Best Retail POS Systems
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Input your business’s monthly transaction details and we’ll help you sort from the best valueProduct | Cost Estimate | Payment processing fees | Cost Estimate | Learn more | ||
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Square Retail POS Learn more on Square Retail POS's secure website | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | 5.0/5 Best for Overall retail POS system | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $0.00 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $89, custom. | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | Learn more on Square Retail POS's secure website |
Shopify Retail POS Learn more on Shopify POS's secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Online retail businesses | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $39.00 and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89. | Learn more on Shopify POS's secure website | ||
Clover Flex Learn more on Clover Flex's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Handheld POS system | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 3.5% + $0.10 | $14.95 and up. | Learn more on Clover Flex's secure website | ||
Lightspeed Retail POS Learn more on Lightspeed Retail POS's secure website | 3.5/5 Best for Retail inventory management | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $109.00 for Basic plan, $179 for Core plan, $289 for Plus plan. | Learn more on Lightspeed Retail POS's secure website | ||
SpotOn Retail Learn more on SpotOn Retail's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Retail marketing tools | 1.99% + $0.25 | $0.00 and up. | Learn more on SpotOn Retail's secure website | ||
QuickBooks GoPayment | 4.5/5 Best for Syncing mobile transactions with QuickBooks | In-person: 2.5% + $0.00 Online: 2.99% + $0.00 | $0.00 | |||
PayPal Zettle | 4.0/5 Best for Accepting various payment methods | In-person: 2.29% + $0.09 Online: 2.89% + $0.49 | $0.00 |
Our pick for
Overall retail POS system
Square Retail POS
on Square Retail POS's secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $89, custom.
Pros
- Transparent, flat fees.
- First magstripe credit card reader is free; free plan available.
- No fees for early termination, PCI compliance, chargebacks or setup.
- Offers inventory management, multi-location setup and appointment scheduling.
- Live support available by phone, instant message or email.
Cons
- Subscription fees are generally month-to-month and easy to cancel if needed. You also have the option to pause your subscriptions for up to three months.
- Loyalty program and email marketing features cost extra; appointment-booking for more than one person is an additional fee.
Our pick for
Online retail businesses
Shopify Retail POS
on Shopify POS's secure website
and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.
Pros
- Transparent, flat-rate payment processing fees.
- 24/7 customer support.
- E-commerce-friendly features, including access to vendors and resources to build an online store from scratch.
- Dropshipping, curbside pickup and local delivery options.
- Ability to automatically email customers who abandon carts and don’t complete purchases.
- Tracks inventory, hides out-of-stock products and offers inventory analysis.
- Plans are month-to-month and easy to cancel, upgrade or downgrade.
Cons
- You can “pause” your store for three months with no subscription fee or “pause and build” for a reduced monthly payment.
- true
Our pick for
Handheld POS system
Clover Flex
on Clover Flex's secure website
and up.
Pros
- All-in-one solution.
- Accepts payments offline and processes them when you can reconnect.
- Phone support.
- Includes customer engagement tools like discounts and perks.
Cons
- Contract termination fees may apply.
- No free hardware options.
Our pick for
Retail inventory management
Lightspeed Retail POS
on Lightspeed Retail POS's secure website
for Basic plan, $179 for Core plan, $289 for Plus plan.
Pros
- Transparent, flat-rate fees.
- A comprehensive inventory management system to keep detailed records of your products across multiple locations and set automatic reorder points, so you don't run out.
- Offers option to use other payment processors in addition to in-house option.
- 24/7 phone support available in the U.S., plus chat and email support.
- No free plans available.
- Loyalty, e-commerce, accounting integrations and analytics features included only in more expensive plans.
- Prepaid annual and monthly fees are non-refundable; if you cancel your subscription, you’ll immediately owe the remaining installment fees in your plan, if any apply.
Cons
- Lightspeed Retail POS is a strong choice if you're looking to handle a high volume of transactions, a large inventory or operations in multiple locations. The versatile software starts at $69 per month, offering inventory management capabilities and a variety of other features, including employee and customer relationship management tools.
- Not ideal for businesses that don’t sell online.
Our pick for
Retail marketing tools
SpotOn Retail
on SpotOn Retail's secure website
and up.
Pros
- Free plan available.
- No long-term contracts.
- Digital marketing tools let you create customer mailing lists, set up email campaigns, send discount codes and track online reviews.
- 24/7 phone support.
Cons
- Does not support online stores.
- Does not integrate with third-party solutions for accounting or e-commerce.
Our pick for
Syncing mobile transactions with QuickBooks
QuickBooks GoPayment
Pros
- No monthly fee for most plans ($20 for QuickBooks Desktop “Pay Monthly” Plan).
- Low payment processing fees.
- Free app for iPhone and Android.
- Automatically syncs transactions to QuickBooks Online account.
Cons
- Limited to businesses that use QuickBooks accounting software.
- Usually not compatible with software products outside the QuickBooks suite.
Our pick for
Accepting various payment methods
PayPal Zettle
Pros
- No monthly software fees for accepting in-person payments.
- No long-term contract or termination fees.
- Accepts a variety of payment types, including Venmo and PayPal payments.
- Inexpensive card reader with a keypad, plus built-in payment processing and a free mobile app lets you quickly accept in-person payments on the go.
Cons
- Online transaction rates are difficult to parse out, and selling online may involve additional monthly charges.
- No offline mode.
Square for Retail: Best overall retail POS system
FEATURED
- $0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.
- $29 for Square Appointments Plus plan.
- $60 for Square Restaurant Plus plan.
- $69 for Square Appointments Premium plan.
- $89 for Square Retail Plus plan.
- $192 and up for Square Restaurant Essentials Bundle.
- Custom pricing for Square Retail Premium plan.
- $0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).
- $49 and up for Square Reader contactless and chip card reader.
- $149 for Square Stand iPad POS or Square Stand Mount (iPad not included; monthly financing available).
- $299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).
- $799 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- 3.3% plus 30 cents for invoices.
Clover Flex: Best handheld POS system
QuickBooks GoPayment: Best for syncing mobile transactions with QuickBooks
- $39 for QuickBooks charging stand.
- $49 for QuickBooks card reader.
- $79 for QuickBooks card reader with charging stand.
- 2.5% for in-person payments.
- 2.99% for online and invoiced payments.
- 3.5% for manually keyed payments.
- 1% for ACH transactions.
Shopify POS
Shopify POS: Best for online retail businesses
- $29 for Shopify Basic when billed annually (or $39 when paid monthly).
- $79 for regular Shopify when billed annually (or $105 when paid monthly).
- $299 for Shopify Advanced when billed annually (or $399 when paid monthly).
- Custom pricing for Shopify Plus.
- All e-commerce plans come with POS Lite for selling in-person. Upgrading to POS Pro for brick-and-mortar businesses costs an extra $89 per location.
- $5 for Starter plan, which includes one POS Lite location.
- $79 (when billed annually) for Retail plan, or $89 when paid monthly; includes one POS Pro location.
- $49 for Tap & Chip card reader.
- $219 for Tap & Chip countertop kit (iPad not included).
- $299 for Shopify POS Go mobile device.
- $349 for Shopify POS terminal.
- $459 and up for POS terminal countertop kits.
- 2.5%, 2.7% or 2.9% plus 30 cents for online payments for Advanced, Shopify or Basic plan, respectively.
- 2.4%, 2.5% or 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person payments for Advanced, Shopify or Basic plan, respectively.
Lightspeed Retail POS: Best for retail inventory management
- $109 for Basic plan ($89 if billed annually).
- $179 for Core plan ($149 if billed annually).
- $289 for Plus plan ($239 if billed annually).
- $19 per month for reporting (for the Plus plan).
- $39 per month for reporting (for the Core plan).
- $49 per month for appointments.
- $59 per month for reporting (for the Basic plan).
- $59 per month for each additional register after the first.
- $59 per month for workforce management.
- $59 per month for payroll.
- $79 for Mobile Tap V2 card reader.
- $199 for iPad stand or swivel stand.
- $299 for WisePOS E countertop reader.
- $429 for Lightspeed Lite Server for data backup and offline mode functionality.
- 2.6% plus 10 cents per in-person transaction.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
SpotOn Retail: Best retail marketing tools
- $0 per month and up for either the handheld or countertop POS option.
- $25 per month and up for the Grow Bundle subscription, which includes a customer loyalty program and custom product catalog.
- $200 for the handheld POS system (financing available).
- $800 for the countertop POS system (financing available).
- 1.99% plus 25 cents for most transactions, or you can opt for custom rates.
- 2.99% plus 25 cents for reward, international, corporate and keyed-in cards.
PayPal Zettle: Best for accepting various payment methods
- $29 for first card reader; additional readers cost $79. Price includes USB cable.
- $199 for terminal only.
- $239 for terminal with barcode scanner built in.
- $249 for Store Kit Mini (screen terminal with card reader).
- $339 for Store Kit Portable kit with mobile card reader and printer.
- $499 for Store Kit Standard (adds printer).
- $699 for Store Kit Plus (adds barcode scanner).
- 2.29% plus 9 cents for in-person and QR code transactions.
- 3.49% plus 9 cents for manual-entry card transactions.
- 2.89% plus 49 cents for online card payments.
- 2.99% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with card).
- 3.49% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with PayPal).
Retail POS system costs
- Software cost: Generally, you'll have to pay a monthly fee to use POS software, which may cost up to $89 or more per month. In some cases, however, free POS systems and less expensive plans are available.
- Hardware cost: This includes the cost of countertop terminals, handheld terminals, barcode scanners, receipt printers and card readers. Depending on the capabilities of the POS hardware, your costs could range from nothing to over $1,000. Certain retail businesses will be able to do most of their in-person sales through an inexpensive, or even free, mobile card reader.
- Payment processing fees: Often, but not always, a POS system comes bundled with payment processing services. Sometimes, processing rates are the same regardless of what type of card is used and how it’s used (in person, online, etc.). In other cases, processors charge interchange fees — which vary by card — plus a flat fee. The latter method can be less predictable but is more transparent.