with third-party hardware and payment processors.
- 24/7 live customer support.
- No contract, cancel any time with no penalty.
Cons
- Most key features are only available on the second tier plus plan.
- Quote-based pricing for the highest tier makes it hard to compare pricing.
» MORE: Best free inventory software
Methodology
NerdWallet’s point-of-sale systems provider ratings reward companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including cost, system capabilities, contract requirements, customer service and integrations and add-ons. Learn more about how we rate point-of-sale (POS) systems providers.
These ratings are a guide, but services, hardware and pricing can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
