How to choose a POS system for a small shop or café
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A point-of-sale (POS) system rings up sales, takes payments and keeps your stock count. Many start free; the real costs are payment fees, hardware and add-ons.
What to check
- Payments: which card readers work in your country, and the fee per transaction.
- Offline mode: can you keep selling when the internet drops?
- Inventory: stock alerts, variants and several locations.
- Hardware: does it run on a tablet or phone you already have?
- Online sales: does it sync with an online store?
Compare the options
| Product | Price today | Free plan | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho POS | Free plan, then USD 15 per location per month, yearly | Yes | Pricing |
| Loyverse POS | Free plan, then USD 25 per store per month | Yes | Pricing |
| Square POS | Free plan, then USD 49 per location per month | Yes | Pricing |
| Shopify POS | From USD 29 per month, yearly | No | Pricing |
Prices from vendor websites, checked 2026-10-12; they update automatically.
See Square vs Shopify POS, Square vs Loyverse and the best free POS software.
Check the numbers
Before you set prices, check your margin with the profit margin calculator and how many sales you need to cover costs with the break-even calculator.