The 5 Best POS Systems for Small Businesses in Canada

Square scores a 4.8/5 overall in our research, taking the number one spot. Square scores a 5/5 for pricing because of its free POS app. The free software is especially suitable for startups or small businesses that have a limited budget. Square does have a paid version for retail ($79 per month) that features more advanced features such as the ability to accept cross-location returns. It also offers a paid version for the hospitality industry, priced a little lower at $60 per month.

Square scores well in the business and stock management areas with a solid 5/5. This is thanks to its high number of features such as online ordering, an ecommerce platform, and third party integrations. You will, however, need to pay an additional monthly cost starting from $45 for a loyalty program. If this is important to you then you might prefer a system with a built-in program such as Lightspeed. Although, Lightspeed is much pricier than Square, these comprehensive features are suitable for larger or multi-location restaurants. Square also scores a 5/5 for its customer service as it offers email, live chat, and phone support.

Lightspeed score a 4.3/5 overall and offer two different POS systems: restaurant and retail. The split means you can choose the system that's right for your business' needs. Lightspeed doesn't do very well in the pricing area scoring a 3.2/5. Starting from 89 CAD per month, the 'Lean' package is a stripped down plan and doesn't include features such as advanced reporting or omnichannel reporting. For this you'll need to opt for the 'Standard' package, priced at 159 CAD per month. If this isn't within your budget, you might be better suited to Square or Zettle which offer free POS software.

While Lightspeed are pricey, it offers features such as the most comprehensive inventory tools out of all the providers in our research. It also offers an integrated loyalty program whereas most other providers in our research only provide this via third party integration or as paid add-on. For small retailers, Lightspeed is a great way to scale quickly as it comes equipped with retail (or restaurant) focused tools and features.

The loyalty program is fairly extensive with customer insights, omnichannel loyalty tools, and custom one-time deals. Lightspeed scores a 4/5 for its customer score, offering live chat, email, and phone support.

Shopify scores a 4.1/5 overall in our research and is best for businesses looking for ecommerce integration. This is because Shopify's ecommerce platform is popular and widely used but you also cannot use Shopify's POS system without signing up to an ecommerce plan. If you're looking solely for a POS system for now something like Lightspeed for higher budgets or Zettle for a tighter budget would work well. If you're not quite sure if you want a an ecommerce platform yet but you may want one in the future, Square could be a better fit as you can then integrate Square's ecommerce platform, which is free.

Shopify scores a 4.3/5 for business management, missing out on a perfect score as it lacks an offline mode. This can be problematic if you have spotty reception or you're out on the road. A better option might be Square if this is the case. Shopify scores a 4/5 for business development, as it includes a CRM and a loyalty program which comes with an additional charge. For an integrated loyalty program, Lightspeed is a better option, however, you'll need third-party integration to access an ecommerce platform.

Scoring a 4/5 overall in our research, TouchBistro is best for restaurants as it has been designed by industry experts. Some of these restaurant-specific features include tableside ordering, floor plan and table management, and menu management. TouchBistro has unlimited payment partners so it's great for businesses that want to be able to offer customers an array of ways to pay.

Its inventory capabilities are fairly extensive with the ability to log recipes, access reports on real-time stock level, and set up customizable pop-up alerts to inform to let servers know when an item is running low. Despite having comprehensive features it scores a 3/5 for business development as it lacks inter-store transactions. If this is important to you an alternative provider is Square which doesn't have as many restaurant-focused features but still has tools to manage and run a restaurant including menu management and floor plans.

TouchBistro does well in the customer service department scoring a 5/5 as it offers live chat, email, and phone support.

Toast scores a 4.2/5 overall in our research for small business POS systems. Toast runs on Android, making it a great fit for current or wannabe Android users. Its free plan makes it suitable for small businesses, which can be found in other providers such as Square but, in comparison, Toast's system offers restaurant-specific features. If your business isn't in the restaurant industry, then Square could be a better option.

Toasts specialized features include menu engineering, tableside service, and detailed reports. One of its unique features not found in the other providers in this list is that Toast's hardware has been made built to withstand heat, grease, and spills. Making it suitable for a busy hospitality environment. Other restaurant-hardware options include Toast Go, a handheld POS system, self-ordering kiosks, and a kitchen display.

Toast scores a 5/5 for stock management as it offers several tools, in the form of xtraCHEF by Toast, an integrated solution for automating accounting and inventory management. Its customer support is lacking, however, scoring a 1/5 in our research. While it offers phone, email, and live chat support, many users have reported that the customer support is slow and unreliable.