We know that only the best POS systems will do for your business, so here are the top five…
The best POS systems do more than just take payments. They enable you to serve more customers, while streamlining your admin processes.
For example, the very best POS solutions can generate real-time stock level alerts, send customer marketing emails, and create detailed performance reports – and that's just the start. This all adds up to happy customers and motivated staff.
However, finding the right POS system for your business can be a long process. That’s why we’ve done all the research for you, and selected the best five options in Australia. We chose these suppliers based on their pricing, pros and cons, and top features. Check out our table below for a quick overview…
The Best POS Systems in Australia: The Top 5
From our research and industry expertise, we know that the best POS systems in Australia are Lightspeed Retail, TouchBistro, Square, Hike, and Quetzal.
Supplier | Starting Price | Best For | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
Lightspeed Retail | AUD $100/month | Retail stores | |
TouchBistro | USD $69/month | Restaurants | |
Square | USD $0/month | Pop-up stores | |
Hike | USD $59/month | Shops with an online presence | |
Quetzal | USD $75/month | Footwear and fashion retailers |
Now, let’s take a closer look at these systems and what we like (or dislike) about them…
1. Lightspeed Retail
Best for retail
In 2019, retailers using Lightspeed grew four times faster than the industry average, helping them speed ahead of the competition.
We believe this is down to the company’s excellent range of features, which include – among many others – ecommerce and physical stock synchronisation, over 50 built-in reports, customer expenditure tracking, and an email campaign builder.
Lightspeed also comes with scalable price plans, a free one-on-one onboarding session, and 24/7 support.
Pros:
- Seamlessly integrate your physical and online stores
- Australia’s leading POS solution
- Excellent reporting and analytics
Cons:
- No Windows or Android option
- Detailed analytics reports only available on most expensive price plan
Lightspeed’s pricing
Each plan comes with one cash register, but any additional registers will cost an extra $45 per month.
Plan | Cost | What you’ll get |
|---|---|---|
Basic | AUD $100/month | Retail POS |
Starter | AUD $130/month | Retail POS Connect your accounting software |
Standard (most popular) | AUD $170/month | Retail POS Connect your accounting software Ecommerce synchronisation |
Pro | AUD $230/month | Retail POS Connect your accounting software Ecommerce synchronisation Analytics |
Lightspeed Customer Reviews
The experience has been fantastic. The support staff and sales team have been great. The ease of use is something very special compared to the competition. It has allowed our business to prosper in these uncertain times
Justin – Lightspeed Retail customer
The customer service has been very helpful via telephone or chat, and is always available. Even better, the number of times I need to contact customer service is minimal. After one year of use, I can say I use this program with confidence, and I believe it packs the punch needed to handle scale.
Andrew – Lightspeed Retail customer
2. TouchBistro
Best for Restaurants
Designed by restaurateurs themselves, TouchBistro is the world’s leading iPad restaurant POS system.
Using an iPad means you can take orders tableside and serve more customers, or you can allow your guests to customise their own order from a self-ordering kiosk. Both of these features should help to increase your sales.
Unlike Lightspeed, there is no onboarding process, but TouchBistro does offer 24/7 support via phone and email.
We also liked the fact you can hide certain menu items based on the time of day or your inventory levels, meaning your customers won’t ever hear those upsetting words: ‘sorry, we don’t have that today.’
Pros:
- 24/7 customer support via phone and email
- Designed specifically for restaurants
- Best-selling iPad POS system for restaurants
Cons:
- You’ll need to source your own iPad, plus other hardware such as cash drawers and receipt printers
TouchBistro’s Pricing
TouchBistro currently offers a three months free ‘COVID recovery’ period (terms and conditions apply).
Plan | Cost | What you’ll get |
|---|---|---|
Solo | USD $69/month | 1 user licence |
Dual | USD $129/month | 2 user licenses |
Team | USD $249/month | Up to 5 user licenses |
Unlimited | USD $399/month | Unlimited user licenses |
TouchBistro Customer Reviews
The TouchBistro POS has made managing items, transactions, and invoices manageable and reliable. It is a simple-to-use service with many different tools at your disposal.
Axel – TouchBistro customer
Their customer service team is top-notch! While there are a few major needs for improvement on reporting, I feel like TouchBistro has grown with our business, as we have had the opportunity to customize it to our needs with the TouchBistro support team.
Rachael – TouchBistro customer
3. Square
Best for Pop-up Stores
Square is a well-shaped POS system. It's used by over two million businesses worldwide, and has handled more than 340 million card transactions so far.
Square’s an all-rounder, but we particularly like the contactless card reader ($69), which connects to Square’s POS system via your smartphone.
The all-in-one terminal (pictured, costing $270 +VAT) can go cordless, take chip and pin payments, and print receipts. Both of these hardware options are ideal for pop-ups, and for home-visit services such as plumbers.
The software itself is free, so you'll only pay a 2.6% + 10 cents card transaction fee.
Pros:
- Software is free to install
- Very easy to setup and use
- Provides detailed analytics reports
Cons:
- 2.75% charge for non-card transactions
- No live chat support
Square’s Pricing
Plan | Cost | What you’ll get |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Free card reader |
Plus | USD $94/month | Unlimited number of POS terminals in each location |
Premium | Bespoke | One-on-one implementation and 24/7 support |
Square Customer Reviews
I really like Square. As a sole trader, I am super busy taking payments, and knowing it's all sorted in the background is perfect. Never had any issues, and the support is always very helpful if I'm unsure on something. Invoicing is easy and streamlined with my own booking system. All in all, I’d definitely recommend.
Taivy – Square POS customer
Square POS has been a great asset, allowing us to take card payments not only in person when we complete an estate sale, but also over the phone.
Athena – Square POS Customer
4. Hike
Best for Shops with an Online Presence
Hike knows that running both a physical and an online store can feel like an uphill struggle, which is why it offers integrations with BigCommerce, Shopify, and WooCommerce.
With those integrations, you can seamlessly sync your online catalog and start selling your online products in-store.
Your online orders are also synced to your Hike POS system, giving you a real-time view of your online and offline performance.
Like TouchBistro, it only works on iPads and not Android tablets.
Pros:
- Online store synchronisation handled by Hike staff
- 24/7 live chat support
- Customisable software
Cons:
- Not suitable for Android hardware
- Limited till licences on each plan
Hike’s Pricing
As we mentioned, there’s a limited number of till licenses for each plan, with extra tills costing $29 per month each.
Plan | Cost | What you’ll get |
|---|---|---|
Start-up | USD $59/month | One register licence |
One store | USD $79/month | Gift cards Detailed analytics One register licence |
Multi-store | USD $129/month | Multi-location inventory Two register licenses |
Hike Customer Reviews
We came from Vend, and Hike is just amazing. Auto updates status, stock, perfect integration and super quick to update both sides. My clients are happy! That means they pay me… Amazing!
Kyle – Hike Customer
From day one, Hike has been a breeze to set up and use, and is less stressful for us than the prior POS systems we tried (Quickbooks POS, Vend POS, Korona POS, Lightspeed).
Shanna – Hike Customer
5. Quetzal
Best for Footwear and Fashion Retailers
Focusing on small clothing and accessory retailers, Quetzal provides an affordable price plan ($75 per month) without any contracts or setup fees, and a stable software that doesn’t require regular updates (unlike most of the competition).
It can’t handle the large sales volumes expected from a growing business, but its Shopify integration and easy-to-use iPad POS system make it a great choice for smaller operations.
Pros:
- Niche focus makes it ideal for boutique retailers
- Simple pricing
- Free customer support
Cons:
- Not suitable for large businesses
Quetzal’s Pricing
Plan | Cost | What you’ll get |
|---|---|---|
POS System (unlimited users) | $75/month | Unlimited registers and users |
Quetzal Customer Reviews
It's fairly simple yet does a lot. Anyone who has an iPad or smartphone will have no problem learning!
Kris – Quetzal Customer
Quetzal is very intuitive. It was very easy for my staff to figure out how to use it and to problem-solve, which is excellent. The tools to enter inventory, look up items, do transactions etc. work well.
Anonymous Reviewer – Quetzal Customer
Expert Verdict
We’ve shown you the best POS systems in Australia, and you'll now have a better idea of which one is right for your business. To recap our top three, we rate Lightspeed as the best option for retail stores, TouchBistro as the tastiest option for restaurants, and Square as the best choice for pop-up stores.
That said, we know it can be tricky to figure out exactly how much you’ll pay. The easiest way to find the perfect option for your business, and get an accurate price for your POS system, is by comparing quotes from trusted suppliers.
To get started, just tell us what you need from your POS system, and we’ll match you up with the POS suppliers that best suit your needs. They’ll then be in touch with free, no-obligation quotes for you to compare. This also gives you the opportunity to speak with suppliers yourself, and ask the questions most important to you before you spend a single dollar.
FAQs
What is a POS System?
A point of sale (POS) system combines software and hardware designed to help you complete card and cash transactions. These solutions store your sales data in one singular platform, and should help to boost staff efficiency – and, subsequently, your sales figures.
What Should a Good POS System do?
The best systems can do more than just help you take payments. They come with extra features that help you run your business more efficiently, such as sales performance reporting, tableside ordering, stock level alerts, and customer relationship management (CRM) email builders.
How do I Choose a POS System?
Firstly, you need to find a POS system that suits your budget, and that comes with strong customer support to keep your business ticking along. You should also look for industry-specific features that would benefit your business. For example, small retailers might want customer email marketing tools to help encourage repeat purchases, while restaurateurs might want to use an iPad POS system to help with tableside ordering.
What is the Cheapest POS System?
Square is the cheapest POS system, offering free software and charging 1.6% transaction fees. You’ll need to pay $69 for a card reader, and $270 for a card terminal, but Square still represents great value for money.
