Starting a new business requires significant investment. For merchants on a tight budget, free point-of-sale (POS) software can help minimize upfront costs. Most free POS systems have basic checkout and inventory management functions, but the best ones come with built-in payment processing, ecommerce, business management tools, and affordable hardware.
For this guide, we tested the most popular free POS systems on the market today and scored each one according to the quality of their free features, ease of use, limitations, and overall functionality.
Based on our evaluation, the six best free POS software in 2024 are:
- Square: Best overall free POS
- Toast: Best for full-service restaurants
- PayPal Zettle: Best for occasional sellers and PayPal users
- eHopper: Best for minimizing POS fees
- Loyverse: Best for quick-service restaurants
- Helcim: Best for wholesalers and large-ticket items
The Fit Small Business editorial process follows strict standards to ensure that our best answers are founded on the basis of accuracy, clarity, authority, objectivity, and accessibility.
I have nearly seven years of experience testing and reviewing payment processing technology, merchant services, and POS systems. To evaluate the best free POS software, I first updated our list by researching new providers that offer free POS and fact-checking to ensure that pricing and features are accurate. I then scored each one on 24 data points prioritizing feature-rich free plans, value-for-money upgrades, and ease of use. See my full methodology below.
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Best Free POS Software Compared
Our Score (Out of 5) | Free Payment Tools | Free Inventory Management | Free Business Tools | Cost to Upgrade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.31 | Payment processing Cash tracking Mobile app | Variant tracking Modifiers | Ecommerce CRM Team management | From $10 |
 | 4.24 | Payment processing | Menu management Modifiers | CRM Loyalty Payroll Scheduling | From $50 |
 | 4.13 | Payment processing Mobile app | Variant tracking | CRM Team Management | From $25 |
 | 4.07 | Payment processing Cash tracking Mobile app | Variant tracking Modifiers | CRM Loyalty Digital signage | From $10 |
 | 4.06 | Integrated third-party payments | Variant tracking Modifiers | KDS Sales Analytics | From $5 |
 | 4.06 | Payment processing Mobile app | Variant tracking Modifiers | Ecommerce CRM | None |
All of our recommendations start with a forever-free plan. Some of them require hardware to start selling—usually, a card reader that pairs with the POS app downloaded to a smartphone or tablet.
Square: Best Overall Free POS Software
Pros
- Built-in payment processing
- Free magstripe reader
- Supports sale of CBD products
- Highly rated POS software
Cons
- Reports of frozen funds
- Lacks free industry-specific features
- Account stability issues
- Limited customer support hours
Overview
Who should use it:
New and small businesses that process sales up to $10,000/month
Why we like it:
Square offers a completely free POS system for unlimited users and locations. With your free Square POS account, you can sell in-store, online, and via mobile app, and the platform has dedicated POS systems for restaurants, retailers, and salons. Square provides the widest range of free plan options, along with a free magstripe card reader to get businesses started right away. Finally, contactless payments are available for NFC-enabled mobile devices—both on Android and iOS.
- Built-in payment processing
- Mobile POS app
- Ecommerce tools with website builder
- Basic invoicing features
- Basic team management
- Basic inventory management
- Some customized reports
- CRM tools
- Magstripe reader
- Retail tools: In-store and curbside pickup, social selling
- Restaurant tools: Menu and table management, ticket management
While its processing fees are more expensive than most, Square’s free plan offers everything you might need to run your business, plus advanced plans and add-ons to support your business as it grows. Square locks users into its built-in payments solution, which makes for easy setup but is limiting in terms of finding the lowest processing rates possible.
Cost to Upgrade:
- Monthly Paid Plans: $29-$89
- Invoicing Plus: $30 per month
- Team Plus: $35 per month, per location
- Payroll: $35 per month, plus $6 per employee (No base monthly fee if you are paying contractors)
- Marketing: Starts at $10 (text message) or $15 (email) per month
- Loyalty program: Starts at $45 per month
Payment Processing Fees:
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card-present processing fee: 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction
- Keyed-in processing fee and card on file: 3.5% plus 15 cents per transaction
- Online payment processing fee: 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction
Hardware Cost:
- Mobile card reader: $0-$59
- Smart terminal: $299 or $27 per month for 12 months
- Countertop terminal: From $149-$799 (installment plans available)
Though Square’s free plan features are more than adequate for running a small business, there are still plenty of reasons and ways to upgrade. In addition to upgrading your software plan to get advanced inventory, reports, and team management, there are paid add-ons for loyalty, marketing, and payroll that you can add to any Square account.
Once you’ve purchased these add-ons, they appear directly on your POS dashboard, ready for immediate use. No other POS system offers so many native add-ons.
Read our reviews for:
Toast: Best for Full Service Restaurants
Pros
- Zero upfront cost including hardware
- Hardware options in free plan
- Industry-specific features
- Industry-grade hardware
Cons
- Lacks inventory tools in free plan
- High single flat-rate fee for free plan
- 2-year contract
- Charges inactivity fee
Overview
Who should use it:
The free plan is ideal for new and small full-service restaurants looking to minimize their upfront cost.
Why we like it:
The Toast free plan offers a choice of industry-grade hardware, restaurant features, and built-in payment processing. No other POS on this list makes a pay-as-you-go plan that allows merchants to set up their business with zero upfront cost. Toast’s free plan also provides “sub-plans” that give users access to additional features in exchange for higher transaction fees.
Toast offers a single flat rate transaction fee for its free plan which varies as new features are added. Transaction fees are different for plans with monthly fees.
- Choice of countertop and handheld hardware kit
- Basic restaurant POS software
- Transaction fee: 3.09% + 15 cents
- Built-in payment processing
- 24/7 customer support
- Reporting and analytics
- Transaction fee: 3.39% + 15 cents
- + Online ordering
- + DoorDash, Uber Eats, and GrubHub integration
- Transaction fee: 3.69% + 15 cents
- + Loyalty
- + Email Marketing
- + Ecommerce website
- + Catering & events scheduling
- + Basic team management & Payroll
Toast’s paid plans are lower but merchants will need to purchase the hardware upfront. Add-on options are similar to the free plan but are charged a separate add-on monthly fee instead.
Cost to Upgrade:
- Monthly Paid Plans: $69 and custom pricing
- Online Ordering: $75/month
- DoorDash, Uber Eats, and GrubHub integration: $75/month
- Gift Cards: $50/month
- Loyalty: $50/month
- Email Marketing: $75/month
- Ecommerce Website: $75/month
- Toast Catering & Events: $100/month
Payment Processing Fees:
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card-present processing fee: 2.49% + 15 cents
- Keyed-in processing fee: 3.5% + 15 cents
- Online payment processing fee: 3.5% + 15 cents
Hardware Cost:
- Additional terminal with card reader: $719.10
- Smart terminal: $494.10
- Countertop kit: $1,024.20
- Guest-facing display: $225
- Kitchen display screen: $674.10
Toast’s free plan is perfect for small, full-service restaurants, but you will have to consider upgrading to a paid plan if you find that your business is expanding quickly or you wish to add mobile, online, and delivery to your source of revenue.
Additionally, you might want to upgrade if you see a steady increase in your monthly sales from both online and dine-in customers to save on transaction fees.
PayPal Zettle: Best for Occasional & PayPal Sellers
Pros
- Works for international sales
- Includes PayPal payment processor; PayPal checkout options, peer-to-peer, and QR payments
- Competitive payment processing fees
- No long-term contracts
Cons
- No free hardware
- Only basic employee management tools
- No offline processing
- Limited POS integrations
Overview
Who should use it:
Hobbyists, occasional or seasonal sellers such as those that sell to tourists
Why we like it:
PayPal Zettle is a free, full-featured POS system (replacing PayPal Here) that offers both in-person and online sales solutions. It is popularly known as one of the best alternatives to Square for mobile and POS payments with its lower in-person transaction fees and different payment methods.
It also allows you to accept card payments, gift cards, digital wallets, and peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, such as Venmo and PayPal quick response (QR) codes. This makes PayPal Zettle a great option for solopreneurs, hobbyists, and other microbusinesses.
- Mobile POS app (Android and iOS)
- Mobile payment processing
- Built-in invoicing features
- Discounted first mobile card reader
- Inventory management
- Basic team management
- Bulk inventory transfers
- Multichannel sales management
- Basic reporting features
- Accounting and online sales integrations
Cost to Upgrade:
- Monthly Paid Plans: $0
- Virtual Terminal: $30/month
- Payment Gateway: $25/month
Payment Processing Fees:
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card-present processing fee: 2.29% + 9 cents
- Keyed-in processing fee: 3.49% + 9 cents
- Invoice payment processing fee: 3.49% + 9 cents
- QR code payments fee: 2.29% + 9 cents
Hardware Cost:
- Mobile card reader: $79, first reader discounted at $29
- Smart terminal: From $199
- Countertop terminal: From $159
You’ll need to pay a monthly fee if you want to use PayPal’s virtual terminal and payment gateway. Also, Zettle has no business tool add-ons, except for third-party applications. You can integrate Zettle with ecommerce software like BigCommerce, accounting software like QuickBooks, appointment software like Timely, or even other POS software like Lightspeed and Loyverse.
So, if you like PayPal for payment processing but Zettle does not quite fit the bill, consider third-party options. Most of these integrations, however, come with a fee.
Read more about PayPal payment processing:
- Fast payment processing set up: PayPal Business
- PayPal upgrade to custom integrations: Braintree
eHopper: Best for Minimizing POS Fees
Pros
- Integrated third-party payment processors
- Free advanced inventory and loyalty management tools
- Free credit card processing program
Cons
- Free plan locked into eHopper payment processing
- Requires monthly minimum sales of $5,000 + $20 in transaction fees
- Not compatible with iOS devices
Overview
Who should use it:
Retail and restaurants that process a monthly minimum credit card sales of $5,000
Why we like it:
eHopper is a POS system that includes many useful features even in the free subscription. However, you can also get more advanced POS plans for retailers, restaurants, service businesses, and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) for free if you use eHopper’s built-in payment processing and process at least $5,000 monthly in credit card sales.
eHopper also comes with a built-in surcharging and cash discounting program making it possible to avoid processing fees. Combined with the free POS plan, you stand to save a lot of capital by choosing this software.
The eHopper free plan locks users to its built-in merchant processing service.
- Payment processing
- Inventory management
- Basic reporting
With advanced plans, free with minimum processing requirements:
- Advanced Inventory management
- CRM
- Loyalty management
- Tax computing
- Built-in credit card processing
- Surcharging and cash discounting
- Cash tracking
- Barcode manager
- Digital signage app
- Retail tools: Modifier management, Store transfer
- Restaurant tools: Kitchen display system (KDS), menu builder, table management, tip management
eHopper provides merchants with the option to choose between its built-in payment processing solution (powered by GoDaddy Payments) or integrate with third-party payment processors Nuvei, Evo Payments, TSYS, First Data, and North American Bank.
Cost to Upgrade:
- Monthly Paid Plans: $14.99-$39.99 (paid monthly), or $10-$35.99 (paid annually)
- Ecommerce plan: Minimum $29.99/month
Payment Processing Fees: Based on built-in payment processing rates
- Monthly fee: $0
- Processing fee: From 2.5% + 10 cents (minimum of $20/month)
Hardware Cost:
- Credit card terminals: $186-$710
- POS hardware bundles: $999-$1,499
As your business grows and you find yourself needing tools beyond basic reporting and inventory management, consider upgrading to the Omnichannel plan ($35.99-$39.99)—you’ll get more robust reporting tools, as well as unlimited products and transactions to work with. If you plan to offer online ordering at your restaurant, you’ll need to upgrade your subscription as well.
Loyverse: Best for Quick-service Restaurants
Pros
- Choice of third-party payment processor
- Free Kitchen Display System (KDS)
- Loyalty program in baseline POS
- Free multi-location management
Cons
- No free hardware option
- 24/7 customer support only for paying customers
- Access to integration is an add-on
- Limited payment processor options
Overview
Who should use it:
Small QSRs with multiple locations, such as cafes and food kiosks
Why we like it:
Loyverse is a popular POS system because it offers so much for free: analytics, kitchen display, customer display, ticket and order management, table management, and customer management. The free KDS is one reason we recommend it for quick-service restaurants (QSRs).
Loyverse is also the only system on this list that offers a free integrated loyalty program. If you are running a restaurant and don’t want to use Square as your payment processor, Loyverse is also worth considering because it lets you choose your merchant service.
- Basic POS software
- Choice of payment processor: SumUp and PayPal
- Loyalty program
- Multi-location management
- Basic sales analytics and inventory reports
- Kitchen display system
- Customer display system
Cost to Upgrade:
- Advanced Inventory: $5
- Employee Management: $29
- Access to Integrations: $9
Payment Processing Fees:
Depends on your choice of payment processor. US merchants can either use PayPal Zettle or SumUp.
Hardware Cost:
Contact Loyverse for pricing
Busy restaurants and caterers wanting to track ingredients should consider adding Loyverse’s advanced inventory and employee management, which includes time clocks, sales tracking, and efficiency reports. Better yet, restaurants that have the budget for a paid system should consider investing in Toast, or any one of our recommended restaurant POS systems.
Helcim: Best for Wholesalers & Large-ticket Items
Pros
- Free ecommerce/website builder
- Built-in free credit card processing program
- Full access to all Helcim features
- Automated volume discounts
Cons
- Add-on cost for Amex payments
- Requires application for merchant services
- Lacks native POS add-on features
- Limited hardware choices
Overview
Who should use it:
B2Bs, wholesalers, fast-growing subscription services, and businesses selling large-ticket items (automotive, real estate, jewelry, art) will benefit most from Helcim.
Why we like it:
Helcim is primarily a traditional merchant account service provider that has since developed its own POS software. The system is not as sophisticated as that of Square and Toast, but it’s equipped with variant-level inventory and customizable checkout tools.
Helcim also has an integrated website builder and mobile POS app. What makes Helcim stand out, though, is its interchange-plus transaction fee pricing, providing the cheapest rates on our list. And with the built-in automated volume discount, merchants are assured of the lowest fees without the need to request Helcim to review their rates.
- Free POS software
- Ecommerce/website builder with customer portal
- Payment processing
- Free credit card processing program
- HIPAA compliance for healthcare services
- Chargeback management
Cost to Upgrade: None
Payment Processing Fees:
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card-present fee: Interchange plus 0.15% + 6 cents to 0.4% + 8 cents
- Card-not-present fee: Interchange plus 0.15% + 15 cents to 0.50% + 25 cents
- American Express transactions: 0.10% + 10 cents
Hardware Cost:
- Mobile card reader: $99
- Smart terminal: $329 or $29 for 12 months
Helcim lacks industry-specific POS features and there are no paid Helcim POS plans for upgrade. That said, Helcim’s developer tools are available to customize POS features based on your requirements.
Also, Helcim’s payment processing services are designed for fast growth so merchants that need advanced POS tools to handle increasing sales can still use their Helcim merchant account and integrate it with other software such as accounting, order management, and CRM.
How to Choose a Free POS Software
While it might be easy to fixate on the zero-cost software and tools you get with free POS systems, you’ll need to consider other factors when deciding whether to use such systems and which one is best for your business. Free does not necessarily mean great, so examine the following points when deciding on a free POS system.
Free Features vs Paid Features
Just because the base POS software and key features are free doesn’t mean that you’ll get full functionality without paying a cent. POS systems with free options also offer paid plans, which you’ll need to use if you want the full suite of tools. The exact features behind the paywall will depend on each POS provider but often include advanced functions for inventory management, reporting, ecommerce, and location management.
Paid versions of free POS systems will require a monthly payment, which can vary widely. If you need specific or advanced tools for your business to run smoothly, be sure to check whether these are available in the free plan, or if you’ll need to pay; and if so, how much.
Industry-specific Tools
Just like free doesn’t always equal good, free doesn’t necessarily mean flexible. Whether you’re using free POS software or a paid system, make sure that the included tools and features are suitable for your business type.
If you run a restaurant, you’ll need order and table management, digital menus, and online ordering and delivery—all available in the Toast POS. If you want a simple but effective loyalty program and flexibility with payment providers, go with Loyverse. If you run a retail shop and you want multi-location inventory management and basic ecommerce tools, Square is a good bet.
The takeaway here is to take a good look at the industry-specific tools offered by each free POS system and choose the software best suited for your business.
Web-based vs App-based Platform
You’ll also need to ascertain whether the POS software you choose is web-based, app-based, or both. Not all systems have a mobile app available, and this can make things more difficult for businesses that need high sales mobility such as large retail shops, those with traveling sales staff, and restaurants with lots of tables to attend to.
Note also that app versions of a POS software may not always have the same features as the web version, and the user experience and user feedback may vary as well.
Hardware
Finally, consider the available hardware for each POS system; free software doesn’t automatically mean free hardware. Providers will vary widely with the hardware they offer: some will provide free hardware, others will not, and full kits are often available for purchase as well as single devices.
In case your chosen provider does not offer free hardware, set aside a portion of your budget to buy the devices you need. Make sure as well that the type of hardware you obtain is suitable for your business—whether that’s card readers, countertop kits, or mobile POS devices.
How I Evaluated the Best Free POS Software
I wanted to give our readers a list of reliable and truly free POS software, so we focused on providers that offer zero upfront costs and no monthly fees. We then compared the quality of features included in each free plan. Six out of a dozen POS systems that I evaluated in detail stood out as reliable, well-featured systems with strong user approval.
Square came out on top as the best free POS system for small businesses. This isn’t a surprise—Square also ranks on our lists of best POS software, top-recommended POS systems for restaurants, leading payment gateways, best mobile card readers, and more.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria:
30% of Overall Score
Free plans do not mean free everything. We looked at the limitations of each system’s free plan, the cost to upgrade (if applicable), any upfront costs, and hardware.
20% of Overall Score
This score addressed the tools in the free plan for sales, inventory, customer management, employee management, and loyalty.
15% of Overall Score
This section considered added value in the free plan, such as features specific to restaurants or retail, the ability to manage more than one store, the presence of ecommerce tools, and the number and variety of integrations.
20% of Overall Score
Free is no good unless it’s also easy. For this category, we considered customer support availability, cloud-based storage, if the POS works on both desktop and mobile, and other features that make the system easy to use.
15% of Overall Score
Here we considered the experience of our team, who has decades of personal use and research, and other current users’ reviews of the system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
These are some of the most common questions we get about free POS software.
It depends on the size of your business, as well as the stage it’s currently in. Smaller businesses that are still figuring out their needs and optimizing their processes can use a free POS. Once the business is on its feet and becoming more successful, consider investing in a paid system.
Many options allow you to set up a POS system for free without any upfront cost. This can be as simple as downloading a mobile POS app, and selling from there. Other providers offer a free card reader (like Square) or an all-in-one zero monthly subscription (like Toast).
Yes. The best POS software typically includes a mobile POS app that you can download and install on your mobile device for free. However, you will need to consider the hardware and software compatibility, as well as the card reader options.
While there are lots of free POS system options, Square is the best in terms of overall value for money. Its free plan comes with industry-specific features and free built-in tools like a website builder, payment processing, and a mobile POS app. You also get one free card reader.
In our evaluation, Square is the overall best free POS software. Its base plan is completely free; upgrades are affordable; the software is flexible and can be used by retailers, restaurants, and service businesses; many add-on tools are available; and the system is intuitive and easy to use.
Research your options and choose one, confirm that the free plan is forever-free (not just a trial), and then sign up. You can often do this directly from the provider’s website. You will sometimes be required to provide information such as your Social Security number.
Bottom Line
If all you need is a basic POS system, there are free ones that do the job. Those listed above are our top picks for POS systems and are great to get you started—and they may be all you need. If not, most offer more advanced features via upgrades or add-ons, for reasonable prices.
We recommend Square as the best free POS software for small businesses because it offers a free version with unlimited uses, reasonable processing fees, and an extensive register and inventory feature set for practically all business types. It even has a free online store, so you are not tied to physical sales. Sign up for a Square account to experience all this for yourself.