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Retail | Buyer's Guide

Best Touch-screen POS Systems for Small Businesses in 2023

Updated February 18, 2023

Meaghan Brophy

REVIEWED BY: Meaghan Brophy

Meaghan has provided content and guidance for indie retailers as the editor for a number of retail publications and a speaker at trade shows. She is Fit Small Business’s authority on retail and ecommerce.

 

WRITTEN BY: Mary King

Published January 30, 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.

Published January 30, 2023

This article is part of a larger series on POS Systems.

Table of Contents
  1. 1 At-a-Glance Comparison
  2. 2 Quiz: Find the Best Tablet POS for Your Business
  3. 3 Square: Best Overall & Best Free
  4. 4 Lightspeed: Best for Inventory Management
  5. 5 Shopify: Best for Ecommerce Retailers
  6. 6 Toast: Best for Restaurants
  7. 7 KORONA: Best for High-risk or Ticketed Businesses
  8. 8 Mindbody: Best for Gyms, Spas & Salons
  9. 9 How We Evaluated
  10. 10 Bottom Line

A touch-screen point-of-sale (POS) system operates on tablets and handheld devices, typically via an app. The biggest advantage of using a touch-screen or tablet POS is a streamlined interface for faster checkout. Plus, touch-screen devices are more portable than cash registers or hardwired countertop POS systems, allowing for mobile sales capabilities.

The best tablet and touch-screen POS systems are affordable and easy to use and have key business management features like inventory management and sales reporting.

Based on our evaluation of over a dozen options, the best touch-screen POS systems are:

  • Square: Best overall and best free touch-screen POS
  • Lightspeed: Best touch-screen POS for inventory management
  • Shopify: Best touch-screen POS for ecommerce retailers
  • Toast: Best touch-screen POS for restaurants
  • KORONA: Best for high-risk and ticketed businesses
  • Mindbody: Best for gyms, spas, and salons

This list features the expertise of our POS, retail, and restaurant experts Meaghan Brophy, Brigitte Hodge, and Mary King, who have a combined 20+ years of real-world experience using and evaluating POS systems.

Top Touch-screen POS Systems Compared

Our Rating
Monthly Fee
Hardware Cost
Payment Processors
Processing Rates
Square logo that links to the Square homepage in a new tab.
4.65 out of 5
$0–$60
$49–$1,500
Square Payments
From 2.6% + 10 cents
Lightspeed logo that links to the Lightspeed homepage in a new tab.
4.35 out of 5
$69–$199*
Quote-based
Lightspeed Payments, WorldPay, Stripe, TSYS, 2Accept
From 2.6% + 10 cents
Shopify logo
4.31 out of 5
Shopify POS:** $0–$89
 
Shopify Ecommerce: $39–$399 (custom quote)
$29–$789+
Shopify Payments
From 2.4%
Toast logo that links to the Toast homepage in a new tab.
4.10 out of 5
$0–$165 (custom quote)
$0–$999+
Toast Payments
From 2.49% + 15 cents
KORONA logo that links to the KORONA homepage in a new tab.
3.99 out of 5
$59–$89+
Use your own or purchase from KORONA for custom-quoted rates
Payments Agnostic
Varies by processor
MindBody logo that links to the MindBody homepage in a new tab.
3.81 out of 5
Custom quote
Quote-based
Mindbody Payments, Stripe
From 2.75%

*This is the monthly fee if you pay annually and use Lightspeed Payments. If you choose to use a different processor, monthly fees will be $139–$319.
**A Shopify Ecommerce subscription is required to use Shopify POS. So, your monthly price is a combination of your Shopify plan and POS subscription.

Countertop Terminal
Card Reader
Handheld Terminal
Compatible Devices
Square logo that links to the Square homepage in a new tab.
Square Register.
$799
(or $39/ month)
Square Reader for contactless and chip and PIN.
$49
Square Terminal.
$299
Lightspeed logo that links to the Lightspeed homepage in a new tab.
Lightspeed touch-screen pos.
Lightspeed Tablet stand with card reader and receipt printer
Lightspeed POS compatible Verifone MX-915 credit card reader.
Verifone MX-915 Tap, dip, swipe, PIN-enabled reader
N/A
Android, iPad*
Shopify logo
Shopify touch-screen pos.
$219
Shopify tap and chip card reader.
$49
Shopify pos go device.
$429
Android, iPad, Shopify POS Go
Toast logo that links to the Toast homepage in a new tab.
Toast touch-screen.
$799
(or $0, with 2.99% + $0.15) processing)
Incorporated in POS terminal
Toast's handheld terminal starter kit.
$609
(or $0, with 2.99% + $0.15 processing)
KORONA logo that links to the KORONA homepage in a new tab.
KORONA POS compatible swipe, dip, chip, and PIN-enabled card reader.
Tablet with stand, AURES receipt printer, and Peripheral card reader
KORONA POS compatible swipe, dip, chip, and PIN-enabled card reader.
Tap, dip, swipe, and PIN-enabled card reader
Smartphone displaying the KORONA POS inventory app.
Smartphone running KORONA inventory App
Android, iPad, multiple card readers from various processors*
MindBody logo that links to the MindBody homepage in a new tab.
MindBody touch-screen pos.
Tablet running MindBody POS App
Tablet compatible magnetic swipe card reader.
Tablet-compatible magnetic stripe card reader
Smartphone running the MindBody POS app.
Smartphone running the MindBody App
Android, iPad

*Also operates on hardware you may already own, like iOS and Android tablets and smartphones.

Want to learn more about how a POS can improve your business operations? Check out our Types of POS Systems article.

Find the Best Tablet POS System for Your Business

Take our short quiz to find the best touch-screen POS system for your business’s unique needs.

Question 1

Answer a few questions about your business, and we'll give you a personalized product match.

What kind of business do you operate?

Question 1 of 3

    1 minute approx

    Question 2

    Answer a few questions about your business, and we'll give you a personalized product match.

    How much would you like to spend on your POS services each month?

    Question 2 of 3

      1 minute approx

      Question 3

      Answer a few questions about your business, and we'll give you a personalized product match.

      Are you an ecommerce, brick-and-mortar, or multichannel retailer?

      Question 3 of 3

        1 minute approx

        Square: Best Overall & Best Free Touch-screen POS System

        Square logo that opens Square website in new tab.
        Overall Score: 4.65 / 5

        Pros

        • Provides flexible payment options such as contactless and on-the-go mobile sales
        • Free ecommerce and online ordering
        • Can process card payments while offline
        • Flexible hardware options

        Cons

        • Limited inventory management and basic reporting features
        • Payment processing rates are not easily negotiable
        • Limited customer support for free users

        Square Deciding Factors

        • POS software plans:
          • Free: $0
          • Plus: $60 per month
          • Premium: Custom pricing
        • Customer service: Free users can access phone, chat, and email support Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time. Paying users can access support 24/7.
        • Processing fees:
          • Card-present transactions: 2.6% + 10 cents per transaction
          • Ecommerce and invoice transactions: 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction
          • Keyed-in and card-on file transactions: 3.5% + 15 cents per transaction

        Volume discounts: Available for business processing over $250,000 in credit card sales

        Every account comes with a free magstripe card reader.

        Square is the ideal touch-screen POS solution for most small businesses, especially since its Free plans include many features for a single location, perfect for a new retailer, food truck, or cafe. Advanced features available in the affordable Plus plans at $60/month are ideal for quick-service restaurants (QSR), larger retailers, and sit-down restaurants.

        Square leads our recommended touch-screen POS systems, earning a total score of 4.65 out of 5—the only software that scored perfect marks for touch-screen-specific features. While the lack of additional payment processing options and limited customer support kept Square from gaining a perfect score, its modest payment processing fee—combined with excellent features included in its free version—provides exceptional value, making Square the best touch-screen POS, the best iPad POS, and the best overall POS systems for small businesses.

        • Inventory management: Add all your items to Square so that employees can check out customers more quickly by simply clicking an image of each item on the touch screen. You can add your inventory manually or import in bulk using a spreadsheet. The free version of Square has surprisingly strong inventory management—including categories, variants, modifiers, and low-stock alerts—although you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version of Square for Retail to print barcodes, create purchase orders, and view detailed inventory reports.
        • Customer management: You can create basic customer profiles right from the checkout counter and track loyalty points and purchase histories. Engage your customers with a feedback tool on digital receipts for collecting real-time feedback. Get more insight with Square Loyalty ($45 per month) and Square Marketing ($15 per month) add-ons.
        • Employee management: Employees clock in and out at the register, so you can keep track of their hours (including breaks and overtime) and export timecards for payroll. Square also includes employee scheduling tools to streamline operations.
        • Restaurant features: The free version of Square for Restaurantsincludes table and menu management, so servers can open tabs and add items with ease. Square integrates with third-party delivery apps like DoorDash and Grubhub and also provides its own free online ordering platform. Square for Restaurants Plus adds a kitchen display system, table map, coursing, and more detailed employee/server sales reports.
        • Reports: Square’s free version includes about a dozen sales reports, including sales by category, discounts applied, and real-time hourly, weekly, and monthly sales charts. Paid versions include more detailed personnel reports, such as sales by employee, revenue per labor hour, and stock forecasting.

        If you need stronger retail or restaurant inventory tools than what Square supports, you’ll find Lightspeed to be a better option. If you want the flexibility of bringing your own payment processor, check out KORONA. Busy service businesses like spas and gyms may prefer the class and customer relationship management tools in MindBody.

        Learn more in our Square POS review and Square for Restaurants review.

        Lightspeed: Best Touch-screen POS for Inventory Management

        Lightspeed logo
        Overall Score: 4.35 / 5

        Pros

        • Extensive built-in inventory management features
        • Automates purchase orders, receiving and returns
        • 14-day free trial

        Cons

        • Requires use of Lightspeed Payments to get the best subscription pricing
        • Only basic CRM and reporting features included in baseline plan
        • Restaurant POS can get pricey

        Lightspeed Deciding Factors

        • Retail software subscription plans:*
          • Basic: $69–$139 per month
          • Standard: $119–$199 per month
          • Advanced: $199–$319 per month
        • Restaurant software subscription plans*:
          • Essentials: $69–$90
          • Plus: $189–$246
          • Pro: $399–$519
          • Enterprise: Custom-quoted
        • Customer service: Phone, live chat, and email support are available 24/7.
        • Processing fees:
          • Lightspeed Payments: Chip, tap, and swipe payments: 2.6% + 10 cents per transaction; Keyed-in payments: 2.6% + 30 cents per transaction
          • Also integrates with Vantiv and Cayan

        *Pricing varies whether paid monthly or annually, and with enrollment in Lightspeed Payments.

        Lightspeed is our best recommendation for retail businesses with large inventories and those running multiple locations. The system comes with ecommerce features and a free payment terminal with each subscription, but Lightspeed’s inventory management features—for both retailers and restaurants—are what make it stand out from competitors.

        It can sort through items with searchable tags, automatically add to your inventory by scanning barcodes, check supplier lists, and draft purchase orders straight from the platform. All these make Lightspeed highly effective in handling thousands of unique SKUs, which also makes it our top choice for POS inventory management. Restaurant users get ingredient-level inventory tracking, suggested orders based on par levels, and one-click reordering.

        Based on our evaluation, Lightspeed earned a score of 4.35 out of 5 with outstanding marks for its top-of-the-line inventory management and analytic tools and ease of use. It fell behind Square in terms of pricing, because while the monthly plans are within our pricing threshold, it’s hard to beat the free subscriptions offered by competitors Square and Toast.

        • Retail inventory: Lightspeed Retail offers the most advanced inventory management of any touch-screen POS on this list. It’s equipped to handle hundreds or even thousands of unique SKUs thanks to handy features like the ability to tag items with searchable terms. Plus, Lightspeed Retail uploads vendor catalogs, making it easy for businesses to reorder stock whenever it runs low. Most other POS systems don’t have built-in product catalogs or features to manage purchase orders directly.
        • Restaurant inventory: Lightspeed Restaurant users get equally advanced inventory tools. You can record physical counts on a smartphone app, track ingredients in real time as orders sell, and receive suggested orders based on pre-set par levels. With one click, you can send orders to multiple vendors, saving you hours of administrative time.
        • Customer management: Along with the basic CRM functions, Lightspeed offers additional tools with Lightspeed Loyalty. It allows you to create a rewards program, and customer credit accounts and build SMS and email marketing campaigns. You can also automatically segment customers for targeted messaging and special offers.
        • Marketing management: Lightspeed has a very strong loyalty program. You can create a branded smartphone app for customers to check their points and view rewards. This also allows you to send push notifications, SMS, and email alerts for any special offers or eligible rewards. To access the loyalty program you’ll need to be on an “Advanced” plan or higher.

        Currently, the Lightspeed system does not have the ability to accept card payment transactions while offline. If your business operates in areas with a less-than-stable internet connection, you’ll be better served with alternative solutions such as Square and Toast, which offer secure offline payment processing.

        If you are a high-risk merchant, Lightspeed is also not for you. Check out KORONA instead.

        Want to learn more about the Lightspeed POS ecosystem? Check out our full Lightspeed POS review and Lightspeed Restaurant review.

        Shopify: Best Touch-screen POS for Ecommerce Retailers

        Shopify logo
        Overall Score: 4.31 / 5

        Pros

        • Includes top-notch ecommerce platform
        • Excellent omnichannel selling tools including social channel integrations
        • Includes marketing features in its baseline plan

        Cons

        • Lacks offline card payment processing
        • No reporting features in the baseline plan
        • Charges a fee for using third-party payment processors

        Shopify Deciding Factors

        • Shopify POS plans:*
          • POS: Free; included in all ecommerce plans.
          • POS Pro: $89 per month, per location, or free for enterprise users under the Shopify Plus plan.
        • Shopify ecommerce plans: $39 – $399
        • Hardware costs: Startup Bundle from $789 (includes an iPad stand, card reader, receipt printer, cash drawer, and a barcode scanner), Retail Bundle from $159, card readers from $29
        • Processing fees:
          • In-person: 2.4% – 2.7%
          • Online: 2.4% + 30 cents – 2.9% + 30 cents

        *A Shopify Ecommerce subscription is required to use Shopify POS. So, your monthly price is a combination of your Shopify plan and POS subscription

        Shopify is the best POS solution for online retail businesses that want to expand to in-person sales. As one of the world’s leading ecommerce platforms for small businesses, Shopify allows you to create an online store and manage both your online and in-person sales from the same system. This keeps your inventory, sales, and customer data synchronized at all times.

        You can use Shopify to sell on Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Instagram—truly managing all your sales channels from one platform. While each Shopify account comes with a free POS app plan to help you get started, it’s important to note that key POS features—like customer relationship management—can only be accessed by upgrading to a paid plan.

        Shopify earned a 4.31 out of 5 in our evaluation, receiving a perfect score for ease of use and top marks for pricing and general features. Shopify’s omnichannel selling tools create the perfect platform for easy business expansion. However, its lack of offline payment processing and need for upgrading to a paid plan to access key touch-screen POS features, such as digital signature capture, prevented Shopify from earning a higher score.

        Since our Last Update: Shopify Rate Increase
        January 24, 2023 Shopify announced a price increase for its software subscriptions.The new prices are reflected in this article.

        • Inventory management: With Shopify’s POS Pro add-on ($89 per month), you get a much more advanced inventory system than what you’ll find from Square, as Shopify enables you to create purchase orders and track incoming shipments. You can use a barcode scanner to confirm the items received and automatically add them to your inventory.
        • Customer management: Shopify’s CRM tools in the baseline plan offer only basic features. You can create simple customer profiles and automate emails to send order updates, digital receipts, and post-purchase promotions. More dynamic CRM features can be accessed through integrations.
        • Employee management: Like most touch-screen POS systems, you can create employee user accounts and have employees clock in/out to track their hours and monitor performance. However, Shopify does limit the number of user accounts you can set up on basic and standard plans.
        • Shopify Lite: Shopify Lite allows you to sell in person through the POS Lite app or add a buy button on other websites. And while this plan does not allow you to build your own online store, you can still access in-store inventory and customer profiles, offer customer discounts, and access back-office functions—such as product management, order management, and reporting.
        • Ecommerce: One of the main perks of using Shopify is the ability to create an online store and manage your orders from the same platform as your in-store sales. Shopify’s website builder is one of the most popular on the market. It can support just about any feature and integration you might require, and you can even use Shopify to sell on Amazon, Instagram, and Facebook.
        • Omnichannel selling: In addition to taking payments, processing returns, issuing refunds, etc., in person, you can manage all the nuances of having both an online and physical storefront. For example, have customers pay online and pick up at your curbside. Likewise, you can accept online returns in person.

        If you have a storefront with the majority of your revenue coming from in-person sales, Shopify may not be the best choice. Shopify requires users to upgrade to a higher plan to access general features like capturing customer signatures on their digital devices or customizing their digital receipts.

        Instead, consider Square for Retail, our top recommended retail POS. Plus, it comes with a basic native ecommerce feature and an easy-to-use store builder in its free plan. It also offers a free card reader with each Square account.

        Check out our full Shopify POS review for more.

        Toast: Best Touch-screen POS for Restaurants

        Toast logo
        Overall Score: 4.10 / 5

        Pros

        • Proprietary, industry-grade hardware includes multifunctional handheld tablet
        • Offers a pay-as-you-go and $0 upfront cost subscription
        • Excellent order and table management tools
        • Best-in-class employee management tools

        Cons

        • Advanced inventory management tools require purchase
        • Mandatory purchase of proprietary hardware
        • Mandatory remote installation fee for Loyalty and Gift Card add-ons
        • Requires a Toast Payments subscription, no payment integrations available

        Toast Deciding Factors

        • Software subscription plans:*
          • Starter Kit: $0
          • Point of Sale: $69
          • Essentials: $165 per month
          • Growth: Custom-quote
        • Digital Ordering software (Toast Now) subscription plans: $75–$175 per month
        • Installation fee: Optional, starting at $200
        • Customer service: Toast offers 24/7 phone, chat, and email support.
        • Processing fees:
          • Pay-as-you-go plan: 2.99% + 15 cents for both card-present and card-not-present transactions
          • Standard paid plan: 2.49% + 15 cents for card-present and 3.5% + 15 cents for card-not-present transactions

        Toast takes the lead when it comes to touch-screen POS systems for restaurants. Its top-of-the-line order and table management features are designed to keep servers in constant communication with the kitchen, while handheld terminals ensure that servers are immediately notified whenever orders are ready or if an item is 86ed from the menu.

        Also, the touch-screen KDS allows the back-of-house staff to keep track of all orders—whether they come from the dining room or from a third-party delivery app—and send notifications back to the waitstaff. And all hardware is industry-grade and built to withstand the heat of the kitchen.

        Toast earned an overall score of 4.10 out of 5 and received top points for ease of use and expert evaluation. However, the additional cost to use simple tools—such as inventory, employee management, loyalty, and gift cards—can make the system quite pricey. Moreover, the proprietary hardware, while great for restaurants that need it, makes the system pricier if you don’t.

        • Customer management: You can create customer profiles to send digital receipts and collect and respond to feedback. Combine with add-ons like Toast Loyalty, which supports a customizable rewards program, and Toast Marketing, which creates customized and targeted emails, and you have a complete, user-friendly system for rewarding regulars or enticing new customers.
        • Employee management: Like most restaurant POS systems, Toast can be your time clock. Toast also offers its own payroll solution for an additional fee, and the tools here are the best available in the restaurant POS, even including detailed tip distribution. Your Toast POS will alert you to potential labor concerns like overtime, California Meal Break Penalties, or New York Spread of Hours penalties.
        • Order management: You can accept orders from stationary or handheld POS tablets. Menu item quantities are updated in real time, so staff are aware of 86s before taking a customer’s order. The POS alerts staff to prepared orders, and Toast also supports contactless ordering, allowing customers to order and pay from their smartphones.
        • Online ordering: Toast users can set up a fully in-house online ordering and delivery system directly from the Toast POS. Receive online orders in your POS orderstream and even dispatch your own driver team. Toast also integrates with Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Chowly.

        As a touch-screen POS, the biggest drawback for Toast is that it uses proprietary hardware and requires a two-year contract. For a restaurant POS that runs on iPads, consider Square for Restaurants or Lightspeed Restaurant. If you need a POS with no long-term contract, Square for Restaurants is your best bet.

        Want to learn more about Toast? Check out our full Toast POS review.

        KORONA: Best for High-risk or Ticketed Businesses

        KORONA POS logo
        Overall Score: 3.99 / 5

        Pros

        • Free trial has no time limit
        • Supports high-risk businesses like vape shops
        • 24/7 customer support
        • Integrates with virtually every payment processor

        Cons

        • Inventory tools only available at the Advanced level or higher
        • No advanced reporting features (custom reports)
        • No built-in payment processor

        KORONA Deciding Factors

        • Software subscription plans*:
          • Core: $59
          • Advanced: $69
          • Plus: $89
          • Enterprise: Custom-quoted

        * Offers free trial with no time limits

        • Processing fees: Depends on your chosen payment processing provider. KORONA is payments agnostic, so you can bring whatever payment processor you like.

        KORONA is a highly customizable cloud POS system that regularly appears on our rankings for specialty businesses like bakeries and liquor stores. It is also one of the few cloud POS systems that supports high-risk businesses like vape shops that sell age-restricted products. In addition to those niche businesses, KORONA includes detailed ticket-selling tools, making it an ideal touch-screen POS for event spaces, museums, and amusement parks.

        It earned a 3.99 out of 5 on our touch-screen POS ranking, earning high marks for including all sorts of niche features like dynamic inventory tracking, flexible hardware, and centralized multilocation management. Though, KORONA lost some points because many of these tools require higher subscription levels.

        • Age-restricted sales: Your KORONA POS can prompt for age verification for tobacco or alcohol products. You can create multiple age verification prompts for various products and require full birth date entry or a simple “OK” button press.
        • Ticketed sales: KORONA allows you to sell tickets online or in person. With scannable tickets, you can restrict entry by time or occupancy level. Tickets can also integrate with a turnstile system for controlled entry spaces like theme parks. Customization tools let you set special access for VIPs, groups, or annual memberships.
        • Flexible payments: The KORONA POS is payments agnostic, so you can integrate virtually any payment processor. This lets you shop for the lowest available rates so you can be confident you get the best deal. This also means that high-risk merchants can bring a compatible processor guaranteed to support their business.
        • Dynamic inventory: KORONA’s inventory tools are included in all but the baseline POS subscriptions. The module includes vendor management and will take seasonal sales and promotions into account when suggesting sales forecasts. Physical counting tools include customizable permissions so you can assign multiple staff to complete counts.

        KORONA’s high degree of customization can require a bit of administrative time to set up. If you prefer a more plug-and-play system, you’ll likely be happier with Square or Lightspeed. The ability to shop for processors can also take time. If you prefer the speed of built-in processing—depending on your industry—Square, Toast, or Shopify are better bets.

        Learn more about KORONA’s customizable functions by reading our full KORONA POS review.

        Mindbody: Best Touch-screen POS for Gyms, Spas & Salons

        MindBody logo
        Overall Score: 3.81 / 5

        Pros

        • Branded client booking app
        • List your business on the popular Mindbody app
        • Unlimited staff logins
        • Book rooms, classes, and services

        Cons

        • Not suited for high-volume inventory or strictly retail settings
        • Limited retail POS and inventory management capabilities
        • High starting price

        Mindbody Deciding Factors:

        • Software subscription plans: Custom quoted.

        (Previously published rates ranged from $129 for some Starter plans, up to $699 for the Ultimate Plus tier)

        • Hardware costs:
          • Quote-based; though you may be to use any compatible hardware you own
        • Processing fees:
          • MindBody Payments 2.75% (discounted rates for businesses processing $25,000+/month)
          • Also integrates with TSYS and Elavon

        Mindbody is a fantastic tablet POS system for appointment-based businesses with small inventories. It includes a custom-branded app that your customers can use to view your schedule and then book and purchase appointments, rooms, or classes. The software also includes reporting tools, an AI appointment management system, a fully integrated Virtual Wellness platform for virtual appointments and classes, and lead management tools.

        It has four different platforms for four different types of businesses including Fitness, Spas, the Integrated Wellness, and Salons.

        While Mindbody is a fully loaded option when it comes to appointment scheduling and management tools, it scored 3.81 out of 5 on this guide. Mindbody does have top-notch CRM capabilities, an easy-to-use interface, and great customer reviews. However, it lost points due to its high price point, its primitive retail POS capabilities, and limited inventory management tools.

        • POS: Sell goods and services, create simple inventory, track your stock, and take your sales anywhere with a mobile card reader and the Mindbody app.
        • AI Frontdesk: An AI front desk system sends appointment reminders/confirmation emails and texts, replies to client inquiries, and responds to missed calls and messages.
        • Customer mobile app: Customers can download a fully branded app to view your schedule, book appointments, and pay upfront. You can also list your business and schedule on the Mindbody app that allows customers to search for beauty and fitness offerings based on time and location.
        • Reporting: View how your staff is performing and create contests and rewards to motivate their progress, view business sales and revenue performances, and view CRM insights. While Mindbody has great reporting for CRM and staff management, it does lack in inventory and sales reporting. For a more advanced reporting option, try Lightspeed.
        • Appointment management: View and manage your schedule from anywhere with the Mindbody business app or on any web browser. Cancel and change appointments, update your availability, and get real-time alerts every time you book an appointment.
        • Lead management: Track new customers and turn them into regulars with tools for follow-up reminders, retention performance metrics, staff alerts and client-relationship tools, and reward strong performances.

        There is a lot that Mindbody has to offer for salons, fitness studios, and other appointment-based businesses. However, it does lack in its retail capabilities, making it an unsuitable choice for service businesses that also have a large inventory and process a lot of in-person sales. It also has limited offline capabilities and cannot process payments if the internet goes down.

        For businesses that need both retail and appointment management tools, our suggestion is to pair Square POS with Square Appointments so you can get the functionality of both a retail and appointment POS system without needing to integrate a third-party platform.

        See more POS recommendations for salons and spas in our guide to the Best Salon Management Software.

        How We Evaluated Touch-screen POS Systems

        We compared popular software that offers outstanding touch-screen POS solutions based on price and features. The best touch-screen POS systems should provide offline processing, capture digital signatures, and have device compatibility and access to mobile card readers.

        We also considered general POS features, such as payment processing flexibility, remote and multilocation features, and the level of inventory and business management tools available in baseline plans. Finally, we considered our retail experts’ opinions based on their personal knowledge of each software.

        Click through the tabs below for a more detailed breakdown of our evaluation criteria:

        20%
        Pricing
        20%
        General features
        30%
        Touch-screen-specific features
        20%
        Ease of Use
        10%
        Expert score

        20% of Overall Score

        We evaluated each software’s pricing plans for subscription options under $75 per month, as well as pay-as-you-go or free-forever opportunities. We awarded points for systems that allow for unlimited inventory listing and transaction processing. Finally, we awarded high marks for POS systems that provide users with the most flexible card processing options.

        20% of Overall Score

        In general, business owners look for efficiency in POS systems, which requires features that are both easy to scale and highly customizable. Therefore, we want to highlight touch-screen POS solutions that can accept a wide variety of payment options and provide the necessary functions needed depending on the subscription. We also evaluated each system’s key POS features and checked how many of these tools are included in the baseline plans.

        30% of Overall Score

        This section measures each POS system’s touch-screen features and weighs them against business requirements. We gave high marks for providers that offer offline transaction processing and the most compatibility with mobile card readers and different touch-screen devices. We also awarded points for features unique to touch-screen systems, such as digital signature capture and the ability to issue customized digital receipts. Finally, we recognized systems that provide unlimited device connections that can help process transactions faster and ring in more sales.

        20% of Overall Score

        Touch-screen POS systems should be easy to operate. We made sure that we highlight web-based and/or cloud-based solutions so that your data can be synchronized and accessed from every connected device. We also gave extra points for systems that provide round-the-clock support.

        10% of Overall Score

        Finally, we evaluated each system’s overall performance from a professional standpoint so that readers know how highly we would recommend the software and for what type of business it fits best. We took a detailed look at the quality of both general and industry-specific features, noting standout, as well as any missing, functions. We also weighed the software and hardware options against their cost to determine which system offers a good overall value for its price. I also awarded points based on my personal experience interacting with the software and the company’s customer support.

        *Percentages of overall score

        Meet Our Experts

        Mary King, FitSmallBusiness.
        Mary King With more than 14 years of hospitality experience, Mary has used POS systems in coffee shops, food trucks, full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, bars, hotels, coworking spaces, event spaces, and retail stores. She has several years of experience advising bar and restaurant owners, and three-plus years evaluating POS systems.
        Bridgitte Hodge, FitSmallBusiness.
        Brigitte Hodge is a retail specialist with several years of retail management experience. Before joining Fit Small Business, Brigitte worked on a variety of point-of-sale systems to run a store in downtown Denver. Brigitte has since been writing as a retail expert, evaluating POS systems and working with them firsthand to learn their ins and outs.
        Meaghan Brophy headshot.
        Meaghan Brophy has 10-plus years of retail experience, during which she has operated a variety of cash registers and POS systems in different settings and applications.
        Since working in retail, Meaghan has 7-plus years of experience writing for retailers and 4-plus years of experience evaluating POS systems.

        Bottom Line

        While there are a definitive number of business types, each business owner’s approach to growth is unique. The many different types of POS systems in the market are designed to offer a variety of features to match combinations of business concepts, size, objectives, and growth strategies. Whether your primary goal is to manage a vast inventory, handle multichannel sales, boost your loyalty program, or improve the quality of your table service through tableside ordering, a touch-screen POS system will help you get the job done efficiently.

        If you aren’t sure yet where you need to be investing your money, the free POS tools offered by Square provide a great jumping-off point. Square offers just about everything a small retail shop or restaurant will need to get started, and it can scale with you. To try Square for free, click the button below.

        Visit Square

        About the Author

        Mary King

        Find Mary OnLinkedIn Twitter

        Mary King

        Mary King is an expert retail and restaurant contributor at Fit Small Business. With more than a decade of hospitality experience, Mary has worked with some of the best restaurants in the world, and some of the most forward-thinking hospitality programs in the country.

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