Touch-screen point-of-sale (POS) systems operate with touch-screen hardware, like a tablet, register, handheld card reader or kiosk to help move the checkout process along quickly. Most POS systems come with their own proprietary touch-screen hardware or have apps that are compatible with iPad and/or Android tablets.
Here are some of our picks for the best touch-screen POS systems:
- Square: Best overall touch-screen POS system.
- Clover: Best for choosing your own payment processor.
- SpotOn Restaurant: Best customizable restaurant option.
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» MORE: Best iPad POS systems
Best Touch-Screen 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Square Learn more on Square's secure website | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | 5.0/5 Best for Overall touch-screen POS system | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $0.00 Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations. | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | Learn more on Square's secure website |
Clover POS Learn more on Clover POS's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Choosing your own payment processor | In-person: 2.3% + $0.10 Online: 3.5% + $0.10 | $0.00 and up. | Learn more on Clover POS's secure website | ||
SpotOn Restaurant Learn more on SpotOn Restaurant's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Customizable restaurant touch-screen POS | 1.99% + $0.25 For most cards in paid plans. | $0.00 and up. | Learn more on SpotOn Restaurant's secure website | ||
Shopify Retail POS Learn more on Shopify POS's secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Building an online store | 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 | ||
Lightspeed Retail POS Learn more on Lightspeed Retail POS's secure website | 3.5/5 Best for Tracking retail inventory | 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 | ||
PayPal Zettle | 4.0/5 Best for Touch-screen POS that accepts QR code payments | In-person: 2.29% + $0.09 Online: 3.49% + $0.09 | $0.00 |
Our pick for
Overall touch-screen POS system
Square
Learn more
on Square's secure website
Monthly fee
$0.00
Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.
Square's product lineup is modular, but its POS system works well enough as a stand-alone product. Pricing is competitive, making it a solid option for many small businesses.Read full review
Pros
- Offers a free mobile card reader and free POS software plan.
- Can subscribe to related services, such as payroll, that integrate with its POS system.
- No termination fees or long-term contracts.
- No chargeback or PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Complex businesses might prefer a processor that integrates with more specialized POS systems.
Our pick for
Choosing your own payment processor
Clover POS
Learn more
on Clover POS's secure website
Monthly fee
$0.00
and up.
Clover point-of-sale hardware is pricey, but the reasonable monthly cost and low payment processing fees may help offset that upfront investment over time.Read full review
Pros
- Free plan available if you’re only using a mobile card reader.
- 24/7 phone and email support.
- All restaurant plans include no-fee online ordering, and retail plans let you integrate with existing online stores.
Cons
- Promotions require a three-year contract.
- Charges termination fees, though they may be waived in certain cases.
- Online payment processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Popular accounting integrations are only available through third-party apps.
Our pick for
Customizable restaurant touch-screen POS
SpotOn Restaurant
4.0
NerdWallet rating Learn more
on SpotOn Restaurant's secure website
Payment processing fees
1.99% + $0.25
For most cards in paid plans.
Monthly fee
$0.00
and up.
SpotOn’s monthly software fee and payment processing fees along with its ability to integrate with third-party hardware make this system an affordable and appealing option. SpotOn offers customizable add-on features such as a loyalty program and team management software. The company also has a strong reputation for its hands-on approach to customer support, from installation and training to 24/7 availability for assistance.
Pros
- Offers a free plan.
- Restaurants can customize plans by adding loyalty programs, reservation capabilities, online ordering or employee scheduling software.
- 24/7 phone support.
- No long-term contract or termination fees.
Cons
- Charges setup fee.
- Offline mode includes the hidden cost of a router.
Our pick for
Building an online store
Shopify Retail POS
Learn more
on Shopify POS's secure website
Monthly fee
$39.00
and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.
Shopify POS syncs directly with the Shopify e-commerce platform. However, Shopify does not offer free POS software, and the platform is retail-focused.Read full review
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.
- Cannot process cards in offline mode.
Our pick for
Tracking retail inventory
Lightspeed Retail POS
Learn more
on Lightspeed Retail POS's secure website
Monthly fee
$109.00
for Basic plan, $179 for Core plan, $289 for Plus plan.
Lightspeed Retail is a cloud-based POS system for retailers. It has strong inventory management capabilities and is a good match for more established small businesses with multiple locations. Newer small businesses with less complicated operations could be better served with a simpler, less expensive product.Read full review
Pros
- Includes detailed inventory management tools for creating product variants.
- Free one-on-one onboarding session for all new merchants.
- 24/7 phone and live chat support.
- Generate unlimited barcode labels.
Cons
- No free plan options.
- Lowest-tier plan doesn’t include e-commerce features.
- Charges termination fee and may require annual contract.
- Does not include a virtual terminal or offline mode.
Our pick for
Touch-screen POS that accepts QR code payments
PayPal Zettle
Monthly fee
$0.00
PayPal Zettle delivers the essentials at a relatively low cost with a small commitment. On top of accepting credit and debit cards (customers can either dip or tap them to the device), Zettle accepts other payment methods like Venmo, PayPal and digital wallets. But consider other options if you want features like customer loyalty and email marketing programs. Although Zettle can expand through hardware, it doesn’t offer plan upgrades or those types of add-ons.Read full review
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
- Accepting online transactions involves additional monthly fees, depending on your gateway.
- No offline mode.
Full details: Best touch-screen POS systems
Square
Best overall touch-screen POS system
Why we like it: Square offers reliable and affordable POS software, with a couple of proprietary touch-screen hardware options. The Square Register is a fully integrated register that has both a merchant-facing and customer-facing display. The customer-facing side includes a card terminal and contactless option. The Square Terminal is a small handheld device capable of accepting card and contactless payments. It comes equipped with a powerful battery and receipt printer for full mobile capabilities.
The Square Register and Terminal both offer monthly payments plans. Other Square POS hardware and software is compatible with iPads and mobile devices, making it an even more affordable option if you want to cut costs on hardware. Read our full Square POS review.
- $0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.
- $29 for Square Appointments Plus plan.
- $69 for Square Appointments Premium and Square Restaurants Plus plans.
- $89 for Square Retail Plus plan.
- $165 for Square Restaurant Premium plan.
- Custom pricing for Square Retail plan.
- $0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).
- $59 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 (Free plan) or 2.5% plus 10 cents (Plus plan) for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions or card-on-file invoices.
Clover
Best for choosing your own payment processor
Why we like it: Clover is one of the few popular POS system providers that lets third-party payment processors sell its hardware, in case you don’t want to use Clover as your processor. If you go that route, though, make sure to purchase your Clover hardware from your processor of choice so that it’s programmed correctly. Clover offers two registers — the Station Solo and Station Duo — that both include a 14-inch touch-screen display and receipt printers. The Station Duo is a little more robust, accepting all forms of payment (as opposed to just chip and card swipe), and includes both customer- and merchant-facing displays.
Other hardware includes the Clover Mini, a smaller 8-inch touch-screen display that can accept all payment options, and the Clover Flex handheld POS system, which has a 6-inch touch-screen display and can also accept dip, swipe, tap or contactless payments. Both the Clover Mini and Flex handheld are compatible with larger Clover POS hardware, and are scalable with your growing business.Payment plans are available if you don’t want to front the full hardware cost, and monthly prices are dependent on which software plan you choose. Read our full Clover POS review.
- $0 for Clover Go Payments, Retail Starter and Personal Services Starter plans.
- $14.95 for Clover Go Essentials, Professional Services Starter and Standard and Home & Field Services plans.
- $49.95 for Retail Standard, Personal Services Standard and Advanced and Professional Services Advanced plans.
- $59.95 for Quick-Service Dining Starter and Standard plans.
- $69.90 for Retail Advanced plan.
- $79.90 for Quick-Service Dining Advanced plan.
- $89.95 for Full-Service Dining Starter plan.
- $109.90 for Full-Service Dining Standard plan.
- $129.85 for Full-Service Dining Advanced plan.
- $199 for chip, swipe and contactless Clover Go card reader.
- $279 for countertop card reader.
- $599 for Clover Flex mobile POS with receipt printer and slimmer Flex Pocket with no printer.
- $799 for Clover Mini POS.
- $799-$899 + $25 per month for kitchen display system.
- $1,699 for Clover Station Solo.
- $1,799 for Clover Station Duo.
- $3,499 + $34.95 per month for self-ordering kiosk.
- 2.3% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions for most plans, though rates may also vary by hardware type.
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions on Retail Starter, Personal Services Starter and Professional Services Standard plans, as well as Home & Field Services Standard and Advanced plans.
- 3.5% plus 10 cents for online or keyed-in transactions.
Shopify
Best for building an online store
Why we like it: While most of the options listed here enable online ordering in some capacity, Shopify is built specifically for online-first businesses. If you prioritize online sales and need a robust online storefront, Shopify lets you choose from more than 200 website templates so that you can build the right solution for your business. It also sells a variety of touch-screen POS hardware devices for in-person sales, including a countertop kit that’s compatible with iPads and a handheld mobile POS system. Processing rates decrease as plans scale up. Read our full Shopify POS review.
Shopify e-commerce plans:
- $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.
Shopify’s alternative solutions for mainly selling in-person:
- $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
Best for tracking retail inventory
Why we like it: Lightspeed’s retail POS system stands out for its inventory tracking capabilities. You can set reorder points, manage stock at multiple locations and assign product variants to signal different colors or sizes. The system also connects with a B2B catalog of suppliers and their products, which lets you import product details and images directly instead of having to rewrite each description yourself. This is a big time-saver if you sell a wide variety of items. Lightspeed sells iPad stands that can be paired with card readers, cash drawers, barcode scanners and receipt printers to create a touch-screen POS system. Read our full Lightspeed Retail POS review.
Lightspeed offers three different plans for retail stores:
- $109 for Basic plan ($89 if billed annually).
- $179 for Core plan ($149 if billed annually).
- $289 for Plus plan ($239 if billed annually).
Pricing for Lightspeed's iPad and desktop hardware kits is quote-based. Individual hardware products are listed in Lightspeed's online store:
- $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 Restaurant
Best customizable restaurant touch-screen POS
Why we like it: SpotOn’s restaurant POS plans are highly customizable and let you choose from a range of add-ons, including flat-rate DoorDash delivery, digital and tableside ordering capabilities, gift cards, reservations and loyalty programs. And if none of the plans listed fit your restaurant’s needs, you can customize your own.
The company’s proprietary hardware includes two touch-screen countertop options that pair with a customer-facing display, along with a handheld POS device built for mobility with straps and belt hooks. This may be a good option if your restaurant does a lot of mobile ordering, either tableside or in a drive-thru line for instance. One drawback is that SpotOn doesn’t list its pricing for all hardware options, so you’ll have to reach out to the company for details.
- $0 for Quick Start plan.
- $99 for Counter-service plan, plus $3 per employee.
- $135 for Full-service plan, plus $3 per employee.
- Custom pricing available as well.
- $600 for the KDS.
- $750 for the Station POS.
- $850 for the Counter POS.
- Other hardware devices, like the handheld option, are custom.
- 1.99% plus 25 cents for most cards in the Counter-service, Full-service and Customizable plans.
- 2.89% plus 25 cents for Quick Start plan subscribers (this processing rate includes hardware and software costs).
- 2.99% plus 25 cents for reward, international, corporate and keyed-in cards.
» MORE: Best restaurant POS systems
PayPal Zettle
Best touch-screen POS that accepts QR code payments
Why we like it: In addition to accepting chip and contactless credit card payments, PayPal Zettle’s touch-screen POS system lets you accept Venmo and PayPal QR code payments from customers. You enter the purchase amount on the touch-screen POS system, select PayPal or Venmo as the method of payment and the system generates a QR payment code for your customer to scan. Hardware options include a handheld POS terminal or an iPad swivel stand that you can use on its own or with a cash drawer. Read our full PayPal Zettle review.
$0.
- $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.
- $229 for Store Kit Mini (tablet stand with card reader and dock).
- $339 for Store Kit Portable kit with mobile card reader and printer.
- $479 for Store Kit Standard (tablet stand, card reader, dock and 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.
- 2.99% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with card).
- 3.49% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with PayPal).
Last updated on July 25, 2024
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.
