When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn The best point-of-sale (POS) systems for small businesses do more than simply process transactions; they also offer features like inventory management, sales tracking, customer relationship management, and mobile compatibility.
With these features, you can reduce customer wait times, generate meaningful sales and employee reports, and monitor stock levels. Every business needs tailored POS systems, so I’ve tested and reviewed the top providers to help you select one of the best POS software solutions on the market.
- Show Full Guide
Best POS System for a Small Business 2024
- Lavu – Best iPad POS System for Restaurants
- TouchBistro – Best Bar POS System
- CakePOS – Most Beginner-Friendly POS
- Square – Best POS System for Small Businesses on a Budget
- Toast – Best POS System for Online Ordering and Delivery
- Lightspeed – Best POS System for Retail
- Shopify POS – Best POS System for Omnichannel Retailers
- Zettle – Cheapest POS System
- Clover – Best POS System for High Sales Volumes
- SpotOn – Best Mobile POS System
The Best POS Systems Tested by Our Experts
Toast - Best for Online Ordering and Delivery
What is a Point of Sale (POS)?
In simple terms, a POS system helps retailers with transaction processing. Depending on the business’s needs, it may be a combination of hardware or software with a payment processor. For example, a business using a point-of-sale (POS) to serve online customers alone does not need hardware to accept payments. However, a POS system for a physical store may include a combination of software and hardware, such as a terminal, printer, barcode scanners, credit card scanners, monitors, and cash drawers.
What Can a POS System Do for My Small Business?
A POS system can do more than transaction processing for small businesses. Other benefits of using a POS system include improving customer experience, inventory management, sales tracking, customer engagement, reporting, employee engagement, and marketing.
The Best POS Software for Small Business Reviewed
My unbiased product review used criteria like pricing, transaction fees, features, integrations, and third-party reviews to help you make better buying decisions when it comes to choosing your POS system.
1. Lavu — Best iPad POS System for Restaurants
| Free Trial | Free demo |
|---|---|
| Price From | Custom |
| Transaction Fee | Custom |
| Compatibility | iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Dual Pricing Capability, QR Card Ordering & Payments, Wide Range of Restaurant-Specific Integrations |
Why We Picked It
Lavu is a unique POS system that runs on iPadOS and helps restaurants manage their day-to-day activities. It has endless features to enhance operations and customer satisfaction, like inventory management, location-specific pricing, and QR code payments. I love how intuitive Lavu is to use and the array of customization options, like showcasing your brand logo and images of the dishes on your menu.
You’ll need an iPad or mobile device to process payments, which means no need for a bulky cashier till. It also works without Wi-Fi, so your service is always seamless.
Features
- Wide Range of Restaurant-Specific Integrations – Lavu offers 80+ integrations with restaurant-specific third-party apps that will help simplify your business operations. For example, you can integrate with Up’ngo for QR code management or with apps like DigitalPour, BevSpot, and Bar-i for inventory management features.
- Dual Pricing – Lavu’s Dual Pricing feature is one of its unique selling points. It facilitates cash discounts by enabling different prices for cash and credit and debit card payments, saving your customers money and helping to offset credit card processing fees for you.
- QR Code Payments – Another unique touch from Lavu is its printed QR codes on receipts, which handily eliminate the need for cash handling or card swiping in quick-service restaurants.
Pricing
Lavu doesn’t have transparent pricing anymore. If you want to get more information on their features, you can request a free demo. Contact their sales team to get quotes for a POS system.
Who’s It Best For
Lavu is one of the best restaurant POS systems, and as it’s compatible with iOS, it’s an excellent choice for restaurants using iPads.
Pros
- Highly customizable
- Scalable POS system
- 80+ third-party integrations
- Lavu dual-pay solution for cash and card payment option
- Tab-splitting and flexible payment options
Cons
- No free version or trial
- It requires an internet connection
2. TouchBistro — Best Bar POS System
| Free Trial | No |
|---|---|
| Price From | $69/month |
| Transaction Fee | Varies with provider, type of card, payment, and retailer |
| Compatibility | iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Order Management, Table Management, Upselling Infused |
Why We Picked It
TouchBistro is a robust POS system that helps different businesses achieve speedy service. Its features are optimized for food businesses, from fine dining to bars and food trucks. With a wealth of available integrations spanning bookkeeping to inventory management, TouchBistro is an excellent POS option for busy bars looking to harness the power of data to improve operations.
I love the details its table management offers compared to most POS software. For instance, once a customer sits at a table, it’ll provide you information on their arrival time, the total time they spent at the table, and the total bill as and when they place orders. You can use this information to roll out instructions to your servers.
Features
- Table Management – It’s easy to organize your restaurant layout, assign staff, and track seat availability. You can seamlessly connect tables to reservations, block specific hours, and automate sending SMS reminders to guests about upcoming reservations.
- Upselling Infused – The menu system enables you to streamline menu organization, schedule specials, and manage takeout orders. I especially liked that you can customize menus to prompt upselling and highlight promotions to boost sales on desired items.
- Order Management – TouchBistro’s connected Customer-Facing Display (CFD) and Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) help restaurants create a reliable, trustworthy experience. For example, the app automatically updates customers on wait and delivery times.
Pricing
While competitors like Toast and Lavu offer tiered pricing plans, TouchBistro provides a simple, flat monthly fee.
| Plan | Point of Sale |
|---|---|
| 1 month | $69/month |
Aside from offering a main POS plan, TouchBistro offers add-on features such as;
- Payments and Customer-facing (at Quote-based pricing),
- Kitchen Display System at $19/mo,
- Profit Management at $330/mo,
- Online Ordering at $50/mo,
- Reservation at $229/mo,
- Loyalty at $99/mo,
- Marketing at $99/mo, and
- Gift Cards at $25/mo.
Who’s It Best For
TouchBistro is the best POS system for busy bars and restaurants as it offers restaurant-specific features, like table management, guest management, tableside ordering, and menu customization.
Pros
- Flat monthly fee
- Offline payments
- Customer loyalty program embedded
- Simplifies table management
Cons
- Lack of transparency on the transaction fee
- Its mobile app is only compatible with iPads
- Setting up inventory can be confusing for beginners
3. CakePOS — Most Beginner-Friendly POS
| Free Trial | Free demo |
|---|---|
| Price From | Custom |
| Transaction Fee | Custom |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Self-service Kiosk, Real-time Analytics, Online Ordering |
Why We Picked It
CakePOS stands out as the best beginner-friendly POS register system due to its intuitive interface, easy setup process, and comprehensive customer support. Designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses, CakePOS ensures that even those with minimal technical experience can efficiently manage their operations, enhancing overall productivity and customer satisfaction.
Features
- Order Management – Simplifies the process of taking, tracking, and modifying orders directly from the POS interface.
- Table Management – I really liked that you can create a visual layout of your restaurant’s tables, making it easy to track occupancy and streamline seating arrangements.
- Real-Time Reporting – Offers detailed sales and performance reports accessible from any device, which will help you make data-driven decisions.
Pricing
You’ll need to contact Cake POS to learn more about their pricing plans as they don’t offer transparent pricing. You can also request a free demo to see the software at work before purchasing.
Who’s It Best For
CakePOS is best suited for small to medium-sized restaurants, cafes, and bars looking for a user-friendly POS system that requires minimal training and provides robust support for daily operations.
Pros
- Simple POS system suitable for beginners
- Extensive customer support is available
- Splash-resistant hardware
- Great customer support
- Good onboarding process
Cons
- Hardware can be costly
- It is not as scalable as other POS options
- Limitations with creating a custom report
4. Square — Best POS System for Small Businesses on a Budget
| Free Trial | Free plan |
|---|---|
| Price From | $29/month |
| Transaction Fee | Starting from 2.6% + 10 cents |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Team Management Tools, Checkout Customization, and Finance Management |
Latest Update from Square: In August 2024, Square announced that customers can now send eGift Cards to recipients via text or email. Considering the mobile phone open rate compared to emails, I think it’s an improvement in helping recipients access their Square Gift Cards quickly. The good thing about this is that Square users can control this functionality by toggling it on or off in the dashboard.
Why We Picked It
I chose Square as the best POS system for small businesses on a budget for two significant reasons. There’s no monthly subscription to use the platform. Instead, Square uses payment processing fees, which means the system takes a percentage of every sale you make. This is great for companies that are just starting and want a cheap POS system.
Not only does Square POS have a free plan, but it also offers a free online store and unlimited item listings with the free version. If you’re just starting your business, you won’t have to worry about finding a good website builder anymore.
Features
- Finance Management – Finance management is made easier with Square Banking, which offers a special savings folder to put money in for unforeseen expenses. You can also easily open a new account without any opening deposit, minimum deposit, or monthly fee.
- Team Management Tools – Square’s team management tool helps you manage your team and their performance to empower them. Its payroll feature also helps automate tax and salary payments with inputted staff data.
- Checkout Customization – Square’s checkout customization features are excellent. I loved how easy it is to customize your checkout to reflect your brand, and the checkout process was super easy on the customer side.
Pricing
Square is an affordable POS system, and the pricing plan is unique in that it’s (almost) free. However, if you wish to purchase hardware for a physical store, you’ll need to make a one-off payment to do so – but the pricing is still very reasonable making it a cheap POS machine for you to use.
| Plan | Square Appointments | Square for Retail | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/location/month | $0/month | $0/location/month |
| Plus | $29/location/month | $89/location/month | $69/location/month |
| Premium | $69/location/month | Custom | $165/location/month |
Square’s Retail plan is designed to help retail stores sell in-store and online without hassle. It features advanced inventory management, sales, and personnel. The Appointments package is for appointment-based businesses, offering built-in features that save time and provide a simple and smooth customer booking experience.
Square offers add-ons, such as payroll, email marketing, invoices, an online store, which you can integrate to match your business-specific needs.
In addition to the free plan, each Square POS plan comes with a 30-day free trial, which allows you to test the software before making final decisions.
Who’s It Best For
Square is a great POS system for small businesses that are looking for an affordable POS system that is easy to use and packed with key features.
Pros
- Easy to configure for beginners
- Multi-location support
- Intuitive phone app for both Android and iOS
- Generous free plan and budget-friendly priced plans
Cons
- Higher than average processing fees
- Lacks tutorial videos
- Limited withdrawal options
5. Toast — Best POS System for Online Ordering and Delivery
| Free Trial | Free plan |
|---|---|
| Price From | $69/month |
| Transaction Fee | Custom |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Payment Security, Toast Delivery Services, Invoicing Tool |
Why We Picked It
Toast goes a step above Lavu and TouchBistro, providing a complete all-in-one solution for restaurants. This includes full offline mode, online ordering and delivery, payroll, employee benefits, detailed reporting, scheduling, and email marketing.
The platform also offers a handy free plan for single-location restaurants and food trucks, offering features like order, table, and menu management on a single device and other essential POS solutions. Another feature I find significant is Toast’s real-time payment fraud monitoring that ensures a smooth payment collection process.
Features
- Payment Security – From the moment a transaction is initiated to the final step when the receipt is printed out, everything happens inside an encrypted tunnel, so you and your customers won’t have to worry about identity theft when processing via Toast.
- Invoicing Tool – You can monitor your event expenses and send digital invoices from one place. If your restaurant is ever hired to cater for an event, you’ll be happy to know that Toast also offers an invoicing tool built into its POS system.
- Toast Delivery Services – Takeout is a huge part of the restaurant business. Toast offers a commission-free Toast TakeOut app that lets customers order from anywhere. The best part is that you don’t have to pay third-party commissions while maximizing off-premise sales.
Pricing
Toast POS offers price plans based on your small business needs, such as location, features, hardware, and flexibility.
| Plan | Starter Kit | Growth | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $0/month | $69 /month | Custom pricing |
Toast’s free plan supports single-location restaurants that need 1-2 terminals to get up and running. It features a Toast Flex POS terminal + cloud-based POS software, a Toast Tap payment device and router, free setup support, and customer care. Restaurants with more than one location can choose the Growth plan, while those with over 15 locations can choose the Enterprise plan.
You can test-run Toast’s paid plan by requesting a demo, which allows you to see how the platform works before signing up. Add-ons like accounting, marketing, and payroll are available at an extra fee.
Who’s It Best For
Toast’s online ordering is an outstanding feature that can help restaurants manage customers’ orders efficiently without paying for third-party delivery services.[/h3>
Pros
- Free plan available
- Complete offline mode on all plans
- Timekeeping feature available on all plans
- Online-ordering support
Cons
- Limited hardware options
- Lack of transaction fee transparency
- Only really suitable for the food industry
6. Lightspeed — Best POS System for Retail
| Free Trial | 14-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $89/month |
| Transaction Fee | Starting from 2.6% + 10 cents |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Robust Reporting Tools, B2B Business Catalog, Ecommerce Tools |
Why We Picked It
Lightspeed is the best retail POS system thanks to its next-level inventory management features. This provider is also unique in that it doesn’t require specialist hardware, and the software is compatible with any iPad or hardware you can purchase from Verifone. It’s also known for its powerful reporting and customer management tool that can give you valuable insight into your business.
Features
- B2B Catalog – Lightspeed gives you direct access to B2B Catalogs, where thousands of trending products can be synced directly into your POS system. You can use it to showcase all your best products in one place, meet customer expectations, and reduce the pressure of manually managing your inventory.
- Comprehensive Inventory Tools – Lightspeed offers everything you need to manage products, variants, and stock across all channels. Its mobile scanner application turns your iOS or Android device into a robust inventory management tool, allowing you to count products, track inventory, and fulfill orders quickly.
- Ecommerce Tools – Some pricing plans give you access to Lightspeed’s ecommerce tools, which make it simple to create a beautiful online store with plenty of payment options – similar to Square and Shopify. Like these providers, Lightspeed equips you with a wealth of data-driven insights to better understand your customer base.
Pricing
Lightspeed offers flexible price plans for not only retail businesses but also restaurants.
| Plan | Retail | Restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $89/month billed yearly | – |
| Essential/Core | $149/month billed yearly | $189/month |
| Premium/Plus | $289/month billed yearly | $399/month |
| Enterprise | – | Custom |
The Retail Core plan suits retailers seeking advanced tools to facilitate their business growth. It offers features such as multi-location management, advanced inventory, accounting, ecommerce and marketing integrations, online ordering, and a Lightspeed live app.
All the Lightspeed plans come with personal onboarding assistance, 24/7 chat support, and a dedicated customer success manager who’ll ensure you make the right moves. In short, a whole team from Lightspeed will have your back.
Who’s It Best For
Lightspeed POS is a good option for retailers that need a comprehensive, feature-rich point-of-sale system that can scale with their business growth.
Pros
- Transparent pricing
- Excellent inventory management features
- Offers omnichannel loyalty plan
- Powerful reporting tools
- Dedicated account success manager
Cons
- No free trial
- Steep learning curve
- It’s expensive when compared with competitors like Shopify
7. Shopify — Best POS System for Omnichannel Retailers
| Free Trial | 3-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $5/month |
| Transaction Fee | Starting from 2.4% to 2.7% + $0 |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Custom Website, Seamless Sales, Advanced Marketing and Promotions |
Latest Update from Shopify: In October 2024, Shopify made Tap to Pay on Android available on their POS. They also introduced options for unverified returns. This means if a customer’s order can’t be verified on the POS or they don’t have their receipt, they can be offered a return to a gift card. These updates will add flexibility to your business.
Why We Picked It
In addition to its lightning-fast, intuitive point-of-sale functionality, I chose Shopify for its superb features like website creation, marketing, and inventory management. All these features make it a suitable POS for omnichannel retailers that want to sell online and in person without losing payment management options.
Features
- Seamless Sales – I love that Shopify empowers businesses to sell both online and in-person through its POS app, ensuring seamless synchronization of purchases and inventory across all sales channels.
- Marketing and Promotions – Shopify’s marketing tools are unparalleled, with features like customer segmentation, unlimited contacts, and engagement tools like Shopify Email and Shopify Inbox.
- Website Builder – Shopify provides comprehensive no-code features, including customizable checkout, abandoned cart recovery, and automatically triggered discount codes, making it the ideal choice for businesses with online stores.
Pricing
Shopify has price plans that suit businesses that want to sell in person alone or everywhere.
| Plan | Sell in Person | Sell Everywhere |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5/month | – |
| Retail | $89/month, $79/month billed once yearly | – |
| Basic | – | $39/month, $29/month billed once yearly |
| Shopify | – | $105/month, $79/month billed once yearly |
| Advanced | – | $399/month, $299/month billed once yearly |
The Starter plan is suitable for businesses that only want to sell on Social media. It features one POS login, a limited online store, and 5% transaction rates on third-party payment providers.
The Shopify POS plans aren’t the cheapest on the market, but even its most basic plan includes plenty of thoughtful features to help you maximize sales. For all Shopify’s price plans, you can access a 3-day free trial and enjoy the first month for $1.
It’s crucial to note that you’ll need to purchase the company’s POS hardware to accept payments. Their Shopify POS Terminal costs $349, while a small card reader costs $49.
Who’s It Best For
Shopify is one of the most popular POS systems and a great POS platform for ambitious retailers with high growth potential. It is suitable for ecommerce businesses running both in-store and online stores and needs a scalable POS system.
Pros
- Fantastic integrations
- Highly scalable POS solution
- Website builder included
- Free online store website
- It helps you manage multiple selling channels at once
Cons
- Its advanced POS features are expensive
- Its interface can be a learning curve for beginners
- Short trial duration, three days
- Customer service needs improvement
8. Zettle — Cheapest POS System
| Free Trial | Free to use |
|---|---|
| Price From | $0/month |
| Transaction Fee | Starting from 2.29% + 9 cents |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Gift Card Redeeming, Flexible Payment Options, Payment Security |
Why We Picked It
I consider Zettle to be the most affordable POS system as it’s free to use and has many valuable features. If you ever need to provide flexible payment options to your clients without breaking the bank on software commitment fees, PayPal Zettle is the POS software for you. It accepts payments via PayPal QR Codes, Zettle invoicing, card payments, payment links, and tap-to-pay. This helps you to give a great customer experience by providing a variety of convenient payment alternatives.
Compared to other software like TouchBistro and Square, Zettle offers you the flexibility to pay only for the transactions you process and the hardware your business needs.
Features
- Gift Card Redeeming – With the Zettle Go app, you can easily create, sell, and redeem gift cards. This opportunity can benefit your business by helping you attract new customers, increase sales, improve cash flow, and build customer loyalty.
- Flexible Payment Options – Having multiple POS payment systems implies helping your customers make convenient payment decisions. By offering various payment methods with PayPal Zettle, you enhance your customers’ experience, reduce checkout friction, and potentially increase sales.
- Payment Security – PayPal Zettle prioritizes users’ security by using multiple security measures such as fraud protection, following strict industry-standard best practices, such as OWASP and PCI DSS guidelines, and safe encryption, together with users’ MFA. All these ensure your financial details are protected from cyber threats.
Pricing
Zettle PayPal is a free-to-use POS solution. Zettle’s pricing follows no long-term commitments or rental rules. The essence of this pricing method is to help businesses spend less on POS solutions, allowing you to pay only for the transactions you process.
Who’s It Best For
Zettle is a good option for small or medium-sized businesses seeking an affordable, easy-to-use, and mobile-friendly POS system.
Pros
- No monthly payments
- Gift cards management
- It’s easy to use
- Accepts QR code payments
Cons
- It requires a WiFi connection to work
- Limited customization option
- Expensive invoice transaction fees
9. Clover — Best POS System for High Sales Volumes
| Free Trial | No |
|---|---|
| Price From | $14.95/month |
| Transaction Fee | Starting from 2.3% + 10 cents |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Powerful POS System, Long-term Equipment Protection, Virtual Terminal |
Latest Update from Clover: In August 2024, Clover introduced a new payment plugin, called Clover Payment, for the Shopify ecommerce store. This new plugin will replace the previous Payeezy payments plugin to simplify payment processing and provide users with more enhancements, such as integrating third-party tools that weren’t available with Payeezy.
Why We Picked It
Clover made the best POS systems list because of its advanced features, which make it capable of handling a high volume of sales. What I like is that, unlike Lightspeed, TouchBistro, and Toast, Clover is not exclusively designed for restaurants. It caters to other business types, such as professional services, retailers, and home and field services. Its payment processing functionality is also a critical factor in helping businesses manage high sales volume.
In addition to offering a reliable, fast POS system and great hardware, Clover’s range of features is fantastic. For example, there are order management features for restaurants, customer engagement features for sole traders, and tax and finance support.
Features
- Powerful POS System – Whether you run a restaurant, professional services business, or retail store, Clover’s system simplifies payments and operations, handling card transactions seamlessly. Being cloud-based, you can monitor all transaction data and reports anywhere and anytime.
- Virtual Terminal – If you do not have the budget for Clover’s hardware, you can conveniently choose its Virtual Terminal to process payments and refunds. All you need to do is log into your Clover web dashboard from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
- Long-term Equipment Protection – Clover has a long-term equipment protection feature. If your POS plan is active, Clover will offer full cover for your equipment against accident, theft, or any other loss. Most other platforms, like Shopify, only provide a one-year warranty, so Clover’s protection plan is far better.
Pricing
Clover offers different price options that cater to various business needs, such as restaurants, retailers, and salons. Each plan includes three tiers ranging from starter to advanced.
In the table below, we’ve split out the different plans to give you a better overview of what’s on offer.
| Plan | Home & Field Service | Personal Service | Professional Service | Retail System | Quick Service | Full-Service Dining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | From $0+ $14.95/month | From $279 |
From $0+ $14.95/month | From $279 |
From $799+ $59.95/month |
From $1,699+ $89.95/month |
| Standard | From $199+ $14.95/month | From $799+ $84.95/month |
From $649+ $84.95/month |
From $1,799+ $84.95/month |
From $1,799+ $59.95/month |
From $2,348+ $109.90/month |
| Advanced | From $649+ $84.95/month | From $1,799+ $84.95/month |
From $1,699+ $84.95/month |
From $2,448+ $104.90/month |
From $2,448+ $79.90/month |
From $4,147+ $129.85/month |
The Starter plan is designed for small businesses or startups with basic payment processing needs. It features sales tracking, a cash drawer, a receipt printer, online ordering, tracking, shift management, customer engagement, and essential reporting.
Clover offers price options for subscriptions or purchasing the POS system outright. The subscription option is for business owners who want a lower upfront cost while paying a monthly rate for the plan, devices, and accessories for the stipulated period.
The purchase option is for business owners who want to buy outright and own the POS devices and accessories. It involves paying for devices and accessories upfront while they pay just the monthly plan fee.
Who’s It Best For
Clover POS is a flexible system that caters to different business types’ needs. Its flexibility, fast payment processing, custom workflows, scalability, and robust features make it a good option for any small business seeking a POS that can handle a high volume of sales.
Pros
- Fast payment processing
- Equipment coverage for as long as your plan is active
- Covers many industry-specific features
- Powerful data-driven insights
Cons
- Plans for retail, professional services, and restaurants are expensive
- Customer service could be better
- Expensive hardware
- Steep learning curve
10. SpotOn — Best Mobile POS System
| Free Trial | Free demo |
|---|---|
| Price From | $25/month |
| Transaction Fee | Starting from 1.99% + 25 cents |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | QR-code Ordering, Advanced Reporting, Customer Loyalty Tools |
Latest Update from SpotOn: In September 2024, SpotOn improved its marketing feature, allowing users to manage their social media connections directly from the platform. I consider this an intentional approach to help businesses manage their audience and engage with them without leaving the POS platform.
Why We Picked It
I picked SpotOn as the best mobile POS software because of its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, scalability, extensive integrations, and compatibility with iOS and Android users.
Its flexibility shines through advanced features like detailed analytics, marketing tools, and loyalty programs, making it adaptable for both restaurants and retail environments.
Features
- Customizable POS Solutions – SpotOn provides tailored hardware and software solutions designed to meet the specific needs of various businesses. This ensures that you have the optimal tools to support your operations, whether you’re operating a restaurant or a retail store.
- Advanced Reporting and Analytics – The platform offers real-time, cloud-based reports on sales, inventory, and customer behavior. These user-friendly insights enable businesses to make informed decisions and streamline their operations.
- Marketing and Customer Engagement Tools – Tools for customer engagement, including loyalty programs, review management, and marketing campaigns. These resources help enhance customer retention and satisfaction by offering personalized rewards and promotions.
Pricing
SpotOn opts for price transparency, but the pricing plans are a bit confusing to get to grips with for beginners. Also, keep in mind that there are often specific offers available to claim.
The point-of-sale solution offers two categories: restaurants and small businesses. Within each category, you have different plans to choose from.
Restaurants
| Plan | Quick start | Counter-service | Full-service | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $0 | $99/month + $3/employee/month | $135/month + $3/employee/month | Custom |
| Hardware | Included in processing | $850 (financing available) | $1,350 (financing available) | Custom |
| Processing Fees | 2.89% + 25c | 1.99% + 25c | 1.99% + 25c | 1.99% + 25c |
Small Business
| Plan | Terminal | Terminal + Website |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $25/month | $90/month |
| Hardware | $200 | $200 + $175 setup fee |
| Processing Fees | 1.99% + 25c | 1.99% + 25c |
Who’s It Best For
Thanks to SpotOn’s flexibility and accessibility on mobile devices, the POS system is best suited for small—to medium-sized businesses that require a feature-rich and mobile-accessible solution.
Pros
- Flexible hardware and software
- Excellent integration capabilities
- Compatible with iOS and Android users
- Serves both restaurants and small businesses
Cons
- Pricing plans are confusing
- Customer support often has long wait times
- Requires its dedicated hardware
- There is no free plan
Best POS for Small Businesses Compared
Here’s a table highlighting the key features of my top picks so you can choose the best POS system, depending on what matters the most to you and your business.
| Software | Lavu | TouchBistro | CakePOS | Square | Toast | Lightspeed | Shopify | Zettle | Clover | SpotOn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Restaurants | Bars | Beginner-Friendly POS | Budget-Friendly POS | Online Ordering and Delivery | Retail Businesses | Omnichannel Retailers | Cheapest POS | High Sales Volumes | Mobile POS |
| Free Trial | Free demo | No | Free demo | Free plan | Free plan | 14-day free trial | 3-day free trial | Free to use | No | Free demo |
| Starting Price | Custom | $69/month | Custom | $29/month | $69/month | $89/month | $5/month | $0/month | $14.95/month | $25/month |
| Transaction Fees | Custom | Custom | Custom | 2.6% + 10 cents | Custom | 2.6% + 10 cents | 2.4% | 2.29% + 9 cents | 2.3% + 10 cents | 1.99% + 25 cents |
| Compatibility | iOS | iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS |
| Top Features | Dual Pricing Capability, QR Card Ordering & Payments, Wide Range of Restaurant-Specific Integrations | Order Management, Table Management, Upselling Infused | Self-service Kiosk, Real-time Analytics, Online Ordering | Team Management Tools, Checkout Customization, and Finance Management | Payment Security, Toast Delivery Services, Invoicing Tool | Robust Reporting Tools, B2B Business Catalog, Ecommerce Tools | Custom Website, Seamless Sales, Advanced Marketing and Promotions | Gift Card Redeeming, Flexible Payment Options, Payment Security | Powerful POS System, Long-term Equipment Protection, Virtual Terminal | QR-code Ordering, Advanced Reporting, Customer Loyalty Tools |
How We Review And Test POS Products
To provide our readers with accurate and well-informed recommendations, we test the most popular POS products on the market to find the best options for you. Our methodology consists of the following criteria:
- Scalability: We look at how many users can be added to a platform and how easy it is to do so to ensure companies can easily add more employees to their payroll as they scale their operations.
- Integrations: We evaluate each piece of software’s integrations to determine how well it fits in with other key pieces in a business’s software stack and whether its functionality can be expanded.
- Total Cost: We look at the features, integrations, customer service, and extras to determine if the price of the software matches the value it provides. We score a product higher if it offers customers a free trial.
- User Experience: We get hands-on with each product to put ourselves in the shoes of a new user, testing each platform to gain an understanding if the platform is easy to use or requires onboarding.
- Features: We examine the features offered by each POS software, how useful those features are, and how they compare to others on the market.
- Security: We delve into the security protocols of each company, assessing the measures in place to safeguard user data.
- Customer Reviews: We consider customer reviews from reputable third-party websites as a crucial aspect of our evaluation process.
Benefits of Using a POS System
A great POS system can supercharge your business operations and even help you to unlock new revenue streams. By investing in one, you can expect benefits such as:
- Save Time – POS systems today do much more than payment processing. They’re effectively a hub for operational efficiency. In that sense, a great tool can save hours of work otherwise spent shifting between different systems.
- Better Customer Experience – Excellent POS systems enhance the customer experience by offering innovative features like QR code payments, loyalty programs, and customized marketing promotions.
- Ecommerce Capabilities – Many POS providers offer website builders and ecommerce features to help their customers embrace online sales.
- Boost Revenue – Through data-driven analytics and reporting, POS systems can help small businesses discover untapped revenue streams and opportunities.
- Operational Improvements – With features like inventory management, table management, employee management, and more, POS systems can help small businesses take control of their operations to enhance efficiency.
What Types of POS Systems are There?
In addition to choosing a POS system, you’ll also want to think about the POS hardware you’ll use. Below, we’ll explore the options:
- Mobile POS systems – Smartphone POS systems work by installing a specialist app onto your iPhone or Android, allowing the device to become a piece of POS hardware.
- Tablet POS systems – Similarly, specialist POS applications allow iPads and other tablets to become POS hardware.
- Terminal POS systems – Terminal applications are typically found in retail stores. They feature a card terminal, barcode scanner, and cash drawer.
- Online POS system – Online POS systems allow you to use your hardware to run the software–such as a desktop or laptop.
- Self-service Kiosk – You often find these in fast food restaurants. They’re specifically designed to allow users to scan or order their items and pay without the need for a store associate to intervene.
Features of a POS System
The best POS systems are made up of software and hardware components with many features to help businesses streamline their operations and enhance customer service.
Here are some key features commonly found in top-notch POS systems:
POS Software features
The POS system software is the digital component of a POS system that determines its functionality. These are the features of POS software.
The best POS systems offer robust reporting capabilities, providing detailed insights into daily, weekly, and monthly sales trends. These reports help businesses analyze performance, track best-selling products, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their offerings.
For businesses in the restaurant and hospitality industry, table management features are crucial. The top POS systems enable efficient table assignments, order tracking, and bill splitting, improving the overall dining experience for customers and streamlining operations for staff.
Effective inventory management is essential for retail businesses. The best POS systems include features for tracking inventory levels, managing stock replenishment, setting reorder levels, and monitoring product variations. This ensures that companies can maintain optimal stock levels and reduce instances of understocking or overstocking.
Many POS systems facilitate the management of both customer orders and supplier orders. Businesses can efficiently process customer orders, track order statuses, and manage payments. They can simultaneously create and manage supplier orders, ensuring a steady supply of products and materials.
The best POS systems offer features that enable businesses to track staff performance, set user permissions, and manage access levels. This includes clock-in/clock-out functionality, sales commission tracking, and employee scheduling, helping improve workforce efficiency and accountability.
Integrated supplier purchasing is a feature that allows businesses to place orders with suppliers directly through the POS system. This streamlines the procurement process, reduces manual data entry, and helps maintain accurate supplier records.
Top-notch POS systems offer a wide range of consistent and customizable reports. Users can generate reports for various purposes, such as sales analysis, inventory valuation, employee performance, etc. Customization options allow businesses to tailor reports to their specific needs.
For businesses with multiple locations, multi-store management capabilities are essential. The best POS systems enable centralized inventory control, sales, and reporting across all stores. This ensures uniformity in operations and allows for efficient management and expansion.
The best POS systems offer low-stock notifications and auto-order suggestions to maintain inventory levels. When inventory reaches a specified threshold, the system can automatically generate purchase orders and alerts for reordering.
POS Hardware Features
POS hardware includes the physical components of a POS system. Some of them are:
This equipment scans product barcodes and automatically inputs their details into the system. This speeds up checkout and reduces errors in data transfer.
This is a part of a POS system that accepts payments via credit and debit cards, EMV chip cards, and contactless payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
This component is beneficial for restaurants. It is the screen facing the customer, showing transaction details, order options, total amounts, loyalty points, and more. It also serves as a self-service option for customers.
This is a part of the POS system that can be used to store cash and receipts.
This is like a point of contact that is used to control and navigate through the POS software, enabling quick access to sales, inventory, and other functions.
How Much Does a POS System Cost?
The cost of a small business POS system varies widely depending on, firstly, the provider you choose and, secondly, the hardware you need alongside the software.
Here’s a closer look at the costs:
Hardware Costs
Some POS providers offer hardware as part of their subscription packages. In contrast, others require you to pay extra to access the hardware suitable for their product–either as a one-time payment or in monthly installments.
Triple-check the pricing plan you’re looking at to ensure hardware isn’t a sneaky add-on. Where possible, go for a provider that allows you to use your technology–like an iPad, iPhone, or POS hardware you’ve already purchased–to keep costs down.
Software Subscription
All POS providers offer their software as a subscription, although some do have free plans. Usually, you can secure a discount by paying for the software annually rather than monthly.
Payment Processing Fees
Alongside paying to use the POS service, you’ll also incur a transaction fee every time someone makes a payment. These processing fees vary widely by provider and by plan, so review carefully before committing.
Add-Ons
Most POS providers offer their customers additional features to help with managing operations. However, these additions are rarely free. You’ll usually have to pay extra–in the form of a monthly subscription on top of what you’re already paying–to access them.
How Do I Choose the Best POS System for My Business?
With hundreds of POS options on the market, selecting the best one can be overwhelming. Here are some of the critical factors to consider when choosing POS software:
Integrations enhance your POS system’s functionality. Synchronizing your various platforms streamlines operations, helping you gain better insights from your data and improve competitiveness.
Choose an easy-to-use POS system that reduces the learning curve for your staff, allowing them to adapt to the software and serve customers more effectively and quickly. An intuitive interface means that tasks like adding products, processing sales, and generating reports become more accessible and less time-consuming.
POS systems have various pricing models, including subscription-based, one-time purchases, or transaction-based. Understanding and evaluating these pricing structures in the context of your business’s financial resources is essential. Additionally, you should consider any hidden costs, such as hardware requirements, payment processing fees, and ongoing support or maintenance expenses. Clear and flexible pricing structures ensure you’re in control of your investment and can adapt your POS system to your evolving business needs without financial constraints.
Each business has unique needs, whether robust inventory management for a retail store, table management for a restaurant, or invoicing capabilities for service-based companies. By carefully evaluating and prioritizing features, you can choose a POS system that meets your needs and accommodates future growth and evolving industry trends.
In the dynamic retail and hospitality environments, issues or downtime with your POS system can result in lost sales, frustrated customers, and decreased productivity. Robust customer support ensures you can access timely assistance when problems arise, minimizing disruptions and potential revenue losses. As your business grows and evolves, you may need help with system upgrades, training, and customization. A responsive and knowledgeable support team can provide the guidance and solutions needed to maximize the value of your POS software, contributing to smoother and more successful business operations.
No two businesses are identical, and a one-size-fits-all approach may not address your specific requirements. Customization enables you to adapt the software to match your workflow in retail, hospitality, and other industries. It allows you to seamlessly add or remove features, modify user interfaces, and integrate with other software systems. This flexibility ensures that your POS software aligns perfectly with your business operations, leading to increased efficiency, improved customer service, and the ability to stay competitive in your industry.
A POS system that’s compatible with various devices, such as tablets, smartphones, barcode scanners, receipt printers, traditional terminals, and even ecommerce platforms, allows your business to adapt to multiple customer touchpoints and sales channels. This adaptability enables you to serve customers seamlessly, whether in-store, online, or on-the-go, enhancing their overall experience.
As you expand, so do your requirements for inventory management, sales reporting, and customer engagement. A scalable POS system can seamlessly adapt to a growing range of products, customers, and transactions without needing an overhaul or expensive system migration. This ensures you can continue to provide efficient and high-quality service to your customers while maintaining a streamlined and cost-effective operation. A forward-thinking approach helps future-proof your infrastructure and ensures your POS system continues to support your success in the long run.
Compliance ensures your business adheres to legal and industry regulations, safeguarding your reputation and avoiding penalties. PCI DSS compliance is necessary for all POS systems, ensuring data protection, authentication and access control, and vendor security. Additionally, robust security features are essential to protect against data breaches and unauthorized access. By choosing POS software that prioritizes compliance and security, you minimize the risk of potential violations and build trust with your customers.
Considering your business type is critical when selecting POS software since different industries have unique requirements and operational needs. For example, the ideal POS system for a retail store may be different for a restaurant. By choosing POS software that fits your business type, you can ensure it caters to industry-specific functions and features. For instance, a restaurant may require table management, menu customization, and kitchen order printing capabilities, while a retail store may prioritize inventory tracking and barcode scanning.
