David Rivera

Point-of-sale (POS) system costs vary by industry; expect to pay $0 to $400 per month for software, and $60 to over $3,000 upfront for devices, registers, and hardware kits—depending on your POS hardware preferences. This comes to a total of around $4,000–$10,000 per year, without factoring in additional costs for payment processing. That price range…

Toast and Clover are both well-developed point-of-sale (POS) systems with strong industry-specific features designed for kitchens and food businesses. In general, Toast favors simplicity and straightforwardness, while Clover prioritizes flexibility. In our evaluation of best restaurant POS systems, Toast ranked as the best overall with a score of 4.16. Clover did not make the final…

In our review of the best free POS systems for small businesses, Loyverse POS system came in second overall with a 4.05 out of 5, based on our evaluation of 24 data points. It is best for quick service restaurants (QSRs) and small food-based retailers that need inventory tools like variants and real-time tracking. Loyverse…

Point-of-sale (POS) security protects the computer systems that process debit and credit card transactions. Because point-of-sale systems can contain sensitive data like account numbers, emails, and addresses, hackers target these systems, and a data breach can be costly both financially and reputationally. POS system security does not only apply in-store; POS systems can also be…

A point-of-sale integration is a direct connection between your point-of-sale (POS) system (where all transactions take place) and important software tools for business functions like accounting, marketing, ecommerce, and payment processing. This direct connection allows your POS system to access real-time information from your business software tools and automate tasks such as tracking and record…

For new small businesses, setting up a point-of-sale (POS) system can be as easy as downloading an app on a tablet. More complex businesses may require professional POS installation or specialized hardware. However, for most small storefronts, your POS setup process will be somewhere in the middle, requiring a few days of do-it-yourself (DIY) data…

Point-of-sale (POS) reconciliation is the process of manually checking your POS sales records against your cash on hand and credit card processing statements to ensure there are no discrepancies. Not difficult but often tedious, it is a key part of the cash-handling process and helps prevent chargeback disputes. Most service and retail businesses will only…

A point-of-sale (POS) system is a tool that businesses use to accept payments and manage business operations. There are many different types of POS systems—from slimmed-down POS apps to mobile and self-service kiosk systems to multichannel systems that allow you to sync online and in-person sales and full-service cloud POS systems that enable you to…

Fresha is a free cloud-based appointment scheduling app and point-of-sale (POS) system explicitly made for beauty and wellness establishments. Its free online booking platform provides incredible value for small salons and beauty and wellness businesses. This simple but highly functional booking platform includes full retail sales capabilities, inventory tracking, analytics, and more. Fresha is free…

Odoo is a free open source suite of business tools that includes point of sale (POS), inventory, accounting, customer relationship management (CRM), and ecommerce. Its POS app is bundled with its inventory and invoicing apps—making sales and stock tracking and accounting easy. In our review of the best open source POS software for small businesses,…

Vagaro is a cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system designed for the beauty, health, and fitness industries. Users get promoted on the Vagaro website and app, where customers can book appointments or shop the user’s online store. In our guide to the best salon POS systems for 2023, Vagaro scored 4.49 out of 5, winning points for…