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Top 10 Best Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems & Software

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Simply put, POS stands for “Point of Sale.” It’s the system where the customer is billed, the transaction is collected, and sales tax is collected.

A POS may be more complex than a standard cash register, but times have changed. Today, a typical POS system comes equipped with all sorts of features and devices, including inventory and replenishment tracking, customer loyalty programs, and employee management tools.

To save you the hassle, we’ve put together this guide to help you find the perfect, reliable, and feature-rich POS system for your business.

Our experts have tested several POS systems and ranked them among the top 10 for quality, efficiency, speed, price, and other important features.

After all the research, we can tell you which will be the best POS system of 2022. Lightspeed is the best all-in-one POS provider right now, ideal for all types of businesses.

Our Top 10 Best Best Point-of-Sale Systems & Software in 2024:

Shopify: Best Point of Sale (POS) System
Toast: Best All-in-One System for Restaurant Management
Lightspeed: Best Full-Featured POS System
POS Advantage: Ideal for Retail Stores Looking for Advanced and Comprehensive Sales Features
TouchBistro: Best Analytics and Reporting Features for Restaurants
Clover: Best POS System
Square: Best for Fixed Fees
Flagman: Best for Affordability
SkyTab: Best All-in-One System for Restaurant Management
Oracle Netsuite: Best for Large Enterprises and Retailers

Compare The Best Point of Sales (POS) Systems

POS systems evolve alongside the technology offered by vendors. Of course, each POS brand adapts to different business needs.

We’ve researched and selected the 10 best retail systems for small business owners and growing businesses.

Read all the details about the featured brands. You’ll learn the basics about monthly software fees, contract lengths, integrations, and more.

Check out our comparison table to help you make the best decision.

Learn more about POS systems and optimize your customer experience and payment processing.

A Closer Look at the Top 10 POS Systems

  • Price Range at $39/month.
  • Best for businesses looking to integrate their physical and online sales systems.

The Shopify POS app works on both iPad and Android. You’ll need to purchase a card reader, as well as any barcode scanners, printers, and cash registers you need. This helps reduce monthly costs, as the cost of the rented equipment isn’t included in your monthly bill. If you don’t want to sell online, the Lite plan is an affordable option for accepting card payments. Monthly subscriptions can be expensive if you want to take advantage of all the available features, but smart inventory management and multi-channel tools make it worth the investment for larger businesses.

Setup cost: $49

Contract length: Monthly or annual plans, two or three years

Pros

Detailed analytics and reporting

Cons

Toast is a cloud-based restaurant POS system provider with all the features you could want. From an online ordering system to a loyalty program, gift card generator, and detailed inventory management system, Toast has it all figured out. Splitting checks, easy order cancellation, and a close-for-day feature are just a few of the benefits.

Unlike most POS systems, Toast runs on the Android operating system. This means that, for the business owner, the hardware is significantly cheaper to purchase and more versatile in terms of integration. Toast Go, the mobile version of the hardware, allows servers to manage their tables, orders, payments, and insertions for faster and more efficient order fulfillment. Overall, Toast is a more elegant, fluid, and intuitive POS system than the others.

Setup Cost: $0 to $799

Contract Length: No contract required

Pros

Price

Lightspeed collects all TouchBistro data and updates it for use in both retail and restaurants. The result is exciting features like food management systems and interactive menus for the restaurant industry. Lightspeed’s menu functionality is excellent, with high-resolution photos, descriptions, and prices for each item. Loyalty programs can also be set up to reward repeat customers and a full CRM to track inflows and outflows.

For retailers, Lightspeed offers various hardware options to improve efficiency and sales, such as scanners, printers, and electronic cash registers. The POS system also includes sales reporting, merchant services, and an e-commerce platform. Lightspeed’s inventory management is real-time, so you can inform your customers instantly when you have a specific item in stock.

Setup Cost: N/A

Contract Length: 14 months

Pros

 

Cons

 

No

POS Pros is a popular platform that connects business owners with the best POS solutions that fit their needs. It partners with nearly 30 well-known brands, including Clover and Square. It offers industry-specific solutions, as well as a selection of additional features.

For example, the POS Pros team can help you set up a refund system, and business owners can request cash directly from their website. There are no fixed contracts, and overall, I think it’s a great option for business owners who need help choosing and implementing the right POS solution.

Why we chose POS Pros: POS Pros is one of the best options for those who need help choosing the right POS system for their business.

Our experience: I really liked the friendliness of POS Pros’ customer service agents. They really make life easier for business owners who need POS advice.

Pros

Cons

t

TouchBistro is another excellent option for foodservice businesses of all sizes. Whether it’s a food truck, a full-service restaurant, a pub, or a nightclub, TouchBistro is a POS software designed specifically for your industry. This means it includes features tailored to your needs, pressure points, and customers. Foodservice managers will appreciate features like drive-thru for faster service, a kitchen display system for smoother communication between servers and kitchen staff, and a digital menu board for instant updates.

In addition to the usual benefits of reporting, analytics, and inventory management, these POS systems are fully equipped with features like table booking, restaurant table management, and menu management. Managers will also appreciate the scheduling features included with TouchBistro devices, as they greatly simplify staff management.

Now, for a limited time, you can save up to $7,000 on a new restaurant POS with TouchBistro.

Setup cost: Starting at $0

Contract length: Monthly

Pros

 

Cons

If you’re already experienced with POS systems, Clover will feel familiar. This is because other POS software providers even use this hardware, which should tell you something about the system. Clover POS has all the features you’d expect from a POS system, including integrated payment processing, order management, and a customer management system. It even includes marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, and birthday promotions to help you expand your customer base. Clover also offers other tools like shift management, scheduling, and activity logs.

Of course, if you want to do it all, Clover has great features like customer reviews, guest management, and a gift card generator.

Setup Cost: $0 to $1,349

Contract Length: No contract required

Pros

Square isn’t just a budget-friendly option. The iPad POS system is packed with features like an e-commerce platform, inventory management, and virtual payment terminals. Square is also mobile-friendly, includes a developer API, and has numerous third-party integrations. While not a good option for high-risk industries, Square is ideal for almost any other type of business, including home services, restaurants, and retail.

Setup fees start at $29.

Terms of Agreement: No, pay-as-you-go.

Pros

Cons

One downside is that Flagship’s native point-of-sale (POS) offerings are basic. However, they are certified resellers of the Clover POS system, one of the best we’ve used. Customer support is limited to phone and online support, but the team is responsive and available 24/7 to help.

Setup Cost: Starting at $0

Contract Length: Flexible

Pros


Price Range: Starting at $29.99
Ideal for full-service and quick-service restaurants
Mobile Device Compatibility: Yes

SkyTab is an excellent choice for a POS system. It includes modern hardware, easy-to-use software, and a wide range of features to keep your business running efficiently. With contactless payments via NFC and QR codes, secure payment processing, online ordering capabilities, and customer management tools, you’ll have everything you need to run a successful food and beverage business. Plus, SkyTab provides real-time reporting and analytics to help you track your performance.

SuiteCommerce InStore connects your POS system with all your existing business systems, eliminating the need for integration between separate systems. Its tablet-friendly touch interface and responsive design offer easy-to-use digital tools on any device.

Installation cost: Not available.

Contract length: From 1 year.

Pros

Cons

The Types of POS Software

There are four main types of POS software:

Mobile sales software

This software is cloud-based and installed as an app on your smartphone or tablet. It typically includes a receipt printer and credit card reader, but isn’t as powerful as a full-featured POS terminal. It’s ideal for freelancers like plumbers or mobile food truck owners.

Tablet POS software 

A tablet version is similar to mobile POS software, but offers more features and capabilities. Tablet POS software can be used in multiple locations to manage large and complex retail businesses, including inventory tracking, employee time tracking, payroll, and accounting. It is compatible with various POS hardware solutions to create a complete POS system for any situation.

Terminal POS software 

Terminal POS software is fixed-based POS software with full administrative features. It can be cloud-based or on-premise. Terminal POS software is ideal for large retail or online stores, spas, shopping malls, and other brick-and-mortar businesses.

Self-service or unattended POS software 

You will also find POS software designed for the specific needs of specific industries, such as restaurants and hospitality, clothing stores, financial services, academic and educational, and POS software for the pharmaceutical industry.

The cost of your POS software will depend on the type of software you choose. A mobile POS software program, such as a smartphone app, can start at $50 per month, while a more sophisticated program can cost several hundred dollars per month. When purchasing POS software, you typically pay the initial price plus monthly or annual payment processing fees.

The following factors can also affect the cost of POS software packages:

POS Systems Costs

The cost of POS systems varies considerably depending on the type and size of the business you serve. Two costs to consider when looking for a POS system are the monthly software and installation fees.

The monthly cost of software ranges from $0 to $100 or more. Most paid POS software packages cost between $15 and $30 per month. Setup fees typically include software and hardware installation. Payment POS systems don’t always have a user limit, meaning an unlimited number of employees can use the software to complete transactions.
Of course, there are “free” POS systems. This means the hardware and monthly packages start at $0, but the business is charged for each transaction. For example, a POS provider may charge 2% to 4% plus a few cents for card transactions or manually entered sales.

Getting the Right POS Hardware

POS hardware is the other essential part of your POS system. It’s best to have the right hardware to handle the operations and transactions your POS system will manage. A basic set of POS hardware includes:

Depending on your business, you may also need:

The Benefits of a POS System for Your Business

With a POS system, your business can retain more customers through a more effective and targeted loyalty program, as well as track inventory to avoid unexpected stockouts. A POS system can help you create complex discount offers when necessary.

With the right POS system, you can also analyze sales history to identify purchase correlations and seasonal trends, which can be helpful if you’re looking to increase sales. You can also eliminate manual errors with barcode scanners and automatic synchronization, and combat absenteeism with a more reliable employee tracking system.

Other key benefits include increased payment security and the ability to boost sales by accepting payments in-store.

Cloud POS Systems vs. On-Premises POS Systems
A cloud POS system stores data on remote servers and can be accessed online, while a traditional or on-premises POS system stores data on a local server and can be accessed over an internal network. Below are the key differences between cloud and on-premise POS systems.

If you have long-term business plans and your needs are likely to evolve as your business grows, a cloud POS system is probably the best option. On the other hand, if you have fixed needs or a tight budget, it might be best to choose a traditional POS system.

How to Choose a POS System Provider

Choosing a POS system provider depends on the type of business you have, its age, and the scale of your operations.

Here are some questions, categorized by category, that can help you choose the right POS system provider.

Equipment and features

What types of receipts are generated?

Point of sale installation

How good is the customer service?

Costs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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