The Best POS Systems 2022

In 2020, there were over 340 million customers’ cards that had been used to make purchases through Square. That tells you all you need to know about this robust POS supplier.

Suitable for both restaurant and retail businesses, it offers comprehensive inventory management, customer loyalty, payment protection, and tableside ordering features.

With software pricing starting from $0, hardware costs ranging from $169 to $799, and a 30-day free trial, Square is powerful and affordable – which is why we rated it the best POS system available today.

Voted the #1 most innovative retail company in 2020 by Fast Company, Shopify needs little introduction when it comes to discussing ecommerce.

If you already run a Shopify online store, then Shopify POS will work like a dream. If you’re using another platform, you won’t find the integration as seamless.

That said, it does offer generous in-person credit card rates of just 1.5% + 0 cents. Plus, its software starts at $29.99 per month, which is more expensive than Square. However, it does offer cheaper hardware options, with pricing starting from just $49 as a one-off fee.

The best POS system for restaurants, TouchBistro was designed by actual restaurateurs, and won the ‘Best Restaurant ICX’ (Integrated Customer Experience) award at the 2020 Elevate Awards.

We love the fact that you can integrate your TouchBistro POS with an unlimited number of payment processors, so you can take even more payments than your competitors. It also offers superb restaurant-specific features, including ingredient-level stock and floor plan management.

However, TouchBistro lost points in our value for money research. Unlike most other suppliers, TouchBistro requires you to purchase your own hardware separately, and its software pricing ranges from $69 per month to $499 per month.

ShopKeep is easy to use and provides powerful inventory management reports, alongside an excellent iPad app to help you run your store on the go. In other words, it’s a keeper.

In terms of POS features, ShopKeep accepts all types of payments, including contactless and mobile payments. It also provides excellent inventory management features to help you keep track of your stock.

Its software pricing starts at $49 per month, so it’s not quite as cheap as Shopify POS’ starting price. However, its most expensive plan costs only $179 per month, compared to Shopify’s $299 per month.

Ever worked at a busy bar? Then you’ll understand the importance of a lightning quick POS system. Lightspeed is just that.

Lightspeed’s POS enables you to open tabs and create combos for your most popular items, to help speed up the queue at the bar. It also comes with a self-order menu option and tableside ordering features for your seated customers.

Its reporting features could be stronger – there's no previous year comparison on the dashboard, for example – but that’s about all we didn’t like about Lightspeed.

There is a 14-day free trial period, and the software pricing starts at $69 per month, which is about the average for the best POS systems.