Best Employee Benefits Administration Software. Best High-Speed Internet Providers. Best Business Security Systems. Marketing services. We checked and updated all plans and pricing information. There were no major changes in pricing or plans this month. The only major change this month is a promotional price decrease in the Quickbooks POS system.
What does a POS system do? The best POS systems combine payment processing, inventory and customer management, payroll and accounting, and other services into powerful POS hardware and software packages. Our top choice is Square , a POS system with features designed specifically around modern small businesses.
At publishing time, pricing and features are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas. When comparing POS brands, the price is only a small part of the equation. For example, Revel is one of the most expensive programs listed, but it also has more hardware options than some of the other brands in addition to exclusive features for restaurants. Implementing that type of hardware and software combo in your restaurant can significantly speed up your workflow and help you serve more customers.
The hardware can range from a free mobile reader to top-of-the-line POS systems that cost thousands of dollars. The hardware option you choose should largely be dictated by the needs of your business. If you plan on using the hardware for the foreseeable future, you may want to consider buying over renting. Our pick for the best POS system for small-business owners is Square.
These benefits make Square a great choice for new business owners who need simple but powerful features from the get-go. Square is a common favorite of mobile businesses like food trucks and boutique retail shops. In fact, we also picked Square as the best mobile POS system for small businesses. For an all-in-one system for taking payments wherever your customers are, pair the Square POS and mPOS systems together to give your business an extra boost.
You can create customized receipts to send via email or print from a receipt printer. Square provides detailed reporting and analytics and lets you send invoices, track employee shifts and timecards, and manage multiple locations. Now the downsides. The transaction costs can add up if you process loads of payments a day.
Square also offers other plans geared for certain types of businesses. Square for Retail plans have the same monthly fees as the Square for Restaurants plan, but they come with discounted transaction fees 2. Vend offers a comprehensive and customizable point-of-sale suite solution for retail business.
Shopify gained a reputation in the retail space as a premier web-based POS platform. The company now over 1 million business customers worldwide using its ecommerce, Amazon marketplace, and point-of-sale services. Plans differ on their monthly price, fees for payment processing, and breadth of included services. Online or keyed transactions range from 2. Meanwhile, in-person transaction fees fall between 2. So if you want to use a Shopify system and Shopify software, you may want to steer clear of Square, PayPal, or other payment gateways.
Springboard Retail merged with Heartland retail and is now called Heartland Retail. Customer relationship management CRM tools can help turn passive, infrequent buyers into loyal advocates for your brand.
The Revel Systems POS system was mostly created for bars, quick-service restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries. In addition, Revel Systems is built to speed up front-of-house order taking with its Mobile Order Taker system, which communicates seamlessly with stationary devices. And comprehensive inventory, analytic reports, and QuickBooks integration can help you understand your business and customers better.
Revel does not list its processing fees, but we were able to get in contact with an agent who said the flat rate is 2. You can also use your own processor. If you have an existing processing fee statement, Revel says they are willing to provide a custom rate. You should also consider demoing Toast , another restaurant POS system with food and beverage customers in mind. Lightspeed can save you time and hassle with its powerful inventory management tools built into a solid iPad POS system.
Each plan has increasingly more features. With Basic, you get POS software, payment processing, and a free terminal. With Starter, you get all features from Basic plus eCommerce tools. Standard adds accounting integration, Advanced adds loyalty tools, and Pro adds detailed analytics. All plans have transaction fees of 2. Lightspeed has made it possible to do international business on its systems no matter your plan. While many POS systems only operate in the US or in their home countries, Lightspeed allows you to manage businesses in multiple countries using one system.
Bindo is another iPad POS system that boasts sophisticated—yet user-friendly—inventory management features. Pick your own credit card processor and Bindo will handle just about everything else, from shift management and cash drawers to ecommerce and order management.
QuickBooks by Intuit hardly needs an introduction—the company has been powering the accounting needs of businesses for decades. But its high up-front price might put it out of reach for small or new businesses. And with QuickBooks hardware and software, you can take any type of payment from just about any device—barcode scanner, touch screen terminal, iPad, or mobile reader. QuickBooks locks a lot of its services into the higher-priced plans—a definite downside.
Integrated inventory and employee management, customer loyalty programs, and multi-store management all require purchasing the more expensive plans.
TouchBistro —an iPad-based POS system tailored to restaurants, bars, and breweries—partners with Shogo to provide integrated QuickBooks accounting services.
TouchBistro also provides unique floor plan, table, and menu management, as well as CRM features. There are dozens more POS system options for businesses to choose from. While the ones above represent our favorites, we like three more that are worth mentioning:. A point-of-sale, or POS, system is the hardware and software that allows a business to process customer payments for products and services.
Specifically, point-of-sale refers to the physical place where the transaction happens. Traditionally, POS systems were physical cash registers that accepted only cash, checks, and credit cards. The term also includes receipt printers, cash drawers, barcode scanners, and other devices.
Modern mobile point-of-sale mPOS software and credit card readers let businesses use mobile devices, like iPads, to process customer payments from almost anywhere. And many POS systems are capable of accepting almost any type of payment, including contactless payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
POS systems now do more than just process payments. Many products, including the ones we have reviewed here, serve as essential business hubs that handle everything from inventory, customer, and employee management to accounting, payroll, and shipping services. Modern POS systems include a variety of features that help you manage your day-to-day business operations.
Features vary by product, but here are some of the most common POS system features:. Many POS systems are tailor-made and marketed to specific types of businesses, especially full-service restaurants or retail.
For example, TouchBistro built its system around food and beverage businesses like quick-service restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. This POS system has powerful tools for quickly taking orders in the front of the house and keeping up with the hectic operations and inventory needs in the back. In contrast, VendHQ and Flint mostly target small businesses in the service industry, like contractors, designers, and trainers. These businesses should look for features like invoicing, ecommerce, and CRM.
Many systems let you individually track employee details, shifts, payroll, and more and then send that data to accounting software. Anything that helps you streamline staff management—and potentially lower labor costs—is a plus. That is the question. Consider how you or your staff will be taking payments from your customers. Will patrons come to you at a counter or cash register? If so, a traditional, stationary POS system may make sense. Fortunately, most modern POS systems either include their own mPOS technology or work with existing products you can buy.
Square Point of Sale, our pick for best overall POS system, has an excellent all-in-one solution for taking payments through stationary or mobile devices. If you have existing hardware, you may want to choose a POS system that works with what you already have. Some less expensive POS systems and plans are built primarily for payment processing. For newer, smaller businesses, you may not need advanced and expensive POS system reporting features.
In a world driven by technology, how are customers paying for stuff? Can your business survive with a cash-only approach, or do you need to jump into e-payments to keep up? We used Pollfish to survey Americans about their payment habits. We asked about payment methods, including which ones they used most commonly and which ones they thought were the safest and most convenient. In our survey, It turns out that convenience is king, which ultimately means that cards are king. Most people pay with cards these days, followed by cash.
Very few people only 5. But Americans have more confidence in chip readers: When it comes to safety, cash still feels like the safest way to pay. Almost half of our respondents said cash is the safest, but only That means you need to accept both debit and credit cards.
And with a zero-cost starter plan and a competitive processing fee, Square is an affordable solution for building a solid point-of-sale base. Did you know a POS system can help streamline your accounting?
To get started, pair your POS software with one of our top inventory management software options. Our rankings were created by comparing over 20 of the top POS systems on the market today.
We looked at pricing, features, customer satisfaction, and usability. We also took into account the most common and important business use cases like, for example, a POS for managing a restaurant. Once all these considerations were accounted for, the top 5 were determined. At Business. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Disclaimer: The information featured in this article is based on our best estimates of pricing, package details, contract stipulations, and service available at the time of writing.
All information is subject to change. For the most accurate information, please ask your customer service representative. Clarify all fees and contract details before signing a contract or finalizing your purchase. Our mission is to help consumers make informed purchase decisions. While we strive to keep our reviews as unbiased as possible, we do receive affiliate compensation through some of our links. This can affect which services appear on our site and where we rank them.
Our affiliate compensation allows us to maintain an ad-free website and provide a free service to our readers. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy Page. We may earn money when you click on our links. Learn More. We compared and analyzed over 20 different products to bring you these best-in-class POS systems. Our picks will help you process payments, manage inventory, and create loyal customers.
Best overall. Square POS. No starting fees. Free mobile reader. Get Started. Best for retail shops. Shopify POS. Only a few things set them apart. Square is the most secure of the three.
It offers advanced security features and processes payments. Loyverse uses only third-party processors, which can undermine security, and eHopper, while it does process payments, has only basic security features. Square and Loyverse can be used on any iOS and Android mobile devices, but eHopper is completely operating system agnostic. Loyverse offers the best customer support. Loyverse's live chat is incredibly helpful. Response times are rapid.
Square offers good support, but there have been problems in the past, and eHopper offers full support with their paid packages only. If you're looking for a good loyalty program, go with Loyverse or Square.
Loyalty programs are essential these days for building customer relationships and both Square and Loyverse offer great built-in programs. Loyverse and Square are also expandable. Through a host of add-ons and other free apps, Loyverse and Square can expand on functionality. Square also offers over integrations, whereas eHopper, only one. Loyverse has none, but is currently working on an API.
Yes, there are several companies that offer a point of sale software free for unlimited use, including Square, Loyverse, SalesVu, Nextar, Keyhut, and others. Companies like Square make some of the top POS software, and offer it totally free. Companies that make free POS software usually make their money on the transactions processed through the software and hardware they offer. We recommend Square , Loyverse , and Vend. This will depend on the POS system you choose. Processes can vary, so be sure to double check the setup settings and steps.
Typically, POS systems have the following basic steps:.
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