Best Retail POS System for Small Businesses

You need one system that handles payments, tracks inventory, and provides sales data, without requiring a tech team to run it. That's the core job of a retail POS, and most micro businesses (1–5 employees) overpay for features they'll never touch.

Which Retail POS Should You Choose?

• Square POS- Free to start. No contracts. You can take your first payment today with just your phone. Best for solo operators, pop-ups, and stores with fewer than 300 SKUs. Processing: 2.6% + $0.15 per tap/chip transaction.
• Shopify POS- Syncs your online store and physical store inventory automatically. If you already sell on Shopify or plan to sell online, this is the one. Starts at $39/month (Basic) with POS Lite included. POS Pro is $89/month per location.
• Clover POS- The best-looking, most professional hardware lineup of any POS. You pick the exact device setup your store needs. Great app marketplace to add features as you grow. Plans from ~$14.95/month.
• GoDaddy POS- The lowest in-person processing fees in this group (2.5%, or 2.3% on the Plus plan). Simple, plug-and-play hardware. Ideal if you already have a GoDaddy website or online store. Plus plan is $28.99/month.
• EPOS Now- Over 100 third-party integrations (QuickBooks, Xero, Mailchimp, Shopify, and more). Works on iPads, Android tablets, and Windows PCs. Built for businesses that need flexibility across retail and hospitality. Hardware bundles start around $349.

How Do We Test POS Systems for Small Teams?

We don't review POS systems from a spec sheet. We set up each platform the way a real 2–3 person retail store would - from scratch.

That means we import a product catalog of 150–300 SKUs, configure taxes, run test sales, process refunds and exchanges, and check how fast inventory updates across devices. We time the full setup. We train a second person and see how long it takes them to run a transaction on their own. We pull weekly reports and check whether the data is actually useful or just numbers on a screen.

We also calculate the real monthly cost - not just the subscription price you see on the website, but the total after processing fees, hardware, and the add-ons a micro retail store realistically needs.

If a 2-person team can't set up and start using the POS within one business day, that's a red flag for micro businesses. Every platform in this guide passed that test.

What is Retail Point of Sale?

Think of a Retail Point of Sale (POS) as the brain of your shop. If a traditional cash register is like an old-fashioned landline phone that only makes calls, a modern POS is like a smartphone: it’s one device that handles your mail, photos, maps, and conversations all at once.

In the simplest terms, it is the place where your customer hands over their money in exchange for your products. But instead of just popping open a drawer and storing cash, it’s a smart system (usually a tablet or a small screen) that records exactly what happened during that sale and organizes your business for you.

What Can It Actually Do For You?

Imagine you have a tiny assistant sitting on your counter who never sleeps and has a perfect memory. That is what a POS does:

• Remembers Your Stock: Every time you sell a candle or a t-shirt, the POS automatically subtracts 1 from your total count. You’ll never have to guess how many are left in the back room.
• Calculates the Math: It adds up the prices, calculates the tax, and gives the exact change or processes a credit card tap instantly. No more manual calculators or mental math errors.
• Prints or Emails Receipts: It gives your customer a professional record of their purchase, which makes your small business look established and trustworthy.
• Shows You Your Progress: At the end of the day, you don't have to count paper slips. You just press a button, and it tells you, You made $500 today, and your best-selling item was the Blue Mug.

Do You Really Need It?

You might be thinking, "I only sell a few things a day, can't I just use a notebook?" You can, but a POS becomes necessary when you want to stop working for your business and start growing it.

You need a POS if:

• You’re tired of guessing: If you don't know exactly how much money you made last month without spending hours on paperwork.
• You want to accept more than just cash: Most customers today expect to tap their phone or card. A POS makes this safe and easy.
• You want to go home earlier: If you spend your evenings counting inventory or balancing your books, a POS does that work for you in seconds.
• The Bottom Line: A POS takes the messy parts of running a shop—the math, the counting, and the record-keeping - and consolidates them into a single, easy-to-use screen. It turns your shop from a hobby into a professional operation.

Is Square POS Good for a Small Retail Store?

Best for: Solo operators, pop-ups, stores under 300 SKUs

Square

4.4

Visit Site

Starting from$0 /mo

Free plan / Free trialAvailable

Overall score

4.4

Ease of use4.5

Performance4.5

Help & Support4.0

Features4.0

Price4.5

User reviews4.5

Square is one of the most complete free business platforms for small businesses, covering POS, merchant services, accounting, online invoicing, payroll, bookkeeping, and ecommerce from a single… Read more

Square is one of the most complete free business platforms for small businesses, covering POS, merchant services, accounting, online invoicing, payroll, bookkeeping, and ecommerce from a single dashboard. It works especially well for micro businesses and SMBs that want to replace multiple subscriptions with one connected system — where sales, finances, inventory, and payroll all update automatically in the same place. For most small businesses, Square is worth it.

Learn more in our full Square review.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• No monthly payment
• Next-business-day transfers
• Inexpensive long-term option
• Comprehensive inventory management

Cons

• Not great for all industries
• Some performance issues

Features

• Inventory Management
• Loyalty Program
• Mobile Compatibility
• Online Ordering
• Reporting
• Split Checks
• Manage Tips
• Staff Scheduling
• Offline Payments
• Customer Profiles
• Multidevice Payments
• Gift Card Support
• Accounting Integration
• Tableside Ordering
• Floor Plan Management
• Customer-Facing Display
• Self-Service Kiosk
• Retail Store
• Coffee Shop
• Nightclub
• Quick Service
• Bars
• Restaurants
• Food Truck
• iOS
• Android
• Cloud-Based
• Free Trial
• Freemium
• Monthly subscription
• One-Time License

Pricing

Free

$0

mo/

month

Plus

$29

mo/

month

Square is the POS that makes the most sense for the widest range of small retail businesses. If you're a solo operator or running a store with 1–3 employees, a boutique, a gift shop, a pop-up, or a market stall - Square should be your default starting point.

Here's why: you can start with $0 in monthly software fees. Download the app, connect a card reader (the basic one is free for new sign-ups), and you're ready to accept payments. No contract. No annual commitment. If it's not the right fit, you walk away without losing anything.

That zero-risk entry point is a massive deal for micro businesses. You're not gambling $500 on hardware and a 12-month contract before you know if the system works for your workflow.

What's included free

• Payment processing (tap, chip, swipe)
• Basic inventory with barcode scanning and categories
• Digital receipts
• Refunds and exchanges
• Sales dashboard with an AI assistant (ask plain-language questions like, "What sold best last week?")

Where it falls short

• No vendor management, purchase orders, or COGS reporting on the free plan — need Plus ($49/month)
• Can't use a third-party processor — locked into Square's rates
• Processing fees add up at higher volumes: ~$405/month on $15,000 in card sales

Case study: 3-person gift shop

A downtown gift shop (owner + 2 part-time staff) switched from a cash register. Setup took one afternoon — 250 products imported via CSV, and both employees were trained the same day.

Result: Owner discovered 30% of revenue came from just 12 products. Reorganized the store display accordingly.

Monthly cost:$0 software + ~$350 processing fees on $13,000 card volume + $299 one-time Terminal purchase.

How much does Square POS actually cost?

Is Shopify POS Worth It for a Small Retail Store?

Best for: Stores selling online + in-person

Shopify

4.6

Visit Site

Starting from$39 /mo

Free plan / Free trialNot Available

Overall score

4.6

Ease of use4.5

Performance5.0

Help & Support5.0

Features4.0

Price5.0

User reviews4.5

Shopify Inc., a Canadian multinational e-commerce company, delivers a powerful Point of Sale system with best-in-class POS software. Shopify POS combines marketing, inventory tracking, integrated… Read more

Shopify Inc., a Canadian multinational e-commerce company, delivers a powerful Point of Sale system with best-in-class POS software. Shopify POS combines marketing, inventory tracking, integrated payment solutions, and deep e-commerce integration, offering a unified platform for selling online and in-store. Its cloud-based POS systems cater to businesses of all sizes, from startups to enterprises with millions in annual revenue. With tools for retail management, sales analytics, and multi-location management, Shopify POS empowers businesses to streamline operations and improve customer engagement. Whether you’re just starting or scaling globally, the Shopify POS tool adapts seamlessly to your needs. In this Shopify POS review, I'll explore the features, performance, Shopify POS pricing, and more.

Learn more in our full Shopify review.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Seamlessly integrate your online and in-person store. Keep inventory, payments, and customers in sync.
• Rich customer profiles & integrated loyalty programs
• Very cost-effective service fee
• Integrated payments: Accept payments in store with low rates, quick payouts, and fully integrated Shopify hardware.

Cons

• Shopify plan (for ecommerce) is required for POS i.e. not suited for retail only merchants
• POS Lite is included with Shopify plan but additional upgrade to POS Pro plan is required for more advanced features
• Not suitable for certain industries such as restaurants or grocery stores/supermarkets

Features

• Retail Store
• Inventory Management
• Loyalty Program
• Mobile Compatibility
• Online Ordering
• Reporting
• Split Checks
• Offline Payments
• Customer Profiles
• Multidevice Payments
• Gift Card Support
• Accounting Integration
• Tableside Ordering
• Customer-Facing Display
• Self-Service Kiosk
• iOS
• Android
• Cloud-Based
• Free Trial
• Monthly subscription
• Annual subscription

Pricing

Basic

$39

mo/

month

Grow

$105

mo/

month

Advanced

$399

mo/

month

Plus

$2300

mo/

month

Shopify POS is the right choice when you sell (or plan to sell) both online and in a physical store. It's not just a POS - it's the in-store extension of Shopify's e-commerce platform. That means your online store and your physical register share the same product catalog, the same inventory counts, and the same customer profiles.

For a small team that can't afford to reconcile two separate systems manually - or deal with the headache of overselling a product because your online store didn't know your in-store staff just sold the last one - this automatic sync is the core reason to choose Shopify POS.

If you only sell in person and have zero plans to go online, Shopify POS is probably not the best fit. You'd be paying for e-commerce infrastructure you don't use. Square or Clover would be a better starting point.

Why small omnichannel teams choose it

• Real-time inventory sync— sell one in-store, online count updates instantly
• Unified customer profiles— see every customer's full purchase history (online + offline)
• Buy online, pick up in-store— built in, no extra tools
• Unlimited staff accounts on POS Pro with roles and permissions

Where it falls short

• Minimum $128/month before processing fees or hardware — expensive for a micro store
• 2% surcharge if you use a third-party processor instead of Shopify Payments
• iPad and accessories purchased separately

Case study: 2-person clothing boutique

An owner and 1 employee had a Shopify online store for a year before opening a physical shop. They added POS Pro, and their entire catalog appeared on the register app instantly.

Result: Eliminated overselling (previously, last units would sell online and in-store simultaneously). The email list grew 40% from in-store capture within 3 months.

Monthly cost:$128 (Basic + POS Pro) + ~$280 processing on $10,000 card volume = ~$408/month.

How much does Shopify POS cost per month?

Is Clover POS Good for Small Businesses?

Best for: Boutiques, specialty shops, stores where checkout experience matters

Clover

4.2

Visit Site

Starting from$13 /mo

Free plan / Free trialAvailable 30-Days

Overall score

4.2

Ease of use4.5

Performance5.0

Help & Support5.0

Features4.5

Price4.0

User reviews3.7

Clover is a user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) system designed for small to medium businesses, offering a range of software and hardware tailored to different industries, from retail to restaurants.… Read more

Clover is a user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) system designed for small to medium businesses, offering a range of software and hardware tailored to different industries, from retail to restaurants. While not the most affordable, its diverse payment partners make it a reliable choice. Developed by Clover Network Inc., a First Data Corporation subsidiary, Clover POS delivers a comprehensive solution for payment processing, inventory management, and sales tracking.

Learn more in our full Clover review.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Attractive pricing 30-day trial at no cost
• Affordable hardware beginning at $49
• Feature-packed Ideal for businesses with an online presence
• Round-the-clock phone and email assistance.

Cons

• You can't apply for the POS online; it requires interaction with a sales representative
• Pricing information isn't clear-cut
• No complimentary plan available

Features

• Inventory Management
• Loyalty Program
• Mobile Compatibility
• Online Ordering
• Reporting
• Split Checks
• Manage Tips
• Staff Scheduling
• Offline Payments
• Customer Profiles
• Multidevice Payments
• Gift Card Support
• Accounting Integration
• Tableside Ordering
• Floor Plan Management
• Customer-Facing Display
• Self-Service Kiosk
• Retail Store
• Coffee Shop
• Nightclub
• Quick Service
• Bars
• Restaurants
• Food Truck
• Android
• Cloud-Based
• Free Trial
• Monthly subscription

Pricing

Starter Retail

$13

mo/

month

Starter Restaurant

$105

mo/

month

Standard Retail

$170

mo/

month

Standard Restaurant

$145

mo/

month

Advanced Retail

$230

mo/

month

Advanced Restaurant

$205

mo/

month

Clover is the POS system that looks and feels the most like a professional retail register right out of the box. If the checkout experience matters to your brand - and for boutiques, specialty shops, and gift stores, it absolutely does - Clover gives you hardware options that no other provider in this guide can match.

You can start small with the Clover Go ($49, a mobile card reader) and scale up to a Clover Mini ($799, a compact countertop terminal) or a full Clover Station Duo ($1,799, a dual-screen register with a cash drawer and receipt printer). Each device is purpose-built, polished, and customer-facing. This isn't an iPad propped up on a stand - it's dedicated retail hardware.

App marketplace advantage

Start with basic POS. Add features only when you need them:

• Loyalty programs
• Gift card management
• Age verification
• Advanced analytics

You only pay for what you use — no bloated software bundles.

The warning about Clover POS

Clover devices are sold through third-party resellers. Some bundle hardware with 3–4 year processing contracts and early termination fees. Multiple users report difficulty canceling.

Safe route: Buy from Clover.com directly. Read every line of the contract. Never sign a multi-year processing commitment.

Case study: 4-person home décor store

The owner purchased a Station Duo (main register) and a Flex (floor sales). The Flex was the surprise win — the store manager carries it to check stock and ring up customers on the spot, cutting register lines.

Monthly cost:$69.95 (Advanced) + $20 (analytics app) + ~$460 processing on $20,000 volume = ~$550/month.

How much does Clover POS cost?

Is GoDaddy POS Any Good for Retail?

Best for: GoDaddy website users, budget-conscious stores, market sellers

Godaddy

4.9

Learn More

Starting from$6.99 /mo

Free plan / Free trialAvailable 30-Days

Overall score

4.9

Ease of use5.0

Performance5.0

Help & Support5.0

Features4.5

Price4.0

User reviews5.0

GoDaddy provides a wide range of internet services including hosting. With industry-leading load times, guaranteed 99.9% uptime and expert, 24/7 support, your site couldn’t ask for more.

Learn more in our full Godaddy review.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free SSL certificate when purchasing a hosting plan
• Free domain is also included with hosting plans
• Unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth on most plans
• 1-click installation for 100+ applications

Cons

• More expensive than comparable web hosting services
• Many instances of the hosting service being slow

Features

• Website Builder
• Shared Hosting
• Reseller Hosting
• Dedicated Hosting
• VPS Hosting
• WordPress Hosting
• Linux Servers
• Windows servers
• Unmetered SSD storage
• Unlimited Transfers
• Email Access
• Control Panel
• Free SSL Certificate
• 1-Click App Installs
• Free Domain Registration
• PCI Compliance
• GIT
• SSH Access
• Site Statistics
• Log Files
• File Manager
• Custom Cron Jobs
• Raw Access Logs
• Script Library
• Customizable Error Pages
• Autoresponder
• Cron Jobs
• Spam Filters
• Hypertext Access
• Unlimited FTP Accounts
• Anonymous FTP
• Mailing lists

Pricing

Economy

$6.99

mo/

month

Deluxe

$9.99

mo/

month

Ultimate

$14.99

mo/

month

Plus Launch

$21.99

mo/

month

GoDaddy POS is the option most people don't think about - and for micro businesses already in the GoDaddy ecosystem, that's a missed opportunity. If you registered your domain through GoDaddy, built your website there, or run a GoDaddy online store, their POS plugs into everything you already have. No new accounts, no new dashboards, no learning a whole new system.

The other reason to look at GoDaddy: processing fees. GoDaddy charges 2.5% per in-person transaction on the standard plan - one of the lowest flat rates in this group. And if you upgrade to the Plus plan ($28.99/month), that drops to 2.3% + $0.00 per transaction. That's notably cheaper than Square (2.6% + $0.15) and Shopify (2.6% + $0.10).

For a store doing $15,000/month in card sales, GoDaddy's Plus plan saves roughly $50–$70/month in processing fees compared to Square's free plan. Over a year, that adds up.

What GoDaddy does well

• Plug-and-play— unbox terminal, connect Wi-Fi, log in, sell
• Per-location pricing— add multiple terminals in one store with no extra software fee
• Online + in-store catalog sync if you have a GoDaddy online store
• AI assistant for sales data questions
• 1-on-1 onboarding included — a real person helps you set up

Where it falls short

• Limited third-party integrations compared to Clover or EPOS Now
• Limited customization for complex workflows
• Confusing pricing across different pages — confirm full cost before committing
• Requires the GoDaddy ecosystem for the best value

Case study: 2-person candle shop (online store + market stall)

The owner had a GoDaddy online store for 2 years, then opened a permanent market stall. Bought a Smart Terminal Flex ($275), logged in — 80 products synced automatically in under 30 minutes.

Monthly cost:$28.99 (Plus) + ~$184 processing at 2.3% on $8,000 volume = ~$213/month.

Why the processing fees matter

On $15,000/month in card sales:

GoDaddy saves ~$60/month vs. Square at this volume. That's over $700/year.

How much does GoDaddy POS cost?

Should I Use EPOS Now for My Retail Store?

Best for: Hybrid retail/food, integration-heavy businesses

Epos Now

4.6

Visit Site

Starting from$39 /mo

Free plan / Free trialNot Available

Overall score

4.6

Ease of use4.5

Performance5.0

Help & Support4.0

Features5.0

Price4.5

Epos Now is a young and innovative point of sale system. Unlike its alternatives, it offers features and a level of usability appropriate for several niche businesses. The company has been focusing… Read more

Epos Now is a young and innovative point of sale system. Unlike its alternatives, it offers features and a level of usability appropriate for several niche businesses. The company has been focusing on its usability, and the result is a versatile system.

Learn more in our full Epos Now review.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• A diverse range of useful features
• Great and inexpensive hardware selection
• Good fit for all sizes of businesses
• Strong selection of integrations

Cons

• You must pay if you want personal support
• Not especially tailored to any industry
• Slow customer support

Features

• Inventory Management
• Loyalty Program
• Mobile Compatibility
• Online Ordering
• Reporting
• Split Checks
• Manage Tips
• Staff Scheduling
• Offline Payments
• Customer Profiles
• Multidevice Payments
• Gift Card Support
• Accounting Integration
• Tableside Ordering
• Floor Plan Management
• Customer-Facing Display
• Retail Store
• Coffee Shop
• Nightclub
• Quick Service
• Bars
• Restaurants
• Food Truck
• iOS
• Android
• Cloud-Based
• On-place Installation
• Windows
• Mac
• Monthly subscription
• Annual subscription

Pricing

POS software

$39

mo/

month

Tablet stands

$99

mo/

month

Cash Registers

$100

/month/

/month

EPOS Now is worth a serious look if two things describe your business: you need lots of integrations with other tools you already use, or you run a hybrid business that blends retail with food or hospitality (a bakery with a retail counter, a gift shop inside a café, a farm store with a food truck).

EPOS Now connects with over 100 third-party apps - QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, Mailchimp, Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Loyalzoo, and many more. That's significantly more native integrations than Square, GoDaddy, or Clover offer. If your business depends on a specific accounting or marketing tool, EPOS Now probably connects to it.

The other major advantage is hardware flexibility. Unlike most POS providers that lock you into their own devices, EPOS Now works on iPads, Android tablets, Windows PCs, and their own proprietary terminals. If you already own compatible hardware, you may not need to buy anything new.

What EPOS Now does that others don't

• 100+ native integrations— QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, Mailchimp, Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Uber Eats, DoorDash
• Any hardware— runs on iPad, Android tablet, Windows PC, or proprietary terminals
• Retail + food in one system— barcode inventory AND kitchen display, table management, online ordering
• Training mode— employees practice without processing real transactions
• AI pricing tool— suggests competitive price points based on market data
• Bring your own processor— switch payment providers freely

Where it falls short

• Opaque pricing— no public pricing, must contact sales
• Contracts— typically 1–5 years, hard to cancel early
• Steeper learning curve— interface is feature-rich but cluttered vs. Square
• No manual card entry— can't type in card numbers if customer doesn't have their card
• Some users report unexpected fees for add-ons and support

Case study: 3-person bakery with a retail shelf

A bakery (owner + baker + 1 front-of-house) sells pastries over the counter and packaged products (jams, honey, merchandise) from a retail shelf. EPOS Now handles both: pastry menu with modifiers + barcode-scanned retail products, one register.

QuickBooks integration saves ~2 hours/week on bookkeeping. Training mode got the new hire comfortable before their first shift.

Downside: Owner signed a 2-year contract and wished they'd negotiated shorter terms.

Monthly cost:~$50 software + ~$390 processing on $15,000 volume = ~$440/month.

How much does EPOS Now cost?

How Do These POS Systems Compare Side by Side?

Which POS System Should I Pick for My Small Business?

• Zero budget, zero risk →Square
• Online + in-store →Shopify POS (or GoDaddy POS if you're already on GoDaddy)
• Professional checkout experience →Clover
• Lowest processing fees →GoDaddy POS Plus (2.3%)
• Most integrations or hybrid retail/food →EPOS Now

Start with what your business needs today. Every platform here scales as you grow.

POS Systems We Tested But Don't Recommend for Micro Businesses

• Lightspeed Retail- Strong inventory tools, but plans start at $89/month before processing fees. That pricing makes sense when you're managing 1,000+ SKUs across multiple suppliers. For a 2-person shop with 200 products, you're paying for complexity you don't need. Square Plus at $49/month covers enough inventory management for most micro stores.
• Toast- Built for restaurants. Toast is testing retail features in beta, but it's not designed for a gift shop, boutique, or market stall. If you run a bakery with a retail counter, EPOS Now handles that hybrid better today.
• Helcim/ Zettle / SumUp- These are payment processors with basic POS features, not full retail POS systems. They work for accepting payments at a farmers market, but they lack the inventory tracking, reporting, and multi-device support that even a small permanent store needs.

See also

• Retail is one branch of a wider category, and the best POS for small businesses hub shows where service and hospitality tills part ways.
• Deep SKU counts, variants and reorder points push you past a basic till, which is why we keep best POS with inventory management separate.
• Bottle shops carry ID prompts and case pricing that general retail tills skip, so best POS for liquor stores goes further than this page.
• Repeat purchase history and loyalty usually live outside the till, which is what CRM for retail covers.

Bottom Line

There's no single best retail POS for every small business. The right choice depends on where you are right now.

Start with what fits your business today. Every platform in this guide scales as you grow. The worst decision is paying for enterprise features when you're a 2-person team doing 30 transactions a day.