Best POS Systems for Retail

Ranked by our scoring

1. #1 Square · 8.3/10

   Published pricing

   • Free $0/mo, Plus $49/mo, Premium $149/mo per location
   • In person 2.6% + 15¢ (Free), 2.5% + 15¢ (Plus), 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium)
   • Hardware "starting at $59"
   • Square KDS app $30/mo per device on Plus ($20/mo on Premium)

   Verified on the provider's page

   • Software or plan prices are published. Plans at $0, $49 and $149 per location per month.
   • Card processing rates are published. In-person and online rates are listed for each plan.
   • Hardware prices are published. "Square Hardware ... options starting at $59".
   • Amounts for extra fees (add-ons, inactivity, instant payout) are published. "$30/mo. for the Square KDS app per device" and kiosk app prices are listed.
   • Inventory management. "ts & checkout Restaurant operations Bookings Inventory & catalog management Reporting & analytics Online selling Customer engagem"
   • Online ordering or an online store. "% + 30¢ What you get POS app for any payment Online site Item library Invoicing Booking Checking and savings accounts Square Plus B"
   • Staff, scheduling or labor tools. "rds program Email and text message marketing Staff management Square Premium Our most advanced capabilities backed by 24/7 support. Buil"
   • Reporting or analytics. "n Square Plus 24/7 priority support Advanced reporting Lowest processing fees More text message marketing No gift card load fees"
   • Offline mode. "s Active fraud prevention Next day transfers Offline payments6 More solutions from Square Square Payroll Run full-service payro"
   • Integrated card payments. "e a payment. $0/mo. per location Get started Processing fees Tap, dip, or swipe 2.6% + 15¢ Online 3.3% + 30¢ What you get POS app for a"
   • No long-term contract is stated. "e from value-packed plans. No hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Cancel or switch anytime. Tell us about your business and we'll show you"
   • A free plan, free trial or $0 starting price exists. "ales PRICING Your complete business toolkit, starting at $0 Tell us about your business and we'll show you the pricing features for ho"
   • Hardware can be bought outright or subscribed to. "Square Hardware ... options starting at $59" and a "Rent Hardware" link are listed.
   • 24/7 support is stated. "ium Our most advanced capabilities backed by 24/7 support. Built to streamline operations and help you scale with confidence"
   • A phone number is published on the page. "es Rent Hardware Contact Customer support: 1 (855) 700-6000 Sales: 1 (833) 959-5325 Square About Press & Media Careers Referrals Partn"
   Score breakdown: Overall score 8.3/10

   Category	Weight	Score	Evidence
   Pricing transparency	30%	10/10	4 of 4 checks
   Total cost for a typical small business	25%	3.2/10	$338.75 → 3.2
   Features	20%	10/10	6 of 6 checks
   Contract and fee fairness	15%	10/10	3 of 3 checks
   Support and reputation signals	10%	10/10	2 of 2 checks

   Cost input: Modeled total monthly cost, averaged over two sample businesses: (A) $10,000/month in card sales at a $40 average sale, in person; (B) $10,000/month at a $60 average sale, online. For each: cheapest published plan or bundle fee + (percent × sales + fixed fee × number of sales), using verified rates only: $338.75

2. #2 Clover · 6.8/10

   Published pricing

   • Basic $16/mo for 36 months or $349
   • Standard $180/mo for 36 months or $1,899 + $84.95/mo
   • Advanced $240/mo for 36 months or $2,648 + $104.90/mo
   • Tapped, swiped or inserted 2.6% + 10¢ (Basic) or 2.3% + 10¢; typed in 3.5% + 10¢

   Verified on the provider's page

   • Software or plan prices are published. Bundle prices listed for Basic, Standard and Advanced.
   • Card processing rates are published. Rates listed per bundle.
   • Hardware prices are published. Hardware purchase prices ($349, $1,899, $2,648) are listed.
   • Amounts for extra fees (add-ons, inactivity, instant payout) are published. Rapid Deposit 1.75% fee is listed.
   • Inventory management. "sales reports Not Included Included Included Inventory management Item and category management Not Included Included Included Onl"
   • Online ordering or an online store. "10¢ 3.5% + 10¢ 3.5% + 10¢ Orders Build a new online store Optional add-on Optional add-on Optional add-on Itemized order creation It"
   • Staff, scheduling or labor tools. "l or digital) Not Included Included Included Employees Individual logins and permissions Included Included Included Shift manage"
   • Reporting or analytics. "Not Included Included Included Tracking and reporting Real-time sales tracking Included Included Included Tax reporting Included"
   • Offline mode. "ded Included Single dashboard for online and offline sales Not Included Included Included Set up online store Not Included Incl"
   • Integrated card payments. "nly available online BASIC STANDARD ADVANCED Accept payments and run your business with a compact countertop terminal Sell seamlessly o"
   • A free plan, free trial or $0 starting price exists. "al ends. A merchant is eligible for only one free trial during their lifecycle. Limit one offer per business tax ID. Eligibility i"
   • Hardware can be bought outright or subscribed to. "NLY OFFER:Get $450 statement credit when you buy Station, Mini or Flex* Restaurants Services Retail Healthcare Products Res"

   Not found on the provider's page

   No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.

   • No long-term contract is stated. Not found on the page text we read.
   • 24/7 support is stated. Not found on the page text we read.
   • A phone number is published on the page. Not found on the page text we read.
   Score breakdown: Overall score 6.8/10

   Category	Weight	Score	Evidence
   Pricing transparency	30%	10/10	4 of 4 checks
   Total cost for a typical small business	25%	3.2/10	$341.84 → 3.2
   Features	20%	10/10	6 of 6 checks
   Contract and fee fairness	15%	6.7/10	2 of 3 checks
   Support and reputation signals	10%	0/10	0 of 2 checks

   Cost input: Modeled total monthly cost, averaged over two sample businesses: (A) $10,000/month in card sales at a $40 average sale, in person; (B) $10,000/month at a $60 average sale, online. For each: cheapest published plan or bundle fee + (percent × sales + fixed fee × number of sales), using verified rates only: $341.84

   Visit Clover

3. #3 Shopify · 6.2/10

   Published pricing

   • Billed monthly: Basic $39, Grow $105, Advanced $399; billed yearly: Basic $29, Grow $89, Advanced $359 per month (yearly prices as of 2026-10-15); Plus from $2,300/mo
   • Shopify Payments: online 2.9% + 30¢ and in person 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic, falling to 2.25% + 30¢ and 2.3% + 10¢ on Plus; premium cards, international cards (+1%) and keyed sales cost more
   • POS Pro add-on: $89/mo per location
   • Basic lists "casual, in-person sales at pop-ups and events"

   Verified on the provider's page

   • Software or plan prices are published. Plans listed monthly and yearly: "Pay monthly $39 USD/mo $105 USD/mo $399 USD/mo ... Pay yearly $29 USD/mo $89 USD/mo $359 USD/mo".
   • Card processing rates are published. "Online standard card rates 2.9% + 30¢ 2.7% + 30¢ 2.5% + 30¢ 2.25% + 30¢ ... In-person card rates 2.6% + 10¢ 2.5% + 10¢ 2.4% + 10¢ 2.3% + 10¢" (Basic, Grow, Advanced, Plus).
   • Amounts for extra fees (add-ons, inactivity, instant payout) are published. POS Pro "$89/mo per location" and third-party transaction fees (2% to 0.2%) are listed.
   • Inventory management. "ics Test & Launch RUN YOUR BUSINESS Orders & Inventory Shipping Finances & Funding Workflow Automation GET PAID Checkout Payments"
   • Online ordering or an online store. "$3,500 USD Up to $5,000 USD Up to $7,000 USD Online store Full-featured Full-featured Full-featured Full-featured Themes and templat"
   • Staff, scheduling or labor tools. "ccounts 5 15 Unlimited Invite third-party collaborators Sell and source products with Shopify Collective 200+ real-time repor"
   • Reporting or analytics. "places Global B2B Across Markets MARKETING & ANALYTICS Advertising & Campaigns Email & Customer Chat Discounts Analytics Test & L"
   • Integrated card payments. "atform that lets you create an online store, accept payments, and sell on social channels and in person—all from one dashboard. Build a"
   • A free plan, free trial or $0 starting price exists. "I Toolkit for devs Pricing Enterprise Log in Start for free You've got plans. Us too. Try 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months. Pay"
   • 24/7 support is stated. "ro locations Unlimited B2B catalogs Priority 24/7 phone support Always included World's best checkout Get the checkout that"
   • A phone number is published on the page. "cations Unlimited B2B catalogs Priority 24/7 phone support Always included World's best checkout Get the checkout that converts 15% b"

   Not found on the provider's page

   No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.

   • Hardware prices are published. No hardware prices on the page.
   • Offline mode. Not found on the page text we read.
   • No long-term contract is stated. Not found on the page text we read.
   • Hardware can be bought outright or subscribed to. No hardware purchase terms on the page.
   Score breakdown: Overall score 6.2/10

   Category	Weight	Score	Evidence
   Pricing transparency	30%	7.5/10	3 of 4 checks
   Total cost for a typical small business	25%	3/10	$351.5 → 3
   Features	20%	8.3/10	5 of 6 checks
   Contract and fee fairness	15%	3.3/10	1 of 3 checks
   Support and reputation signals	10%	10/10	2 of 2 checks

   Cost input: Modeled total monthly cost, averaged over two sample businesses: (A) $10,000/month in card sales at a $40 average sale, in person; (B) $10,000/month at a $60 average sale, online. For each: cheapest published plan or bundle fee + (percent × sales + fixed fee × number of sales), using verified rates only: $351.5

Side-by-side checklist

Not scored

We could not verify enough of these providers' published pricing today, so we do not score or rank them.

• Lightspeed Retail

  Lightspeed lists a card-present rate (2.6% + 10¢) but no online rate, so we cannot model sample business B.

  Published pricing

  • Billed annually: Basic $89/mo, Core $149/mo, Plus $289/mo; billed monthly: $109, $179, $339 (USD)
  • Lightspeed Payments card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ on every plan

The checklist behind the scores

Related tools and guides

• Best
• Best POS for small business
• Square vs Clover
• Shopify vs Square
• Shopify review