Best POS For Small Business: 2023 Guide To Choosing The Right POS System For Your Small Business

Lightspeed Retail is easily one of the best retail POS systems at its price point. As long as you’re willing to pay a bit extra, Lightspeed has everything small-to-medium-sized retail businesses could need to sell and manage their business, with excellent customer support to guide you through it all. Lightspeed is the best POS system for any retail store that needs features, such as advanced inventory management, vendor purchase orders, built-in eCommerce, and a plethora of software integrations in case you want to make your system even more powerful.

Lightspeed Retail is also one of the best POS systems for rental businesses, specifically because of the system’s quoting, reservation, and extensive inventory management capabilities. Whether you rent out photography equipment, party furniture, or wedding venues, Lightspeed Retail has got you covered.

Note: Lightspeed Retail offers a 14-day free trial, no credit card is required.

Additional registers on any plan cost $59/register/month.

All business owners will appreciate Lightspeed’s customizable loyalty program, intensive inventory matrixing features, work order monitoring, and eCommerce capabilities.

Retailers will appreciate Lightspeed’s unique shopping features, such as purchasing online for in-store pick up, item holds/layaway, and an online customer return/exchange portal. You can also sell subscriptions and memberships with Lightspeed Retail.

If you rent out items, venues, or services, Lightspeed Retail has excellent form builders, appointment scheduling, and a dedicated reservation app.

Lightspeed is also great for wholesalers. It has a quote system, catalog builder, customer accounts, pricing adjustments/discounts by customer group, minimum order requirements, and wholesale to individual item breakdowns.

Finally, we are impressed by Lightspeed’s multi-location features, which include:

• Stock transfers across locations
• Pricing variations depending on location
• Allowing customers to choose where to pick up online items
• Loyalty points syncing across locations so customers can collect/redeem points at all stores

Lightspeed sells iPad and desktop PC hardware kits as well as individual hardware components, all of which are quote-based.

Note: Lightspeed Retail requires all new and existing Lightspeed customers to use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s payment processor. If you currently use a different payment processor and card terminal, you can’t use it with Lightspeed. So, Lightspeed is currently running a free terminal replacement promotion for eligible merchants that includes two free Lightspeed POS terminals (card readers).

Eligible merchants include business owners that process a minimum of $100/day in digital payment methods, as measured by a monthly average. Apple products are not included in this promotion, so you’ll still need to source an iPad to take sales.

In-house processing with Lightspeed Payments is required for all Lightspeed Retail users in the US and Canada. The rate is 2.6% + $0.10 for all in-person card present payments and 2.9% + $0.30 for all online payments.

Note: Lightspeed Retail requires all merchants to use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s payment processor. If you have a contract with a third-party payment processor that includes an early cancellation fee, Lightspeed will cover that fee for eligible merchants.

You are an eligible merchant if you process a minimum of $25,000 in card sales and then submit documentation of your previous payment processing contract that states your early termination fees within six months of meeting this minimum .

It’s important to note that the “paying off” comes in the form of discounted payment processing fees, not a chunk of cash that goes towards your termination fees when you decide to switch to Lightspeed Payments.

To get the best prices, you have to sign up for at least an annual Lightspeed plan. However, there are early termination fees for cancelling a plan, so we recommend starting with a monthly plan until you’re sure Lightspeed Retail is a good POS for you.

Also, you must verify that you have received your Lightspeed hardware within five business days of receiving it. If you don’t, the equipment is not covered under Lightspeed’s 30-day warranty (14 days for Apple products.)

Square is one of the best free POS systems because it offers free eCommerce, free employee management, free inventory management, free appointment scheduling, and more. No other free POS provider offers as many features as Square does, or at least no provider executes these offerings as well as Square.

Square is also one of the best CBD POS systems, as Square has a CBD-specific POS program. The program allows merchants to sell CBD online and in person.

Note: Square’s free plan is absolutely free to use. There’s a 30-day free trial for paid plans.

You can purchase paid Square add-ons, such as advanced team management ($35/month/location), email marketing ($15+/month), and loyalty ($45+/month/location). Additionally, Square has dedicated point of sale systems for specific industries, including Square Appointments (for salons and other appointment-based businesses), Square for Restaurants, and Square for Retail, all of which offer free and paid plans.

Square dominates the POS market due to its completely free retail, restaurant, and service-based business POS offerings. The most notable free features include:

• Free eCommerce/online ordering site for retail/restaurant businesses
• Free Square Online checkout links for selling online without a website
• Free appointment scheduling through Google, Facebook, Instagram, and your own website
• Unlimited number of registers on free plan

Square also has unique EBT sales and CBD sales capabilities, Instagram and TikTok sales abilities, and QR code sales.

The Square Plus plan offers multilocation management features, automated purchase order creation, employee management functions such as employee permissions and Square Payroll, and the Square KDS (kitchen display system).

Hardware prices range from $0 (just use your mobile phone and a free Square magstripe reader) to $1,668 for a complete Square Stand Restaurant Station kit. The kit includes an iPad, swiveling Square Stand with magstripe reader, portable Square Terminal ($299 when purchased separately), Square chip and tap reader, cash drawer, kitchen printer, and USB receipt printer.

Square has built-in payment processing on all plans, charging a flat 2.6% + $0.10 per tap, dip, or swipe. Manually keyed-in card payments have a rate of 3.5% + $0.15, while online payments are 2.9% + $0.30.

Square’s month-to-month contract is ideal for any business that doesn’t want a long-term commitment. After signing up, you’re not even committed to using the POS at all, as there is no monthly minimum. A caveat is that Square has an aggregated merchant account model (i.e., businesses do not get their own dedicated merchant accounts), which can lead to withheld funds on transactions that Square’s algorithm flags as high-risk or even sudden account termination for some merchants.

Clover is a one-of-a-kind POS system that is mobile, modern, and uniquely designed for small businesses. Clover is an ideal choice of POS if you want a plug-and-play POS with strong out-of-the-box features.

Once you purchase your Clover system — you’ll buy your complete hardware setup as a package, complete with bundled software apps — you can get up and selling in minutes. You can also add additional features from a vast Clover app market to create a system perfectly tailored to you, whether you have a retail, quick-serve, full-service restaurant, or service industry business.

Additional terminals on any plan cost $9.95/month.

Note: The above pricing is for business owners who buy their Clover hardware upfront. Clover does offer monthly pricing for both hardware and software, but purchasing your equipment upfront will cost you less in the long run.

Read our Clover pricing guide for more information on how Clover hardware and software purchases work, and how to get the best deal for your business.

All Clover users can use Clover’s offline payment mode, customer database building, loyalty program setup, integrations with some of the best payroll software for small businesses, and 450+ add-on apps available to create the POS system that fits their business’s every need.

Restaurant and bar owners will appreciate Clover’s pre-authorization function, perishable inventory management apps, online ordering page, self-serve kiosks, and surcharges for large parties.

Retailers and grocery store ownerss will appreciate these retail-centric features:

• Buy online, pick up in-store/delivery options
• Integrations with scales, barcode scanners, etc.
• Customizable inventory management and item tracking
• Item returns via virtual terminal

Clover’s built-in ID verification, EBT capabilities, and lottery sales app make Clover one of the best convenience store POS systems.

Clover hardware starts at $49 for a Clover Go Bluetooth credit card reader, which pairs with your smartphone, but most businesses wanting a complete countertop POS will go with the $1,349 Clover Station Solo.

Other hardware options include a portable Clover Flex for $499, a Clover Mini for $799, or a Station Duo for $1,799.

You do not need to purchase any Clover hardware if you choose the “No Hardware” plan, which lets you process payments online exclusively. However, you will pay higher processing fees to process online payments. It may be worth it, in the long run, to purchase POS hardware if your business operates primarily in person.

Clover plans purchased through Clover.com include built-in payment processing on all accounts, with in-person rates ranging from 2.3%-2.6% + $0.10, depending on your monthly software plan. Online processing fees are 3.5% + $0.10 on all plans.

However, Clover systems purchased elsewhere may have different payment processing fees.

If you purchase your Clover hardware and software from Clover.com, you will need to sign a 36-month or 48-month contract, with the potential for large early termination fees if you decide to cancel your contract before your term is up.

However, by signing a merchant agreement with one of these best Clover resellers, you can get short-term contracts, no early termination fees, and better payment processing rates and fees.

Despite its steep price tag and long-term commitment, Revel Systems is arguably the most advanced iPad point of sale system out there, particularly for quick-serve (though many retailers use it too). Whether you need digital menu boards, self-order kiosks, caller ID integration, or all of the above, Revel has got you covered.

With this very customizable system, it’s one of the best options for even very specific niches, which is why Revel makes our list of best golf course POS systems and best drive-through POS systems.

Revel Systems POS monthly pricing has a two-terminal minimum. This means that the minimum you’ll spend on your POS is $198/month.

There is also a $674 one-time implementation fee.

Add-ons, such as online ordering, delivery management, kiosk ordering, multilocation management, and software integrations, are offered at a premium. However, Revel does not publicly disclose the pricing for those services.

Revel offers retail, restaurant, services, and lots of niche/custom features for business owners in virtually all industries.

For restaurant owners, Revel offers one of the best KDS screens out there, drive-through restaurant POS management, tableside/online/curbside/mobile/self-serve kiosk ordering, multilocation menu management, extensive perishable inventory management, catering capabilities, and digital menu boards.

All Revel users will enjoy these unique POS features:

• Offline payment capabilities
• Open API (Application Programming Interface) so you can connect Revel to any other third-party software you want
• Real-time inventory tracking
• Intelligent reporting suite (on ingredients sold, labor versus sales, gift card usage, and more)
• Delivery tracking and optimized driving routes

The iPad-based Revel POS hardware sold on Revel’s website is quote-based. The company also lists several compatible hardware options that you may source yourself.

Revel has an in-house flat-rate payment processing service called Revel Advantage, with a standard rate of 2.49% + $0.15 per transaction. You can also integrate an outside payment processor of your choice for an additional fee.

Revel’s $99/month package requires annual billing, with a three-year processing contract with Revel Advantage. Given the two-terminal minimum, this means you are committing to pay at least $2,376 upfront per year for the next three years (in addition to payment processing fees).

We love how TouchBistro POS is designed to be intuitive for servers and kitchen staff. Restaurant staff will have no trouble getting customers in and out the doors with a quick turnaround time, while still providing an excellent dining experience.

There are several opportunities to make lifelong customers out of infrequent visitors, such as a loyalty and gift card program, customer profile building, and an online ordering system for people who need to get in and out quickly. Plus, TouchBistro’s offline mode allows mobile food service providers to take orders and payments on the go.

Restaurant owners who want a POS that can handle a high-energy quick service/fast casual restaurant should consider implementing TouchBistro at their restaurant, food truck, or catering company.

TouchBistro pricing is for annual billing. For additional registers and/or month-to-month pricing, you have to contact TouchBistro for a personalized quote.

There are also add-ons available at the following prices:

• Online Ordering: $50/month
• Loyalty Program: $99/month
• Marketing: $99/month
• Gift Cards: $25/month
• Reservations: $229/month

TouchBistro is a POS system designed by and for servers and kitchen staff to thrive in a fast-paced environment, which is why you can completely customize the server and KDS interfaces. It’s also great for caterers and food truck owners who need to take orders and payments on the go, since there’s a great offline payments mode.

TouchBistro offers the following best features for small restaurant owners:

• Your choice of payment processor (so you can save money on processing fees)
• Upselling reminders for servers
• Ingredient-level inventory tracking
• Great customer relationship management system
• Online ordering suite

TouchBistro is an iPad-based POS system, so you can use iPads as registers and kitchen display systems. You can purchase a TouchBistro POS kit but must contact the company for a quote.

TouchBistro has its own in-house payment processing solution powered by Chase that you can use, or you can integrate the POS with a number of payment processors including Moneris, Square, TSYS, and Worldpay.

TouchBistro offers month-to-month contracts. However, people who get a custom plan report getting stuck with a year-long contract. Make sure you get a monthly contract before committing to anything in the long run.

Toast’s features hold their own with pretty much any other restaurant POS system out there, and in many instances, outperform other restaurant-focused POS systems. Toast’s tailor-made restaurant hardware, which includes the handheld Toast Go 2 mobile POS (one of the best mobile POS systems), is a great solution for fast-paced midsize restaurants that need to take orders and payments, and send kitchen orders, to several locations.

Toast has also beefed up its digital ordering extras to include eGift cards, contactless delivery, and even a mobile delivery app.

Plus, Toast offers some of the best customer service we’ve come across in our reviews. Toast has a thorough onboarding and training process, walking you through every step of setup, and it doesn’t end there. Even after you get up and going, Toast customer support is available 24/7/365 via call, email, or web chat.

Note: Toast offers a Pay-As-You-Go plan that requires no upfront purchases or monthly fees. However, you will still need to sign a multi-year contract to use Toast.

Note: The Starter plan is only for single-location restaurant owners who need a maximum of two POS systems. Once you exceed two POS terminals, additional charges apply.

Full-service restaurant owners will appreciate Toast’s floor planning, tipping functions, large party charges, and durable handheld POS so servers can take orders and payments from anywhere in the restaurants.

Quick-serve restaurant owners will appreciate that a single POS device can convert from register to self-serve kiosk to customer-facing display. Toast is also generally easy to use and train employees on, which eases the pain associated with the high turnover rates of quick-serve restaurants.

Toast’s best add-on features include:

• Tableside ordering and online ordering (with delivery management)
• Highly customizable loyalty program
• Third-party delivery integrations
• Multilocation management, including menu variations across locations
• KDS designed to handle in-store, online, and delivery app orders

Toast hardware starts at $0 if you choose a Starter Kit on the Pay-As-You-Go plan. The kit includes Toast’s proprietary countertop POS or handheld Toast Go 2, which is one of the best mobile POS systems on the market.

Alternatively, you can pay for your Starter Kit upfront for $609 (with Toast Go 2) or $799 (with Toast countertop POS). The company has recently added a Guest Self-Service kit for $999 (or as part of the $0 down Pay-As-You-Go plan).

If you want to purchase a Starter Kit, you can build one on Toast’s website to figure out exactly how much you’ll pay per month. If you need more than two POS terminals, contact Toast for custom hardware pricing.

Toast payment processing fees vary depending on your plan. On the Starter plan, you’ll pay 2.99% + $0.15 for most in-person payments. On the Standard plan, you’ll pay 2.49% + $0.15 for most in-person payments. You’ll pay 3.5% + $0.15 for online orders.

Note that, unlike the other providers on our list, Toast charges more to process American Express cards — 3.29% + $0.15 for in-person payments, and 3.89% + $0.15 for online orders.

It is not possible to integrate an outside payment processor with Toast POS.

Toast requires a two-year payment processing agreement. Similar to Clover, Toast hardware is proprietary and can’t be used with any other POS system if you decide you don’t like Toast.

Thoroughly read your merchant agreement so that you understand all the fees (including online processing fees, cancelation fees, and others) before you decide to commit to Toast.

Shopify is especially known for its strong eCommerce functionality, as this retail system started as an eCommerce company that made it easy for retailers to sell online. Shopify POS provides a bridge between your online and in-person sales, effortlessly syncing your inventory across multiple channels. With all Shopify plans on the Basic ($29/month) tier and up, you can start your Shopify online store and blog. Advanced omnichannel features, such as BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) and BORIS (buy online, return in-store), are included with all Shopify Pro plans.

Note: Shopify offers a three-day free trial, no credit card required.

There is no fee to add additional register devices at the same location. Shopify also has a Shopify Pro add-on for $89/month, which includes staff roles and permissions and advanced omnichannel features.

Shopify’s in-person sales solution integrates well with the company’s eCommerce software, making Shopify an excellent omnichannel sales option. With Shopify, retailers can:

• Sell on your own website for in-store pickup, local delivery, curbside pickup, or shipping
• Sell on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Snapchat
• Sell on marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart Marketplace
• Connect to dropshipping apps to start their own dropshipping business
• Sync inventory across all sales channels

You’re not limited to B2C physical item sales, either. Shopify makes it easy to sell services, subscriptions and memberships, rental items, and complete B2B sales.

Plus, like Clover users, Shopify users have access to an app market full of 4,200+ Shopify add-on apps. You can add on anything from email collection popups to a customer service platform, to an employee management app or third-party accounting software you already use.

Shopify POS hardware ranges from a $49 Shopify card reader that you can use with a mobile phone to iPad POS hardware bundles listed at $639 (not including the iPad). All Shopify hardware pricing is listed on Shopify’s website.

Processing with Shopify Payments is included on all plans, or you can use an external processor for an additional transaction fee. In-person payment processing fees for Shopify Payments range from 2.4% to 2.7%, depending on your plan. Online processing fees range from 2.4% to 2.9% + $0.30.

All Shopify plans are billed month-to-month, which means there is no long-term commitment. You can spring for an annual plan for better pricing.

Something to know about Shopify Payments is that it is powered by Stripe, a third-party payment processor like Square. So you will not have your own merchant account with Shopify and could potentially experience account instability, particularly if you own a high-risk business.

We love that PayPal Zettle is a low-commitment, low-barrier-to-entry POS solution for business owners who want to take payments in a fast, secure way. You don’t need to worry about negotiating a merchant agreement or paying for pricey hardware, so it’s easy to switch to another POS provider if and when you’re ready for a more advanced solution.

Plus, many POS providers allow you to use a PayPal Zettle card reader, so your investment in a card reader could be a long-term one, after all.

Low-volume sellers who take the majority of their sales online and want an easy way to sell in person should definitely consider signing up for a PayPal Zettle account.

Note: PayPal Zettle does not require you to sign a long-term contract and requires no monthly fees, making it the most low-commitment POS options.

PayPal Zettle charges no monthly fees. All you’ll pay for are card readers and payment processing.

Retailers only need to sign up for a PayPal Business account to start taking card, cash, and QR code payments. Through the Zettle app or web browser, retailers can also manage inventory, issue full or partial refunds, add discounts on orders, and sell physical/eGift cards.

PayPal Zettle’s most unique features for small businesses include the ability to:

• Add an entire register setup to PayPal Zettle
• Add PayPal payment buttons to any online presence you have
• Integrate with the rest of PayPal’s small business tools, such as invoicing and subscriptions

The PayPal card reader costs $29 for your first one, and $79 for each subsequent one. The PayPal Terminal, which combines your POS app and your card reader into one device, costs $199. The PayPal Terminal plus built-in barcode scanner costs $239. You can add a printer and dock for an extra $50 at checkout.

PayPal currently charges a payment processing fee of 2.29% + $0.09 per card present and QR code transaction.

PayPal does not require you to sign a long-term contract but rather accept a user agreement, much like any PayPal user does to gain access to a PayPal account. Also, since PayPal does not offer dedicated merchant accounts, you may face account stability issues.

PayPal does not offer 24/7 customer support for Zettle users, but the system is so straightforward that we don’t imagine you’ll need to reach out much.

PayPal does limit the amount you can accept per transaction to $25,000, but most small business owners using Zettle do not run into this issue (if a huge transaction can be called an “issue” at all.)

We like how KORONA POS has features specifically built for business owners in high-risk industries such as the cannabis, CBD, vape, liquor, wine, and convenience store industry. It’s also hard for individuals in these niches to find a POS that works with a high-risk payment processor and payment terminal provider, but KORONA allows you to work with a number of merchant service providers.

Business owners in high-risk industries, especially those who want to franchise their business in the future, will find that KORONA offers (or allows you to find) everything you need to grow your business.

Note: KORONA offers an unlimited free trial, no credit card required. You sign up for a paid plan once you’re ready to accept customer payments.

KORONA POS pricing is as follows:

• Core: $49/month; includes unlimited users, core checkout functions, eCommerce store, manager functions, promotions, and gift cards
• Advanced: $59/month; includes Core features plus inventory management and time tracking
• Plus: $79/month; includes Advanced features plus inventory app, order level optimization, multi-store reporting, and franchising
• Custom: Quote-based; includes Plus features plus ticket/event management, pre-built integrations, and a dedicated account manager

KORONA’s most important feature is that the system will work with several high-risk payment processors, making KORONA one of the best POS systems for businesses in regulated industries.

Business owners in the cannabis, CBD, alcohol, vape, and convenience store industries will really appreciate these special features:

• Built-in ID scanner
• Forced cash drawer closing, blind till counts, and price change restrictions to reduce employee theft
• Integrations with liquor store, dispensary, and winery-specific small business sales and marketing tools
• Loyalty program that can be customized for regulated industries

All KORONA users will appreciate the system’s inventory and ordering optimizations, automated purchase ordering, customer profile and behavioral analysis, and custom tax settings. The system does accommodate multilocation businesses and franchises.

KORONA also offers ticket management and an eCommerce solution, so if you decide to host events at your dispensary or sell vapes online, Korona has your back.

KORONA does not list pricing online but is compatible with hardware from Epson, PartnerTech, PAX, Genius, Dejavoo, Econduit, Aures, Honeywell, and more.

KORONA does not offer in-house payment processing but does integrate with several payment processors, including Merchant Warehouse and Merchant Payment Systems.

You can also integrate KORONA with several merchant service providers through PAX and Dejavoo payment devices.

KORONA offers month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees. You can pay for an annual contract and get one month free.

The provider also offers an unlimited free trial, which means that you can’t take payments, but you can try out the software for as long as you need to before committing to it.

You do have to be careful about your merchant agreement and make sure the terms are fair for your business. High-risk business owners should expect to pay a little more for payment processing than other lower-risk business owners.

We love that Odoo is flexible, affordable, and customizable for business owners of all sizes. The POS system includes built-in eCommerce, inventory, and accounting modules, plus any other add-ons that the Odoo community has developed on GitHub. Odoo is also famously scalable, so business owners who plan to scale up will find that Odoo is the perfect fit for them.

Odoo open-source POS is also the perfect POS software for business owners who either have some level of developer knowledge or want to hire someone to implement the software and keep up with its deployment.

Business owners who like that Odoo is a completely self-contained, scalable business solution, with integrated Odoo Inventory, Odoo Accounting, Odoo eCommerce, and more can pay one great price for everything Odoo has to offer.

Note: Odoo offers both free open-source software and cloud-hosted apps. Odoo offers a 15-day free trial for cloud-hosted apps.

Odoo has released two versions of its software: Odoo Community (free, open-source) and Odoo Enterprise (licensed, cloud-based, paid).

Odoo Community is free and always will be, while the Enterprise version has the following pricing setup:

• Free: $0/user/month; includes one app for Odoo Online
• Standard: $24.95/user/month; includes all apps for Odoo Online
• Custom: $37.50/user/month; includes Odoo Online, Odoo On-Premise, multi-company setup, Odoo Studio for custom web-based app building, and an external API

Odoo offers open-source POS software that you can download and use for free. The Odoo developer community is also large and very active on GitHub, so it’s possible to add things like work order monitoring, event registration, shift planning, and more.

You can do just about anything with Odoo’s free open-source software, which is why business owners in industries from property management to wholesalers to custom item sellers can build the exact POS solution they need.

Some of Odoo’s best free POS features include:

• Strong offline payments mode
• Free website builder with eCommerce capabilities
• Extensive inventory, invoicing, purchase order, and asset management
• Your choice of payment processor (so you can find the processor with the lowest fees)

You can purchase a Stripe Terminal card reader to take in-person payments. Depending on your model, you may spend between $59 and $299.

Because Odoo is open-source, you can run it on just about any desktop computer, laptop, tablet, and on any Epson-compatible POS station. Any barcode or receipt printer with a USB connector can be used with Odoo POS.

Odoo users can use Stripe to process online and in-person payments, so you’ll be subject to Stripe fees. There are no additional fees to take payments through Odoo.

With any open-source product, users must be aware of any potential code breaks and security breaches. Having a dedicated developer (or being a business owner/dedicated developer) will help alleviate any pain points associated with backend coding.

Otherwise, if you really like Odoo’s flexible product offering and, frankly, its great pricing structure, but don’t want to worry about coding problems, consider purchasing the licensed version of Odoo.