Loyverse is a free, open-source POS system that offers an attractive and easy-to-use sales interface with customer and kitchen displays and a strong customer loyalty program. Users give it high marks, and with good reason. Even with its free price point, Loyverse has most features found in pricier subscription models.
What We Recommend Loyverse For:
The name “Loyverse” is an abbreviation of “Loyalty Universe,” so it comes as no surprise the systems’ free loyalty program is one of its defining features. While free, it has the tools found in many of the best POS systems and some that are often considered add-ons.
Loyverse works with Android and iOS systems, giving you flexibility in the hardware you choose. It does charge for advanced inventory and employee management, but overall, even the freeware works well for retailers and basic food services.
We specifically recommend Loyverse for:
- Touch-screen POS: Loyverse’s robust free features—particularly its loyalty program and its compatibility with iOS and Android devices—make it one of our top picks for both touch-screen POS systems and iPad POS systems.
- Small businesses needing a free system: Loyverse’s free POS includes a register app, loyalty program, basic analytics, and inventory tracking, kitchen displays, and customer displays, making it one of the most robust free POS systems on the market.
- Open-source POS Software: Open-source POS Software: Loyverse has the polished interface of a paid POS software but the benefits of open programming, making it a user-friendly choice for businesses wanting a flexible open-source POS.
- Hybrid coffeeshops: Loyverse is the ideal cafe POS system for coffee shops that need menu and ticket management features along with basic inventory tools to support retail sales such as barcode scanning and bulk inventory uploading.
When Loyverse Would Not Be a Good Fit:
- Large or upscale restaurants: Loyverse lacks table mapping, integration with delivery services, and credit card pre-authorization (such as for tabs), making it a less-than-optimal choice for many restaurants. See our recommended restaurant POS systems to find a more suitable one.
- Regulated industries: Loyverse doesn’t have features to manage unique industry regulations such as liquor and tobacco. Check out our recommended vape shop, liquor store, and convenience store POS systems for a better fit.
- Businesses needing thorough analytics: Loyverse’s reporting tools are basic and may not be enough for multichannel retailers or businesses with extensive inventories.
Looking for something different? See our guide to the best POS systems for small businesses to find a solution that matches your needs.
Loyverse Overview
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Basic program is free | Limited inventory management and reporting |
| Inventory breakdown and product variants | Add-ons cost extra |
| Excellent CRM, loyalty programs | Payment processing separate |
| Open-source provides lots of flexibility | Lacking features for full-service restaurants |
Loyverse Pricing
Loyverse’s basic products are free and include the point-of-sale, inventory, passwords, kitchen display, and customer display functions.
Add-on modules have a monthly fee:
- Employee management ($5/month/employee): Set permissions, track timecards, and track sales by employee
- Advanced inventory ($25/month/store): Purchase orders, valuation reports and manage stock
- Integrations ($9/month/store): Connect accounting, ecommerce, marketing, and other apps
Payments and Hardware
You need to find your own payment processor and connect it to Loyverse. Loyverse offers integrated payment processing with CardConnect, SumUp, iZettle, and Worldpay in the US and in over 30 other countries.
Loyverse recommends iPads and Android POS terminals by Sunni, Bematech, and iMin. Its website lists its most recommended hardware, although it does not sell devices itself.
Loyverse Features
Loyverse offers an array of features including accepting credit card payments, kitchen displays, back office, a dashboard, and customer display.
Getting started is as simple as clicking a button and putting in some basic information. There are plenty of how-to videos to help you, but here are the steps:
- Download the app on your smartphone or tablet
- Sign up for an account
- Input your information
- Set up your back office (select the settings you want for the different functions, input store information, and load products)
Register and Checkout
Loyverse register lets cashiers add products through hotkeys or search.
Loyverse lets you sell from any tablet or smartphone with an easy-to-work register that includes images and handles taxes and discounts. If you get a register with a customer-facing display or a kitchen display system (KDS), Loyverse’s free version accommodates them. Other features include:
- Multiple locations/unlimited registers
- Product bundles or kits
- Cash, check, credit card, or contactless payments
- Cash management
- Bar code scanning, including weight embedding
- Refund processing
- Open tickets
- Customized menu screens
- Offline mode
Restaurant Features
Loyverse connects your checkout to kitchen displays or printers.
Loyverse has a lot to offer smaller establishments like coffee shops or food trucks. You can customize menus, make notes on preparations, offer menu options, and add dining options like Dine-In, Takeout, or Delivery.
It does not have table mapping or reservations, but you can pre-define tickets to tables and manage tickets by splitting, merging, or moving items between tickets. We also did not find a way to program tip suggestions, something many POS programs do to encourage better gratuities for your waitstaff.
Inventory and Reports
The free version has limited inventory functions but lets you add items, including images.
The free version of Loyverse comes with basic inventory functions: inventory tracking, low stock notifications, and bulk upload of products. For an additional $25 per month, you can get advanced inventory, which includes:
- Purchase orders
- Transfer stock between stores
- Full or partial inventory counts, with a scanner or manually
- Ingredient/recipe inventory tracking
- Product valuation reports
- Label printing
- Inventory adjustment logs
- 24/7 live chat support
Loyalty Program
The system will track customer data.
One of the great things about the Loyverse loyalty program is that it’s part of the freeware but compares well to paid programs. You can collect customer information, track points, look up purchase history, and add notes to a consumer’s file. You can also create loyalty cards to make it easy to scan and pull up customer information. If you have a customer display, it will also show clients how many loyalty points they’ve accumulated.
Employee Functions
Use the reports to identify top performers.
For an extra $5 per month, per employee, the employee management app gives you a time clock for clocking in for shifts and calculating total work hours—but it lacks a shift scheduler. This add-on also lets you establish permissions and roles in the back end, so employees can only access specific parts of the software. You can set PINs and passwords as well.
One especially useful feature is the performance reports that show you sales by employee and workloads per hour. Use these to better understand who your best workers are and adjust shifts accordingly. It also tracks cash discrepancies so that you can discover employee fraud or inaccuracies.
Loyverse Ease of Use
Loyverse has an exceptionally attractive interface, especially considering it’s free. Not only are the buttons clear and bright, but you can add images to make identification a snap. You can customize the menus to best suit your business’ workflows and organization.
Loyverse only offers live support to paying customers, but that support is 24/7 via chat. All customers have access to email support and the community forum. In addition, the online help center offers illustrated articles and videos on how to use the software.
Loyverse Alternatives
Square POS | Vend | Revel Systems | Toast POS |
|---|---|---|---|
Best for: Best all-purpose, free, and mobile POS | Best for: Brick and mortar retailers | Best for: Grocery stores and high-volume | Best for: Restaurants |
Monthly fee from: $0 with payment processing; some features add on | Monthly fee from: $99 | Monthly fee from: $99 | Base monthly fee from: $69 + $500 installation fee |
If you’re not sure Loyverse POS is right for you, see how it compares with our top POS systems.
What Users Think of Loyverse
Naturally, most users love that Loyverse is free. Most also said it was easy to use, although some mentioned the interface was not as good on smartphones as on tablets. The most common complaints had to do with the feature set—some wanted specific tools, while others noted that some functions needed “finessing” to work right.
- Capterra: 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 177 reviews
- G2: 4.6 out of 5 stars based on 8 reviews
- GetApp: 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 178 reviews
- Software Advice: 4.79 out of 5 stars based on 177 reviews
Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
Excellent loyalty program | Missing some features found in other POS systems |
Free | Too simplistic |
Consistent upgrades and improvements | Some tax and discount calculations are difficult to manage |
Bottom Line
If you need a free or inexpensive POS software that is attractive, works with iOS and Android, and offers vital sales and inventory functions plus a great loyalty program, then check out Loyverse. It’s made the list for several POS categories I’ve reviewed because of its value. Download the free version and get started.
