6 Best Bakery POS for 2023
With more than a decade of hospitality experience, Mary has worked in some of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. Her expertise is featured across Fit Small Business in restaurant, retail, and starting a business content.
Ray Delucci is a chef and restaurant manager with a degree from the Culinary Institute of America. His writing has appeared in Plate Magazine and he is the host of the restaurant industry podcast Line Cook Thoughts.
This article is part of a larger series on POS Systems.
Excellent baked goods and a stellar menu selection will not be enough to be competitive in the bakery space in 2023. Having the best technology in organization, sales tracking, and menu setup, along with unique features for your customers is the special ingredient that will 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: Best overall bakery POS for brick-and-mortar bakeries
- Toast: Best for high-volume bakeries
- BakeSmart: Best for wholesale bakeries
- Lightspeed: Best midpriced POS for growing bakeries
- CakeBoss: Best for home-based bakeries without in-person payments
- Square: Best for beginner bakeries with in-person/online payments
Best Bakery POS Systems Compared
POS System | Minimum Monthly Fee | Installation Fees | Hardware Cost | Contract Length | In-person Processing Fees | Compatible Payment Processors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $59 | $0 | Use existing or purchase for custom fees | Month to Month | Varies by processor | Works with all major processors |
 | $0–$165+ | $0 | $0–$799 | 2 years | 2.49% + 15 cents | Toast Payments |
 | $199 | $1,499–$3,499 | Varies; can use existing hardware | Month to month | Varies by processor | Works with all major processors |
 | $69 | $0 | Custom-quoted | 1 year | Varies by processor; Lightspeed Payments: 2.6% + 10 cents | Lightspeed Payments, TSYS, Worldpay |
 | $149 First Year/$20 Every Year After | $0 | $0 | 1 year | 3.49% + 49 cents (Only accepts online payments) | PayPal |
 | $0 | $0 | $49–$1,159 | Month to Month | 2.6% + 10 cents | Square Payments |
Are you looking for something different?
Check out our rankings for the best POS systems for small businesses and the 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
KORONA Deciding Factors
- 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
KORONA’s bakery POS system tops our list due to its end-to-end functionality. This user-friendly POS allows you to easily customize your order screens and menu offerings. The baseline system also includes invoice-building tools perfect for catering, custom cakes, or wholesale orders. You can test the software with an unlimited free trial; use KORONA 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. It scored well for its ingredient tracking features, open payment processing, and high customer ratings. KORONA could have scored higher if it included a recipe database like others on this list do (Square for Restaurants is the only other system missing this feature.) As a fully cloud-based system, KORONA also has limited offline functionality. If you need a fully functioning POS when your internet goes down, try Toast or BakeSmart.
KORONA Features
KORONA is affordably priced at $59 to $89 per terminal monthly (the Enterprise-level tier is custom-quoted) for the POS software. Hardware, however, requires a custom quote. Across the board, users love this system. User reviews on popular review sites award KORONA an average of 4.6 stars out of 5, with many mentioning the friendly and knowledgeable customer support team.
Standout features include:
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 or your needs change. 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. You can also change processors down the line if you find a better rate after a couple of years in business. For busy bakeries with check averages below $10, this feature can have a huge impact on the bottom line.
Inventory With Vendor Management
The built-in inventory management software allows you to track stock levels and manage supply orders directly from your back-office dashboard. Your KORONA inventory module will consider current coupons and promotions when advising on reordering levels. You can also use the inventory settings to print custom price tags for individual boxes of pastries or custom orders. Accessing these inventory features requires an Advanced or higher subscription, however. If you need inventory included in the baseline POS, try BakeSmart.
Marketing & Gift Cards
KORONA includes highly customizable discounting and promotions tools in the baseline POS. You can set your system to offer date- or time-based promotions (like half-priced pastries during the last hour of business) or set detailed rewards and coupons when specific items are ordered together. KORONA is also the only system on this list that includes gift card processing for no additional charge.
24/7 Customer Service
One perk we enjoy with this service is the free 24/7 support in case your system ever goes down. Having that access is key for bakeries, where most work is done outside of the normal 9-5 workday.
Learn more about KORONA POS features with our full KORONA review.
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
Toast Deciding Factors
- Monthly software fees:
- Starter Kit: $0
- Point of Sale: $69
- Essentials: $165
- Custom: 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
Toast is an industry leader in point of sales for restaurants and bakeries—and for good reason. Its hardware is top-of-the-line, and the interface that works within it is easy for both business owners and their customers. Toast offers invoicing tools that allow you to manage all billing through its POS Systems. The industry-grade hardware is the best for bakeries in both quality and functionality. What really helps Toast is the combination of industry-grade hardware and in-depth employee management functions, making it great for high-volume bakeries.
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.
It earned a 4.27 out of 5 on our bakery POS scoring system. Toast’s strong offline functionality and invoicing earned high marks. The integrated online ordering tools, inventory, and scheduled orders also earned points. Toast could have scored higher if inventory, online ordering, loyalty, and marketing tools were included in the baseline POS, or if it included custom cake or wholesale management tools. 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.
Toast Features
Toast’s baseline POS system has built-in features like menu management, real-time data and reporting, and employee management. It also offers a pay-as-you-go Starter subscription option, which allows small bakeries to access Toast software and hardware without any monthly cost. This makes Toast a good first for growing bakeries that need industry-grade tools on a tight budget.
The baseline Toast POS supports timeclock functions, custom user permissions for unlimited users, and robust modifier buttons. Small bakeries can get started with Toast for free and add modules like online ordering, inventory, and marketing as their business grows. Toast offers pay-as-you-go pricing for most add-on modules (all you’ll pay is slightly higher processing fees), or you can request a custom quote from the Toast sales team.
Toast’s standout features include:
Pay-as-you-go Hardware
Toast is the only system on this list that allows users to purchase hardware with no upfront cost. Sure, with others like Square and BakeSmart, you can use hardware you already own, but with Toast, you can get industry-grade hardware without paying an arm and a leg.
Advanced Employee Management
In regards to employee management, Toast offers tools such as digital onboarding and mobile employee setup. This makes getting an employee verified and on staff a breeze. It also offers clock-in functionality for time and labor tracking. There is scheduling to relay to your staff when they need to come in and how many hours they have worked. And lastly, Toast has an HR On-Demand feature for HR guidance and suggestions from the pros.
Inventory by xtraChef
In 2021, Toast purchased the restaurant inventory tool xtraChef. This comprehensive inventory software logs recipes, manages vendors, tracks food cost and supply usage in real time, and syncs with your accounts payable system to ensure you never miss an invoice. It also includes scan-to-enter invoice management and a smartphone app for taking physical inventory counts.
Pre-scheduled Orders
As with BakeSmart and KORONA, Toast allows users to generate future orders directly from the POS screen. If you have a kitchen display system (KDS) installed in your kitchen, these future orders will display automatically on the date they need to be completed, with preparation time built in.
Online Ordering & Delivery
For an additional custom-quoted fee, Toast users can add integrated online ordering to their POS. Essentials subscribers automatically receive three months of free online ordering; after that, the fees are around $75 per month. Driver management features are included if you want to manage a team of in-house drivers. Alternatively, you can hail third-party delivery drivers on-demand using Toast Delivery Services. You’ll pay a flat rate per-delivery fee that varies based on the distance and the driver service. But, you can pass these fees on to customers as a service charge.
Advanced Invoicing
This Toast tool allows you to create future orders in your POS and 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.
Learn more about Toast’s POS features with our full Toast Review.
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
BakeSmart Deciding Factors
- Monthly software fees:
- 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
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 business looking to double down in the wholesale market. It also calculates exactly how much of each recipe must be made based on the orders received. With BakeSmart, you can also build online stores, and it does have some employee management capabilities.
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.
BakeSmart Features
BakeSmart includes every tool a bakery needs, whether it serves individual customers, other businesses, or a combination of the two. You’ll find an integrated ecommerce site, custom cake quoting tools, inventory with vendor management, loyalty features, email marketing tools, and wholesale management in a single system.
While BakeSmart is the priciest system on this list, the baseline price includes software for five terminals. If you actually need five terminals, the per-terminal price breaks down to $40 to $60 per terminal monthly. Small bakeries that don’t need so many registers may prefer a lower-cost system like Square, Toast, or KORONA.
BakeSmart’s standout features include:
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, cost forecast 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!
Lightspeed: Midpriced POS for Growing Bakeries
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
Lightspeed Deciding Factors
- 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
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 pricing starts at $69 per month and the system is highly customizable.
Besides offering four subscription tiers, Lightspeed Restaurant also supports integrations with popular third-party apps. So, if your small bakery plans to grow in the future, Lightspeed is the POS for you.
Lightspeed Restaurant earned a score of 3.96 out of 5 on our bakery scoring criteria. It earned high marks for its price, 14-day free trial, and the ability to use hardware you may already own. However, it does not support offline payments, while the others on this list do, and the system can only accept advance orders up to a week ahead. If your bakery does not have dependable internet service, or you need to accept orders more than a week in advance, you’ll be better off with KORONA, Toast, or BakeSmart.
Lightspeed Restaurant Features
The name of the game with Lightspeed is flexibility. Users can choose their payment processor, use existing hardware, and add a multitude of customizations through third-party integrations. Lightspeed Restaurant pricing starts at $69 per month for a single terminal, which may be all small bakeries need. Most of Lightspeed’s pricing is listed transparently on its website. Still, if you are interested in customizing with several add-on modules or lots of hardware, you should contact Lightspeed for a custom quote.
Lightspeed does not directly finance hardware purchases, but qualifying Lightspeed customers can apply to Lightspeed Capital for operating funds when needed. Lightspeed offers a 14-day free trial if you want to take a more in-depth look at the system.
Lightspeed Restaurant’s standout features include:
High-caliber Inventory Management
Lightspeed Restaurant recently acquired Upserve; both systems have regularly topped our rankings of the best restaurant POS systems over the years. This acquisition gives Lightspeed users Upserve’s excellent automated inventory system. 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.
Learn more about Lightspeed POS features in our full Lightspeed review.
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
- Extra fee for PayPal integration
CakeBoss Deciding Factors
- 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 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 (read more about Square POS below). You can also simply use a Square card reader attached to your smartphone.
In our bakery POS evaluation, CakeBoss earned a 3.89 out of 5. It earned good scores for its ingredient tracking and order management features. CakeBoss came out ahead of home-bakery competitor BakingIt (which we evaluated but didn’t include in our list) because CakeBoss includes PayPal integration to process payments. Like BakingIt, however, CakeBoss lost some points because it is a tool purpose-built for home bakeries. It lacks common features that commercial bakeries need, like ecommerce integrations and offline mode. Commercial bakeries should turn to KORONA, BakeSmart, Toast, or Square for Restaurants.
CakeBoss Standout Features
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. Home bakers who plan to take their bakeries on the road to fairs or farmers markets should note that CakeBoss isn’t designed to ring up orders on the spot or process in-person payments. You could try it, but it would be clunky. Home bakers who sell on the road can use a free POS and payments app like Square in conjunction with CakeBoss to accept in-person payments, though.
CakeBoss’s standout features include:
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.
Square: Best for Beginner Bakeries With 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
Square Deciding Factors
- 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
Square is a popular option for those starting in the bakery business and in need of an invoicing and payments tracker. Square’s easy-to-use software is great for business owners due to its ability to process transactions in an easy and effective way. The invoicing tool allows you to send invoices with reminders, and allows you to track these sales.
On the customer end, their iconic touch to pay and phone magstripe payment processors are very approachable and easy to understand in-store and online. It has an integrated online store with loyalty program capabilities, and a basic employee management software that includes punching in and out of work.
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.
If you need more of an all-in-one system, consider Toast (though you’ll still pay extra for marketing tools) or KORONA (where you’ll pay extra for advanced inventory).
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.
Square for Restaurants Features
Square for Restaurants offers a free subscription tier that can be used on unlimited devices. The Plus tier, which unlocks some additional functionality like detailed reporting, costs $60 per month. Square offers financing for hardware purchases anywhere from $49 to $10,000, and those interested can apply via Square’s website. The app also offers a 30-day free trial to test drive its higher-level POS software subscriptions. Unlike several other POS brands, Square users are not locked into long-term contracts, so you can cancel your subscription at any time.
Square for Restaurants’ standout features include:
Square Invoices
Square Invoices is a Square business tool that enables you to send invoices from your Square for Restaurant’s 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. If you don’t have a custom web domain, 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.
Employee Management
Square allows you to have your employees clock in and out through their terminals. They also offer a Team app that lets employees view their schedules individually on their phones. Tracking all of this and communicating it to your team offers some solid employee management features.
Square App Marketplace
You can easily 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. Some bakeries might find all this app adding tedious, but it offers a very real benefit to small bakeries; you won’t pay for tools that you don’t need.
See more of Square’s features by reading our full Square for Restaurants review.
How We Evaluated Bakery POS Systems
We compared six 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
Bakery POS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is bakery software?
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.
Does my bakery need a POS system?
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.
How much does a bakery POS system cost?
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.
What’s the best software for a home bakery?
If your bakery is a home-based business, you may prefer more highly targeted software to manage your recipes and invoices. CakeBoss (which we describe in detail above), Castiron, and BakingIt (which you can learn more about below) are all good options that support invoice building and shopping lists. Castiron includes online ordering with payment processing, and BakingIt includes custom cake design tools.
Pricing | Custom Cake Design Tools | Invoicing | Online Ordering | Delivery tracking | Payment Tools | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $0 | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | Built-in via Castiron |
 | $249.99/ year | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | Does not support integrated payments |
All operate on hardware you already own, and have no installation fees. Neither of these options includes in-person payment processing, though. If you want to accept credit card payments at a farmer’s market or at an offsite event, you’ll need something like Square. You can use the system as a full-blown tablet POS on an iPad, or simply add a Square card reader to your smartphone.
Home-based food businesses—called Cottage Food Operations—have become increasingly popular as states have loosened their Cottage Food laws. Home-based bakeries are also one of our top recommendations for a money-making small business.
Bottom Line
A bakery POS system is the backbone to managing the business. You need one that is easy to use and tracks sales and cost data. There are many options out there when it comes to POS systems and the type of bakery business you are in. KORONA ended up being the overall best bakery POS after our review. With no long-term contracts, users can also 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.
