4 Best Retail POS Systems for 2022

Retailers need functionality beyond simply processing payments in today’s competitive landscape. Retail POS systems must also have robust inventory control, multichannel sales tools, streamlined customer relationship management features, and insights into which products and employees are performing the best. The best retail POS systems offer all these functions in an affordable and easy-to-use package.

Based on our evaluation, the best retail POS systems are:

• Best overall (and best free): Square for Retail
• Best for omnichannel sales: Shopify POS
• Best for inventory management: Lightspeed Retail
• Best for flexible payment processing: Vend by Lightspeed

• Best for convenience stores: POS Nation
• Best for liquor stores: KORONA
• Best for grocery stores: IT Retail
• Best for gas stations: NCR
• Best for restaurants: Toast
• Best for bike shops and vape shops: Lightspeed Retail

Best Retail POS Systems Compared

	Free Plan	Monthly Software Fee	Integrated Payment Processing	Built-in Ecommerce/ Online Ordering	Hardware Fees	Customer Service	Full Software Review
Visit Square	✓	$0–$60	✓ (Square Payments only)	✓	$129–$799 (financing available)	Monday–Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Pacific time	Read full Square review
Visit Shopify	✓	$0–$89	✓ (Shopify Payments only)	✓	$99–$149	24/7	Read full Shopify review
Visit Lightspeed	✕	$139–$319	✓ (Lightspeed Payments or third party)	Only included in higher plans	Quote-based	Monday–Friday 24 hours; Weekends 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Eastern time	Read full Lightspeed review
Visit Vend by Lightspeed	✕	$99–$229	✓ (Lightspeed Payments or third party)	Only included in higher plans	Quote-based	24/7	Read full Vend review

Quiz: Determine Your Perfect POS Solution

Square for Retail: Best Overall Retail POS System

Square for Retail

Overall Score: 4.54 OUT OF 5

RATING CRITERIA	Pricing	5.00	OUT OF	5
	Register Features	3.94	OUT OF	5
	Management Tools	4.81	OUT OF	5
	Ease of Use	4.38	OUT OF	5
	Expert Score	4.69	OUT OF	5

What We Like

• Forever free plan
• Plus plan offers incredible value—advanced reporting tools and inventory features
• Scalable; grows with your business
• Works on iOS devices—iPads and iPhones

What's Missing

• Free plan has limited inventory functions
• Not available on Android devices
• Limited customer support hours

Best for:

• New retailers with growth plans: Its forever free plan is practical for retailers just starting out, while its advanced plans are perfect for scaling businesses.
• Businesses on a small budget: Square is our top pick for a free POS system.
• Businesses switching over from cash registers: Square’s user-friendly interface and overall simplicity make it a great option for those upgrading from a cash register.

Overall, Square offers some of the best POS systems for small businesses of all types. Square for Retail is no exception. The starter plan is free to use, while the Plus plan offers some more sophisticated features, and the Premium plan provides access to almost all products in the Square ecosystem. The system is cloud-based, runs on iPads or Square Register, and is incredibly easy to use.

Every plan comes with built-in payments, a free online store for ecommerce and curbside pickup, digital receipts and customer feedback collection, a barcode-based user interface, and customer profiles with marketing insights.

In our evaluation, Square for Retail earned a 4.54 out of 5. It is the only system on our list to earn a perfect score for pricing. It stands out as a user-friendly system offering unbeatable value and smart tools to grow your business. It lost points for a lack of advanced reporting tools and limited support hours.

Square for Retail Pricing Plans

• Card-present processing fees: Range from 2.5%–2.6% + 10 cents,
• Online processing fees: 2.9% + 30 cents for ecommerce and invoice transactions
• Keyed-in transaction fees: 3.5% + 15 cents
• It runs on iPads (stand and card reader bundle starts at $169) or Square Register ($799).
• Interest-free payment plans are available for qualifying hardware purchases.

Square for Retail Features

• Checkout tools: Barcode-based user interface comes with advanced product search, save carts for later, and return and exchange processing. Online orders automatically appear in the POS registers. There are options for mobile, contactless, QR codes, gift cards, and online payments.
• Inventory management: Perform variant tracking and control, set up low stock alerts, create and print barcodes, receive stock from the app in bulk, create and track purchase orders as they come in, manage vendors, and perform stock counts and COGS tracking.
• Sophisticated hardware: In addition to running on iPads, Square for Retail operates on Square Register, a countertop POS with a detachable customer-facing display with built-in chip, swipe, and contactless payments.
• Omnichannel features: Every account comes with a free online store, features to sell on Instagram, an innovative website builder, automatic inventory sync, and omnichannel tools, like in-store pickup and local delivery.
• CRM tools: Automatically generate customer profiles based on the payment method, create and segment customer groups, add shopper details, and send digital receipts with feedback surveys.
• Square ecosystem: One of the most significant benefits of using Square is having seamless integration with all of its additional business tools, like payroll, team management, appointments, loyalty, invoicing, and an online store. You can add and remove software at any time to build a solution customized for your business.
• Employee management: Square for Retail Plus includes advanced team management features like shift scheduling and swapping, custom permission settings, activity logs, and advanced reporting.

What Square for Retail Is Missing

Square for Retail provides almost all the essential POS features you need in starting and scaling a retail store. However, advanced features such as COGS reporting and return management are only available under its Plus plan.

It also has limited customer support hours, unlike options like Shopify and Vend, which offer customer service agents 24/7.

Square also lacks specialty/customer orders (something that Lightspeed Retail provides) and layaway payment methods—a feature that the Vend POS software provides.

Shopify POS: Best Retail POS for Omnichannel Sales

Shopify POS

Overall Score: 4.48 OUT OF 5

RATING CRITERIA	Pricing	3.75	OUT OF	5
	Register Features	4.88	OUT OF	5
	Management Tools	4.25	OUT OF	5
	Ease of Use	5.00	OUT OF	5
	Expert Score	4.69	OUT OF	5

What We Like

• Best-in-class omnichannel features
• Intuitive mobile app interface
• Customizable mobile checkout
• Accept many payment types

What's Missing

• Only available with ecommerce plan
• Limited inventory features in the free plan
• Minimal offline payment options
• Paid subscriptions can be pricey

Best for:

• Retail businesses that primarily sell online: Shopify is our top pick for best ecommerce platform, and Shopify POS comes for free in any of its ecommerce subscription plans.
• Multichannel retailers: Shopify tops our list of best multichannel POS systems. It lets you sync online and in-person sales, process curbside and pickup orders, and start sales in-store and finish them online.

Shopify POS is an add-on to Shopify’s industry-leading ecommerce platform. It’s only available to Shopify ecommerce sellers, so it’s best for online stores looking to expand to in-person sales or small businesses looking to sell online and upgrade their in-store software program.

What makes this provider shine is that it offers powerful, comprehensive omnichannel selling features that make it the best option for retailers wanting to grow online sales or emphasize curbside pickup—a necessity for retailers today.

In our evaluation, Shopify earned a 4.48 out of 5 with perfect marks for ease of use and a near-perfect score for register features. Shopify offers sophisticated sales tools in a customizable, user-friendly package that can grow with your business. Ecommerce subscription requirements and its limited functionality in the free POS plan prevented Shopify from earning a higher score.

Shopify POS Pricing Plans

*In addition to a Shopify ecommerce plan, which ranges from $29–$299 per month.

• Card-present transaction rates range from 2.4–2.7% based on ecommerce plan
• Hardware bundles start at $229, not including the iPad.
• Installment plans are available for hardware purchases.

Shopify POS Features

• Omnichannel sales: Customers can browse in-store and have items emailed to them, scan QR codes to open product pages on your website, and get real-time shipping updates. You can offer curbside pickup, accept returns and exchanges for online purchases in-store, and ship in-store purchases to customers’ homes. All data seamlessly syncs between ecommerce and in-store.
• Checkout: Customize the register screen, add shortcuts, sell on mobile, customize receipts, and save carts.
• Products and inventory management: Create collections and item variants, manage multiple locations, track stock levels, manage purchase orders, receive vendor shipments, set up low stock alerts, forecast product demands, and get suggestions for items to discount.
• Reporting: View stats at-a-glance, see cash flows, review finance reports, and track cash and daily sales.
• Staff management: Assign individual PINs, set custom permissions, and attribute sales to award commissions.
• Customer management: Create customer profiles, segment customers, add notes to profiles and individual orders, set marketing preferences, and build loyalty programs.
• Marketing: Collect product reviews, create email marketing campaigns, integrate social media accounts, and create Google Ad campaigns.

What Shopify POS Is Missing

If you plan to use a POS mainly for brick-and-mortar operations for your store, Shopify would not be a good option. It only comes free if you subscribe to Shopify’s ecommerce solution—and if you need to use its POS offline, an $89 fee per location is added to your billing. Square for Retail remains a better fit for brick-and-mortar operations; it has a free plan (and a free ecommerce solution called Square Online).

Shopify also lacks basic employee management features. Sales tracking and multiple user permissions are only available under the Pro plan. Most POS systems, such as Square for Retail and Vend, have this in their primary offerings.

If you’re looking to sell online or need a multichannel sales tool for online and in-person sales, you might be choosing between Shopify and Square. Check our Shopify vs Square review for an in-depth comparison.

Lightspeed Retail: Best for Inventory Management & Custom Orders

Lightspeed Retail

Overall Score: 4.43 OUT OF 5

RATING CRITERIA	Pricing	3.50	OUT OF	5
	Register Features	3.94	OUT OF	5
	Management Tools	4.88	OUT OF	5
	Ease of Use	5.00	OUT OF	5
	Expert Score	4.38	OUT OF	5

What We Like

• Detailed, actionable analytics
• Granular inventory management, including matrices
• Built-in RACS compliance
• Strong integrated ecommerce platform

What's Missing

• Complex interface
• No built-in local delivery tool
• Not available on Android devices
• High price point

Best for:

• Businesses that need an advanced inventory management system: Storefronts with high SKU counts can be easily managed by Lightspeed Retail’s product tracking and customizable matrix inventory. It’s the best POS for inventory on the market.
• Specialty retailers—bike shops, repair businesses, and electronic shops: Lightspeed Retail’s detailed inventory and work-order management tools make it a great fit for more specialized and niche shops.

Lightspeed Retail is a robust retail POS system that includes more than 40 sales and inventory reports, analytics tools, and detailed inventory management. This provider also has top-of-the-line ecommerce and loyalty add-ons.

Overall, Lightspeed Retail is one of the best retail POS systems because of its sophisticated inventory and analytics tools. However, its unique native features for processing custom and work orders make it especially great for specialty shops like bike stores or jewelers that need to process repairs or order individual parts.

In our evaluation, Lightspeed Retail earned a 4.43 out of 5, with perfect scores for ease of use and a near-perfect score for management features. It’s also ranked as our top recommended POS for inventory management. Expensive subscriptions and a complex checkout screen prevented Lightspeed Retail from earning a higher score.

Lightspeed Retail Pricing Plans

*Pricing is based on plans that do not bundle Lightspeed payments. Use Lightspeed Payments and only pay $89, $149, or $269, respectively.

• Additional registers are $29 each.
• Every account includes POS and payment processing with a free payment terminal.
• Card-present processing rate: 2.6% + 10 cents for chip, tap, and swipe payments and 2.6% + 30 cents for keyed-in payments
• Startup hardware bundles start at around $699.

Lightspeed Retail Features

• Inventory management: Manage custom orders from shoppers, bundle items for gift baskets, and anticipate inventory needs. This forecasting tool and ability to predict shopping trends are part of what sets Lightspeed apart from the competition.
• Supplier market: Lightspeed POS comes with over 8 million products loaded in the supplier directory, so you can create, manage, and submit purchase orders from within the system and easily import accurate product information. View updates on orders in real time.
• Customer management: Create customer profiles, track transactions, assign VIP status, manage promo codes, and sell and redeem gift cards. Automated loyalty program available with Standard and Advanced plans.
• Reporting and analytics: Lightspeed includes more than 40 built-in reports that cover inventory, sales, employee performance, and more in one analytics dashboard. What sets it apart is it translates data into actionable business tips. For example, Lightspeed can take sales and traffic data and translate that into staffing and inventory reports to help you prepare for peak hours.
• Ecommerce and omnichannel tools: Lightspeed eCom integrates seamlessly with the POS software. Choose from several mobile-responsive and customizable online store templates and manage inventory, product pages, shipping, returns and exchanges, marketing, and reports. Lightspeed eCom is available in multiple languages and currencies, with international shipping options. Boost traffic by connecting your social accounts, utilizing its SEO tools, and sending newsletters and notification emails.

What Lightspeed Retail Is Missing

The main drawback of Lightspeed Retail is that all of its robust inventory and analytics tools result in a busy and complex interface. It also comes with a big price tag. If you are looking for a user-friendly and affordable option, consider Square for Retail.

Vend by Lightspeed: Best Retail POS for Flexible Payments

Vend by Lightspeed

Overall Score: 4.33 OUT OF 5

RATING CRITERIA	Pricing	4.25	OUT OF	5
	Register Features	4.00	OUT OF	5
	Management Tools	4.25	OUT OF	5
	Ease of Use	5.00	OUT OF	5
	Expert Score	4.38	OUT OF	5

What We Like

• User-friendly interface
• No additional fees for third-party payment processors
• Many compatible payment processor options
• Free apps for inventory scanning and customer-facing display

What's Missing

• Pricey
• No native ecommerce functions
• Many advanced tools reserved for highest plan

Best for:

• High-volume or multilocation retailers such as gift shops, homeware stores, fashion boutiques, and health and supplement retailers: Vend by Lightspeed offers sophisticated multilocation inventory tracking, including centralized warehouses management.

Vend by Lightspeed is an intuitive iPad POS system built specifically for retailers, with key features such as built-in loyalty programs, mobile checkout, a free customer-facing display app, and a mobile scanner app for quick inventory counts. Vend also stands out for its flexible payment options—you can choose your own merchant account and set up custom payment types like layaway, store credit, and on-account sales.

Its checkout screen is also one of the easiest to navigate, especially when it comes to ringing returns and exchanges. While many POS systems try to offer every feature for every business, Vend focuses on providing fantastic in-store retail functions and lets third-party apps handle everything else.

In our evaluation, Vend by Lightspeed earned a 4.33 out of 5. It has exceptional functionality, but its steep price point prevented it from earning a higher score. It is especially pricey when you consider that you will need a separate merchant account, ecommerce software, and employee management tools on top of your monthly fees.

Vend by Lighting Pricing Plans

Vend by Lightspeed Features

• Checkout: Customize the POS app with shortcuts, add notes and line items to transactions and customer receipts, save transactions to complete later, manage gift cards, and set up layaway and on-account payments.
• Payment processing: Vend by Lightspeed integrates with CardConnect (First Data), Chase, Elavon, Klarna, PayPal, Square, Worldpay, and others so you can shop around for the lowest rates. Vend also offers lots of flexibility with features like store credit and layaway payments.
• Inventory: Track inventory across multiple stores, create a centralized product catalog, edit products in bulk, automate purchase orders, create variants and composites, and print labels and barcodes. It has a unique scanner mobile app to look up products by barcode, perform inventory counts, update stock counts, and add new products to the catalog.
• Customer management: Create customer profiles, import existing customer lists, sell and redeem gift cards, segment customer groups, export customers to email marketing software, issue store credit, and create a custom loyalty program.
• Add-ons and integrations: MailSync syncs Vend POS data to Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and other email software. Connect with other marketing tools like Yotpo and Perkville, inventory tools like Orderhive and Sku IQ, accounting tools like QuickBooks and Gusto, ecommerce platforms BigCommerce and Shopify, and more.
• Employee management: Create customized user logins and permissions for staff, require employee passwords for each sale to track performance, and get register and shift reports. One unique feature of Vend is setting individual employee and team sales goals and average basket sizes.
• Reporting: Customize reports and adjust filters and variables to view data on customers, inventory, and employees. View real-time stock levels, gift card data, and team performance from anywhere with its mobile-friendly web-based dashboard.

What Vend by Lightspeed Is Missing

Vend by Lightspeed has the most expensive basic plan among our top picks. In addition, the need for a separate merchant account, ecommerce software, and employee management tool can stack expenses, making it a not-so-ideal solution for businesses on a budget. Consider going with Square for Retail and sign up for its free plan if you need a less expensive option.

How We Evaluated Retail POS Systems

We prioritized POS systems that are affordable, reliable, and easy to use. We also considered inventory management tools, online store and multichannel selling features, customer and employee management, payment processing options, reporting and accounting tools, customer support hours and quality, and third-party integrations.

Each system on our list has multiple hardware options, including iPad apps, tools for selling online, and multiple plans so the software can grow with your business. Every system on this list is also cloud-based. Based on our evaluation, Square for Retail is the best overall retail POS system, earning a 4.54 out of 5.

Click through the tabs below for our in-depth evaluation criteria:

Retail POS System Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a point-of-sale system vs an ECR?

What is an integration?

What does it mean that a retail point-of-sale software is “cloud-based”?

Can I transfer current data to a new POS system?

Do I need an industry-specific point-of-sale system?

Bottom Line

A retail POS system is a crucial software tool that serves as the central hub for your retail business. In addition to processing sales, retail POS systems collect and analyze data to help inform purchasing and staffing decisions, manage employees and inventory, and help build your customer base with loyalty and marketing efforts.

Square for Retail is our top pick because it has a free plan to help new businesses (or businesses new to using a point of sale) get started, with plans and add-ons to grow with your business. Square also makes it easy and free to set up a basic online store with in-store pickup options, manage customers, and track sales. Visit Square to create a free account.

Visit Square for Retail