Written by Matt Reed Reviewed by Ruairi Shirlow Updated on 3 July 2024 On this page POS hardware costs POS software costs Square POS costs Clover POS costs Payment Processing Fees Compare POS System Costs Example Cost of POS for a Small Business Example Cost of POS for a Large Business Expert Verdict POS Cost FAQs Expand Our site is reader-supported – by clicking our links, we can match you with a potential supplier, and we may earn a small commission for this referral. When launching a new business, understanding the cost of your operations is crucial. One significant investment to consider is a top POS system, so you can manage your inventory, take payments, and track important data quickly and efficiently.Typically, a POS system will cost the average Australian business around $1,500 upfront and then $1,800 per year for ongoing usage. But these numbers will vary depending on the extent of POS features and hardware you need, as well as the provider you choose and the industry you’re operating in.To put it another way, the costs incurred by a newly opened breakfast cafe in Melbourne will be very different from the outgoings of an established fine dining restaurant on the Gold Coast. So, in this guide, we break down the specific hardware, software, and card processing fees you can expect below. Save by Comparing POS System Quotes Do you already own a POS system? Yes No Answer the question to get started...POS System CostsBusiness POS system costs usually entail the hardware rental and the software subscription. Both of these are normally charged monthly, with the former referring to the lease of POS equipment (like card readers and barcode scanners) and the latter being the ongoing fee the provider charges to use their program. Hardware is often available to purchase outright too, although this is less common with software packages.These costs will vary depending on the range and style of POS hardware, and the extent of POS software features, your particular business requires. For instance, a chain grocery store with hundreds of employees may require a more extensive, tool-rich setup than a first-time coffee shop owner with a couple of staff on the books.Here are some average overall costs you’ll face for hardware and software combined in your first year of operating a POS system (remember, you’ll only need to buy the hardware once; after that, you’ll only have software costs to pay).EPOS SystemOverall Cost (in year one)Entry-Level System$1,500Mid-Level System$2,200Advanced System$7,200+Read on for a breakdown of how we got these costs when considering software, hardware and other fees.POS Hardware CostsTo understand how much a POS system costs, you need to consider the different types of hardware your specific business requires, whether that’s card readers and cash registers or tablets and receipt printers.As stated, these costs can either be paid upfront or as a monthly fee. For instance, with Clover POS, you can receive its Flex card reader for counter, table or on-the-go use at either a $35 per month price for 36 months or a one-time payment of $599. Which method your business prefers will ultimately come down to how much upfront funds you can stump up and if you feel secure about the long-term future of your business, but an outright purchase will usually be a much cheaper option overall.Below, we’ve outlined what you’d typically need, and what you can expect to pay in terms of POS hardware costs if you’re running a small, medium, or large business.Size of businessWhat you’ll needOverall costStart-up retail storeTabletCard reader$700Small businessTabletCard readerReceipt printerCash drawer$1,200Medium business2x tablet2x card readerReceipt printerCash drawer$1,800Large business6x tablet6x card reader6x receipt printer6x cash drawer$6,500+ Specify Your POS Hardware Needs In terms of hardware, then, the cost of a POS system for small businesses will end up at approximately $1,200 altogether. However, most POS providers are flexible with their hardware packages, offering you the option to pay upfront or on a monthly basis. There may also be opportunities for a bulk discount if you buy all the hardware you need in one go. That’s why it can be hard to nail down an exact price.The easiest way to get crystal clear POS pricing for your business is to get free quotes from POS suppliers – and we can help you there. Simply tell us what you need from your POS system using our free comparison tool, and we’ll match your business with trusted suppliers that best suit your needs. They’ll then get in touch with more information and no-obligation quotes. It’s free to get started and only takes a minute. Save by Comparing POS System Quotes Do you already own a POS system? Yes No Answer the question to get started... POS Software CostsAs well as buying hardware, you’ll need to pay a monthly subscription fee for the software that powers your POS system, although some offer free plans to get you started or the opportunity to purchase a package outright if you prefer.The overall cost of a POS system for small businesses will differ from those for larger corporations. That’s a given. But to make things easier for you, we’ve conducted plenty of research and found the two best POS systems in Australia full stop. Below, we explain their various plans, price points and what kinds of business they are best suited to. Square POS: Best For RetailSquare is one of the biggest names in the POS industry, offering ecommerce integration and in-depth inventory management tools, making it a great option for shop owners.It came out on top in our testing under several sector and product-specific criteria, making Square a superb choice for not only retail but just about any business. The list of Square’s Expert Market titles includes being our top choice for Spas, Pubs and Bars, iPad-based POS and Mobile POS in Australia.Square POS costsSquare suggests that businesses processing over $250,000 per year will be best suited to its Premium package, while the advanced features found with its Plus plan will work well for most other restaurants, retailers or appointment-based businesses. Its free plan is a solid choice for businesses looking to sell in person, online or over the phone for the first time, too.Here’s a rundown of each package and how much it’ll cost your business per month. Square Pricing From $0 per month Pricing See more See less PackagePriceFeatures Free $0 per month Comprehensive POS system suitable for small businesses (includes online store, sales tracking, reporting, offline payments, and a customizable interface) Plus $40 per month For businesses looking to scale (includes advanced tools like more detailed sales reporting, inventory management, plus more customization and hardware options) Premium Bespoke Larger businesses (includes multi-location management, advanced inventory and reporting, and dedicated account management) Clover: Best For Small BusinessesShould you be a smaller business venture, Clover is one of the best POS systems around. It closely followed Square under most of our product and sector-specific testing procedures and even won a few outright besides its Best for Small Businesses title. That includes being our top pick for Hotels, Food Trucks and Takeaways and narrowly missing out on our Spa, Pub & Bar and iPad titles, too.Clover POS costs Clover Pricing From $0 per month Pricing See more See less PackagePriceFeatures Payments $0 per month Payment processing with no added POS features Essentials $14.95 per month Basic POS features (e.g. tracking cash & offline payments, sending paperless receipts, and basic employee management) Register $49.95 per month More advanced features (e.g. inventory management, processing exchanges/returns and custom loyalty programs) Counter Service $59.95 per month Tailored service features (e.g. no-fee online orders, integration with Grubhub/Google orders, and advanced sales, tax, and employee management) Table Service $89.95 per month Full-service restaurant features (e.g. comprehensive table management, floor planning, menu management, and third-party delivery integration) Specify Your POS Software Needs While most POS suppliers offer set price plans for their software packages, they can also offer bespoke pricing to ensure you only pay for exactly what you need. That said, if you run a small business, you’re likely to end up paying somewhere between $100 per month and $250 per month for POS software.Other factors may come into play, too. For instance, we’ve found some providers charge more for different integrations, features, and numbers of users. With this in mind, it’s always worth looking into what’s on offer for each plan, and deciding which type of pricing format suits your business best.If you want a quick and easy way to get an exact price for your POS software, then all you need to do is use our free comparison tool and tell us what you need. We’ll match your business to POS suppliers that best suit your requirements, who’ll then contact you with more information and no-obligation quotes for you to compare. It’s quick, easy, and free to get started. Payment Processing FeesAlongside hardware and software costs, payment processing or debit/credit card fees are among the most important cost considerations for your business. That’s to say that most of the payment platforms you integrate into your POS system will charge you upon each transaction. Therefore, this will be an ongoing expense every time your company does business, adding up to a fairly significant cost in no time at all.Standard credit and debit card processing fees in Australia vary fairly significantly, even within the same provider depending on the plan a business is subscribed to. Our research has found that fees are usually between 1.5% and 3.5% of each transaction’s total and sometimes a small fixed amount per transaction is added on too.Using our experience and industry knowledge, we’ve selected some of the most popular POS suppliers and explained their card processing fees below. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Swiped rate transaction fee 2.3% + 10¢ Swiped rate transaction fee Between 1.4% + 30¢ and 1.75% + 30¢ depending on plan Swiped rate transaction fee 1.6% Keyed in rate transaction fee (AU) 3.5% + 10¢ Keyed in rate transaction fee (AU) Between 1.75% + 0¢ and 1.95% + 0¢ depending on plan Keyed in rate transaction fee (AU) 2.2% Compare POS System CostsThe easiest way to compare POS systems is to get free quotes from trusted suppliers that best suit your needs. If that sounds of interest, then simply tell us what you need (it only takes a minute) and we’ll match you with the right POS suppliers. They’ll then get in touch with you, offering more information and no-obligation quotes for you to compare.To give you an idea of how much different POS suppliers might charge your business, check out our examples below. Example POS system costs for a small businessYou’re currently running one or two small stores, and you want to synchronise your brick-and-mortar inventory with an ecommerce store. You employ a small number of employees, but you want to start growing. You also want to view your sales performance with regular reports, in order to make it easier for you to grow your small business.Your POS system costs are likely to be around:POS software cost: $150 per monthPOS hardware cost: $1,200 upfrontPlus transaction fees of your selected provider plan Example POS system costs for a large businessYou run multiple stores or business locations, selling across multiple channels. This means you need a retail POS system to help you stay on top of your sales figures, your inventory levels, and your employees’ performance. You need more advanced features, such as gift cards, advanced reporting, customer relationship management (CRM) to help retain customers, and much more.Your POS system costs are likely to be around:POS software cost: $300+ per monthPOS hardware cost: $6,500+ upfrontPlus transaction fees of your selected provider plan Expert Verdict Using our years of experience in the POS field, we’ve shown you exactly how much a POS system costs in Australia. The overall cost will depend on the size of your business and the features you need, but you’ll likely end up paying around $1,500 upfront, and then $1,800 or so per year to use your POS system. And don’t forget costs of between approximately 1.5% and 3.5% for processing each business transaction via your chosen POS system.What’s the best way to find the exact price of a POS system tailored to your business needs? We recommend using our free comparison tool featuring all the top providers on the market for an easy solution based on the information you input about your business, including the industry you operate in, the number of stores you have and what features you require.We’ll then match your business with POS companies that best cater to your needs, who’ll then contact you with more information and non-obligation quotes. It’s quick, easy, and free to get started. Though, do also check out our roundup of the best POS systems around if you want to get the low-down on our favourite providers for yourself. POS Cost FAQs Which POS system is the cheapest? With many providers including Square, Toast, Zettle and SpotOn all offering free software plans, there are certainly cheap POS systems to get started on.When balancing software subscription prices with various arrangements of hardware costs and processing fees, we found Talech to offer some of the best value around. It has options to avoid any upfront costs, relatively low-cost subscription prices including its Mobile ($0/month) and Starter ($29/month) plans, plus small fees of between 0.99% and 1.75%. Written by: Matt Reed Senior Writer Matt Reed is a Senior Writer at Expert Market. Adept at evaluating products, he focuses mainly on assessing fleet management and business communication software. Matt began his career in technology publishing with Expert Reviews, where he spent several years putting the latest audio-related products and releases through their paces, revealing his findings in transparent, in-depth articles and guides. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism from City, University of London, Matt is no stranger to diving into challenging topics and summarising them into practical, helpful information. Reviewed by: Ruairi Shirlow Business Services Researcher Ruairi uses his 3+ years of research experience to uncover insights which can help Expert Market provide the best business solutions for their users. He has done this by meeting with business owners to find out what is important to them and what challenges they face on a daily basis. Ruairi specialises in tools that can be used to grow your business and has done research for a wide range of categories on Expert Market, such as EPOS, Website Builders, and Merchant Accounts.