Best Retail POS Systems

Square is our front runner in the retail POS race, with an overall rating of 4.7. Square has a free POS app, specialized retail features, and an easy to use interface.

You'll need to pay $60 per month for more comprehensive retail features, such as advanced inventory tools,  however this is still fairly affordable compared to other POS systems. If this isn't within your budget, Square's free app is still worthwhile as it comes with retail features such as sales reports, integrated payments, and in-store collection or delivery.

For start-ups or small businesses, this free POS app is a great place to start, especially if you're reluctant to invest in an expensive POS system. As your business grows, you can then switch to the paid plan. This POS system includes everything in the free system, plus cross-location exchanges, advanced retail reports, and unlimited team management.

In our research, Square scores high in the retail features department, with a solid 4 out of 5, which is on par with other POS systems such as SpotOn. But Square's high scoring in all our research areas gives it the number one spot.

That said, the free app's inventory tools are rather basic, so if your business needs more in-depth inventory tools, it may be best to opt for the paid version. Square Plus offers a free trial, so you can test out whether this is the right POS system for your business before making a monetary investment.

Whilst Square has options to take your retail business online, you may choose another platform such as Shopify to do this. Unfortunately, Square can struggle to manage inventory levels for online and in-person sales when you combine it with a third-party ecommerce platform. If you're keen on using a third-party platform, Square may not be the best fit for you. But if you're happy to use Square's ecommerce solutions, then you should be able to run the whole system fairly smoothly.

Users have commented on how easy the app is to use – there's no steep learning curve, and even those who might struggle with technology can pick it up fairly easily. An easy to use interface also means users are less likely to make mistakes. Whilst Square is simple, it's essentially a software POS app with a payment processor. If you want a POS system that includes hardware, Clover might be a better fit.

Square is best suited to start ups or small businesses. Medium-sized businesses are also suited to Square – especially Square Plus, as it includes more advanced features. But if you're looking for more employee management features and seamless third-party integration, a better POS system might be Vend.

With a solid 4.5 star rating, Clover takes second place. Clover's inventory tools, such as low stock notifications and the ability to instantly add to or update inventory, make it a great option for retail businesses. Instant updates to your inventory are made possible with a barcode scanner on the Clover Flex, a handheld POS system. This handy device allows you to take payments on the go, and is a good fit if you want the ability to take payments on the shop floor – or you can simply use it for inventory purposes.

Many users have noted that the interface is easy to use, so your staff don't have to deal with a difficult and clunky system. If you want to take your business online, a pre-built integration gives you the ability to launch an online store, and manage your online and in-store inventory from one dashboard.

Whilst Clover's hardware is well-suited to its purpose, the software leaves a lot be desired for many users. The software is missing many functions and features that need to be added to the system via a third party app. The issue with this is that these third-party apps don't integrate with each other. For example, if you download an invoicing app and a rewards app, the system cannot accurately track this and give the customer their rewards.

Another issue is that, if you run into problems with a third party app, you'll need to deal with it with the app provider and not Clover, which can increase the amount of time it takes to resolve the issue.

If you want sturdy POS hardware and a payment processor, Clover is a good fit for your business. If you're in need of a more feature-rich POS software, you might be more suited to Square or Vend. Clover's payment processing rates are lower than Square's, however, although you'll still need to fork out a monthly fee.

Clover's help and support scores a 4 out of 5 in our research, thanks to its online assistance and dedicated Clover support number. This number is displayed on the Clover hardware, for easy access. But be aware that the software does only run on android, which can be limiting if you currently use or want to use iOS devices.

Vend scores a 4.4 out of 5 star rating in our research, thanks to its high scores in the pricing area and help and support. It also offers some great retail-specific features such as store credit, so you can give your customers the opportunity to come back by giving them store credit instead of issuing a refund.

Vend works on iPads, Macs, and your desktop computer, so if you're already using a POS system but want to switch to Vend, the software will most likely be compatible. You can create a customer facing display by pairing Vend Display with the Vend Register iPad app so customers can see their order being processed, plus you can easily record customer details.

You can make checkouts faster and smoother by creating custom buttons for your most popular products, and as the system is cloud-based, this template can then be used across multiple stores. Users have reported that the system is easy to use, and if you do run into any issues, Vend offer online tutorials. Our researchers score its help and support a solid 5 out of 5.

As a retail business, adding discounts correctly is important. Vend allows you to add discounts to all the items in a customer's basket or only to specific items, making it easier to carry out promotions. You can also customize receipts with your business's logo and website, as well as create receipts for a specific purpose or in a different language.

Despite having many retail-focused features, Vend lacks some key features, such as in-depth reporting. Sales reports are also not accessible unless you're paying for a higher pricing tier, which is limiting and expensive. If you're not too fussed about reporting features, this may not be an issue for you, but if you are, you might be more suited to a POS system such as Square or Clover.

Vend integrates with ecommerce platforms such as Shopify, so you can take your retail store online, and deal with both from one system. Some users have found the integration between Vend and Shopify does not work very well, which can be a huge problem when it comes to inventory levels and orders.

We recommend Vend for businesses to scale and expand, as it offers core retail features, and the higher tiers contain more in-depth features that are more affordable as your business grows.

Zettle by PayPal offers retail-specific features, though it only scores a 3.5 out of 5 in this area in our research. This is because, despite having retail features, Zettle is a card reader at heart with a POS app to go with it. One of Zettle's biggest selling points is that it's a low cost card reader. And we really do mean low cost, with no monthly fees or contract, just a 1.75% transaction fee, and a one-off fee of $79 per card reader.

Zettle's POS system, the Zettle Go app, is completely free. This POS app offers your basic features, such as the ability to built a product library, edit stock levels, and easily add items to your inventory from the app. The app also provides sales and employee reports.

You can also integrate the system with your online store and social media, seamlessly dealing with all these different elements from the app.

Whilst Zettle offers retail-specific features around inventory, reporting, and online integrations, this is the bulk of its POS system. The real deal lies in its card reader, which accepts all major debit and credit cards as well as Apple, Android, and Google Play. Contactless payments can be taken in less than five seconds, and cash payments can be taken with no daily limit.

You can also provide full or partial refunds, send payment links to get paid remotely, and sell and accept gift cards. All of your earnings are deposited from the app into your bank account within two working days.

Zettle is best suited to startups or small businesses who don't need complex or comprehensive inventory solutions. If you have a fairly straightforward inventory and mainly want to ensure you can process payments quickly and accurately, Zettle is a good fit for your business. If you need an affordable but more comprehensive POS system, Square could be a better choice.

You should also note that Zettle only offers phone support during weekdays, which can be limiting especially if weekends are a busier time for your business.

SpotOn offers retail-specific features, so it's no surprise that our researchers scored its retail features a 4 out of 5. These features include a cloud-based catalog, a handheld POS system, and an ecommerce store with in-built tools for shipping and local delivery.

The provider claims to specialize in specific retail industries, such as clothing and apparel, sporting goods, and home decor. SpotOn offers a seamless system to deal with both ecommerce and your physical store, including an omnichannel catalog, so you can make necessary adjustments that will easily inform both your ecommerce and POS.

You can opt for a handheld device or a countertop device – both are great options for small businesses, as you don't need space for either. If you're a larger business, you might want to opt for the countertop device so you can easily access all the different features on the system. Both devices can be used to capture customer data, so you can continue to develop a relationship and keep them coming back.

Add-on features such as loyalty programs and ecommerce come at an additional cost, but you'll need to contact the support team for an exact price. This can be frustrating, as it's difficult to make decisions about your business without transparent pricing. Once you become a customer of SpotOn, its customer support is great, with 24/7 support via email, phone or live chat, which evidences why we've rated them a 4 out of 5 in this area.

You can run your business's marketing from the system, from sending emails to running Facebook campaigns. You can also monitor your online reputation on sites such as Google and Yelp, with notifications every time you receive a new review. You can then easily respond to each review.

Lightspeed Retail offers comprehensive inventory management tools, which are suited to larger businesses that want to ensure their stock is handled efficiently. Inventory management solutions include being able track items across multiple locations, and get notifications when an item needs to be reordered.

The POS system comes with an in-built CRM (customer relationship management) system, so you can store customer data and tailor marketing. The CRM system also comes with a loyalty program, although this can also be found on other POS systems such as Vend. Lightspeed's CRM system does give your business the ability to offer customer loyalty programs as well as marketing emails and promotions, developing a more customer-focused approach.

You can access over 40 report templates and analyze data on various aspects of your business, including sales, employee performance, inventory, and marketing. Detailed reporting helps you to make more informed decisions and be able to see what may or may not be working.

Accounting platforms such as Xero and Sage can be integrated so you can also run your accounting from your POS system. Integrating your accounting software means your figures can easily be shared, reducing the chances of an error being made.