Retail POS Most POS reviews stop at “easy to use, good features.” That doesn't help you decide between systems when your real questions are: Can it handle 8,000 SKUs with size/color variants? What does it cost at three locations? Can customers return online orders in-store? This ranking answers those questions using verified vendor data (checked 2026-08-08) and our published review methodology.
Quick Picks
Shopify POS
The strongest omnichannel system: one inventory for online + store, BOPIS, returns anywhere (Pro). Best for retailers who sell on more than one channel.
Jump to full breakdown ↓Square
A genuinely free plan, transparent flat-rate processing and the easiest setup of the four. Best single-location choice under ~$10k monthly card sales.
Jump to full breakdown ↓Lightspeed Retail
Purchase orders, receiving, transfers, serial tracking and multi-location tools that go deeper than anyone else here. Built for SKU-heavy operations.
Jump to full breakdown ↓Clover
Polished one-time-purchase hardware and a huge app market. Watch out: pricing varies by reseller and key retail features need paid apps.
Jump to full breakdown ↓Comparison Table
| Shopify POS | Square | Lightspeed Retail | Clover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.0 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.0 / 5 |
| Starting software cost | $20/mo (annual) | $0/mo | ~$89/mo (annual) | $16/mo Starter (official)* |
| Advanced tier | POS Pro $89/mo per location | Plus $49 / Premium $149 per location | Core $149 / Plus $289 | Retail Growth $84.95/mo (official)* |
| In-person processing | ~2.4–2.7% | 2.6% + 15¢ (Free) | ~2.6% + 10¢ (quoted) | 2.6% / 2.3% + 10¢ (official)* |
| Own processor allowed? | Yes (extra fee 0.6–2%) | No — Square required | Core plan and up | Limited (~$25/mo fee) |
| Inventory depth | Good (Pro-gated) | Basic (Plus/Premium-gated) | Best-in-class | Basic (paid apps for POs) |
| Omnichannel | Best-in-class | Good (Square Online included) | Fair (eCom in transition) | Fair (app-based) |
| Hardware model | Buy; BYOD tablet OK | Buy; wide lineup | Buy; iPad-based | Buy once; proprietary devices |
| Free trial | 3 days + $1/mo × 3 months | 30 days (paid plans) | Demo / trial (verify) | Varies by reseller |
* Clover figures are official online bundle prices read directly from clover.com/pricing/retail (2026-09-05) — Starter $16/mo × 36 or $349, Retail Growth $84.95/mo with the $1,899 Station Duo; reseller quotes may still differ. Lightspeed figures are official annual-billing prices (verified 2026-09-05).
The Rankings
1. Shopify POS — Best for Omnichannel Retail
4.0/5
Shopify POS is what happens when the world's most popular ecommerce platform builds a store register. Every plan includes POS Lite, so an online seller can open a physical location without changing systems: one product catalog, one customer database, inventory that syncs both ways automatically. Buy-online-pick-up-in-store, local delivery and ship-from-store work out of the box.
The catch is the Pro gate. Everything a serious retailer eventually needs — unlimited staff with roles, returns at any location, inventory counts, purchase orders, low-stock alerts, professional reports — sits behind POS Pro at $89/month per location. At one store that's reasonable; at five stores it's a real line item.
Pros
- Best-in-class online + in-store sync
- POS Lite included from the $20/mo entry plan
- BOPIS, local delivery, endless aisle (Pro)
- Huge app ecosystem (8,000+ apps)
Cons
- POS Pro ($89/location) gates the serious retail tools
- Up to 2% extra fee without Shopify Payments
- 100-variant-per-product cap (2,048 rollout for some stores)
- Card payments don't work offline
Choose Shopify POS if: you sell online and in-store (or plan to) and want one system for both. Read the full Shopify POS review or visit Shopify POS →
2. Square — Best for Small Retail Businesses
3.8/5
Square remains the best on-ramp into modern retail POS. The Free plan covers a simple store with no monthly cost — you pay 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person transaction and that's it. Setup takes an afternoon, hardware is fairly priced (a $59 contactless + chip reader gets you started), and Square Online gives you a basic web store on the same plan.
The October 2025 plan revamp simplified things into Free / Plus ($49) / Premium ($149) per location — but it also moved core retail workflows behind paywalls: inventory tracking, purchase orders and barcode labels all require Plus, and transfer orders need Premium. Square also requires Square processing; you can't bring your own merchant account.
Pros
- Free plan with no monthly fee
- Simple flat-rate processing, no surprises
- Easiest setup and cleanest UI of the four
- Fairly priced hardware lineup
Cons
- Inventory, POs, barcode labels gated to Plus ($49)
- Square processing is mandatory
- Reporting is thin below Premium
- Phone support limited on lower tiers
Choose Square if: you run one or two smaller stores, want predictable costs, and don't need deep inventory workflows yet. Read the full Square review or visit Square →
3. Lightspeed Retail — Best for Advanced Inventory
3.6/5
If your back office runs on purchase orders, receiving, transfers and cycle counts, Lightspeed Retail is in a different league. Its catalog handles matrix variants, serialized items, vendor catalogs and work orders with a depth the others don't match, and its reporting is the strongest here. Multi-location and warehouse workflows are where it earns its price.
The trade-offs: it's the most expensive of the four (officially $89/$149/$289 per month on annual billing, plus $59 per extra register), annual commitments are standard, and its ecommerce story is in transition — legacy webstore lines are winding down while integrations (including Shopify) carry the online side. iPad-based only.
Pros
- Deepest inventory: POs, receiving, transfers, serials
- Strong multi-location and warehouse tools
- Best reporting and analytics
- Built for high-SKU catalogs
Cons
- Highest price; annual billing typical
- Lightspeed Payments required on Basic
- eCom story in transition — verify current state
- Steeper learning curve
Choose Lightspeed if: inventory operations are your business — bike shops, jewelers, high-SKU specialty retail, multi-store operators. Read the full Lightspeed review or visit Lightspeed →
4. Clover — Best for Flexible Retail Hardware
3.0/5
Clover makes the best-feeling hardware in this group: the Flex handheld, Mini, and Station Duo are polished, and you buy them once rather than renting. The App Market fills almost any gap — loyalty, advanced inventory, ecommerce — and the system is genuinely easy to run day to day.
But Clover is sold through Fiserv and resellers, so your software fee, processing rate and contract terms depend on who sells it to you. Retail fundamentals are weaker too: no native purchase orders or cycle counts, and limited multi-location sync without paid apps. Get a written quote and read the contract before signing.
Pros
- Excellent one-time-purchase hardware
- Intuitive day-to-day operation
- Large App Market for add-ons
- Wide reseller availability
Cons
- Reseller-dependent final rates; online bundles on 36-month terms
- No native purchase orders or cycle counts
- Processing tied to Fiserv/reseller
- Contract terms vary — read carefully
Choose Clover if: you want great hardware with a buy-once model and simple daily operation, and you're comfortable shopping reseller quotes. Read the full Clover review or visit Clover →
How We Chose
How to Choose a Retail POS
Five steps that prevent the two most common mistakes — buying for features you'll never use, and discovering real costs after signing:
- Map your workflows first. Count your SKUs and variants, write down your receiving/returns process, and note anything unusual (serials, age checks, repairs). A jewelry store and a convenience store need different systems even at the same revenue.
- Model total cost, not subscription price. Add software (per location), hardware (one-time), and — biggest of all — processing fees on your real monthly card volume. A 0.3% rate difference on $40k/month is $1,440/year.
- Check the feature gates. Every vendor splits features across tiers. Verify the exact features you need are in the tier you're quoting — purchase orders and staff permissions are the most commonly gated.
- Demo with your own data. Import 50 real products, ring up a return, print a label. Vendors demo happy paths; you need your path.
- Read the exit terms. Contract length, early termination fees, and whether you can export your product and customer data cleanly.
How Much Does a POS Really Cost?
Take a single store doing $30,000/month in card sales across roughly 1,500 transactions:
| Cost line | Shopify (Basic + POS Lite) | Square (Free plan) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software /mo | $27 (monthly billing) | $0 | Annual billing lowers Shopify to $20 |
| Hardware (one-time) | ~$49–500 | ~$59–900 | Reader-only vs full register setup |
| Processing /mo | ~$780 (~2.6%) | ~$1,005 (2.6% + 15¢ × 1,500 txns) | Square's per-transaction fee adds up |
| Year-one total | ~$9,700–10,200 | ~$12,100–12,900 | Processing dominates both |
Two lessons: processing fees usually exceed software fees several times over, and the “free” plan isn't automatically the cheap option at real retail volumes — Square's 15¢-per-transaction fee outweighs its $0 subscription here. Square does come out ahead at very low transaction counts (roughly under ~180 txns/month), so model your own numbers before choosing. Detailed breakdowns live in each pricing guide.
FAQ
What is the best retail POS system overall?
For most retailers who sell both online and in-store, Shopify POS is our top pick for 2026 because its omnichannel features (synced inventory, BOPIS, unified customers) are the strongest. If you're offline-only and budget-led, Square is the better value; if inventory depth is everything, choose Lightspeed Retail.
What's the cheapest POS system for a small store?
Square's Free plan has no monthly cost — you pay 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person transaction. Shopify POS Lite is the cheapest full-featured paid option at $20/mo with annual billing. Remember that processing fees, not subscriptions, drive most of your real cost.
Do I need POS Pro / paid tiers from day one?
Usually no. Start on the entry tier, and upgrade when you hit a specific gate: staff permissions, returns at multiple locations, purchase orders, or professional reports. Those are the features that justify Shopify POS Pro ($89/mo per location) or Square Plus ($49/mo).
Can I keep my current card reader or hardware?
Usually not for card readers — each system requires its own approved payment devices. Tablets are the exception: Shopify POS works with your own iPad/Android tablet, and most systems support standard receipt printers, scanners and cash drawers from major brands.
How long does switching POS systems take?
Plan 2–6 weeks for a clean switch: export products/customers, map categories, import and verify barcodes, train staff, and run one slow day on the new system before going fully over. Our buying guide covers the process in detail.
Final Verdict
Shopify POS for omnichannel retail, Square for small single-location stores, Lightspeed Retail for inventory-heavy operations, and Clover if hardware quality and buy-once pricing matter most. Whichever you shortlist, get processing rates in writing and verify feature gates on the exact tier you're quoting.
Prices and rates last checked 2026-08-08 against vendor pricing pages and multiple independent sources. Square figures reflect the October 2025 plan restructuring. We re-check regularly; vendors may change terms at any time.