Software comparison
Best POS System for Small Business
A POS decision is really a payment-processing decision wearing a software costume. At real transaction volume, a 0.3-0.5 percentage point difference in card processing fees will cost or save you far more per year than the monthly software subscription will.
Independent research · Verify current pricing with each provider
Pricing reality
Processing rates and monthly fees both shift periodically, and contract terms (especially Toast's multi-year agreements) matter as much as the headline price. Confirm current rates and contract length directly before signing anything.
At a glance
Which one fits?
Best for: Most small businesses starting out, especially without a long-term contract
Free: Genuinely usable free plan - not a crippled trial.
Best for: Full-service restaurants specifically - not adapted for retail
Free: Free Starter Kit available, tied to a multi-year agreement.
Best for: Businesses that want to choose their own payment processor
Free: Software-only free tier in some configurations, varies by reseller.
Shopify POSBest for: Businesses selling both online and in person who want one inventory system
Free: No free tier - requires a Shopify e-commerce subscription as a base.
Detailed review
What to know before you choose.
Square
Best for Most small businesses starting out, especially without a long-term contract
Free plan and limits
Genuinely usable free plan - not a crippled trial.
The Trade-off
No contracts, no early termination fees, and the cheapest hardware entry point here by a wide margin. Processing fees on the free plan are fine at low volume but get expensive fast - a shop doing meaningful monthly card volume should compare an interchange-plus processor once they outgrow "just starting out."
Toast
Best for Full-service restaurants specifically - not adapted for retail
Free plan and limits
Free Starter Kit available, tied to a multi-year agreement.
The Trade-off
Built from the ground up for restaurant service - kitchen display routing, tip handling, and online ordering all feel purpose-made rather than bolted on. The trade-off is a real one: typical multi-year contracts with meaningful early termination penalties, unlike Square's month-to-month flexibility.
Clover
Best for Businesses that want to choose their own payment processor
Free plan and limits
Software-only free tier in some configurations, varies by reseller.
The Trade-off
The open app marketplace and processor flexibility are genuine advantages over Square's more closed ecosystem. Pricing and terms vary meaningfully by which reseller/processor you go through - get quotes from more than one before committing.
Shopify POS
Best for Businesses selling both online and in person who want one inventory system
Free plan and limits
No free tier - requires a Shopify e-commerce subscription as a base.
The Trade-off
If you already run a Shopify store, unifying online and in-store inventory into one system genuinely eliminates a real operational headache. You're paying for a Shopify subscription on top of the POS add-on, so it only makes sense if e-commerce is actually part of the business.
StackPick verdict
The bottom line.
Just starting out and want zero contract risk? Square. Running a full-service restaurant specifically? Toast's purpose-built workflows are worth the contract commitment. Want processor flexibility and an app marketplace? Clover, but shop multiple resellers first. Selling online and in person? Shopify POS avoids running two separate inventory systems.
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