The best point-of-sale systems do far more than handle customer payments. These systems help you manage sales, track inventory and improve daily business operations by offering numerous hardware options and feature-rich POS software.
Transparent pricing, intuitive flows and access to live support are also important when selecting your POS systems and software. Here are our top picks.
7 Best Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems and Software 2022
Product | Best for | Payment processing fees | Monthly fee | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Square POS Shop now on Square POS's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Overall POS system | 2.6% + 10¢ in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online. | $0 Free plan; $29 and up Plus plan. | Shop now on Square POS's secure website |
Toast POS Shop now on Toast POS 2's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Restaurants | 2.99% + $0.15 | $0 Starter Plan. Essentials Plan also available | Shop now on Toast POS 2's secure website |
Lightspeed POS Shop now on Lightspeed POS's secure website | 3.5/5 Best for Inventory management | 2.6% + 10¢ in-person; 2.6% + 30¢ online. | $89 Lean; $149 Standard; $269 Advanced. | Shop now on Lightspeed POS's secure website |
Shopify Retail POS Shop now on Shopify Retail POS's secure website | 3.0/5 Best for E-commerce | 2.70% in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online (Basic plan). | $0 POS Lite; $89 POS Pro. | Shop now on Shopify Retail POS's secure website |
Clover POS Shop now on Clover POS's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Hardware | 2.3% + 10¢ or 2.6% +10¢ in-person, depending on plan; 3.5% + 10¢ online. | $40 Starter plan; $44.95 Standard and Advanced plans. | Shop now on Clover POS's secure website |
PayPal Zettle | 5.0/5 Best for POS software | 2.29% + 9¢ in-person; 3.49% + 49¢ online. | $0 | |
QuickBooks Desktop POS | 3.5/5 Best for QuickBooks Desktop integration | 2.7% in-person | $20/Month For lower processing rates |
Our pick for
Overall POS system
Square POS
Read Review
Shop now
on Square POS's secure website
Payment processing fees
2.6% + 10¢
in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0
Free plan; $29 and up Plus plan.
Square’s point-of-sale system stands out with its transparent pricing, live support and many useful features. Unlike most systems, Square offers a free POS software option with no monthly charges. Because Square works on iPhones, Androids and iPads, you can make sales on the go — for example, at a farmers market, trade show or music festival.
Our pick for
Restaurants
Toast POS
Read Review
Shop now
on Toast POS 2's secure website
Payment processing fees
2.99% + $0.15
Monthly fee
$0
Starter Plan. Essentials Plan also available
Toast's restaurant-oriented POS system makes it easy to update menus, track table statuses, split checks, add gratuity automatically, apply various discount rules — say, for happy hour — take online orders, manage multiple locations, track employee performance and accept tableside payments.
Our pick for
Inventory management
Lightspeed POS
Read Review
Shop now
on Lightspeed POS's secure website
Payment processing fees
2.6% + 10¢
in-person; 2.6% + 30¢ online.
Monthly fee
$89
Lean; $149 Standard; $269 Advanced.
The Lightspeed POS system’s inventory management capabilities are outstanding at every subscription tier and more comprehensive than those of competitors. When entering items into your system, you can add plenty of information — such as a description, images, cost, manufacturer’s suggested retail price, or MSRP, your selling price, tax and discount rules, tags, barcodes, SKUs, brands, categories and custom-built fields — which can be used to generate and filter results on reports.
Our pick for
E-commerce
Shopify Retail POS
Read Review
Shop now
on Shopify Retail POS's secure website
Payment processing fees
2.70%
in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online (Basic plan).
Monthly fee
$0
POS Lite; $89 POS Pro.
Shopify’s POS system is well-equipped to handle all the complexities that come with selling items via an online store. In all subscription tiers, you can set up an online shop and add products almost instantly, sell through multiple channels including social media, connect with vendors, automatically email customers who abandon their carts, process payments at reasonable rates and make sales in 133 currencies and multiple languages. These features make Shopify one of the best retail POS options.
Our pick for
Hardware
Clover POS
Read Review
Shop now
on Clover POS's secure website
Payment processing fees
2.3% + 10¢
or 2.6% +10¢ in-person, depending on plan; 3.5% + 10¢ online.
Monthly fee
$40
Starter plan; $44.95 Standard and Advanced plans.
Clover's POS system stands out with its durable and versatile hardware, with POS terminals that make it easy to accept orders at the counter or on the go. You also have the option to pair the hardware and software with a different merchant account, such as one from Wells Fargo, SunTrust, PNC, BBVA or Citi.
Our pick for
POS software
PayPal Zettle
Payment processing fees
2.29% + 9¢
in-person; 3.49% + 49¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0
PayPal's Zettle system stands out for its free software and no-contract business model, which takes some of the risk out of switching to a new POS system. Its hardware POS packages make it easy to set up quickly, and some decent (though limited) accessories are available.
Our pick for
QuickBooks Desktop integration
QuickBooks Desktop POS
Payment processing fees
2.7%
in-person
Monthly fee
$20/Month
For lower processing rates
The QuickBooks Desktop POS system allows sales, payments, inventory and customer data to sync with your QuickBooks Desktop account. The e-commerce integration feature automatically updates data and allows you to monitor all your sales channels including Shopify, Amazon, eBay and other online marketplaces.
Square: Best overall POS system
Types of businesses supported: Retail, food and beverage, professional services (beauty, health, repair, etc.) and custom-built options.
POS software: Free and up.
Hardware: Register is $799; contactless and chip card reader compatible with Apple and Android devices is $49.
Payment processing: Varies by plan.
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions (2.5% plus 10 cents with Retail Plus plan).
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions or invoices without a card on file (2.6% plus 30 cents with Premium plan).
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions or card-on-file invoices.
Toast: Best POS for restaurants
Types of businesses supported: Fine dining, casual dining, fast-casual, bar and nightclub, cafe and bakery, and custom-built options.
POS software: $0 per month and up (includes one terminal and reader). Promotional rates may apply.
Hardware: Full restaurant setups begin at $799 in the Starter plan.
Payment processing: Flat-rate, quote-based; 2.99% plus 15 cents per transaction on Pay-as-You-Go plan.
Lightspeed: Best POS for inventory management
Types of businesses supported: Retail (apparel, bike, CBD, electronics, gift store, health, home decor, jewelry, liquor, pet, sporting goods, toy, vape, other); restaurant (bar, cafe, full-service, hotel, quick-service, other); golf (multicourse, municipal, private, public, resorts, semiprivate, other).
POS software: $69 per month (billed annually) and up.
Hardware: One terminal included in monthly fee. Additional hardware quote-based.
Payment processing: 2.6% plus 10 cents for card-present transactions; 2.6% plus 30 cents for card-not-present transactions.
Shopify: Best POS for e-commerce
Types of businesses supported: E-commerce and in-store retail.
POS software: $89 per month and up.
Hardware: $149 for a tablet stand (tablet not included); $29 for chip and swipe reader compatible with iPhone, Android and iPad.
Payment processing: Varies by plan.
- 2.4%, 2.6% or 2.9% plus 30 cents for online payments for Advanced, Shopify or Basic plan, respectively.
- 2.4%, 2.5% or 2.7% for in-person payments for Advanced, Shopify or Basic plan, respectively.
- $29 per month for Basic, $79 per month for Shopify or $299 per month for Advanced plan.
Clover: Best hardware
Types of businesses supported: Table service restaurants and cafes; counter service restaurants, cafes, diners and food trucks; and retail, service and e-commerce businesses.
POS software: $14.95 per month and up.
Hardware: $49 for a card reader; $499 for a handheld device; $799 for Mini system and a larger system with a cash drawer.
Payment processing: Same rate applies to all card types; starts at 2.3% plus 10 cents per in-person transaction and 3.5% plus 10 cents for keyed transactions. If you use an outside processor, different rates apply.
PayPal Zettle: Best POS software
Types of businesses supported: Retail, service and e-commerce businesses.
POS software: Free.
Hardware: $79 for a card reader; $229 for a handheld scanner; $249 for Mini system.
Payment processing:
- 2.29% plus 9 cents for in-person transactions.
- 3.49% plus 9 cents for manual entry card transactions.
- 3.49% plus 49 cents for invoicing transactions.
QuickBooks Desktop: Best POS for QuickBooks Desktop integration
Types of businesses supported: Online and in-store retail businesses selling jewelry, clothing, shoes, accessories, sporting goods, bicycles, furniture, hardware and other home improvement items.
POS software: One-time purchase starting at $1,200 without discount.
Hardware: Individual devices or bundles are offered, including a PIN Pad for $389 and a $900 package that includes a cash drawer, receipt printer, wired barcode and PIN Pad.
Payment processing:
- Pay as you go: 2.7% for in-person transactions; 3.5% per keyed transaction.
- Pay monthly: $20 per month; 2.3% plus 25 cents for in-person transaction; 3.2% plus 25 cents per keyed transaction.
Last updated on October 12, 2022
Frequently Asked Questions
A good POS system should come with features that help you run your business. These can vary by industry. Some examples of features you might want to look for:
- Inventory management. Keep track of how many items you have on hand and when you need to reorder.
- Table or menu management. View the status of tables in your restaurant, see how long it takes to turn tables, update menus and track when you run out of certain items.
- Multi-location management. Track inventory, menus or service in multiple areas, set different prices and tax rules for each location and run reports to see how each location is performing.
- Loyalty program. Reengage your customers with a point- or discount-earning system that gives them a reason to keep coming back; be able to send custom discounts — for example, a discount for a customer’s birthday.
Aside from useful features, you'll also want a system that has:
- Transparent pricing. You can expect to pay a monthly fee, along with payment processing fees and hardware fees. Generally, you want to avoid early termination fees or long contracts that are hard to cancel without penalty. If payment processing comes bundled with your POS, make sure you understand the pricing and can avoid fees such as PCI compliance fees and high chargeback fees.
- Intuitive user flows. You want a system that’s easy to use and understand.
- Robust customer support. While some answers might be easy to find online, it’s nice to be able to talk to someone who can help you troubleshoot when you need it.
- Decide on the features you need. This will depend largely on what type of business you have. It might include items like the ability to manage tables and menus, track inventory or schedule appointments.
- Weigh functionality with upfront and ongoing costs. Once you have a handful of options that fit your needs, consider the costs. How much are the monthly service fees? What does the hardware cost? How much are the payment processing fees? Can you sign up without getting locked into a long contract? You might have to call some providers to collect quotes. Try free demos or watch videos of the software in action to get an idea of the user flows. Are they easy to understand? Would it work well with your specific business?
- Narrow your options. Which systems have the best customer service? Which ones might work with the hardware you have? Which are the fastest and easiest to set up? These details might not be your biggest deciding factors, but they might be important enough to help you make a decision.
Many POS systems are cloud-based software with monthly subscription fees that vary widely. Some basic plans are free or start at $10 per month; other basic plans start at $99 per month. In some cases, setup fees apply. However, to make use of that system, you might also need to pay for:
- Hardware. Some POS systems offer a basic card reader for free, and you may be able to operate it using a phone, tablet or desktop computer you already have. In other cases, you might need proprietary hardware that can cost hundreds. Some POS systems charge monthly fees to use rented terminals.
- Payment processing fees. Usually, a payment processor comes with a POS system. Every time you accept a debit or credit card transaction, you’ll have to pay a transaction fee, usually around 2.5% to 3% of the transaction, plus 10 to 30 cents. Pricing can vary widely. Some processors use flat fees, so you pay the same rate for all in-person transactions, for instance. Others use interchange-plus fees, which means fees can vary depending on factors such as your industry and the type of card your client is using.
- More expensive plans or add-ons. If you want multiple registers or locations or you exceed a certain amount in revenue each month, a basic plan might not cut it. Certain features, such as inventory management features or loyalty program tools, might be add-ons that cost extra.