The Top 5 Cash Registers for Small Businesses

The best POS cash register for small businesses is the Clover Station Duo. It has a modern design, a responsive touchscreen and a fingerprint login for added security, features that earned Clover a spot as the best POS supplier for hardware in our most recent round of testing.

There are two main types of cash registers:

• Modern point-of-sale (POS) cash registers: Touchscreen devices, similar to desktop screens, used to access POS software. Sometimes combined in a package with cash drawers and card machines.
• Traditional electronic cash registers (ECRs): Standalone machines primarily used for taking and recording transactions.

Most businesses are switching to POS systems, but some small businesses still prefer to use ECRs because they’re cheaper, so we’ve included two in our list.

Best Cash Registers for Small Businesses: Overview

We reviewed, rated and compared the leading cash registers for restaurants and small businesses.

What Are the Best POS Cash Registers for Small Businesses?

The best cash registers that come with integrated POS systems are the Clover Station Duo, Square Register Kit and Toast Countertop Kit.

Cash registers that integrate with POS systems are quickly becoming the new standard, since they come with more advanced management and reporting features than ECRs.

1. Clover Station Duo: Best all-round modern POS cash register

Price: $1,899

The Clover Station Duo from Clover is a modern POS cash register. It comes with a 14-inch HD touchscreen display, a cash drawer, a receipt printer and an 8-inch touchscreen customer display that has a built-in card reader.

What makes the Clover Station Duo a good option for small businesses?

During testing, we found the touchscreen to be particularly responsive, and we liked the fingerprint login on the main register, which sped up the sales process.

The addition of a customer-facing display and the fact that Clover has a large variety of hardware, with three terminal setups, a portable POS device and numerous accessories, earned it the top spot for POS hardware.

Square came close, but its handheld POS device wasn’t as ergonomic as Clover’s, and Toast is missing a customer display with a built-in card reader, which Clover and Square’s terminals both have.

The Station Duo isn’t the cheapest option out there, at $1,899, but it’s worth it for businesses that want to access Clover’s excellent POS software. This hardware kit works with several Clover software plans, ranging from $29.95 to $129.85 per month.

These include software for retail, counter-service and full-service restaurants, and give you access to a variety of tools, including refund management, customer loyalty programs and online ordering. You can also access detailed reports and easily understand data, thanks to charts.

Our experience testing Clover POS

Clover has remained consistently easy to use in our testing, despite offering advanced features. When it comes to software, we particularly like Clover’s frontend, which is highly intuitive and makes great use of color to highlight features.

That said, it wasn’t quite smooth sailing when it came to certain backend features. For example, we had trouble finding where to set up discounts and loyalty programmes, and real-time syncing issues disrupted the overall smoothness of the experience.

When it comes to hardware, we were particularly impressed by how light the Clover Flex, Clover’s handheld POS device/card machine, is. Despite its size, it fitted easily in our hand and didn’t feel cumbersome, making it a great option for taking payments on the shop floor.

Other available hardware

The Station Duo integrates with additional Clover hardware, including:

• Clover Flex ($749): Handheld POS device, card reader, and barcode scanner
• Clover Flex Pocket ($699): Clover’s newest addition, a slimmed-down version of the Clover Flex
• Clover Go ($199): Contactless card reader
• KDS ($799-$899 + $25 per month): A 14 to 24-inch kitchen display system that syncs with the main POS
• Kitchen printer
• Kitchen weight scales

What type of business is Clover best for?

2. Square Register Kit: Best for retail businesses

Price: $2,119

The Square Register Kit from Square comes with a 12.5-inch touchscreen terminal, a 7-inch touchscreen customer display with a built-in card reader, a cash drawer and a receipt printer.

What makes the Square Register Kit a good option for small businesses?

The Square Register Kit is now more expensive than the Clover Station Duo, despite not having a fingerprint login. However, this is somewhat offset by the fact that Square offers free POS software and cheaper overall paid software plans than Clover.

That said, since the Square Register’s screen is slightly smaller than the Clover Station Duo’s, we thought it might be trickier to use if you have a large inventory you need to sift through.

It’s still a functional and sleek-looking modern POS cash register and it integrates with Square’s excellent POS software, which includes free and paid POS plans for both retail and restaurant businesses. Paid plans start at $89 per month for retail and $69 per month for restaurants.

We found both POS systems easy to use during our testing, although in terms of tools, we determined that Square’s paid retail POS software was slightly better than the paid restaurant software, since it comes with better reporting tools, like cost versus profit management.

Other features available with Square’s POS software include integration with Square’s free online store builder, and syncing online and in-store inventory.

Our experience testing Square POS

We found Square generally very easy to use. The backend was quite intuitive, and we had no trouble creating menus or listing items. We appreciated the search function, which helped us find tools quickly.

However, we did struggle with more demanding tasks, such as adding discounts at checkout. It took a little digging in the checkout menu to find this function, since it wasn’t visible on the main checkout screen. We also found the process of cancelling orders and adding staff accounts to be overly complicated.

When it comes to hardware, we tested the Square Terminal, its portable POS device and card machine. While it was easy to access inventory and process payments from the device, we did have issues with the physical design. The card machine was quite wide, so it wasn’t easy to hold in one hand, making it better suited to countertops.

Other available hardware

The Square Register Kit connects with other Square hardware, including:

• Square Terminal ($299): Handheld POS device with card reader and built-in receipt printer
• Square Handheld ($399): Square’s newest device, a compact handheld POS device that takes payments
• Square Reader ($59): Contactless and chip and PIN reader
• KDS ($499-$599 + $20 per month)
• Label/kitchen printers ($249-$549)
• Barcode scanners ($119-$249)

What type of business is Square best for?

3. Toast Countertop Kit: Best for businesses that serve food and drinks

Price: $1,024.20

The Toast Countertop kit from Toast POS includes a 14-inch touchscreen terminal with a flip screen, a card reader (tap, chip and PIN) and a data security router.

What makes the Toast Countertop Kit a good option for small businesses?

The kit is lighter on features than Clover or Square’s offerings, missing a cash drawer, receipt printer and a customer display with a built-in card reader.

The lack of a customer display might be a nuisance for restaurants that do counter service, since you’ll have to swivel your screen for customers to see the amount they’re being charged. It is possible to add one, but this costs an extra $225.

You can also get the Toast Countertop Kit for free if you pay slightly higher processing fees of 3.09% + $0.15 compared with Toast’s standard 2.49% + $0.15.

The kit also gives you access to Toast’s excellent restaurant POS software, which retails from $69 per month on a standard plan. Regardless of the pricing plan you choose, you’ll get access to table and menu management, basic discounts and team management.

Some of Toast’s features come as paid add-ons but are only available starting from the $69 software plan. This model allows you to build a system that’s right for you, with no unnecessary features. Add-ons include mobile ordering and delivery, loyalty programs and gift cards, and tip management.

Our experience testing Toast POS

Toast is extremely easy to use. We found the backend particularly intuitive and easy to navigate, and the setup tutorial offered a clear step-by-step guide that helped us find our way around the platform.

The only task we struggled with a little was setting up a discount on an order, which is something we had trouble with on a lot of other POS platforms we tested. In this case, we found Toast’s wording a little confusing, since you have to click on an “update” button to find the discount button. Lightspeed and Square both clearly label this option on the checkout screen.

Another aspect we like is that Toast’s customer service line is open 24/7, 365 days a year (that’s right, even on holidays) – this includes a phone line and a web messaging service.

Other available hardware

The Toast Countertop Kit integrates with other Toast hardware, including:

• Toast Go 2 ($494.10): Handheld POS device with built-in card reader
• Guest Self-Service Starter Kit ($1,339.20): Kiosk, card reader and data security router
• KDS system ($674.10 + $35 per month): A touchscreen KDS system that syncs with the main POS system

What type of business is Toast best for?

3. Epos Now Complete Solution: Cheapest Hardware Package

Price: $349

The Epos Now Complete Solution includes a 15.6-inch touchscreen terminal with a built-in customer display and built-in 80mm printer, plus a card reader (tap, chip and PIN) and a cash drawer.

What makes the Epos Now Complete Solution a good option for small businesses?

Available for just $349 if you sign up for a $79 per month software subscription, the Epos Now Complete Solution is by far the cheapest POS cash register on this list. It’s not just a basic piece of kit either – it includes a customer display and cash drawer, something the more expensive Toast Countertop Kit is missing.

However, Epos Now’s countertop register is on the bulky side compared with its competitors, and its design isn’t as sleek and modern-looking. That said, this is a compromise that’s worth the lower price if you have the space for a large register and aesthetics aren’t hugely important for your business.

Epos Now also offers useful accessories, such as staff swipe cards (the only provider to offer these). Although not quite the equivalent of Clover’s fingerprint login, these are still a way to speed up shift changes.

The Complete Solution will also give you access to Epos Now’s powerful POS software. It comes with advanced stock management features, such as low stock alerts, bulk inventory uploads and cost versus profit analysis – perfect for managing large and varied inventories.

Our experience testing Epos Now POS system

Epos Now was one of the more challenging POS systems we tested, mainly because there were so many tools at our disposal. For example, adding products to the inventory was very easy, but creating variants for them wasn’t because of the amount of detail the platform demanded for each variant.

We also found it quite hard to type on Epos Now’s touchscreen-mounted register because the screen was very large and set a little too high for comfort. We think this could easily be improved if the provider made the mount retractable.

Other available hardware

The Epos Now Complete Solution integrates with other Epos Now hardware, including:

• Epos Now Pro+ (quote-based): A handheld POS device with built-in card reader and printer
• Epos Now Link (quote-based): A traditional countertop card machine with PIN pad
• Epos Now Air (quote-based): A portable touch-screen card machine, included in most hardware countertop kits
• Printer ($250)
• Staff swipe cards ($58)
• Scales ($699)
• Cash drawer ($78)

What type of business is Epos Now best for?

What Are the Best Electronic Cash Registers for Small Businesses?

The best ECRs are the SAM4S ER-180U and the SAM4S ER-925.

ECRs are quickly becoming a tool of the past, being replaced with modern POS systems, but SAM4S is one of the few companies that still manufactures electronic cash registers. Two of them have earned a spot of this list, since you’re guaranteed access to customer support and replacement parts.

1. SAM4S ER-180U: Most affordable option for retailers

Price: $185 – $263

The SAM4S ER-180U is a compact cash register with a built-in cash drawer and receipt printer, an LED screen display for the operator and customer, and a 48-key keyboard.

Why we like the SAM4S ER-180U

The SAM4S ER-180U is an affordable option, and can cost less than $200, way under the $1,000+ price point of most POS cash registers.

As is typical with traditional ECRs, the SAM4S ER-180U doesn’t have a touchscreen, but it does have small operator and customer LED screens, so you’re still able to see the amount being tended.

This compact cash register weighs under 18lbs, and is a great option for small vendors at markets, or for small convenience stores. It’s not suited to businesses with more than 10 till workers, since it only accepts 10 employee logins.

The SAM4S ER-180U doesn’t support many accessories, so it’s best for businesses that only do cash transactions, unless you feel like purchasing a separate card machine system.

Its main features, besides cash tending, are:

• 500 price look up codes (PLUs)
• Tax Calculation (4 TAX Rates)
• Daily and periodic reports (printed on receipt paper)
• 10 employee logins

2. SAM4S ER-925: Best for connecting to peripheral hardware

Price: $529 – $684

The SAM4S ER-925 cash register comes with a large cash drawer, a 150-key keyboard, an LED screen display for the operator and customer, and a built-in receipt printer.

Why we like the SAM4S ER-925

The SAM4S ER-925 is more expensive than the ER-180U, starting at $529, but its price is more than justified.

This cash register comes with multiple ports, so it can easily be connected to peripheral hardware, such as card machines, barcode scanners, scales and more.

It also has more advanced features, but still within reason for an ECR. It can manage up to 10,000 PLUs, 50 employee logins and can produce a variety of reports:

• Financial reports
• Employee reports
• PLU by price level reports
• Hourly, monthly and by chosen date sales reports

Given its capabilities, it’s a cash register we recommend to small businesses with a varied inventory, whether they’re in retail or hospitality. That’s because the SAM4S ER-925 comes with separate keyboards for retail and hospitality businesses, allowing the machine to be tailored to your business type.

Which Is Better: Electronic Cash Register or POS System?

For most businesses looking to upgrade their hardware, choosing a cash register that comes with a POS system is a better option than an ECR.

Here’s a quick look at the differences between the two types of registers:

Modern POS systems offer many advantages, including being easier to use than ECRs. You and your employees will be operating on a touchscreen that’s basically a computer, instead of having to memorize complicated keyboard functions, as is the case with ECRs.

However, POS systems cost more than ECRs. Not only will you be paying for hardware that generally costs over $1,000 (compared with $500 for the average ECR), but you’ll also be paying your POS supplier a monthly software subscription fee to be able to actually use the system.

The fact that ECRs are more affordable than POS systems is probably their biggest selling point today. They also have longer lifespans than POS systems, though the gap has shrunk in recent years. The best cash registers for small businesses will give you at least 15 years of good service, whereas POS hardware tends to need replacing after 10 years, the same way a computer does.

That said, software from top POS suppliers does outlive the hardware it’s deployed on. Plus, many ECR manufacturers are switching to making POS systems, with SAM4S being one of the few exceptions. So, if you want to guarantee your access to customer support and regular hardware upgrades and replacements, POS systems are the better option.

What Are the Benefits of a POS System?

Modern POS systems offer more than just a safe place to store cash. There are several reasons why POS systems are replacing traditional ECRs:

• Easy operation: Most POS systems are operated on a touchscreen at the sales counter and from your desktop in the back office. This makes them much easier to use than ECRs, since you don’t need to memorize keyboard functions, and enables you to access your data from anywhere, at home or on the go.
• Customer marketing: Most POS systems facilitate customer marketing since they come with integrated marketing and loyalty tools. They make it easy to collect customer email addresses with e-receipts, allowing you to send targeted messages based on their recent purchases. This isn’t a feature that’s available with ECRs.
• Inventory management: Modern POS systems can automate a lot of inventory management tasks, which can save businesses a lot of time. For example, you can set your system up to send low-stock alerts to your phone when supplies of a particular ingredient or product line are running low.
• Staff management: This isn’t available with all POS systems, but many offer built-in time tracking software, so employees can clock in and out directly through terminals, making it easier to calculate salaries. High-end systems even let you run individual performance reports so you can make informed decisions about staff training and task allocation.
• Software integrations: This is what really separates POS systems from ECRs. Most can integrate with third-party apps and software, extending their suite of features. Popular integrations include accounting software, online stores, shift management platforms and reservation tools.

Our Methodology: How We Test POS Systems