Retailers want performance past merely processing funds in immediately’s aggressive panorama. Retail point-of-sale (POS) techniques should even have sturdy stock management, multichannel gross sales instruments, streamlined buyer relationship administration options, and insights into which merchandise and staff carry out greatest. The very best retail POS techniques supply all these capabilities in an inexpensive and easy-to-use package deal.
Based mostly on our analysis, the perfect retail POS techniques are:
The software program on this article was chosen by Match Small Enterprise retail specialists, Meaghan Brophy and Brigitte Hodge, who’ve years of hands-on expertise working in retail and with POS techniques.
Finest Retail POS Programs In contrast
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✓ |
$0–$60 |
In-person: 2.6% + 10 cents On-line: 3.5% + 15 cents |
$799 |
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Go to Sq. |
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✓ |
0–$89 |
In-person: 2.4%–2.7% On-line: 2.4%–2.9% + 30 cents |
$219 (pill not included) |
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Go to Shopify |
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$89–$269 |
In-person: 2.6% + 10 cents On-line: 2.6% + 30 cents |
Customized quote |
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Go to Lightspeed |
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$89–$269 |
In-person: 2.6% + 10 cents On-line: 2.6% + 30 cents |
Customized quote |
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Go to Vend by Lightspeed |
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*All Shopify ecommerce accounts ($29–$299) include a free POS account (you may improve to POS Professional for $89), however you need to have an ecommerce account to entry the POS system.
On the lookout for One thing Totally different?
In case you have a specialty store or are on the lookout for a selected performance, think about the choices under. For extra on pricing, options, and different industry-specific choices, click on over to view every software program’s full assessment.
* KORONA POS additionally has ticketing and quick-service options making it superb for museums, reward outlets, wineries, amusement parks, and extra.
**Lightspeed is suitable with high-risk retailers and has built-in instruments to handle work orders, particular orders, serial numbers, and warranties.
Quiz: Decide Your Good POS Resolution
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What’s the greatest POS system for what you are promoting?
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Need to see some extra choices? Discover extra choices from our roundup of greatest POS techniques.
Sq. for Retail: Finest General Retail POS System
Sq. for Retail
General Rating: 4.58
OUT OF 5
Execs
- Perpetually-free plan
- Plus plan gives unimaginable worth—superior reporting instruments and stock options
- Scalable; grows with what you are promoting
- Works on any internet-enabled gadget (through app or on-line account)
Cons
- Free plan has restricted stock capabilities
- Not obtainable on Android units
- Restricted buyer assist hours
Finest for:
- New retailers with progress plans: Its forever-free plan is sensible for retailers simply beginning out, whereas its superior plans are excellent for scaling companies.
- Companies on a small price range: Sq. is our prime decide for a free POS system.
- Companies switching over from money registers: Sq.’s user-friendly interface and general simplicity make it a fantastic choice for these upgrading from a money register.
General, Sq. gives among the greatest POS techniques for small companies of every type. Sq. for Retail isn’t any exception. The starter plan is free to make use of, whereas the Plus plan gives some extra refined options and the Premium plan offers entry to nearly all merchandise within the Sq. ecosystem. The system is cloud-based, runs on iPads or Sq. Register, and is extremely straightforward to make use of.
Each plan comes with built-in funds, a free on-line retailer for ecommerce and curbside pickup, digital receipts and buyer suggestions assortment, a barcode-based consumer interface, and buyer profiles with advertising insights.
In our analysis, Sq. for Retail earned a 4.58 out of 5 and is the one system to earn an ideal rating for pricing. It stands out as a user-friendly system providing unbeatable worth and sensible instruments to develop what you are promoting. It misplaced factors for an absence of superior reporting instruments and restricted assist hours.
Sq. for Retail Options
- Checkout instruments: Barcode-based consumer interface comes with superior product search, save carts for later, and return and trade processing. On-line orders routinely seem within the POS registers. There are alternatives for cellular, contactless, QR codes, reward playing cards, and on-line funds.
- Stock administration: Carry out variant monitoring and management, arrange low inventory alerts, create and print barcodes, obtain inventory from the app in bulk, create and monitor buy orders as they arrive in, handle distributors, and carry out inventory counts and COGS monitoring.
- Subtle {hardware}: Along with operating on iPads, Sq. for Retail operates on Sq. Register, a countertop POS with a removable customer-facing show with built-in chip, swipe, and contactless funds.
- Omnichannel options: Each account comes with a free on-line retailer, options to promote on Instagram, an modern web site builder, automated stock sync, and omnichannel instruments, like in-store pickup and native supply.
- CRM instruments: Mechanically generate buyer profiles primarily based on the fee technique, create and phase buyer teams, add shopper particulars, and ship digital receipts with suggestions surveys.
- Sq. ecosystem: One of the vital important advantages of utilizing Sq. is having seamless integration with all of its extra enterprise instruments, like payroll, staff administration, appointments, loyalty, invoicing, and a web based retailer. You may add and take away software program at any time to construct an answer personalized for what you are promoting.
- Worker administration: Sq. for Retail Plus contains superior staff administration options like shift scheduling and swapping, customized permission settings, exercise logs, and superior reporting.
What Sq. is lacking:
Sq. has restricted buyer assist hours, not like Shopify and Vend, which provide customer support brokers 24/7. The supplier additionally lacks specialty/customized orders (one thing that Lightspeed Retail offers) and layaway fee strategies—a function that the Vend POS software program offers.
Shopify POS: Finest Retail POS for Omnichannel Gross sales
Shopify POS
General Rating: 4.48
OUT OF 5
Execs
- Finest-in-class omnichannel options
- Intuitive cellular app interface
- Customizable cellular checkout
- Settle for many fee varieties
Cons
- Solely obtainable with ecommerce plan
- Restricted stock options within the free plan
- Minimal offline fee choices
- Paid subscriptions may be expensive
Finest for:
- Retail companies that primarily promote on-line: Shopify is our prime decide for greatest ecommerce platform, and Shopify POS comes without cost in any of its ecommerce subscription plans.
- Multichannel retailers: Shopify tops our checklist of greatest multichannel POS techniques. It permits you to sync on-line and in-person gross sales, course of curbside and pickup orders, and begin gross sales in-store and end them on-line.
Shopify POS is an add-on to Shopify’s industry-leading ecommerce platform. It’s solely obtainable to Shopify ecommerce sellers, so it’s greatest for on-line shops trying to broaden to in-person gross sales or small companies trying to promote on-line and improve their in-store software program program.
What makes this supplier shine is that it gives highly effective, complete omnichannel promoting options that make it the best choice for retailers eager to develop on-line gross sales or emphasize curbside pickup—a necessity for retailers immediately.
In our analysis, Shopify earned a 4.48 out of 5, with excellent marks for ease of use and a near-perfect rating for register options. Shopify gives refined gross sales instruments in a customizable, user-friendly package deal that may develop with what you are promoting. Ecommerce subscription necessities and its restricted performance within the free POS plan prevented Shopify from incomes a better rating.
Shopify POS Options
- Omnichannel gross sales: Prospects can browse in-store and have gadgets emailed to them, scan QR codes to open product pages in your web site, and get real-time delivery updates. You may supply curbside pickup, settle for returns and exchanges for on-line purchases in-store, and ship in-store purchases to clients’ houses. All information seamlessly syncs between ecommerce and in-store.
- Checkout: Customise the register display screen, add shortcuts, promote on cellular, customise receipts, and save carts.
- Merchandise and stock administration: Create collections and merchandise variants, handle a number of areas, monitor inventory ranges, handle buy orders, obtain vendor shipments, arrange low inventory alerts, forecast product calls for, and get solutions for gadgets to low cost. These instruments, together with the power to combine with consignment software program, make it our prime decide for consignment retailer POS techniques.
- Reporting: View stats at-a-glance, see money flows, assessment finance reviews, and monitor money and each day gross sales.
- Workers administration: Assign particular person PINs, set customized permissions, and attribute gross sales to award commissions.
- Buyer administration: Create buyer profiles, phase clients, add notes to profiles and particular person orders, set advertising preferences, and construct loyalty applications.
- Advertising and marketing: Gather product evaluations, create e-mail advertising campaigns, combine social media accounts, and create Google Advert campaigns.
What Shopify is lacking:
On the finish of the day, Shopify is designed primarily for on-line retailers, and you need to have a Shopify ecommerce account to entry the POS system. The price of the ecom subscription can add up in the event you additionally subscribe to POS Professional to entry superior reporting and employees administration instruments. Take into account Sq. for a extra inexpensive choice.
Lightspeed Retail: Finest for Stock Administration & Customized Orders
Lightspeed Retail
General Rating: 4.43
OUT OF 5
Execs
- Detailed, actionable analytics
- Granular stock administration, together with matrices
- Constructed-in RACS compliance
- Robust built-in ecommerce platform
Cons
- Advanced interface
- No built-in native supply software
- Not obtainable on Android units
- Excessive worth level
Finest for:
- Companies that want a sophisticated stock administration system: Lightspeed Retail is nice for storefronts with excessive SKU counts, with its product monitoring and customizable matrix stock. It’s the greatest POS for stock available on the market.
- Specialty retailers—bike outlets, restore companies, and digital outlets: Detailed stock and work order administration instruments make Lightspeed a fantastic match for extra specialised and area of interest outlets.
Lightspeed Retail is a sturdy retail POS system that features greater than 40 gross sales and stock reviews, analytics instruments, and detailed stock administration. This supplier additionally has top-of-the-line ecommerce and loyalty add-ons.
General, Lightspeed Retail is among the greatest retail POS techniques due to its refined stock and analytics instruments. Nevertheless, its distinctive native options for processing customized and work orders make it particularly nice for specialty outlets like bike shops or jewelers that must course of repairs or order particular person components.
In our analysis, Lightspeed Retail earned a 4.43 out of 5, with an ideal rating for ease of use and a near-perfect rating for administration options. It’s additionally ranked as our top-recommended POS for stock administration. Costly subscriptions and a fancy checkout display screen prevented Lightspeed Retail from incomes a better rating.
Lightspeed Retail Options
- Stock administration: Handle customized orders from buyers, bundle gadgets for reward baskets, and anticipate stock wants. This forecasting software and talent to foretell purchasing developments are a part of what units Lightspeed other than the competitors.
- Provider market: Lightspeed POS comes with over 8 million merchandise loaded within the provider listing, so you may create, handle, and submit buy orders from inside the system and simply import correct product data. View updates on orders in actual time.
- Buyer administration: Create buyer profiles, monitor transactions, assign VIP standing, handle promo codes, and promote and redeem reward playing cards. Automated loyalty program obtainable with Normal and Superior plans.
- Reporting and analytics: Lightspeed contains greater than 40 built-in reviews that cowl stock, gross sales, worker efficiency, and extra in a single analytics dashboard. What units it aside is it interprets information into actionable enterprise ideas. For instance, Lightspeed can take gross sales and visitors information and translate that into staffing and stock reviews that can assist you put together for peak hours.
- Ecommerce and omnichannel instruments: Lightspeed eCom integrates seamlessly with the POS software program. Select from a number of mobile-responsive and customizable on-line retailer templates and handle stock, product pages, delivery, returns and exchanges, advertising, and reviews. Lightspeed eCom is offered in a number of languages and currencies, with worldwide delivery choices. Enhance visitors by connecting your social accounts, using its search engine optimization instruments, and sending newsletters and notification emails.
What Lightspeed Retail is lacking:
The primary downside of Lightspeed Retail is that every one of its sturdy stock and analytics instruments lead to a busy and sophisticated interface. It additionally comes with a giant price ticket. If you’re on the lookout for a user-friendly and inexpensive choice, think about Sq. for Retail.
Vend by Lightspeed: Finest Retail POS for Versatile Funds
Vend by Lightspeed
General Rating: 4.33
OUT OF 5
Execs
- Person-friendly interface
- No extra charges for third-party fee processors
- Many suitable fee processor choices
- Free apps for stock scanning and customer-facing show
Cons
- Dear
- Increased worth in the event you use a third-party service provider account
- Many superior instruments reserved for highest plan
Finest for:
- Excessive-volume and multilocation retailers: Present outlets, homeware shops, vogue boutiques, and well being and complement retailers will discover Vend by Lightspeed a fantastic match because it gives refined multilocation stock monitoring, together with centralized warehouses administration.
Vend by Lightspeed is an intuitive iPad POS system constructed particularly for retailers, with key options reminiscent of built-in loyalty applications, cellular checkout, a free customer-facing show app, and a cellular scanner app for fast stock counts. It additionally stands out for its versatile fee choices—you may select your individual service provider account and arrange customized fee varieties like layaway, retailer credit score, and on-account gross sales.
The checkout display screen can also be one of many best to navigate, particularly in terms of ringing returns and exchanges. Whereas many POS techniques attempt to supply each function for each enterprise, Vend focuses on offering unbelievable in-store retail capabilities and lets third-party apps deal with every part else.
In our analysis, Vend by Lightspeed earned a 4.33 out of 5. It has distinctive performance, however its steep worth level prevented it from incomes a better rating. Vend by Lightspeed is particularly expensive when you think about that you’ll want a separate ecommerce software program and worker administration instruments on prime of your month-to-month charges.
Vend by Lightspeed Options
Since our final replace:
Vend has began to work on providing a buy-online-pickup-in-store integration. You may quickly begin providing a click-and-collect choice from any of your shops utilizing Lightspeed eCom. Additionally, you may get real-time stock updates between your on-line shops and Retail POS.
- Checkout: Customise the POS app with shortcuts, add notes and line gadgets to transactions and buyer receipts, save transactions to finish later, handle reward playing cards, and arrange layaway and on-account funds.
- Fee processing: Whereas Vend by Lightspeed routinely comes built-in with Lightspeed Funds, it might probably additionally combine with CardConnect (First Information), Chase, Elavon, Klarna, PayPal, Sq., Worldpay, and others so you may store round for the bottom charges. Vend additionally gives numerous flexibility with options like retailer credit score and layaway funds. It’s best to notice, nevertheless, that your Vend month-to-month price will go up in the event you don’t use Lightspeed Funds, so weigh that value when you’re evaluating service provider account choices.
- Stock: Observe stock throughout a number of shops, create a centralized product catalog, edit merchandise in bulk, automate buy orders, create variants and composites, and print labels and barcodes. It has a novel scanner cellular app to search for merchandise by barcode, carry out stock counts, replace inventory counts, and add new merchandise to the catalog.
- Buyer administration: Create buyer profiles, import current buyer lists, promote and redeem reward playing cards, phase buyer teams, export clients to e-mail advertising software program, concern retailer credit score, and create a customized loyalty program.
- Add-ons and integrations: MailSync syncs Vend POS information to Mailchimp, Fixed Contact, and different e-mail software program. Join with different advertising instruments like Yotpo and Perkville, stock instruments like Orderhive and Sku IQ, accounting instruments like QuickBooks and Gusto, ecommerce platforms BigCommerce and Shopify, and extra.
- Worker administration: Create personalized consumer logins and permissions for employees, require worker passwords for every sale to trace efficiency, and get register and shift reviews. One distinctive function of Vend is setting particular person worker and staff gross sales objectives and common basket sizes.
- Reporting: Customise reviews and regulate filters and variables to view information on clients, stock, and staff. View real-time inventory ranges, reward card information, and staff efficiency from wherever with its mobile-friendly web-based dashboard.
What Vend by Lightspeed is lacking:
As with Lightspeed, Vend is dear. As well as, Vend recommends utilizing a third-party ecommerce platform for a number of shops, and also you want a separate worker administration software to handle employees, making it a not-so-ideal answer for companies on a price range. Take into account going with Sq. for Retail and join its free plan in the event you want a cheaper choice.
How We Evaluated Retail POS Programs
We prioritized POS techniques which are inexpensive, dependable, and simple to make use of. We additionally thought of stock administration instruments, on-line retailer and multichannel promoting options, buyer and worker administration, fee processing choices, reporting and accounting instruments, buyer assist hours and high quality, and third-party integrations.
Every system on our checklist has a number of {hardware} choices, together with iPad apps, instruments for promoting on-line, and a number of plans so the software program can develop with what you are promoting. Each system on this checklist can also be cloud-based. Based mostly on our analysis, Sq. for Retail is the perfect general retail POS system, incomes a 4.58 out of 5.
Click on via the tabs under for our in-depth analysis standards:
15% of General Rating
We prioritized techniques with a starter plan with month-to-month charges of lower than $75, awarding additional factors to techniques that provide a free plan. We additionally thought of fee processing charges and whether or not every system gives negotiable or quantity low cost charges. Lastly, we penalized techniques that cap the variety of customers, merchandise, transactions, or gross sales you may course of with out upgrading plans. Sq. for Retail is the one supplier that bought an ideal rating on this standards.
20% of General Rating
Retailers want speedy checkout instruments like customizable hotkeys and simple product lookup, return administration, and mobility to ring gross sales curbside or on the gross sales ground. We additionally prioritized techniques with versatile fee instruments like contactless, reward playing cards, retailer credit score, layaway, and order-ahead choices. Lastly, we thought of whether or not every system might course of customized, work, or service orders, reminiscent of repairs. Shopify POS was the runaway winner on this class with its customizable cellular checkout function.
35% of General Rating
Crucial consideration was stock administration—low-stock alerts, matrix stock, and buy orders, plus straightforward inventory counts and cargo receiving. We additionally appeared into CRM instruments like directories, loyalty applications, advertising, and buyer suggestions assortment. Extra factors got for worker administration options, together with logins, scheduling, and fee reporting. Seamless omnichannel administration for creating a web based retailer and processing ecommerce orders and detailed reporting for merchandise, gross sales, clients, and staff have been additionally thought of. Lightspeed Retail received this class with its standout stock and analytics instruments.
15% of General Rating
Straightforward set up, detailed coaching supplies, and 24/7 buyer assist have been important issues. We additionally prioritized techniques which are a hybrid set up or in any other case supply an offline mode, in an effort to nonetheless function if the web goes down. Lastly, we awarded factors to software program that may run on varied {hardware} so retailers can select their most well-liked units. Lightspeed Retail, Shopify POS, and Vend by Lightspeed all bought excellent scores on this standards. Sq. for Retail’s solely minus level was restricted buyer assist hours.
15% of General Rating
On this part, we evaluated every system by its complete function set (together with any standout instruments), the worth it gives for the value, reputation and consumer evaluations, whether or not or not the system experiences loads of downtime, and the general expertise of navigating the system’s interface. Sq. for Retail and Shopify POS bought our prime votes.
*Percentages of general rating
Meet the Consultants
The analysis and collection of the POS techniques that ended up on this checklist have been carried out by two of Match Small Enterprise’s prime retail specialists. Get to know them under.
Retail POS System Ceaselessly Requested Questions (FAQs)
Click on via the questions under to get solutions to a few of your most requested questions on retail POS techniques.
What’s a POS system?
A POS or point-of-sale system is the software program and {hardware} that companies use to course of transactions and monitor enterprise actions, like stock, gross sales information, your employees, and extra.
Study extra: What’s a POS System
What POS system is the most cost effective?
There are a number of POS system suppliers that provide utterly free accounts. Our prime decide for a free POS system is Sq. POS, as all the essential POS options are free for a single location, and there are inexpensive plans to assist you as you develop.
Study extra: Finest Free POS Programs
What POS system is the perfect?
In our analysis, Sq. gives the perfect POS system not just for retailers, however throughout the board for every type of small companies.
Study extra: Finest POS Programs for Small Companies
What POS system is greatest for retail?
Sq. gives the perfect POS system for retailers, with a free plan, tons of nice instruments, an included ecommerce web site, and built-in fee processing.
Study extra: Sq. for Retail assessment
Backside Line
A retail POS system is a vital software program software that serves because the central hub in your retail enterprise. Along with processing gross sales, retail POS techniques gather and analyze information to assist inform buying and staffing selections, handle staff and stock, and assist construct your buyer base with loyalty and advertising efforts.
Sq. for Retail is our prime decide as a result of it has a free plan to assist new companies (or companies new to utilizing a degree of sale) get began, with plans and add-ons to develop with what you are promoting. Sq. additionally makes it straightforward and free to arrange a primary on-line retailer with in-store pickup choices, handle clients, and monitor gross sales. Go to Sq. to create a free account.
