The Best POS Systems of 2024

In today’s world, a point-of-sale (POS) system needs to do more than just ring up sales. Traditional cash registers just don’t cut it. Instead, to make the most of sales and further customer relationships, businesses must use a multifaceted POS system capable of not just payment processing but also inventory management, customer management, employee management, mobile accessibility and more.

A POS, or point-of-sale, system is a combination of hardware and software designed to ring up sales and process payments. Retailers, restaurant owners and online merchants are common users of POS systems. They serve businesses of all sizes, from mom-and-pop shops to large chains.

Depending on your business’s needs, your POS system’s hardware may include a cash drawer, credit card reader, receipt printer and barcode scanner, or more advanced equipment like customer-facing displays. On the software front, a modern POS program typically performs a multitude of tasks, such as checking out guests, processing payments, managing orders, tracking employee time and promoting customer loyalty initiatives.

There are both server- and cloud-based POS systems. Cloud versions are more popular because they are cheaper, easier to use and require no maintenance on the business owner’s part. They also provide full access to the system wherever you have an internet connection available, making them ideal for management. However, server-based and hybrid systems mean you aren’t relying on a stable internet connection for the platform to function.

Having the right POS system in place is like adding to the power of your workforce without actually hiring additional employees. Thanks to these solutions’ automated tools and innovative features, you can take the strain out of otherwise manual, intricate tasks like reaching new and existing customers, tracking spending and tweaking operations to make your company run smoother. Offloading these important but energy-draining activities will free you up to focus on the creative strategies that allow your business to thrive.

Below are just a few of the benefits of implementing a high-quality POS system.

Streamlined operations

The right POS system can help you streamline operations for your business in a big way, so it’s worth looking at how you can use a POS system to adjust the aspects where your business operations are bottlenecked. Depending on your industry, a POS program can help you keep a closer eye on inventory levels, get customer lines moving and better coordinate between your marketing and sales teams.

Better customer relationships

If you’re looking to improve your connections with existing customers and reel in new ones along the way, a modern POS system can give you the marketing and loyalty tools to do just that. Newsletters, birthday recognitions, specially tailored promotions — it’s all at your fingertips with the right POS platform.

Significant savings

Whether you need to get a better handle on inventory, cut down on discounts due to mistakes or eliminate the need for additional employees, a POS system can drive cost efficiencies. When you’re a business owner, every penny counts, and a little help reducing operational expenses through AI-boosted POS tools can mean significant savings.

Increased insights

Tired of shooting in the dark when it comes to saving money, assigning employees to certain tasks and improving customer relationships? Insights from POS-generated reports on company sales trends, employee behavior, customer interactions and more can set you on the path toward advantageous decisions that take your business to the next level.

While businesses will have a monthly subscription fee for the POS software, their upfront costs will vary based on their chosen hardware. (Source: Lightspeed)

Advancements in technology and a reduction in point-of-sale hardware and software prices have widened the market for POS systems for all types and sizes of businesses. Hardware no longer costs several thousand dollars, and the service contracts aren’t hundreds of dollars per month. Today, there are price points to fit one-shop merchants as well as retailers with multiple locations and e-commerce businesses.

There are three aspects to consider when determining the price of a POS solution: hardware, software and payment processing. POS system costs vary depending on the hardware and software features you need and the payment processor you use. Monthly software subscription costs can range from $0 to over $200 for systems with cloud-based functionality. With select vendors, some hardware is complimentary, while others charge as much as $1,200 for a robust POS register system.

POS Hardware Costs

There are a variety of POS hardware options that will impact your costs. Depending on your business, your POS system may need a terminal, tablet or computer; cash drawer; card reader; barcode scanners; receipt printer; and signature-capture devices. The best POS systems are compatible with third-party hardware, letting you shop around for deals (and continue using your chosen hardware if you switch software providers later). They’re also scalable, allowing you to start small with a single terminal and add peripherals as your business and budget expand.

For small businesses with basic needs primarily around accepting credit card payments, a phone or tablet and a card reader will suffice. If you already have mobile devices and only require EMV-compliant and an NFC-enabled credit card reader, this setup usually ranges from $20 to $100. [Learn why restaurant businesses should use tablets.]

Most small businesses will want a variety of accessories, such as a tablet stand, cash drawer and receipt printer. For this type of setup (using your own tablet), you’ll typically pay between $600 and $1,200. Additional hardware like barcode scanners, kitchen printers and display screens cost extra.

POS Software Costs

The cost of POS software largely depends on the features you need. You could pay anywhere between $25 and $300 per month for a POS software plan. Monthly subscriptions are the most common payment model in the POS world.

Most cloud-based POS vendors have pricing tiers with different features. Some software packages limit the number of users or the monthly sales volume you can process. Some POS companies like Toast provide free POS software, but there’s a catch: You must process your payments through them instead of a third-party processor.

If you want a basic, free POS system, the best options are from highly rated mobile credit card processors, such as Square. These credit card processing companies include POS features in their mobile processing apps. You must use the same provider for your payment processing in order to use its POS app, but you aren’t locked into a long-term contract. Processing fees are charged on a pay-as-you-go basis, which is ideal for very small businesses.

If you need more out of your POS software than just the ability to ring up sales — features like inventory management, e-commerce capabilities or employee scheduling tools — expect to pay $40 to $400 per month. The more bells and whistles you want, the higher the monthly cost will be. Whether you get an industry-specific plan, like those offered by Clover and Lightspeed, will also affect your software expenses.

Payment Processing

The final piece of the POS pricing puzzle is payment processing. This is the cost to accept and process customers’ payments through your POS device. These involve transaction fees for card-present, card-not-present and keyed-in credit card payments. Rates typically vary by processor.

The best POS vendors provide you with a choice of payment processors, giving you the opportunity to shop around for low rates and affordable fees. This means you won’t have to switch out your entire POS system if you decide to use a different processor. [Check out our recommendations for the best credit card processors.]

However, some POS providers are increasingly offering in-house processing, which can be convenient but more costly in the long run. Some give you a choice to use their in-house processing service, while others charge an extra fee (either monthly or per transaction) if you want to use a third-party processor. Notably, Clover and Square require you to use their in-house credit card processing services exclusively.

While most POS systems have the same basic functionality, industry-focused solutions like those offered by Toast (for food and beverage businesses) include specific features and tools designed for the business type. (Source: Toast)

POS systems can have hundreds of features, but they’re meaningless if you don’t use them. While some businesses may require a full arsenal of point-of-sale equipment and software functions, others may prefer to keep things simple. As you look for a POS solution, think about what your business needs, the functionality that would be nice to have and which features you’ll never end up using.

Software Features

Besides the basic cash register features that every POS solution has, the specific capabilities within each feature set vary by system and by plan. First and foremost, the standard feature to look for beyond payment processing is inventory management. Such modules can include a product catalog, quantity tracking, low-stock alerts and automatic reordering. Next, you’ll want to consider features geared toward customer retention. Many POS systems have built-in tools for this, but you may not want all the customer management and loyalty program features some POS vendors offer. If your business only needs to collect customers’ payment and delivery information, you won’t need a built-in CRM. But if you’re looking to create customer profiles with detailed purchase histories and to add notes (such as customers’ birthdays, preferences or allergies), then you want a more robust system. In that case, you might want to look into Square, Lightspeed and TouchBistro.

Another critical feature to look for is reports and analytics. Because the POS software tracks all of your sales, you get an overview of what inventory is moving and what isn’t, which can help you identify sales trends and glean customer insights. All POS systems can generate reports, but the number of reports, specific report types and customization options differ between systems. If you’re a company that requires detailed reports, Clover is a good POS system to consider. Keep in mind that some advanced features, like customized reporting, employee management functions and scheduling tools, may be available only at higher service tiers, or you may need to add apps or software integrations to the POS system to augment its functionality.

The Clover Flex is a portable, handheld device for tableside orders and payments, although it can be used at other locales as well. (Source: Clover)

Hardware Features

You have a lot of options when it comes to POS hardware and how you configure your system. A basic POS station has a tablet or touchscreen, a credit card reader, a cash drawer and till, and a receipt printer. Some POS systems are compatible with additional peripherals, like customer-facing displays, kitchen display screens, digital menu boards, barcode scanners and kiosks. Note that proprietary POS hardware works only with the system you’re purchasing it for, so it’ll be unusable if you change systems. Because the hardware is system-specific, you can’t use the hardware if you want to switch to a new platform, whereas open-source POS hardware can be used with multiple POS systems.

Most of the time, you’ll buy a credit card terminal or mobile reader from your payment processing company. However, sometimes you must purchase it from the POS company you sign up with. Whether you buy it from your payment processor or POS vendor, you want it to be EMV-certified so you can accept chip cards at your point of sale. You also want it to have NFC capabilities so you can accept contactless payments like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. For companies that don’t accept in-person payments, you can get by without purchasing a card reader, but you’ll still need a payment gateway so customers can complete transactions.

While we’re confident our top picks above will meet your company’s point-of-sale needs, the additional POS systems we examined below are alternative options that also have notable selling points.

Lavu

If you’re looking for a restaurant-specific POS system with lots of flexibility, the iPad-based Lavu platform comes packed with more than 200 customizable POS features and tools so businesses of any size can customize a plan to fit their needs. Lavu also rises above its competitors with its add-on features and services; it has nearly 15 in-house integrations that you can add to its POS offering, making it easy to expand your setup. Few competitors offer this many native integrations to support their POS systems. You can also integrate the software with several third-party apps to tailor the system to your needs. Learn more about Lavu.

Helcim

With a rate guarantee and processing fees that are better than those of its rivals, Helcim is one of the best POS solutions if you’re concerned about payment processing. Helcim is a payment processor first and foremost, but it offers an application that operates as a POS system on any device, including computers, tablets and smartphones. Like Clover, Helcim is an all-in-one platform providing merchants with various payment and billing methods, and we also like that merchants can take advantage of a free online store as part of their plan for no additional cost. Helcim takes a no-frills approach, so you get all of the features with a single interchange-plus rate and don’t have to worry about a monthly fee. Read our review of Helcim for more details or visit the Helcim website.

GoDaddy

Similar to Shopify, GoDaddy offers comprehensive POS and e-commerce functionality, making it ideal for businesses geared toward in-person and online sales. Some GoDaddy e-commerce features and tools that we didn’t find in many POS competitors include website design templates, custom domain connections, website security (SSL) and online store creation. We like that you can list thousands of products online, automatically sync your inventory across various locations (e.g., Amazon, Etsy, social media sites) and manage your inventory from a single dashboard. You can also take advantage of marketplace and social selling tools. See a breakdown of plan options in our full GoDaddy review.

CardConnect

CardConnect shines in offering secure payment processing services. CardConnect works closely with Fiserv in order to provide its customers with top POS products, including those offered by Clover. CardConnect can supply your business with high-quality countertop terminals that provide support for both EMV and NFC mobile payment methods, like Apple Pay. We also like how CardConnect allows you to set up hosted payment pages to receive payments or donations online. You don’t have to know any complex programming languages to get started, and there’s no charge for using its primary system, CardPointe.

ePOSNow

Epos Now serves businesses in retail and hospitality with POS software to fit each industry’s specific needs. It offers numerous hardware options and great compatibility between devices, including touchscreen POS systems, iPads, Samsung tablets, a mobile POS called Epos Pocket, receipt printers and cash drawers. The Epos Now software is rich in features and easily scalable, which is excellent for growing businesses that want to start with a simple POS solution and then expand it. It can integrate with credit card processors and more than 100 third-party applications, allowing your business to create a completely customized system. Find out about features and pricing in our comprehensive Epos Now review.

Revel

Revel’s iPad-based POS system for food and beverage businesses excels with its customer loyalty capabilities. You can capture customer info through your POS software, create loyalty programs and designate how customers earn loyalty points. Revel developed an in-house, customizable loyalty reward card program so you can build your own gift card program or you can integrate it with Paytronix, Punchh, Como, LoyaltyPlant, Spendgo, Pepper, LevelUp or Repeat Returns. Only a few POS systems we researched have such a wide selection of loyalty programs.

Wix

Many small business owners turn to Wix to create their websites at cost-effective rates. The nice thing about Wix POS is that you can integrate your website with an online store. That means you can easily manage your sales and inventory in one place. Plus, with Wix and Stripe’s business partnership, you get a fully mobile POS system with flat-rate payment processing and e-commerce functionality. We especially value how easy it is to learn the platform and, if you’re not satisfied with your hardware, you can take advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee. Learn more about Wix.

Brilliant

One of the highlights of the Brilliant POS system is how good it is for employee management. Inside the labor scheduler, you have comprehensive details about payroll and scheduling for each staff member. If you’re using the system for a restaurant, you can see how your team and specific employees are performing, as well as get a breakdown of the busy times of the day to help plan shifts. In addition to employee management, Brilliant also stands out for its affordable pricing. Check out the costs in our Brilliant POS review.

Businesses need to consider whether they want their POS software to include scheduling and timekeeping tools like those offered by Square or if they rather use a standalone time and attendance system. (Source: Square)

As an established business owner, you likely already have a POS system in place and are either unhappy with it or looking for a more advanced solution. As you upgrade or replace your platform, there are several factors you should consider during the decision-making journey. We spoke with business owners to find out what they prioritized during the buying process and what advice they have for fellow entrepreneurs choosing a new POS system.

Pricing

POS systems generally have recurring monthly costs, so it’s essential to make sure your business can cover the long-term expense. While you shouldn’t sign up for a plan that will break your budget, it may be worthwhile to choose a mid-level or high-tier plan that will be more beneficial over the long run than a basic package. 

“An advanced POS may cost more but provides tools to scale,” said Haiko de Poel, owner of The Great Greek Charleston. “If growth is a goal, the extra investment in a sophisticated system will pay off.”

Jay Owen, CEO of Business Builders agreed. “If growth and scale are priorities, invest in a system with powerful features, even if [it] costs more,” he told us. 

Dylan Cleppe, owner of OneStop Nortwest, similarly said, “An advanced platform may cost more upfront but provide infrastructure to scale, avoiding replacement costs down the road.”

Industry-Specific Features

Many of the leading POS vendors today offer feature sets designed for specific industries. For example, Clover has different packages built for various sectors in mind, such as retail stores versus businesses in home and field services.

For Matt Foley, founder of LobsterOrder.com, choosing a restaurant-specific POS system was critical, leading his team to select Toast. “We had to choose this really because of its strong features and design for the food service business, [which is] very important for us having a seafood business,” he said.

Omnichannel Ease of Use

Your chosen POS system should be easy to navigate, especially across different sales channels. If you operate in multiple locations or offer e-commerce in addition to brick-and-mortar retail, using your POS solution should operate seamlessly in all situations.

Those needs drove Nathan Clark’s search when he was looking for a POS system as the CEO of Organix SEO Agency. “Our main criteria for selecting a POS were ease of use and smooth integration with our store. We also needed a system that could manage both our in-store and online sales,” he said.

Clark found Shopify “intuitive to use,” noting, “The way it seamlessly works with our store has been fantastic.”

Payment Options & Rates

During her quest for a POS system, Bas Rouge Farm & Forge owner Ivonne Vazquez found that “there were many factors to consider such as transaction fees, customer service, ability to accept many types of payments including NFC … the facility to integrate securely with my financial institution and quick processing time to add funds into my account.”

Prioritizing payment options and credit card processing rates led Vazquez to GoDaddy’s POS solution. “It had lower transaction fees, which is great for business,” she said. “Plus, the ability to tap, swipe or insert was also a deciding factor as it means I can cater to more groups of customers and their preferred payment methods, leading to a better overall customer experience.”

Scalability

With any enterprise, your objective is to keep growing and scale your business over time. That means your company’s needs will continue to evolve over time, too, which is why it’s important to choose a flexible POS system that can scale as your business does.

“Select a POS that can grow with your business,” Foley said. “For instance, Toast offers flexible pricing plans and additional features that can be added when needed, thus [making it] ideally suited for businesses preparing for growth.”

Integrations

Brett Henrichsen, owner of Posterprintshop, was particularly concerned about integrations and customizability. He liked that “Clover offered an open API to connect with our store,” and said business owners should “choose a POS that integrates completely with your current systems.”

Reports

During his search, Henrichsen also placed value on “in-depth sales reporting to optimize our business.” That’s a lesson de Poel learned the hard way.

“I wish I had evaluated analytics and data more closely,” he told us. “For catering, understanding sales trends and menu performance is key to growth. Clover’s basic reports don’t provide the insights I need.”

de Poel’s advice? “Determine your ‘must-haves’ and focus on systems that excel in those areas. Don’t just consider the basics,” he said. “For food businesses, consider inventory management, menu building and data analytics.”

To determine the best POS systems on the market, our team of sales experts and software analysts evaluated an initial list of 112 platforms. As this number suggests, we cast a wide net, looking not only at popular, well-known POS services but also at lesser-known platforms and up-and-coming vendors that might appeal to established businesses. 

To narrow our list, our experts and analysts studied each solution’s functionality and judged the products on nearly 50 factors. These included the availability of industry-specific plans, payment options, credit card processing rates, usability, scalability, customer support resources and more.

Based on that research, we further narrowed our list to 14 POS systems before ultimately choosing seven POS programs as our top recommendations. Those decisions were based on in-depth investigations that included participating in vendor demos, conducting hands-on testing and scouring real customer testimonials to gauge how their user experiences measured up to ours.

The main factors highlighted below were weighted differently in our overall conclusion. The weights were determined based on how much business owners prioritize these criteria when shopping for business software and services and making purchasing decisions.

• Pricing (30%): Our experts and analysts compared and contrasted each vendor’s plans, judging which packages offered the best bang for your buck. They took into account monthly subscription fees, credit card processing rates, hardware costs and whether there were industry-specific pricing plans.
• Features (25%): We looked for standard POS system functions like in-store, mobile and online payment processing, inventory management, customer management and loyalty programs. We also assessed the available integrations and awarded extra points for advanced services, like AI-powered stock monitoring and price control.
• Ease of Use (25%): We tested the hardware and software ourselves, gauging each solution’s learning curve, user-friendliness and customization options. We also considered whether there were e-commerce capabilities and a fully featured mobile app for managing sales and marketing tasks on the go.
• Customer Service (20%): We evaluated the range of customer service options, including whether phone assistance was provided with all package tiers. We also examined each vendor’s online resources for businesses interested in self-guided help.

Based on these criteria, we not only determined which POS systems our readers could trust but also the ways in which each solution could best serve different business needs. Some solutions were better at certain tasks than others or more suited to a particular type of company. These takeaways informed the “Best for” use cases you see on this page.

To learn more about our methodology, see our full editorial process.