Best Point of Sale software

One system handles in-store, online, and Meta social selling, so inventory and sales data stay synced without duplicate entry.

Workflows are tailored to specific verticals—bike shops get vendor catalog imports for work orders with special-order parts, and CBD/vape stores get compliance-minded selling tools.

There's no free plan, and the jump to Plus at $289/month is steep for single-location shops that only occasionally need forecasting, API access, or custom roles—all of which are locked to that tier.

Additional registers and extra locations cost extra, and those prices aren't published anywhere, so you must get a sales quote to know your true monthly total.

Booking plans accept appointments from your website, Google, and Instagram, so clients can self-book on the channels they already use without extra setup

POS plans include a DATEV interface and pre-accounting on POS+, which directly reduces bookkeeping work with German accountants

Intro pricing covers only the first 12 months — every plan renews 66–67% higher (e.g., Booking jumps from €29.90 to €49.90), so long-term cost is significantly higher than the headline rate

POS and Shore Pay are available only in the DACH region, so businesses elsewhere can't use the point-of-sale half of the platform

The core point of sale starts at $0/month, so new sellers face no upfront software cost.

Setup takes minutes rather than weeks, making it practical for pop-ups and businesses that need to start selling immediately.

Card processing is usage-based, so per-transaction fees scale with sales volume and can become significant for high-volume sellers.

Square's plan range is extremely wide — from $0 to $56,227/month — so businesses with complex needs need to budget carefully to avoid paying for capabilities they do not use.

No monthly subscription or long-term commitment — you pay one-time hardware prices (£29–£169) plus a per-transaction fee, keeping costs predictable for seasonal or low-volume sellers

Low barrier to entry: the £29 Card Reader sets up in minutes over Bluetooth, and Tap to Pay in the PayPal app lets you take contactless payments with no hardware at all

Accessories are priced separately — the countertop Dock, Terminal Printer & Dock, and barcode scanner all cost extra, so a full counter setup costs more than the headline hardware price

Per-transaction fees apply on every sale, and custom rates are only available through a separate agreement at PayPal's discretion, so high-volume sellers may find better terms elsewhere

Register, card reader, and merchant account come from one vendor, so sales ring up and payments settle in the same system without third-party reader reconciliation.

Hardware covers several real-world scenarios: a full countertop station, a compact Mini terminal, and portable Flex/Go handhelds for tableside or off-site selling.

Payment processing is tied to the Clover/Fiserv channel, so merchants cannot freely plug in an outside processor and shop for lower rates elsewhere.

Contract commitments and early termination fees are commonly reported by merchants, making it costly to leave before the term ends.

Deep native integration with Shopify ecommerce: products, inventory, orders, and customers live in one back office with no third-party connector required

Scales from a $0/month entry point to multi-location retail on the same platform, so you don't outgrow the system

Advanced retail capabilities such as deeper staff permissions and multi-location inventory tools are tied to higher-tier Shopify plans, so total cost rises as you grow

Hardware is sold separately, and a full counter setup (reader, stand, printer, scanner, drawer) adds up quickly

Full ecosystem approach: card readers, POS, and invoicing come from one vendor, so payments, orders, and billing stay connected instead of living in separate systems

The free SumUp App means owners can run orders, payments, and sales tracking from a phone without paying for a separate management tool

Businesses with complex needs — multi-location operations, deep inventory management, or custom integrations — may find the small-business focus limiting

As an all-in-one ecosystem, merchants who already own POS hardware or software from another vendor may face redundancy when adopting SumUp

Strong customer service with many positive reports of helpful, patient reps.

Custom pricing model that can scale with business volume.

Reports of unexpected charges and hidden fees despite promises of transparency.

Pricing can be complex and hard to understand without direct consultation.