31 Best POS Systems for Retail Stores and Restaurants in 2026

Square POS is used by over 4 million businesses and offers a genuinely free plan with unlimited items and basic sales tracking. Hardware starts with a free magstripe reader. In 2025, Square restructured its plan tiers and raised in-person rates slightly to 2.6% + 15¢ on the free plan. Paid plans (Plus at $49/mo, Premium at $149/mo) unlock lower processing rates and advanced tools. Square also offers industry-specific versions for restaurants, retail, and appointments, each with their own feature sets.

Shopify POS comes in two tiers: the free POS Lite (basic checkout bundled with every Shopify plan) and POS Pro at $89/mo per location. Shopify's ecommerce plans start at $39/mo (Basic) through $399/mo (Advanced), and POS Lite is included with all of them. POS Pro adds unlimited staff, buy-online-pick-up-in-store, smart inventory management, and advanced reporting. A separate Retail plan at $89/mo bundles POS Pro with the ecommerce platform. As of March 2026, Shopify has over 1.4 billion USD in subscription solution revenue and powers 170+ million merchants globally.

Lightspeed is a Canadian company that has expanded through acquisitions to cover retail (X-Series, formerly Vend), restaurants (R-Series, including ex-ShopKeep and ex-Upserve), and golf. Retail plans start at $89/mo (Basic) through $289/mo (Plus), all billed annually. Restaurant plans start at $69/mo. All plans require a one-year contract and Lightspeed Payments integration is strongly pushed; using a third-party processor incurs a monthly fee of up to $400. Processing rates are 2.6% + $0.10 in-person. Lightspeed has faced significant user complaints about aggressive sales tactics, difficult cancellation, and surprise fees for external processors.

Toast is a restaurant-only POS used by over 112,000 businesses. It runs exclusively on Toast's own Android-based hardware, which is built to withstand spills, grease, and heat. The free Starter Kit plan has no monthly fee but charges 3.09% + 15¢ per in-person transaction. The Point of Sale plan at $69/mo drops processing to 2.49% + 15¢. Online orders cost 3.50% + 15¢ regardless of plan. Toast requires a two-year contract and you cannot use any other payment processor. Add-ons like online ordering, loyalty, and kitchen display systems typically cost $50-$165/mo each.

Clover is owned by Fiserv and offers distinct plan tiers for retail, restaurant, and service businesses. Plans are sold through Clover directly or via resellers (banks, ISOs), and pricing can vary significantly between channels. Retail software plans start at $14.95/mo (Payments only) through $84.95/mo (Growth). Quick-service restaurant plans start at $89.95/mo. Hardware is proprietary — you must use Clover-branded devices. Most promotional plans require a 36-month contract. Card-present rates start at 2.3% + $0.10 for restaurants and 2.6% + $0.10 for retail when buying directly.

TouchBistro is an iPad-based restaurant POS used by over 16,000 restaurants in 100+ countries. It operates as a hybrid system — local processing with cloud backup — so service continues even when the internet drops, unlike fully cloud-based competitors. The base POS starts at $69/mo (annual), though the website requires a demo call to see full plan pricing. Add-ons like reservations ($229/mo), inventory management ($195/mo), and online ordering ($50/mo) can push total costs significantly higher. TouchBistro Payments is powered by Chase and offers cost-plus pricing.

Heartland (now transitioning to Global Payments branding) offers a cloud-based POS for retail and restaurant businesses. The Retail POS (formerly Springboard) starts at $89/mo and offers two published plans: Essentials (single-location, basic features) and Complete (multi-location, 75+ integrations, ecommerce). Restaurant POS pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires a quote. Heartland Payments processes cards at interchange-plus rates and charges a $295 early termination fee per location. The company was acquired by Global Payments in 2016 for $4.3 billion.

Epos Now is a UK-founded cloud POS used across 40,000+ businesses in 71 countries. The software runs on iPads, Android tablets, Windows PCs, and Mac, giving merchants device flexibility most competitors don't offer. Pricing is not fully transparent: promotional pricing lists the Complete System from $349 upfront + $39/mo (software only), while a full hardware bundle with support is closer to $349 upfront + $79/mo. Contracts of 3-5 years are standard. In-house payment processing via Epos Now Payments costs 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction. The AI pricing tool Sidekick helps merchants optimize item margins using market data.

Erply is an Estonian company founded in 2009 with offices in 7 countries, serving over 50,000 retail locations. It offers a comprehensive retail platform combining POS, WMS (warehouse management), ERP, loyalty, and BI into one system. Unlike most POS providers, Erply uses a per-feature pricing model across four bundles (Start, Grow, Expand, Enterprise). The base POS-only plan starts around $19/mo (older data; current pricing requires a quote), while the full inventory retail plan is approximately $69/mo. The platform works offline and supports 15+ languages. Month-to-month contracts are available, which is rare at this feature level.

Hike is an Australian cloud POS designed for retail, built specifically to work with any payment processor rather than forcing a proprietary gateway. Plans start at $59/mo for a single outlet with one register; additional registers cost $39/mo each. Multi-store packages with unlimited outlets start at $129/mo. There are no long-term contracts and no upfront hardware costs. Hike runs on iPad, PC, and Mac browsers, and integrates with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Xero, QuickBooks, and MYOB. It operates in 40+ countries and is available in 8 languages.

Loyverse is a free cloud POS for iOS and Android used by over 200,000 merchants in 170+ countries. The core POS, inventory, sales reports, and CRM are genuinely free with no transaction fees from Loyverse itself. Paid add-ons are available for advanced inventory management ($29/mo per store) and employee management ($5/employee/mo). The system runs on smartphones and tablets with no dedicated hardware required. It integrates with SumUp and other payment processors. Loyverse is particularly popular in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa where low-cost POS solutions are in high demand.

Imonggo is a Philippines-based web POS that bills itself as the world's first free-forever POS. The free tier supports 1 user, 1 branch, 30 products, and 300 invoices per month. The paid plan at $30/mo per branch removes all limits and adds advanced features. Imonggo is fully browser-based, working on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices without a native app requirement. It integrates with Shopify and Xero. The platform is particularly useful for businesses needing a simple, low-overhead POS without hardware investment.

Bindo (now operating primarily as Bindo Labs) is an iPad POS originally founded in New York in 2010 that now operates primarily in Asia and the Middle East. The US-focused consumer POS has received heavily negative user reviews since 2020, with widespread reports of crashes, poor support, and billing issues. The product line has expanded to include F&B, retail, hospitality POS solutions, a payment gateway, self-service kiosks, and KDS. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires a demo request. Bindo's G2 profile has not been managed for over a year, indicating reduced US market focus.

Lavu is an iPad-only restaurant POS that gained visibility through a feature on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Plans start at $59/mo with free hardware included, though the platform requires a 3-year contract. The 2025 addition of Marty AI scans 50,000 daily data signals overnight and delivers a 'Morning Deposit' report identifying recoverable revenue opportunities from labor waste, menu pricing, and slow hours. Lavu Pay is the integrated payment processor, though rates are not publicly disclosed. Users report a $230/year legacy hosting fee billed on top of the subscription, and total annual costs around $1,000 for basic setup.

Talech was acquired by U.S. Bank in 2019 and is now fully operated under Elavon, U.S. Bank's payments subsidiary. The talech.com domain now redirects to Elavon's POS offerings. Three published plan tiers exist: Mobile (free, card processing fees only), Starter ($29/mo), Standard ($69/mo), and Premium ($99/mo). The platform serves retail, restaurant, and service businesses on iPad. Users can access 24/7 support, though reviews note inconsistent quality. Processing fees are not publicly disclosed and are tied to the Elavon merchant account.

NCR Aloha is the restaurant industry's longest-running POS platform, used by major chains including Chipotle, Firehouse Subs, and international hotel F&B operations. In October 2023, NCR split into NCR Voyix (restaurants, retail) and NCR Atleos (ATMs). Two products are offered: Aloha Cloud (Android, cloud-native, starts at ~$175/terminal/mo for the Pro package) and Aloha Essentials (Windows-based, on-premise hybrid, custom pricing). Hardware runs approximately $1,000/terminal. In April 2025 NCR Voyix raised processing fees including a 0.25% discount fee increase and up to $0.07/authorization increase for existing customers.

Oracle Simphony (formerly MICROS, acquired by Oracle in 2014) is the enterprise standard for global hospitality, powering venues from local cafes to Wendy's, Taco Bell, and international hotel chains across 180 countries. The cloud POS processes billions of transactions annually. As of 2025/2026, Simphony Essentials starts at $55/mo for small restaurants and Simphony Plus at $75/mo for multi-location operations. Hardware is available for $1/device when switching from another POS. Processing rates are custom and not publicly disclosed. Oracle uses proprietary hardware exclusively — no BYOD.

PayPal acquired Zettle (formerly iZettle) in 2018 and fully rebranded it as PayPal POS in 2024. The zettle.com domain now redirects to paypal.com. The platform charges no monthly fee — you only pay per transaction: 2.29% + $0.09 for card-present sales, 3.49% + $0.09 for manually entered cards. The first card reader costs $29; additional readers are $79. A standalone terminal with a built-in barcode scanner is $239. The system accepts PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and all major card networks. There is no offline mode, which limits viability for outdoor or connectivity-challenged environments.

SumUp is a Berlin-based fintech founded in 2012 and now serving 4+ million merchants in 36 countries. In the US, combined POS plans start at $99/mo (POS with Connect Lite). Card-only plans have no monthly fee. In-person processing is 2.6% + $0.10. In the UK, the pay-as-you-go rate is 1.69% per transaction (among the lowest in the UK market) and the Payments Plus plan at £19/mo drops it to 0.99%. SumUp refreshed its hardware lineup in 2026, discontinuing the original Air and introducing new Terminal models with built-in POS software and receipt printers from $135/unit (UK).

Helcim is a Canadian payment processor and POS platform founded in 2006 that has built a reputation for transparency by publishing exact interchange-plus rates and offering volume discounts automatically without negotiation. POS software is free with every account — you only pay for hardware ($99 card reader or $329 Smart Terminal) and transactions. Rates start at interchange + 0.40% + $0.08 for in-person, with the average effective rate of 1.93% + $0.08 being materially lower than Square's 2.6% + 15¢. In January 2026, Helcim launched Payment Extension, a browser plugin for processing payments within QuickBooks Online, Xero, and WooCommerce.

Stax (formerly Fattmerchant, founded in 2014 in Orlando) pioneered the subscription-based payment processing model in the US. Instead of percentage markups, Stax charges a flat monthly fee ($99-$199+/mo) and passes through interchange at the direct wholesale rate plus a small per-transaction fee ($0.07-$0.15). Over 30,000 businesses process $30+ billion through Stax annually. The company owns CardX (compliant surcharging), Payment Depot (interchange-plus reseller), and operates the Stax Connect platform for SaaS companies embedding payments. Stax does not manufacture hardware but works with 90%+ of compatible terminals.

Payment Depot, acquired by Stax in 2021, operates as an independent brand under Stax's parent company. It popularized the 'Costco of credit card processing' positioning — pay a monthly membership fee and access near-wholesale interchange rates plus a small per-transaction fee ($0.05-$0.15) rather than a percentage markup. Plans are indexed at 0.2%-1.95% above interchange depending on the plan tier. Payment Depot partners with Clover for POS hardware, Fiserv for enterprise processing, and SwipeSimple for mobile. No monthly minimum and no early termination fee (unless a 'free' terminal was included with signup).

National Processing is a Utah-based merchant services provider with 17+ years in the industry. It offers three core plans for retail, online, and restaurant businesses at published flat rates plus interchange. The company is known for a price-match guarantee: if you find a lower rate from a comparable processor, National Processing will either beat it or send a $500 gift card. It partners with PAX, Clover, and SwipeSimple for hardware. Processing rates are fully transparent on the website. The company has an A+ BBB rating with only 13 complaints in three years and generally positive customer reviews around support quality.

Dharma Merchant Services is a B Corp-certified payment processor founded in San Francisco in 2007, operated with a stated mission of social responsibility and fairness in payments. It offers interchange-plus pricing at 0.15% + $0.08 for retail and 0.20% + $0.11 for ecommerce, with no long-term contracts, no setup fees, no annual fees, and no monthly minimums. A $25/mo merchant account fee applies. The company donates 50% of net profits to nonprofit organizations annually and is consistently rated 4.8+ stars on Trustpilot. POS hardware is sourced from Clover, and MX Merchant is the included payment gateway.

ShopKeep was acquired by Lightspeed in November 2020 for $440 million and fully rebranded as Lightspeed Retail S-Series. The shopkeep.com domain and all ShopKeep branding now redirect to lightspeedhq.com. Existing ShopKeep merchants were migrated to the Lightspeed ecosystem, and new customers are onboarded directly as Lightspeed Retail customers. The S-Series product line retains some ShopKeep DNA in its interface but is now fully managed and priced under Lightspeed's standard retail plans (Basic $89/mo, Core $149/mo, Plus $289/mo). ShopKeep no longer exists as an independent product.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale was discontinued by Intuit on October 3, 2023, after 20+ years in market. All connected services including payment processing, gift cards, mobile app sync, and store exchange were shut off on the same date. The final version was 19.0. Intuit has directed former customers to Shopify POS and Lightspeed as alternatives. No future versions of QuickBooks POS will be released. Existing installations of version 19.0 continue to function as local software without cloud services but receive no security patches, making continued use a PCI compliance and cybersecurity risk.

Sapaad is a Dubai-based restaurant cloud POS founded in 2012 and used by over 1,000 restaurant chains and cloud kitchen operators across 30+ countries. It excels at integrating with regional delivery aggregators including Deliveroo, Zomato, Foodpanda, GrabFood, Talabat, and others — a major advantage in MENA and Southeast Asia. The base monthly subscription starts at $59.99/mo for a single outlet. Annual subscribers pay $49.99/mo with 3 free months added, and 2-year subscribers pay $39.99/mo with 12 free months. Add-ons include inventory management, online ordering, loyalty, QR ordering, and the Sapaad Vantage BI platform (400+ reports).

Upserve was a restaurant management platform from Providence, Rhode Island that was acquired by Lightspeed in December 2020 and rebranded as Lightspeed Restaurant U-Series. The upserve.com domain now redirects to Lightspeed. Known for its predictive intelligence features and offline reliability, Upserve's technology was integrated into Lightspeed's restaurant product. Lightspeed Restaurant now inherits Upserve's server-side data science capabilities. Current pricing follows Lightspeed Restaurant's standard plans: Starter at $69/mo, Essential at $189/mo, and Premium at $399/mo (all annual).

Vend POS was a New Zealand-founded cloud retail POS that was acquired by Lightspeed in May 2021. The Vend brand was fully retired and the vend.com domain now redirects to lightspeedhq.com. Former Vend customers have been migrated to Lightspeed Retail X-Series. The X-Series retains Vend's DNA — strong multi-location inventory management, ecommerce integration, and a clean iPad interface — now enhanced with Lightspeed's resources. Pricing follows Lightspeed Retail: Basic at $89/mo, Core at $149/mo, and Plus at $289/mo, all annually.

Talech was acquired by U.S. Bank in September 2019 and is now fully operated under Elavon, U.S. Bank's payments subsidiary. The talech.com domain redirects to Elavon's POS landing page. The iPad-based POS serves retail, restaurant, and service businesses with plans from $0/mo (Mobile, processing fees only) through $99/mo (Premium). Processing rates are tied to the Elavon merchant account and are not publicly disclosed before account signup. The platform serves over 8,000 businesses across the US. Users get 24/7 support and the system integrates with Xero for accounting.

Beyond its standard single-outlet plans, Sapaad offers a dedicated enterprise tier designed for restaurant groups managing multiple brands, franchises, and cloud kitchens at scale. Sapaad Vantage is the enterprise BI layer providing 400+ report types, AI-driven insights, and cross-outlet performance benchmarking. Enterprise pricing is custom and requires a sales consultation. The platform serves major regional chains including Zen (10,000+ customers), Wingsters, Sumo Sushi, and Kebab Bistro. Device-agnostic architecture supports iPad, Android tablets, and any web browser, allowing operators to standardize on low-cost hardware across franchise locations.