How Much Does a Point Of Sale System Cost?

POS systems typically cost around $1,250 for an upfront investment and plans tend to range from $20 to $70 per month, but some providers make them available for free.

The cost of your POS system will depend on a few factors – namely how feature-rich you want your POS software to be, and how extensive a hardware setup you need. For a relatively cheap payment system, you can combine POS software with a tablet, card reader, and receipt printer. Such a setup will be good enough to meet the needs of most small retail and restaurant businesses.

How Much Do POS Systems Cost?

POS systems cost around $83 per month for software, and $1,250 for the hardware. The hardware cost is typically an upfront investment. Once purchased, you'll need to pay a monthly or annual fee for use of the software. Granted, POS software prices will vary, but can start from as low as $0 for a fairly straightforward system. Here's a snippet breakdown of the costs.

The cost of a POS system includes:

• POS software subscription
• POS hardware
• Credit card processing fees

POS Software Subscription Fees

POS software subscription plans are offered at monthly or annual rates. When you choose to pay annually, the monthly price is typically cheaper.

When it comes to POS software, providers offer different levels of sophistication, with the lowest-priced plans offering more basic features such as transaction processing, inventory management, and analytics – like those found on Square's free EPOS plan – whereas more advanced plans, like Lightspeed's, are more feature-rich and comprehensive, and include features like loyalty programs, customer insights, and online ordering, which are great for businesses with multiple locations.

Some providers do offer free plans – these won't include very advanced features, but are a good starting point for businesses who have straightforward needs.

The plan you choose comes down to your business's budget and the features you're after. It will also depend on the industry you're in, for example, a retail business will want a package with features that cater to retailers.

We know that finding a POS system for the right price can be a time consuming process, so let our free quote comparison service do the hard work for you. All you have to do is answer a few questions about your business, and we’ll match you with POS suppliers that suit your needs. They'll then be in touch directly to provide tailored, no-obligation quotes.

POS Hardware Costs

A step up from traditional cash registers, the great thing about a POS system is that you can make it as basic or as sophisticated as you want. However, to give you an idea of what you’ll need, we’ve created a rough guide on the average POS hardware costs based on the size of your business.

Prices correct as of September 2023

Credit Card Fees 

A merchant account processes the payments between your terminal and bank. They can either be provided by your bank, or by a POS supplier, and they will charge a fee to process each credit card transaction.

As a rough guide, the standard credit card processing fee in the US is usually between 2.3% and 2.5%. However, these are usually higher if customers purchase products through your website. There are other factors that can influence the percentage, but these are best discussed with an expert. 

Check out our credit card fee comparison table below for some of the most popular POS suppliers…

Prices correct as of September 2023

POS Costs by Industry

Here’s a breakdown of the costs of a POS system by industry. Bear in mind that the following costs are a rough guide and you should speak to a supplier for more accurate pricing.

In this section, we’ll compare some of each industry’s most popular POS system packages, comparing the low, mid, and high-price range packages available. The prices shown are either a monthly subscription, or a one-off fee.

Restaurant POS Systems Cost

As a restaurateur, customizing menus, running financial reports and managing ingredients are just a few of your regular assignments. Unspecialized POS systems just can’t handle the heat of the kitchen. Luckily, the best restaurant POS systems are designed with you in mind.

No two businesses are truly the same, and so some will require fewer features. For example, if you need a POS system for your food truck, you won’t need to spend as much on your hardware. Alternatively, if you're looking for the best hotel POS software, you'll need a hospitality-focused system with the capabilities to manage reservations, bookings, and payments. 

Prices correct as of September 2023

Grocery POS Systems Cost

Grocery POS systems are purpose-built to handle large numbers of customers. While you rack up sales, a great grocery POS lets you manage your inventory, set up automatic low stock alerts, and accept gift cards, all with the tap of a touchscreen. The best solutions even use advanced analytics and reporting to shed valuable insight into your best and worst selling products.

Prices correct as of September 2023

Salon POS Systems Cost

The more time you spend pampering your customers, the more money you’ll make from their repeat business. But it’s easier said than done when you’ve got lots of payments to process and appointments to manage, especially during peak hours.

That’s where salon POS software can help. Bespoke salon solutions help you manage bookings with ease, reschedule appointments, and take requests for new ones. Purchasing a salon POS is a surefire way to boost the efficiency and profitability of your business.

Prices correct as of September 2023

Bar POS Systems Cost

As a bar owner, you no doubt keep close tabs on hourly, daily and seasonal trends that affect drink prices. If you serve food, you probably also juggle ticket orders, food preparation and section seating. But what if your POS system could do all of that for you? The best bar point of sale systems can help with all of these tasks, and more.

Prices correct as of September 2023

How Much Do iPad POS Systems Cost?

As touched upon already, using iPad-based POS systems is the preferred option of many small businesses. Most suppliers offer some kind of tablet integration for their software.

Three big benefits of iPad POS systems are:

• Easy to set up and train staff to use
• Mobile, helping staff deliver consistent customer care across locations
• Lower repair and maintenance costs than most desktop-based systems

Prices correct as of September 2023

Expert Verdict

By now, you should have a better idea of the general POS costs. To summarize, POS system costs depend on three things:

1. Industry: From multi-location retail to independent eateries, different POS solutions target different niches
2. Hardware: The amount of hardware you need usually depends on the scale of your business
3. Software features: Software pricing usually depends on the number of features you need

Bear in mind that POS solutions are no longer one size fits all. It’s now possible to invest in a POS system that is completely tailored to the needs of your business. This means the cost of a POS system should be completely tailored, too.

We know that finding a POS for the right price can be a time consuming process, but our quick, easy, and free comparison service does all the hard work for you. To receive tailored quotes from trusted suppliers, simply tell us about your POS desires and they’ll be in touch.