10 Best POS Systems for Small Business in 2022

You don’t need to purchase much hardware to run the Square POS system. Many small businesses can run the POS on iPads they already own with an attached Square card reader. Square will send your first card reader to you for free. If you need a more elaborate setup, Square sells a variety of stands, printers, card readers, and cash drawers to complete your system.

Square Contactless and Chip Reader	@Rest stand for iPad mini kit	Square Stand Kit	Square Register
$49	$526 ($1,055 with iPad Mini)	$639 ($1,607 with iPad)	$799 ($39/month with financing)
Wireless card reader that accepts in-person payments	Low-profile iPad mini stand with Bluetooth mobile receipt printer and two card readers	iPad stand with card readers, receipt printer, and cash drawer	All-in-one terminal with integrated card reader and customer-facing display
Purchase from Square	Purchase from Square	Purchase from Square	Purchase from Square

Depending on your needs and business type, you can operate Square’s POS functions on a desktop, smartphone, iPad, or Square Register. This makes Square the most versatile POS in this guide when it comes to hardware.

Setting up your Square system is an easy, do-it-yourself-affair, following Square’s guided setup instructions. Once you attach a bank account and card reader (Square sends your first one free), you can start processing sales and payments. In most cases, full POS setup takes less than a day. This is one of the fastest installation windows of any system on the market.

Square’s standout features include:

• Speedy payments: Square does not require a lengthy application to submit before you can start accepting payments. Once your bank account is verified, you can start accepting payments the same day you open your Square account. Processing fees are a low flat rate, and many businesses qualify for next-day deposits (though two-day deposits are more standard).
• Square Appointments: This Square supported app is much more than a simple scheduler. For appointment-based businesses like salons, it may be all the POS you need. You can manage multiple appointment calendars, set up online booking, allow customers to book and manage appointments with an online portal, send automatic SMS and email reminders, and require credit cards upon booking for no-show and cancellation fees.
• Square for Retail: If your business needs retail-supporting tools like inventory tracking and the ability to process refunds and exchanges, you’ll prefer Square for Retail. Like basic Square, Square for Retail offers a free baseline subscription with no long-term contracts. You’ll also get barcode printing tools, detailed sales reports, and easy purchase order and stock management.
• Square for Restaurants: Food and beverage businesses from food trucks to full-service restaurants will find restaurant specific tools in the Square for Restaurants POS. This system includes table and check management, check splitting, online ordering and delivery integrations, and tip tracking. The inventory tools are not ingredient-level, but you can expand them with a Marketman integration. And bar owners should note that the Square for Restaurants POS cannot pre-authorize bar tabs. If you need pre-auths try Toast, Lightspeed, or Revel.
• Free Square Online store: Every Square POS account comes with a free, integrated online store. If you don’t currently have a website, you can host your Square Online store for free on a Square-affiliated domain. In the age of ecommerce where customers want the ability to order all sorts of products and services online, this free site can be an incredible boost to your bottom line.

The Shopify POS works on iOS and Android tablets and, as with Square, you can use tablets you already own. You will need to attach a card reader, and you can purchase one alongside tablet stands, receipt printers, and cash drawers directly from Shopify. All purchases can be paid upfront or via a series of low monthly payments through Affirm.

Chipper 2X BT Reader	Eddy Tablet Stand	Star mPOP Basic
$49	$149	$499
Bluetooth-enabled tap, chip, and swipe reader	Adjustable POS stand that supports multiple tablet sizes	Combination receipt printer and cash drawer
Purchase from Shopify	Purchase from Shopify	Purchase from Shopify

Shopify has a lot to offer brick-and-mortar businesses needing a robust online presence. But if you’re not looking to sell online, a different retail POS that does not require an ecommerce subscription, like Vend, might be a better option. Shopify also advertises solutions for cafes and coffee shops, as it’s built with retailers in mind. However, these businesses might be better served by Square and Toast. If your restaurant needs an online ordering site, though, Shopify offers excellent ecommerce tools that integrate with several restaurant POS systems.

Shopify’s standout features include:

• Omnichannel sales: The seamless integration between the Shopify ecommerce site and POS enables retailers to offer a frictionless shopping experience. Your customers can buy online and request shipping or pick up and return in-store. They can also shop in-store and request shipping or even browse in-person and purchase their favorite products online using email carts and QR product codes.
• Online integrations: Shopify’s online store chat functions let your customers start a conversation with you from any page on your website. Shopify also integrates with Apple Business Chat, so iPhone users can send messages to you directly from their smartphones. A Facebook integration lets customers shop directly from Facebook and Instagram posts. You can also easily place “Buy” buttons on blog posts and other web content.
• Shipping integrations: Businesses that offer shipping will love that Shopify integrates with a slew of tools for shipping management. Popular platforms like ShipStation, Shippo, and ShipBob are all present, as are niche tools for dropshipping or Fulfillment by Amazon.
• Customer management: All Shopify plans include tools to generate customer profiles with contact information and shopping habits, add customer tags (such as VIP designations), track special requests, generate targeted promotions, create marketing content, and optimize social media campaigns.

Like many of the systems on this list, Lightspeed’s POS system is built on iPads. You can bring your own if they are compatible or purchase through Lightspeed. Tablet stands, cash drawers, receipt and kitchen printers, and card readers are all also available from Lightspeed at custom-quoted prices.

Lite Server	Lightspeed iPad Stand by Vault	Lightspeed iPad Stand by Studio Proper
Onsite server that backs up your POS terminals to boost offline functionality	Sturdy iPad stand that can withstand high-volume use	Sleek iPad stand that complements modern retail spaces
Contact Lightspeed for a custom quote

Like Square and Shopify, Lightspeed offers a powerful POS for managing in-store and online sales. With the way retail and restaurants have been impacted since 2020, it’s no wonder that the top three POS systems on this list include equally robust on-site and online selling features. Where Lightspeed has the other two systems beat, however, is in inventory management tools, especially for retailers.

Lightspeed’s standout features include:

• Inventory management: Retailers can bulk upload up to 10,000 SKUs at once, manage variants, create bundles, and track unit costs, layaways, and special orders. Built-in product catalogs streamline orders, and low-stock alerts let you know when to place them. Lightspeed has the most sophisticated integrated product ordering on this list, largely because of the built-in supplier network. The restaurant inventory is not quite at the same level yet, but with Lightspeed’s acquisition of Upserve, it should be there soon.
• Supplier network: Retailers can discover products, submit purchase orders, and track stock shipments from within Lightspeed POS. The only other system on this list that comes close to matching this tool is KORONA.
• Reporting and analytics: Lightspeed includes over 40 built-in reports and allows retailers to build custom reports that show data in easy-to-scan charts and graphs. Restaurant users can access basic reporting with the Essentials POS package and gain advanced reporting capabilities at the higher level subscription tiers. While this may cramp some operations, it also ensures that small operations don’t pay for features they don’t use.
• Ecommerce: Lightspeed ecommerce syncs with POS data, offers over 50 professional themes, and includes full shipping and order management tools, marketing, CRM, and SEO features. Restaurant ecommerce functions are equally robust, including options for online ordering and reservation functions.
• Marketing: Lightspeed has a built-in loyalty program included in higher-level subscription tiers. You can create a tiered rewards system for both in-store and online purchases, send one-time deals for birthdays or to VIP customers, and design emails with templates or a drag-and-drop builder. If you need marketing tools in your baseline POS, consider Revel.

Toast operates only on Toast-designed POS terminals. This can increase costs, but these terminals also have added benefits. They are designed to withstand high-volume use and function in restaurant environments that have to contend with heat, steam, spills, and drops. Toast hardware can operate at higher and lower temperatures than iPads, and Toast frequently tops our ranking of the best kitchen display systems.

Toast Flex + Tap Terminal	Toast Go 2 Terminal	Toast Kitchen Display Screen
$599 + $45 per month	$389 + $50 per month	$499 + $25 per month
14” POS screen on flip stand with Bluetooth-enabled tap, dip, and swipe card reader	Handheld order and payment terminal	14” HD LCD touch-screen kitchen display terminal
Purchase from Toast

Toast has every tool a restaurant owner could dream of. You get essential restaurant functions like QR code ordering and payments, online ordering and delivery management, ingredient-level inventory, and employee scheduling. However, Toast also supports niche tools like pocket-sized, handheld order and payment terminals, tip pool management, and in-POS messaging to alert managers when there is an issue or alert customers when their orders are ready.

Toast’s standout features include:

• Pay-as-you-go options: New Toast Starter subscribers can get started with no upfront costs. With the pay-as-you-go option, all Starter subscribers pay are processing fees (similar to Square’s Free POS). Toast’s processing fees are higher for pay-as-you-go users, but they include software and hardware for up to two terminals. You can add online ordering, loyalty, email marketing, and gift cards for an additional 0.4% in processing fees.
• Front-of-house features: Toast includes table, course, and seat management; easy check splitting; and credit card pre-authorizations for bar tabs. You’ll also get table management, order management, and even direct messaging from the POS screen, so your team can hail a manager directly from the POS when needed.
• Reporting and back office: Toast includes comprehensive, customizable reports for everything from staff management to menu assessments. You can track inventory in real time at the ingredient level, receive low stock alerts, and generate purchase orders from the back office.
• Workforce management: Like Square, Toast includes optional workforce management tools to draft and communicate employee schedules and streamline timekeeping and payroll. Toast goes a big step further, including tip-pool management and access to restaurant-tailored HR documents like handbook templates and alerts for new, local regulations.
• Online ordering and delivery: With Toast, you can create an integrated online ordering site to receive online orders or integrate with third-party platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash. Toast also includes full, maps-based driver dispatch if you want to support a team of in-house delivery drivers. Or you can use Toast Delivery Services to hail on-demand third-party drivers to deliver orders for a flat, per-order fee with no commissions.

Vend is browser-based, so it runs on any internet-enabled iOS, Android, and Windows-based computer or tablet. Vend is also compatible with a slew of popular receipt printers, cash drawers, and barcode scanners. So, as with Square, Vend lets you use hardware you already own. Though if you want a sleek POS terminal, Vend has you covered with options to pay upfront or in low monthly installments.

All-in-one mPOP	All-in-one mPOP with Scanner	PRO Hardware Kit
$499* (or $21.51 per month)	$600* (or $30.32 per month)	$1,036.49* (or $49.60 per month)
iOS, Android, and Windows compatible tablet stand with combination cash drawer and receipt printer	iOS, Android, and Windows compatible tablet stand with combination cash drawer and receipt printer and Bluetooth-enabled barcode scanner	Kit containing iPad stand, cash drawer, barcode scanner, and receipt printer
Purchase from Vend by Lightspeed	Purchase from Vend by Lightspeed	Purchase from Vend by Lightspeed

*Prices do not include iPads

Vend’s retail management tools are designed to be scalable, with options for small operations like gift shops up to multilocation boutiques. It is a user-friendly cloud system with offline processing, staff logins, flexible configurations including layaway and on-account sales, store credit, gift cards, and partial payment. You can scan new shipments to add them to your inventory and print custom barcode labels to quickly get the new products onto the sales floor.

Vend by Lightspeed’s standout features include:

• Detailed inventory tools: Vend allows retailers to easily track variants and bundles, and create, import, and print barcodes from the POS dashboard. You can also build a centralized product catalog, set custom low-stock alerts, and manage multiple tax rates.
• Mobile barcode scanning app: Vend has a free iOS app for scanning barcodes to perform quick inventory counts, receive shipments, or look up product details from the sales floor. Any changes made in the app can sync to Vend’s reporting data, so you can update your inventory without spending hours in the back office.
• Add-ons and growth tools: As your business grows, Vend has the tools to expand your operation. The platform comes with a native loyalty program and integrates with third-party tools for ecommerce, accounting, employee scheduling, and multichannel inventory management. If you prefer a system with ecommerce built in rather than integrated, you’ll want to check out Square, Shopify, and Lightspeed.
• High-risk tools: Vend has built-in age verification tools that prompt your cashiers to scan and verify customer age. This is a great fit for shops that sell tobacco or alcohol products. With Vend’s flexible payment processing, you can get an account with a high-risk processor to support riskier businesses like vape shops. Though keep in mind, you’ll pay higher monthly fees for the privilege. If you need high-risk tools without extra fees, KORONA may be a better choice.

TouchBistro is compatible with iPads, iPad Airs, and iPad minis that run iOS 12 or later. Depending on your payment processor, you’ll need to be careful that your iPads have headphone jacks, as some card readers require them. You’ll also need to pay attention to whether your preferred receipt printers use USB-C or lightning port connections and ensure that your chosen iPads have the connections you need. You can bring your own compatible hardware or purchase directly from TouchBistro at custom-quoted prices.

Small Venue POS Setup	Large Venue POS Setup
iPad stand with connected cash drawer and Bluetooth-enabled card reader and receipt printer	iPad POS terminal, card reader, iPad tableside terminal, back-office computer, and Amplifi router
Contact TouchBistro for pricing

The biggest ace up TouchBistro’s sleeve is how easy the system is to install and use. Like Square and Lightspeed, users can quickly self-install it following its detailed instructions. Though, like Toast, TouchBistro also offers one-on-one installation assistance for a fee if users want it.

TouchBistro’s standout features include:

• Flexible hardware: Like several systems on this list, TouchBistro operates on iPads. With TouchBistro, these iPads can be configured as POS terminals, KDS screens, or self-service kiosks. There are some additional fees for KDS screen and kiosk software; you’ll need to contact TouchBistro for a custom quote.
• Support and training: TouchBistro maintains a detailed knowledge base with training videos. You can also request one-on-one or in-person training with a TouchBistro representative for custom-quoted fees.
• Straightforward pricing: Where other systems have multiple subscription tiers, TouchBistro has a single per-terminal price. You pay additional monthly software fees to add features like integrated online ordering ($50/month), gift cards ($25/month), loyalty ($99/month), or reservations ($229/month). While this can make your costs add up, small cafes, coffee shops, and breweries won’t pay for tools they don’t use.
• Flexible payment processing: TouchBistro offers the best of both worlds when it comes to payment processing. Like competitors Lightspeed, Revel Systems, and Lavu, TouchBistro offers users the choice between a built-in processor or a third-party payment processor. Unlike those other systems, however, TouchBistro users do not pay higher software fees for using a compatible third-party processor.

IT Retail’s hardware is built to survive in a busy market environment. The provider offers tools for inventory scanning and self-checkout alongside the traditional touch-screen terminals. The hardware your store needs will vary based on your market size and checkout style, so you’ll need to contact IT Retail for a custom quote.

CypherLab Inventory Scanner	IT Retail Countertop Terminal	IT Retail Self-Checkout Lane
Handheld barcode scanner for inventory receiving and counting	Countertop POS Terminal with integrated customer-facing display	Self-checkout stand with combination scale/scanner, touch-screen terminal, card reader, and bagging area
Contact IT Retail for pricing

IT Retail has all the tools an independent grocery or specialty market needs. From checkout lanes enabled with scanners and scales, to smart inventory management and ecommerce tools. This incredibly flexible system can support markets with only a few checkout lanes, but it really excels with markets that have several lanes, including self-checkout stands.

IT Retail’s standout features include:

• Flexible checkout: Integrated scales make it easy to sell produce and bulk goods and goods by weight. You can accept all major credit and debit cards, EBT food and cash payments, gift cards, eWIC, and contactless payments such as Apple Pay. IT Retail also offers a slew of self-checkout options—including digitized, mobile in-person check out via FutureProof, allowing customers to check-out via their smartphones.
• Inventory management: You can generate purchase orders from your IT Retail back office and track products by case, six-pack, or bottle. When supplies arrive, you can receive and count stock using a mobile app and generate new shelf tags as needed. These seemingly small functions can save you labor hours when it comes to receiving and restocking. As with other systems on this list, your IT Retail POS will alert you to low stock, so you never forget to reorder.
• CRM tools: You can create a custom loyalty program and issue scannable loyalty cards—giving your small market the same feel as a larger brand. Your IT Retail POS automatically tracks available rewards at checkout and prompts your cashiers to ask customers if they would like to redeem accrued rewards.
• Ecommerce integration: Market owners can enable online ordering and delivery, including specialty and fresh items, with several ecommerce integrations—such as Local Express, Mercato, Freshop, My Cloud Grocer, and Instacart. So, you can find the best solution for your market.
• Age verification: Like Vend by Lightspeed, IT Retail includes built-in tools for scanning IDs for age-restricted purchases. This is a great fit for markets that sell alcohol and tobacco products.

Lavu uses iPads and iPod touch devices as the base for its POS system. You can purchase a wide variety of POS hardware—including iPads—directly from the Lavu website. For the most part, its hardware options are incredibly affordable compared to competitors’ prices, and it offers discounts on hardware to users that sign up for a three-year service agreement.

iPod touch Terminal	Windfall iPad Stand	Vault iPad Stand
$199	$125*	$225*
iPod Touch handheld device for tableside ordering	Countertop stand for 10.2” iPad	Card-reader enabled aluminum iPad enclosure for 12.9” iPad
Purchase from Lavu	Purchase from Lavu	Purchase from Lavu

*Prices do not include iPads

Lavu is a highly customizable iPad POS, with several cost-saving features. Like Lightspeed, TouchBistro, and Revel, Lavu supports both built-in payment processing and integrated third-party processors, so users can shop for the lowest processing rates. Though with Lavu, you will need to pay an additional $25 per month to use a third-party processor.

Lavu’s standout features include:

• Cash discount: Cash discounting allows you to charge one price for card payments and a different, lower price for cash payments. So, you build the price of processing into the price you charge for your products, then apply a discount—say 4%—to checks that are paid in cash. This way, Lavu’s cash discounting tool helps small food businesses avoid the cost of credit card processing fees. This is especially attractive if the cost of processing has kept you from growing your business beyond cash-only sales.
• Transparent pricing: Like most of the systems on this list, Lavu has several software subscription tiers. Like TouchBistro, Lavu clearly lists the monthly fees for additional features from loyalty ($50/month) to KDS software ($30/month). Small restaurants can choose which tools are important to them and only pay for what they need.
• API Access: Lavu supports an open application programming interface (API) that allows you to build custom software integrations with your POS. This feature costs an additional $30 per month, but if you want to connect your accounting program, delivery software, or other tools, it will be well worth it for the administrative time you can save.
• A/P Automation: Lavu also owns accounts payable automation software Sourcery. It allows you to generate a central database of your vendors to create, place, receive, and pay for orders through the app. These are similar to the tools supported by LightSpeed Retail’s top-rated inventory functions. Sourcery costs an additional $99 per month, putting it more in the budget range of high-volume or multi-location restaurants. But Lavu frequently offers deals with up to three months free if you want to try it.

KORONA operates on a variety of desktop and mobile devices that can be configured as POS terminals, mobile tablet POS, customer-facing displays, or inventory scanners. Common manufacturers include HP, Aures, Partner Tech, Hisense. You can use any compatible hardware that you already own or purchase hardware through KORONA at custom-quoted prices.

Mobile POS Tablet	Countertop POS with PIN-reader	Countertop POS with handheld scanner
Handheld, Wi-Fi enabled mobile POS tablet	Countertop POS with touch-screen terminal, cash drawer, receipt printer, and PIN-enabled card reader	Countertop POS with touch-screen terminal, handheld barcode scanner, and receipt printer
Contact KORONA for pricing

The KORONA POS is a Swiss army knife for small business of all types. This system specializes in providing detailed tools for niche businesses, from event venues that need ticketing functions to liquor stores and vape shops that require additional product controls and high risk processors.

KORONA’s standout features include:

• Payments agnostic: KORONA integrates with any major payment processor, making KORONA the most flexible POS on this list. You can bring virtually any processor you like, including high-risk processors or processors that include cash discounting tools. This one simple setting can save small businesses money in the long run, as you can shop around for the lowest available rates, and switch processors at any time.
• Flexible integrations: KORONA focuses on building integrations with niche applications that support specific business types. So while it lacks popular integrations with well-known tools like QuickBooks, it contains specific integrations for liquor stores (ecommerce tools Bottlecapps and City Hive), dispensaries (traceability apps Metrc, BioTrack, and Leak Data; ecommerce tools Dutchie, Leafly, Olla) wineries (bLoyal for wine club management), and more.
• Installation and training: Many systems on this list have $0 installation fees because you can self-install them. KORONA includes guided installation and training with every POS account. This is great if you don’t have the time or bandwidth to wade through tutorial videos and installation manuals.
• Inventory tools: KORONA’s inventory management tools allow you to break cases and set different prices for items—like beers sold by the bottle, six-pack, or case—that have the same UPC codes. You can scan new items with a barcode scanner to update inventory levels and print price labels from stock receipts, so your prices are always in line with your actual costs. You’ll also get low-stock alerts and shipment alerts, so you know exactly when to expect new items. KORONA is one of two systems on this list with shipment tracking; Lightspeed Retail is the other.

Like Lightspeed and TouchBistro, Revel Systems uses iPads in innovative ways to create a variety of POS configurations—as touch-screen POS terminals, handheld order and payment devices (in card reader enabled cases), customer-facing displays, and self-order kiosks.

Revel also supports high-functioning peripherals like scales and scanners and digital menu displays that you can manage from your back office dashboard. However, it does not list any pricing publicly, so you’ll need to contact them for a price quote.

C-stand iPad stand	L-stand iPad stand	Grocery POS
Low-profile countertop stand for basic iPad POS terminal	iPad stand with customer-facing display	Card reader-enabled iPad terminal with integrated, countersunk scale, barcode scanner, and receipt printer
Contact Revel Systems for pricing

When you look beyond the price, you’ll see that Revel includes a wealth of insightful POS features that many cloud-based systems lack. The reports are endlessly customizable, as are menu and order screens, and you can track every bit of sales and performance data imaginable.

Revel also includes a slew of free smartphone apps for reporting, inventory counting, and delivery drivers—extending the POS system’s functions. You can also commission a custom commerce app from Revel that allows your customers to shop your store directly from their iOS and Android devices.

Revel Systems’ standout features include:

• Grocery features: Revel’s POS screens are highly customizable, and the system integrates with scales and barcode scanners to support all types of markets. You’ll also find integrated customer relationship management, loyalty, gift card, and discount tools to encourage customer retention.
• Restaurant features: Detailed table mapping and management, menu-building tools, integrated kitchen display communication, and integrated online ordering form the foundation of Revel’s restaurant tools. Tip-tracking, pre-authorized bar tabs, and employee scheduling are also included.
• Inventory and vendor management: Revel’s inventory module is strong enough to compete with the best retail inventory tools and offers the strongest restaurant inventory tools on this list. In addition to real-time inventory updates with low stock alerts, users get vendor and purchase order management. You can also update your inventory and perform physical counts using Revel’s free inventory app for smartphones.
• Delivery management: If your restaurant or market wants to offer local delivery, Revel has you covered there too. You can manage a team of in-house drivers with maps-based driver dispatch. Your dispatch dashboard tracks driver locations in real time and includes a free driver app, so you can send drivers turn by turn directions and delivery information. If you prefer to use third-party drivers, you can hail them on-demand using Revel’s integration with DoorDash Drive.
• Flexible hardware: Revel’s iPad-based POS terminals tend to be less expensive than the custom-built hardware required by IT Retail. The setup is also more straightforward than KORONA, where the sheer number of hardware options might be daunting. Revel includes the barcode scanners and integrated scales that grocers need, alongside customer display systems, self-order kiosks, and mobile ordering for speedy and contactless service.

Many people use the terms “POS” and “terminal” interchangeably. A POS (or “point-of-sale”) system is a combination of hardware and software that allow businesses to track inventory, enter sales, process payments, and log business performance data. A terminal is one part of a POS system; it is the hardware component where you enter sales and process payments.

A terminal can be stationary or mobile, as large as a desktop computer or small enough to fit in your hand. You can see more POS components by reading our guide to POS hardware or how to use a POS.

Retailers use a variety of POS systems depending on their business type. Multilocation national chain stores tend to design their own POS systems so that they can quickly respond to POS technology trends. Independent retailers tend to rely on commercially available cloud-based systems like Square (which has more than 2 million active sellers), Shopify, and NCR.

The cheapest POS systems tend to be those that offer their POS software for only the cost of payment processing. Popular systems that follow this model include Square and Toast—though you can also find systems that offer free POS software without any integrated payment processing, like Loyverse.

However, software and processing fees won’t be your only POS costs. You’ll also need to consider hardware like touch screens and card readers. If you’re on a budget, iPad-based POS systems like Lightspeed and TouchBistro are good options.