6 Best Bakery POS for 2023
This article is part of a larger series on POS Systems.
To keep ahead in an increasingly competitive bakery industry in 2023, you’ll need the best bakery point of sale (POS) to keep your orders and menus organized and track sales. Additional features like online ordering, wholesale account management, and ingredient tracking might be the special ingredients that keep your bakery successful. All of this can be found in a strong bakery POS system.
This article breaks down some of the industry-leading POS systems for bakeries to see which is best. Based on our research, these are the best bakery POS systems in 2023:
- KORONA POS: Best overall bakery POS for brick-and-mortar bakeries
- Toast: Best for high-volume bakeries
- BakeSmart: Best for wholesale bakeries
- Lightspeed: Best for speedy ordering
- CakeBoss: Best for home-based bakeries without in-person payments
- Square: Best free POS for beginner bakeries needing in-person and online payments
Best Bakery POS Systems Compared
Our Rating | Minimum Monthly Fee | Installation Fees | Contract Length | In-person Processing Fees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4.31 out of 5 | $59 | $0 | Month to Month | Varies by processor |
 | 4.27 out of 5 | $0 | $0–$499+ | 2 years | 2.49% + 15 cents |
 | 4.17 out of 5 | $199 | $1,499–$3,499 | Month to Month | Varies by processor |
 | 3.96 out of 5 | $69 | $0 | 1 Year | Varies by processor, Lightspeed Payments: 2.6% + 10 cents |
 | 3.89 out of 5 | $149 first year/$20 every year after | $0 | 1 Year | 3.49% + 49 cents (only accepts online payments) |
 | 3.76 out of 5 | $0 | $0 | Month to Month | 2.6% + 10 cents |
Why You Can Trust Our Ratings
Our POS rankings are written by food service professionals with a combined experience of more than two decades using POS systems in bakeries, restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks and professional kitchens. We have personally tested each system and score it on an impartial scoring system to identify the best bakery POS systems for all types of bakeries.
Are you looking for something different? Check out our rankings for the best POS systems for small businesses, the best restaurant POS systems, and best retail POS systems.
KORONA: Best Overall Bakery POS for Brick-and-Mortar Bakeries
Overall Score:
4.31 / 5
Pros
- Ecommerce store included
- Exciting product promotions
- No long-term contracts
- Very fast checkouts
Cons
- Detailed inventory tools require advanced subscription service
- Limited offline mode
- No recipe database
What we like:
KORONA’s bakery POS system tops our list due to its end-to-end functionality to support the widest variety of bakery businesses. This user-friendly POS allows you to easily customize your order screens, and the baseline system includes invoice-building tools perfect for catering, custom cakes, or wholesale orders. KORONA also comes with an unlimited free trial; you can use the system for free for up to 30 transactions a day for absolutely no charge for as long as you like. The free trial version includes all of KORONA’s baseline features except for integrated payments.
KORONA earned a 4.31 out of 5 on our bakery POS scoring criteria, earning points for its ingredient tracking features, flexible payment processing, and high customer ratings. KORONA could have scored higher if it included a recipe database like others on this list (Square for Restaurants is the only other system missing this feature.) As a fully cloud-based system, KORONA also has limited offline functionality.
Month-to-Month Contracts
Users can cancel their service at any time without penalties. So, it is easy to update your POS plan as your business grows. This is unusual for POS systems in general, though on this list, Square for Restaurants also requires no long-term commitment.
Flexible Processing
KORONA is the only system on this list that integrates with every major credit card processor. Users can shop for the best processing rates and use whichever processor they like. For busy bakeries with check averages below $10, this feature can keep more profits flowing to the bottom line.
Inventory With Vendor Management
KORONA’s inventory management software—included in Advanced subscriptions—tracks stock levels and manages supply orders. The system considers current coupons and promotions when generating suggested orders and can print custom price tags for individual boxes of pastries or custom orders.
Marketing & Gift Cards
KORONA allows baseline users to offer date- or time-based promotions (like half-priced pastries during the last hour of business) and set detailed rewards and coupons for combos. KORONA is the only system on this list that includes gift card processing for no additional charge.
24/7 Customer Service
Most bakeries operate outside of a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday. So KORONA’s 24/7 customer support is a great benefit.
- Monthly software fees:
- Core: $59
- Advanced: $69
- Plus: $89
- Enterprise: Custom quote
- Hardware costs: Can use compatible existing hardware or purchase from KORONA for custom-quoted prices
- One-time installation fees: None
- Payment processing: Bring your own processor; KORONA integrates with all major processors
- Contract length: Month to month
Overall Score:
4.31 / 5
Pros
- Ecommerce store included
- Exciting product promotions
- No long-term contracts
- Very fast checkouts
Cons
- Detailed inventory tools require advanced subscription service
- Limited offline mode
- No recipe database
What we like:
KORONA’s bakery POS system tops our list due to its end-to-end functionality to support the widest variety of bakery businesses. This user-friendly POS allows you to easily customize your order screens, and the baseline system includes invoice-building tools perfect for catering, custom cakes, or wholesale orders. KORONA also comes with an unlimited free trial; you can use the system for free for up to 30 transactions a day for absolutely no charge for as long as you like. The free trial version includes all of KORONA’s baseline features except for integrated payments.
KORONA earned a 4.31 out of 5 on our bakery POS scoring criteria, earning points for its ingredient tracking features, flexible payment processing, and high customer ratings. KORONA could have scored higher if it included a recipe database like others on this list (Square for Restaurants is the only other system missing this feature.) As a fully cloud-based system, KORONA also has limited offline functionality.
Month-to-Month Contracts
Users can cancel their service at any time without penalties. So, it is easy to update your POS plan as your business grows. This is unusual for POS systems in general, though on this list, Square for Restaurants also requires no long-term commitment.
Flexible Processing
KORONA is the only system on this list that integrates with every major credit card processor. Users can shop for the best processing rates and use whichever processor they like. For busy bakeries with check averages below $10, this feature can keep more profits flowing to the bottom line.
Inventory with Vendor Management
KORONA’s inventory management software—included in Advanced subscriptions—tracks stock levels and manages supply orders. The system considers current coupons and promotions when generating suggested orders and can print custom price tags for individual boxes of pastries or custom orders.
Marketing & Gift Cards
KORONA allows baseline users to offer date- or time-based promotions (like half-priced pastries during the last hour of business) and set detailed rewards and coupons for combos. KORONA is the only system on this list that includes gift card processing for no additional charge.
24/7 Customer Service
Most bakeries operate outside of a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday. So KORONA’s 24/7 customer support is a great benefit.
- Monthly software fees:
- Core: $59
- Advanced: $69
- Plus: $89
- Enterprise: Custom quote
- Hardware costs: Can use compatible existing hardware or purchase from KORONA for custom-quoted prices
- One-time installation fees: None
- Payment processing: Bring your own processor; KORONA integrates with all major processors
- Contract length: Month to month
If you need a bakery POS with a stronger offline mode, try Toast or BakeSmart.
Toast: Best for High-volume Bakeries
Overall Score:
4.27 / 5
Pros
- Free baseline POS
- Industry-grade hardware
- Pay-as-you-go option for hardware purchase
- Robust employee management tools
Cons
- Locked into Toast Payments
- 2-year contract
- Inventory software costs extra
What we like:
Toast is an industry leader in point of sales for restaurants and bakeries for good reason. Toast tablets can operate at higher and lower temperatures than iPads or consumer-grade computer terminals. They are drop-tested and also rated to withstand the intrusion of steam or dust. These qualities are a terrific fit in a bakery environment where steam, heat, and flour particles are facts of life.
Toast offers invoicing tools that allow you to charge for events, offsites, and special orders billing through the POS System. Toast’s combination of industry-grade hardware and in-depth employee management functions make it great for high-volume bakeries.
It earned a 4.27 out of 5 on our bakery POS scoring system. Toast’s strong offline functionality and invoicing earned high marks. Toast could have scored higher if inventory, online ordering, loyalty, and marketing tools were included in the baseline POS.
Pay-as-you-go Options
Toast is the only system on this list that allows users to purchase hardware with no upfront cost. Others, like Square and BakeSmart, let you use hardware you already own, but with Toast, you can get industry-grade hardware and software at zero upfront cost for up to two terminals.
Advanced Employee Management
Toast offers digital onboarding and mobile employee setup. This is great for bakeries and coffee shops that regularly onboard new staff. The scheduling tool includes alerts to ensure your schedule complies with local labor laws.
Pre-scheduled Orders
Toast allows users to generate future orders directly from the POS screen. If you have a kitchen display system (KDS) installed, these future orders will display automatically on the date they need to be completed, with preparation time built in.
Advanced Invoicing
This Toast tool allows you to generate an invoice to use as an estimate and final bill. You can email the invoice directly from your POS screen and send reminders if payment lags. Customers can pay the invoice in person or by credit card over the internet. While others on this list—KORONA, Square for Restaurants, and BakeSmart—all offer invoicing tools, Toast’s is one of the easiest to use.
- Monthly software fees:
- Quick Start Bundle: $0
- Core: $69
- Growth: $165
- Build Your Own: Custom quote
- Hardware costs:
- Pay-as-you-go plans include free hardware for up to two terminals (with the Pay-as-you-go processing rates listed below)
- Standard price for a stationary terminal with a router and card reader is $799.
- One-time installation fees: $0–$499 (optional)
- Payment processing: In-person fees for standard plan: 2.99% + 15 cents; In-person fees for Starter Kit plan: 2.49% + 15 cents
Custom rate quotes available for Essentials and Custom subscribers
- Contract length: 2 years
Overall Score:
4.27 / 5
Pros
- Free baseline POS
- Industry-grade hardware
- Pay-as-you-go option for hardware purchase
- Robust employee management tools
Cons
- Locked into Toast Payments
- 2-year contract
- Inventory software costs extra
What we like:
Toast is an industry leader in point of sales for restaurants and bakeries for good reason. Toast tablets can operate at higher and lower temperatures than iPads or consumer-grade computer terminals. They are drop-tested and also rated to withstand the intrusion of steam or dust. These qualities are a terrific fit in a bakery environment where steam, heat, and flour particles are facts of life.
Toast offers invoicing tools that allow you to charge for events, offsites, and special orders billing through the POS System. Toast’s combination of industry-grade hardware and in-depth employee management functions make it great for high-volume bakeries.
It earned a 4.27 out of 5 on our bakery POS scoring system. Toast’s strong offline functionality and invoicing earned high marks. Toast could have scored higher if inventory, online ordering, loyalty, and marketing tools were included in the baseline POS.
Pay-as-you-go Options
Toast is the only system on this list that allows users to purchase hardware with no upfront cost. Others, like Square and BakeSmart, let you use hardware you already own, but with Toast, you can get industry-grade hardware and software at zero upfront cost for up to two terminals.
Advanced Employee Management
Toast offers digital onboarding and mobile employee setup. This is great for bakeries and coffee shops that regularly onboard new staff. The scheduling tool includes alerts to ensure your schedule complies with local labor laws.
Pre-scheduled Orders
Toast allows users to generate future orders directly from the POS screen. If you have a kitchen display system (KDS) installed, these future orders will display automatically on the date they need to be completed, with preparation time built in.
Advanced Invoicing
This Toast tool allows you to generate an invoice to use as an estimate and final bill. You can email the invoice directly from your POS screen and send reminders if payment lags. Customers can pay the invoice in person or by credit card over the internet. While others on this list—KORONA, Square for Restaurants, and BakeSmart—all offer invoicing tools, Toast’s is one of the easiest to use.
- Monthly software fees:
- Quick Start Bundle: $0
- Core: $69
- Growth: $165
- Build Your Own: Custom quote
- Hardware costs:
- Pay-as-you-go plans include free hardware for up to two terminals (with the Pay-as-you-go processing rates listed below)
- Standard price for a stationary terminal with a router and card reader is $799.
- One-time installation fees: $0–$499 (optional)
- Payment processing: In-person fees for standard plan: 2.99% + 15 cents; In-person fees for Starter Kit plan: 2.49% + 15 cents
Custom rate quotes available for Essentials and Custom subscribers
- Contract length: 2 years
If your bakery needs a free online ordering site, you’ll prefer Square or KORONA. For custom cake or wholesale management tools, check out BakeSmart.
BakeSmart: Best for Wholesale Order Management
Overall Score:
4.17 / 5
Pros
- Multiple payment processors
- Wholesale order management
- Software streamlines high-volume bakeries
- Intuitive customer loyalty program
Cons
- Very pricey
- Locally installed system does not have a cloud-accessible back office dashboard
What we like:
BakeSmart is THE go-to POS software for wholesale bakeries. With functionality such as standing orders, a customer-facing ordering portal, and multiple pricing tiers, it is the best for any bakery that regularly supplies other businesses. It also calculates exactly how much of each recipe must be made based on the orders received.
This POS earned a 4.17 out of 5 on our bakery POS ranking criteria. The system’s flexible processing and wealth of bakery-specific tools (including advance order management and custom cake tools) earned high marks. BakeSmart lost some points because it is not cloud-based; you need to access your system on-site to get reports and update information. The steep price with required installation fees also lowered its score.
Wholesale Account Management
With an Enterprise-level account, you can enter standing orders for wholesale customers. You can schedule these orders for a specific pick-up or delivery date, and BakeSmart will add the order to your production calendar two days in advance.
Production Management Tools
You can set ongoing production targets and volume limits, calculate costs and prices, and keep all of this information in a centralized location. These production tools communicate with the inventory tools, so your stock levels are always up to date.
Wholesale Standing Orders
Use standing orders for wholesale customers that will repeat forever on a given day of the week. This allows ease of planning and cost and revenue forecasting while giving your customers consistent service.
Wholesale Pricing Management
You can build out price levels for different accounts and set specific pricing for each item in relation to each account. Lastly, wholesale customers can manage their ordering through a provided portal!
- Monthly software fees (includes software for 5 terminals):
- Essentials: $199
- Pro: $249
- Enterprise: $299
- Hardware costs: BakeSmart operates on any Windows or MacOS computer, so you can use hardware you already own. Printers and card readers are available from BakeSmart for custom-quoted prices.
- One-time installation fees:
- Essentials: $1,499
- Pro: $2,499
- Enterprise: $3,499
- Processing fees: Varies by processor. BakeSmart integrates with all major payment processors so you can shop for the best rates
- Contract length: Month to month
Overall Score:
4.17 / 5
Pros
- Multiple payment processors
- Wholesale order management
- Software streamlines high-volume bakeries
- Intuitive customer loyalty program
Cons
- Very pricey
- Locally installed system does not have a cloud-accessible back office dashboard
What we like:
BakeSmart is THE go-to POS software for wholesale bakeries. With functionality such as standing orders, a customer-facing ordering portal, and multiple pricing tiers, it is the best for any bakery that regularly supplies other businesses. It also calculates exactly how much of each recipe must be made based on the orders received.
This POS earned a 4.17 out of 5 on our bakery POS ranking criteria. The system’s flexible processing and wealth of bakery-specific tools (including advance order management and custom cake tools) earned high marks. BakeSmart lost some points because it is not cloud-based; you need to access your system on-site to get reports and update information. The steep price with required installation fees also lowered its score.
Wholesale Account Management
With an Enterprise-level account, you can enter standing orders for wholesale customers. You can schedule these orders for a specific pick-up or delivery date, and BakeSmart will add the order to your production calendar two days in advance.
Production Management Tools
You can set ongoing production targets and volume limits, calculate costs and prices, and keep all of this information in a centralized location. These production tools communicate with the inventory tools, so your stock levels are always up to date.
Wholesale Standing Orders
Use standing orders for wholesale customers that will repeat forever on a given day of the week. This allows ease of planning and cost and revenue forecasting while giving your customers consistent service.
Wholesale Pricing Management
You can build out price levels for different accounts and set specific pricing for each item in relation to each account. Lastly, wholesale customers can manage their ordering through a provided portal!
- Monthly software fees (includes software for 5 terminals):
- Essentials: $199
- Pro: $249
- Enterprise: $299
- Hardware costs: BakeSmart operates on any Windows or MacOS computer, so you can use hardware you already own. Printers and card readers are available from BakeSmart for custom-quoted prices.
- One-time installation fees:
- Essentials: $1,499
- Pro: $2,499
- Enterprise: $3,499
- Processing fees: Varies by processor. BakeSmart integrates with all major payment processors so you can shop for the best rates
- Contract length: Month to month
If you are not in the wholesale bakery business, you’ll be better off with a bakery POS with a smaller footprint. Try Toast, Square for Restaurants, or KORONA.
Lightspeed: Best for Speedy Ordering
Overall Score:
3.96 / 5
Pros
- You can use your own compatible hardware such as a tablet or iPad
- Intuitive central management dashboard
- Ingredient management tools
- Delivery service option
Cons
- Inventory requires higher-priced subscription
- Limited employee management functions
- Can only schedule orders one week in advance
What we like:
Lightspeed Restaurant is a cloud-based POS system with restaurant industry-standard features like built-in payment processing, ingredient-level inventory management, and basic employee and customer management. It is an excellent fit for growing bakery businesses because the system is highly customizable, including speed order screens that combine ordering and payment buttons on a single screen.
Speed order screens reduce button presses, making orders and payments faster. This enables bakeries to serve more customers in a shorter time period, increasing sales.
Lightspeed Restaurant earned a score of 3.96 out of 5 on our bakery scoring criteria. It earned high marks for its flexible payment processing (you can choose built-in or third party payments) and flexible hardware (you can bring your own iPads or purchase from Lightspeed). Bakeries with a lot of scheduled orders will want to note; Lightspeed can only accept advance orders up to a week ahead.
Flexible Hardware
Lightspeed Restaurant runs on iPads. You can purchase them from Lightspeed, or bring your own tablets. This allows small bakeries to get started for a low cost, and for growing bakeries to expand for a low cost.
High-caliber Inventory Management
Lightspeed Restaurant recently acquired Upserve, which is an automated inventory system that now integrates with Lightspeed Restaurant POS. This service is only available at the “Pro” tier ($399/mo) but is the most user-friendly inventory available in a cloud POS on the market.
Flexible Payment Processing
Lightspeed Restaurant users can choose the ease of built-in processing through Lightspeed Payments. Rates for in-person transactions are 2.6% + 10 cents, similar to competitor Square. If you prefer to shop for lower rates, the system also integrates with TSYS and Worldpay.
Online Ordering & Delivery
Lightspeed offers multiple online ordering options. You can centralize all your third-party orders on a single order screen via Lightspeed Delivery and manage your delivery menus in one place. Alternatively, you can rely on Lightspeed’s built-in online ordering module, Order Ahead. The Order Ahead function allows you to receive orders up to a week in advance.
- Monthly Software Fees:
- Essentials: $69
- Plus: $189
- Pro: $399
- Enterprise: Custom quote
- Hardware costs: Custom quote; varies
- One-time Installation fees: $0
- Payment processing: Varies by processor (Lightspeed Payments, TSYS, Worldpay); Lightspeed Payments: 2.6% + 10 cents for in-person payments
- Contract length: 1 year
Overall Score:
3.96 / 5
Pros
- You can use your own compatible hardware such as a tablet or iPad
- Intuitive central management dashboard
- Ingredient management tools
- Delivery service option
Cons
- Inventory requires higher-priced subscription
- Limited employee management functions
- Can only schedule orders one week in advance
What we like:
Lightspeed Restaurant is a cloud-based POS system with restaurant industry-standard features like built-in payment processing, ingredient-level inventory management, and basic employee and customer management. It is an excellent fit for growing bakery businesses because the system is highly customizable, including speed order screens that combine ordering and payment buttons on a single screen.
Speed order screens reduce button presses, making orders and payments faster. This enables bakeries to serve more customers in a shorter time period, increasing sales.
Lightspeed Restaurant earned a score of 3.96 out of 5 on our bakery scoring criteria. It earned high marks for its flexible payment processing (you can choose built-in or third party payments) and flexible hardware (you can bring your own iPads or purchase from Lightspeed). Bakeries with a lot of scheduled orders will want to note; Lightspeed can only accept advance orders up to a week ahead.
Flexible Hardware
Lightspeed Restaurant runs on iPads. You can purchase them from Lightspeed, or bring your own tablets. This allows small bakeries to get started for a low cost, and for growing bakeries to expand for a low cost.
High-caliber Inventory Management
Lightspeed Restaurant recently acquired Upserve, which is an automated inventory system that now integrates with Lightspeed Restaurant POS. This service is only available at the “Pro” tier ($399/mo) but is the most user-friendly inventory available in a cloud POS on the market.
Flexible Payment Processing
Lightspeed Restaurant users can choose the ease of built-in processing through Lightspeed Payments. Rates for in-person transactions are 2.6% + 10 cents, similar to competitor Square. If you prefer to shop for lower rates, the system also integrates with TSYS and Worldpay.
Online Ordering & Delivery
Lightspeed offers multiple online ordering options. You can centralize all your third-party orders on a single order screen via Lightspeed Delivery and manage your delivery menus in one place. Alternatively, you can rely on Lightspeed’s built-in online ordering module, Order Ahead. The Order Ahead function allows you to receive orders up to a week in advance.
- Monthly Software Fees:
- Essentials: $69
- Plus: $189
- Pro: $399
- Enterprise: Custom quote
- Hardware costs: Custom quote; varies
- One-time Installation fees: $0
- Payment processing: Varies by processor (Lightspeed Payments, TSYS, Worldpay); Lightspeed Payments: 2.6% + 10 cents for in-person payments
- Contract length: 1 year
If your bakery needs to accept orders more than a week in advance, you’ll be better off with KORONA, Toast, or BakeSmart. If you need a completely free bakery point of sale, try Square or Toast.
CakeBoss: Best Software for Home-based Bakeries
Overall Score:
3.89 / 5
Pros
- Multilanguage support
- Robust inventory software
- Incredibly inexpensive
- Detailed cake-costing tools
Cons
- Not a full POS system
- Cannot process in-person payments
- Extra fee for PayPal integration
What we like:
CakeBoss is home bakery management software for managing and scheduling orders, inventory, recipes, and invoicing. It was developed by a home baker for home bakers (and is not related to the TLC television show of the same name). Unlike the other solutions on our list, CakeBoss is not designed for bakeries with storefronts but rather for catering or home businesses that primarily produce custom baked goods or cottage foods. Its pricing model is slightly different from the traditional POS systems on our list. For your first year’s subscription, you’ll pay $149, but after that you’ll only pay $20 per year.
CakeBoss can run on your home computer or laptop. There are no special hardware purchases required. However, CakeBoss is not designed to process in-person payments. You’ll be able to accept online payments via PayPal, but if you want to process in-person payments—say, at a farmers market—you’ll need a solution like Square. You can also simply use a Square card reader attached to your smartphone.
It earned 3.89 out of 5 in our evaluation, scoring well for its ingredient tracking and order management functions. It was hurt by its lack of in-person payment processing and limited email marketing functions.
Multilanguage Options
An integration with Google Translate allows users to run CakeBoss in their preferred language.
Customer Management
You can track all customer contact information through the CakeBoss POS system. It provides you with a complete order history for each customer. We found the date feature very useful; it allows you to add birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates to customer profiles, strengthening your customer relationships.
Custom Order Costing
As you build new orders, CakeBoss’s cost calculator prompts you for the number of servings and hours you spend preparing the orders. It combines this information with your recipe and material costs to generate a price per serving that ensures you never underbid yourself.
Recipe Management
CakeBoss comes preloaded with over 120 common baking ingredients that you can use to build recipes. Prices on all of these can be edited, and you can add or edit your own unique ingredients for costing purposes. It also provides basic recipe guides for everyday items, and a converting feature to print accurate recipe amounts.
PayPal Integration
CakeBoss has an optional PayPal integration that allows your customers to pay invoices online with a credit card, debit card, and PayPal.
CakeBoss costs $149 in the first year and just $20 yearly after that. In addition to being a very low-cost tool, CakeBoss also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the system risk-free.
- Software subscription fee:
- $149/year for the first year
- $20/year thereafter
- Hardware costs: None; CakeBoss operates on hardware you already own.
- One-time installation fees: None
- Processing fees: Online payments only via PayPal. Standard rates for PayPal invoice payments: 3.49% + 49 cents
- Contract length: 1 year
Overall Score:
3.89 / 5
Pros
- Multilanguage support
- Robust inventory software
- Incredibly inexpensive
- Detailed cake-costing tools
Cons
- Not a full POS system
- Cannot process in-person payments
- Extra fee for PayPal integration
What we like:
CakeBoss is home bakery management software for managing and scheduling orders, inventory, recipes, and invoicing. It was developed by a home baker for home bakers (and is not related to the TLC television show of the same name). Unlike the other solutions on our list, CakeBoss is not designed for bakeries with storefronts but rather for catering or home businesses that primarily produce custom baked goods or cottage foods. Its pricing model is slightly different from the traditional POS systems on our list. For your first year’s subscription, you’ll pay $149, but after that you’ll only pay $20 per year.
CakeBoss can run on your home computer or laptop. There are no special hardware purchases required. However, CakeBoss is not designed to process in-person payments. You’ll be able to accept online payments via PayPal, but if you want to process in-person payments—say, at a farmers market—you’ll need a solution like Square. You can also simply use a Square card reader attached to your smartphone.
It earned 3.89 out of 5 in our evaluation, scoring well for its ingredient tracking and order management functions. It was hurt by its lack of in-person payment processing and limited email marketing functions.
Multilanguage Options
An integration with Google Translate allows users to run CakeBoss in their preferred language.
Customer Management
You can track all customer contact information through the CakeBoss POS system. It provides you with a complete order history for each customer. We found the date feature very useful; it allows you to add birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates to customer profiles, strengthening your customer relationships.
Custom Order Costing
As you build new orders, CakeBoss’s cost calculator prompts you for the number of servings and hours you spend preparing the orders. It combines this information with your recipe and material costs to generate a price per serving that ensures you never underbid yourself.
Recipe Management
CakeBoss comes preloaded with over 120 common baking ingredients that you can use to build recipes. Prices on all of these can be edited, and you can add or edit your own unique ingredients for costing purposes. It also provides basic recipe guides for everyday items, and a converting feature to print accurate recipe amounts.
PayPal Integration
CakeBoss has an optional PayPal integration that allows your customers to pay invoices online with a credit card, debit card, and PayPal.
CakeBoss costs $149 in the first year and just $20 yearly after that. In addition to being a very low-cost tool, CakeBoss also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the system risk-free.
- Software subscription fee:
- $149/year for the first year
- $20/year thereafter
- Hardware costs: None; CakeBoss operates on hardware you already own.
- One-time installation fees: None
- Processing fees: Online payments only via PayPal. Standard rates for PayPal invoice payments: 3.49% + 49 cents
- Contract length: 1 year
CakeBoss lacks bakery cash register features that commercial bakeries need, like cash handling and in-person payments. It also does not support ecommerce integrations and offline mode. Commercial bakeries that need a more traditional register should turn to KORONA, BakeSmart, Toast, or Square for Restaurants.
Square: Best Free POS for Beginner Bakeries Needing In-person/Online Payments
Overall Score:
3.76 / 5
Pros
- Free baseline POS
- No long-term contracts
- Free invoicing tools
- Free online ordering
Cons
- Recipe management and inventory management require extra integrations
- Marketing and loyalty fees extra
- Square is the only processor
What we like:
Square is a perfect fit for beginner bakeries looking for an iPad-based register with quick setup and no long-term contract. The built-in Square processing makes it easy to set up a POS in a single day, and the addition of Square tools for invoicing and online selling make it easy to accept orders and process payments for custom cakes.
Square for Restaurants earned a 3.76 out of 5 on our bakery ranking criteria. It scored points for its low cost and suite of connected tools (including free invoicing and a free online store). However, it lost points as several features—loyalty, marketing, recipe logs, ingredient-level inventory—require additional purchases or third-party integrations. Though Square is not our top-recommended solution for bakeries, it is our best overall POS for new and small businesses. It is also a great, simple POS for home-based bakeries.
Free Baseline POS
The baseline Square POS subscription is free for unlimited terminals. Small bakeries and home-based bakeries can run this register on iPads they already own, use the system for as long as they need it, and cancel at any time for no penalties. Other Square tools for invoicing and online sales also have free subscription tiers to help beginners get started.
Square Invoices
Square Invoices is a Square business tool that enables you to send invoices from your Square management dashboard. Once the invoice is sent, Square will automatically prompt customers to settle their bill and send reminders if someone is slow to respond. This is a useful tool for bakeries that process catering orders or custom cakes.
Square Online Store
Like KORONA, Square includes a free online store for POS users. Square’s setup wizard guides you through the site creation process. You can host your store for free on a Square-affiliated link. You can build your online store in an afternoon and get started taking online orders right away.
Square App Marketplace
You can expand your Square for Restaurants POS with one of the hundreds of partner apps featured in the Square App Marketplace. If you need ingredient-level inventory tracking with a recipe log, Square integrates with MarketMan, PeachWorks, and YellowDog. If you want to feature your pastries on third-party delivery platforms, you can find all the popular ones in the App Marketplace.
- Monthly Software subscription fee:
- Free: $0
- Pro: $60
- Premium: Custom quote
- Hardware costs: Can use iPads you already own. Proprietary Square hardware like card readers ($49), the handheld Square Terminal ($299), or touch-screen desktop Square Register ($799). Square also sells hardware kits that include cash drawers, card readers, and kitchen and receipt printers starting at $1,159.
- One-time installation fees: None
- Processing fees:
- In-person transactions: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Online & invoice payments: 2.9% + 30 cents
- Invoice payments: 3.3% + 30 cents per transaction
Overall Score:
3.76 / 5
Pros
- Free baseline POS
- No long-term contracts
- Free invoicing tools
- Free online ordering
Cons
- Recipe management and inventory management require extra integrations
- Marketing and loyalty fees extra
- Square is the only processor
What we like:
Square is a perfect fit for beginner bakeries looking for an iPad-based register with quick setup and no long-term contract. The built-in Square processing makes it easy to set up a POS in a single day, and the addition of Square tools for invoicing and online selling make it easy to accept orders and process payments for custom cakes.
Square for Restaurants earned a 3.76 out of 5 on our bakery ranking criteria. It scored points for its low cost and suite of connected tools (including free invoicing and a free online store). However, it lost points as several features—loyalty, marketing, recipe logs, ingredient-level inventory—require additional purchases or third-party integrations. Though Square is not our top-recommended solution for bakeries, it is our best overall POS for new and small businesses. It is also a great, simple POS for home-based bakeries.
Free Baseline POS
The baseline Square POS subscription is free for unlimited terminals. Small bakeries and home-based bakeries can run this register on iPads they already own, use the system for as long as they need it, and cancel at any time for no penalties. Other Square tools for invoicing and online sales also have free subscription tiers to help beginners get started.
Square Invoices
Square Invoices is a Square business tool that enables you to send invoices from your Square management dashboard. Once the invoice is sent, Square will automatically prompt customers to settle their bill and send reminders if someone is slow to respond. This is a useful tool for bakeries that process catering orders or custom cakes.
Square Online Store
Like KORONA, Square includes a free online store for POS users. Square’s setup wizard guides you through the site creation process. You can host your store for free on a Square-affiliated link. You can build your online store in an afternoon and get started taking online orders right away.
Square App Marketplace
You can expand your Square for Restaurants POS with one of the hundreds of partner apps featured in the Square App Marketplace. If you need ingredient-level inventory tracking with a recipe log, Square integrates with MarketMan, PeachWorks, and YellowDog. If you want to feature your pastries on third-party delivery platforms, you can find all the popular ones in the App Marketplace.
- Monthly Software subscription fee:
- Free: $0
- Pro: $60
- Premium: Custom quote
- Hardware costs: Can use iPads you already own. Proprietary Square hardware like card readers ($49), the handheld Square Terminal ($299), or touch-screen desktop Square Register ($799). Square also sells hardware kits that include cash drawers, card readers, and kitchen and receipt printers starting at $1,159.
- One-time installation fees: None
- Processing fees:
- In-person transactions: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Online & invoice payments: 2.9% + 30 cents
- Invoice payments: 3.3% + 30 cents per transaction
If you need more of an all-in-one system or industry-grade hardware, consider Toast or KORONA (though with either, you’ll still pay extra for advanced inventory).
Methodology—How We Evaluated Bakery POS
We compared a dozen popular bakery POS systems based on the features that best support different types of bakeries. We looked for cost, ease of use, and the inclusion of bakery-supporting functions like inventory tracking and invoicing.
Click through the tabs below for our full scoring criteria:
20%
Pricing
25%
Ingredient Tracking and Reporting
25%
Order Management
15%
Business Management
15%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
Low-margin businesses like bakeries need cost-effective tools, so we rewarded free plans, free trials, and low-cost systems. We gave extra points to software that cost under $75 per month. We also looked at whether the baseline includes key bakery features and offers integrated payment processing.
25% of Overall Score
The best bakery POS systems track individual ingredients as they are used and alert owners of low stock. They also store recipes, track costs, manage overall inventory, monitor vendor information, and create, submit, and receive purchase orders.
25% of Overall Score
A reliable POS app should be able to process in-person, online, and advanced orders. We awarded points to software that can accept online and catering orders, as well as those that can handle wholesale and business-to-business (B2B) transactions.
15% of Overall Score
We gave special consideration to software that provides users with mobile and cloud access. We also evaluated what tasks a system can perform while offline. Premium points were also given to those that have digital invoicing, email marketing, and CRM tools, specifically database and loyalty features.
15% of Overall Score
We considered our retail and restaurant experts’ opinions of each system alongside public user reviews. We also looked at each app’s standout bakery-specific features. Each system was also assessed for its value for money and ease of use.
*Percentages of overall score
How to Choose a Bakery POS
Choosing a bakery POS can feel like a daunting task. If you follow the steps below, you’ll find your ideal POS in no time.
1. Assess Your Bakery’s Needs
The bakery POS you choose will depend entirely on your bakery type and budget. With expanded Cottage Food laws, running a bakery business from home is a popular micro-business, and using a POS can help home bakers see if they are making money. Brick-and-mortar bakeries benefit from POS tools that speed the in-person ordering process and schedule advance or wholesale orders.
Some popular bakery POS functions include:
- In-person payments
- In-person ordering
- Wholesale order-taking
- Advanced, scheduled orders
- Online ordering
- Online payments
- Invoicing
- Ingredient tracking
- Recipe logs
- Sales reporting
- Delivery management
- Employee timekeeping
- Tip management
Make a list of the tasks you need your bakery POS to perform. Make note of whether these tasks are must-haves or nice-to-haves. For example, a wholesale bakery with many baking employees would list a digital recipe log as a must-have, while a small storefront bakery with a single baker would probably call this a “nice-to-have.”
2. Determine Your Bakery POS Budget
There are great bakery POS systems at every price point, including free options. But be honest about your budget here; if you have money to spend, you should spend it. Free POS tools are great for small and beginning bakeries, but are unlikely to support the robust operation of a wholesale bakery operation.
Break your budget into two parts: upfront costs and ongoing costs. Most bakery POS systems these days come with some initial hardware fees along with ongoing monthly software fees. Your payment processing will also be a monthly fee, but you have little control over exactly what your processing costs will be; most are custom-quoted by the POS brand itself. Though some systems (like KORONA) integrate with many processors so you can shop around for lower processing rates.
3. Try Some Systems
With your list of desired features and your budget in hand, schedule product demonstrations with a few bakery POS brands. Ask to see the functions you need in action—whether it is the employee time clock or the inventory management system. You’ll be using this system every day in your business, so it is important that it is user-friendly. Take notes during each demo so you can accurately recall each system.
During the POS demos, pay close attention to how many buttons you need to press to perform certain tasks. Button presses add time to transactions. If a cashier has to press three buttons to get to a payment screen, this could lead to long lines and frustrated customers in a busy bakery.
4. Compare Systems
After your demo, most POS providers will send you an itemized estimate of your expected upfront and ongoing costs. Now it’s time to sit down with these estimates and your demo notes and determine which bakery POS is the best fit for your business. Bakery POS systems are improving rapidly these days, and it is easy to focus on the most cutting-edge tools like detailed vendor management and ingredient-level inventory. But if you won’t use these tools or they are too expensive, they are not worth the money for your bakery. But they can show you what is possible as your business grows.
My biggest advice for bakeries choosing a POS system is to get the best system you can afford—one that can grow with your business. A baseline subscription with Lightspeed or Toast might make more sense for a bakery that wants to expand into high-volume storefronts, for example. While a home bakery that plans to start selling at farmers markets and expand into online orders would likely settle on Square.
Bakery POS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Bakery software is designed to streamline the business operations of different types of bakeries. Depending on the business’ needs, bakery software might include a recipe log, cake design tools, invoicing, advanced ordering, inventory tracking, and payment processing. Some systems also include barcode label printing, online ordering, and delivery management.
Small, home-based bakeries often operate without a POS. Many small brick-and-mortar bakeries may also opt for a cash register rather than a POS. While you don’t need a POS to run a bakery, a POS system helps you grow your business.
With a POS, it is easier to process digital payments and collect customer data to support marketing campaigns. Bakery POS systems help track orders placed in advance for special occasions and can process catering order deposits and send invoices to customers.
It is possible to find free bakery POS software. Both Toast and Square offer a baseline POS system that is completely free to use; all you pay are credit card processing fees. Though if you need more advanced functions like wholesale order management or custom cake design tools built into your POS, you can expect to spend closer to $160 to $200 per month, plus payment processing.
Bottom Line
A bakery POS system is the backbone to managing your bakery business. You need one that is user-friendly and tracks sales and cost data. We found KORONA to be the overall best bakery POS for the most types of bakery businesses. With no long-term contracts and a lengthy free trial, users can try this system risk-free. To see if this system can streamline your bakery, contact KORONA for a demo or sign up for a free trial.
