The small business accounting and pos system is built for the harsh demands of a busy retail environment, giving you plenty of tools you can use to manage complex business finances and easily see where your profits are coming from. The pos system comes with free customer loyalty rewards and data reporting features that are sure to delight clients.
Small Business Accounting and Point of Sale System by Sage allows you to manage your business from anywhere within seconds. The software has POS features, such as gift card management, inventory tracking and control, point of sale purchasing functionalities, tax tracking and reporting. It includes billing capabilities for recurring credit card transactions for a wide range of industries such as Travel and Leisure, Quick Service Restaurants, Hair Salons etc.
Square Point of Sale: Best overall
- Starting monthly fee: $0.00
No starting fees
Free mobile reader
Our pick for the best POS system for small-business owners is Square. It’s free to start, easy to use, and chock-full of useful features. These benefits make Square a great choice for new business owners who need simple but powerful features from the get-go.
Square is a common favorite of mobile businesses like food trucks and boutique retail shops. In fact, we also picked Square as the best mobile POS system for small businesses. For an all-in-one system for taking payments wherever your customers are, pair the Square POS and mPOS systems together to give your business an extra boost.
Taking customer payments is easy with Square’s credit card readers and point-of-sale mobile app, which works with most Android and Apple devices; for example, many Square users run their businesses with iPads. You can create customized receipts to send via email or print from a receipt printer. Plus, you can keep open tabs, split checks, and manage your inventory in real time—all within Square’s point-of-sale software.ProsZero monthly cost for the basic plan
Software and hardware that’s easy to set up and use
Transparent transaction feesCons
Pricier transaction fees than some major processors
Higher fees for manual entry
Square provides detailed reporting and analytics and lets you send invoices, track employee shifts and timecards, and manage multiple locations. You can also run email marketing, customer loyalty plans, and gift card programs from Square’s point-of-sale software.
Now the downsides. Transaction fees with Square Point of Sale can be more expensive than what other POS providers are charging. The transaction costs can add up if you process loads of payments a day.
That said, Square POS doesn’t have a monthly fee, and the company keeps its transaction fees pretty simple (for the most part):
- Tapped, dipped, and swiped payments: 2.6% + $0.10
- Keyed-in and card-on-file payments: 3.5% + $0.15
- Square Register (purchased before 8/20/19) payments: 2.5% + $0.10
Square also offers other plans geared for certain types of businesses. With Square for Restaurants, for example, you get POS software that’s geared specifically for restaurant use. The plan costs $60 per month for each of your locations, plus an extra $40 per month for each additional POS system you use.
Square for Retail plans have the same monthly fees as the Square for Restaurants plan, but they come with discounted transaction fees (2.5% + $010 for in-person payments).
What’s nice about these additional plan types is that they are optional. So, if you want more functionality and features, it’s easy to add them to your POS at any time with Square.
Shopify POS: The best POS system for retail stores
Starting monthly fee: $9.00
No starting fees
Free mobile reader
Shopify gained a reputation in the retail space as a premier web-based POS platform. The company now over 1 million business customers worldwide using its ecommerce, Amazon marketplace, and point-of-sale services.1
The company’s powerful ecommerce integration translates into an impressive point-of-sale solution for retail brick-and-mortar stores too. Shopify POS is a service that’s easy to set up and highly customizable to fit small businesses and scale up as your business grows.ProsAffordable basic subscription and processing fees
Free 14-day trial
Robust ecommerce toolsCons
No subscription-free plan
Limited reporting on the basic plan
Extra fees for using third-party payment providers
Shopify offers three major plans plus one scaled-down “Lite” plan for doing retail business on Facebook only. Plans differ on their monthly price, fees for payment processing, and breadth of included services.
The $29 Basic Shopify plan is an affordable option for smaller retail businesses that are online, in a single retail location, or selling in-person at pop-up stores and local markets.
Shopify’s transaction fees are also a little complicated. Online or keyed transactions range from 2.4% + 30¢ to 2.9% + 30¢, depending on your plan. Meanwhile, in-person transaction fees fall between 2.4% to 2.7%—again, depending on your plan.
If you opt to use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, however, you’ll also be assessed a third-party payment provider fee, which can be anywhere from 0.5% to 2% per transaction. So if you want to use a Shopify system and Shopify software, you may want to steer clear of Square, PayPal, or other payment gateways.
Revel Systems: The best POS system for customer loyalty
Square Point of SaleRevel Systems
Starting monthly fee: $99.00
$674.00 starting fees
No free mobile reader
Customer relationship management (CRM) tools can help turn passive, infrequent buyers into loyal advocates for your brand. One POS provider we looked at, Revel Systems, offers what we think is the best CRM service to come packaged with an iPad restaurant POS system.
The Revel Systems POS system was mostly created for bars, quick-service restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries. Food and beverage service businesses can benefit from Revel’s customizable loyalty programs.ProsCustomizable customer loyalty and management services
Tools built for food and beverage businesses
Loads of software integrationsCons
Nontransparent pricing
In addition, Revel Systems is built to speed up front-of-house order taking with its Mobile Order Taker system, which communicates seamlessly with stationary devices. And comprehensive inventory, analytic reports, and QuickBooks integration can help you understand your business and customers better.
Installation and onboarding of Revel’s POS system costs $674. After that, you’ll be paying $99 a month per terminal which is billed annually and requires a 3-year contract.
Revel does not list its processing fees, but we were able to get in contact with an agent who said the flat rate is 2.49% + 15¢ per transaction if you’re using Revel hardware. You can also use your own processor. If you have an existing processing fee statement, Revel says they are willing to provide a custom rate.
eHopper
Inexpensive software with everything a small business owner needs to run a company.Pros
- Most affordable POS system
- Built-in inventory management
- Works with most tablets
Cons
- No gift card management
- Credit card processing fees charged to customers
For nearly 15 years, eHopper has provided an affordable alternative to pricey POS software. Its low-cost plans give entrepreneurs access to customer and inventory management tools, making it a clear winner in our best value category.
The eHopper POS system offers four plans, all of which include integrated credit card processing features. Currently, the merchant fees are passed to customers via a surcharge. With all versions, you’ll get features like:
- Inventory management
- Print or email receipts
- Tip management
- Reporting options
- Customer management
Each of the four plans provides extra features, and the cost covers one POS system. The four programs are:
- Essential: The free plan helps you easily adjust inventory, manage customer accounts, or create barcode labels for your products.
- Freedom: For $29.99 a month, you get employee time tracking options, low stock alerts, and QuickBooks integrations.
- Restaurant: It’s $39.99 a month for menu building, table management, and floor planning tools, along with standard POS features.
- OmniChannel: The regular cost is $49.99. This plan adds loyalty, e-commerce, and enables Meta sales.
With eHopper, you can use existing hardware or Android tablets, iPads, Windows PCs, and Poynt terminals. But, eHopper offers a variety of hardware options for sale, including:
- Hardware bundles
- Thermal printers
- Cash drawers
- Credit card terminals
- Scanners
- Tablets
- Stands and accessories
You won’t get many integrations with eHopper, but you can add an additional loyalty package to your plan. You can call, initiate a support ticket, or chat with customer service for help with your POS system. The company also offers an online knowledge base.
TouchBistro
TouchBistro supplies restaurateurs with cloud-based analytics to boost their food and beverage sales.Pros
- iPad POS system
- Integrated credit card processing
- Easy-to-use interface
Cons
- Must use mostly Apple products
- Customer support isn’t always responsive.
In business since 2010, TouchBistro offers software designed specifically for the restaurant industry. TouchBistro is our top pick for the best restaurant POS system with restaurant inventory management tools and restaurant-specific hardware.
TouchBistro POS software licenses start at $69 per month. With a TouchBistro system, you’ll get various tools and features to support your operations, such as:
- Intuitive touch controls for table management
- Remote menu management
- Add recipes to manage inventory costs
- Access data and reports via the cloud portal
You can add services to get more from your restaurant POS, which are available through TouchBistro, including:
- Reservations system for $229 per month
- Online ordering for $50 a month
- A gift card program for $25 per month
Choose your own hardware or buy from TouchBistro’s hardware partners for equipment such as:
- iPad
- Apple Mac Mini computer
- Apple TV
- AmpliFi MeshPoint HD
- Kitchen and thermal printers
- Cash drawers
- Networking hardware
- iPad stands
- Payment devices
TouchBistro integrates with many popular programs, including QuickBooks, Sage, and 7Shifts.
If you run into problems, TouchBistro provides plenty of self-service options. You can also contact them via email, chat, and 24/7 phone support.
PayPal
PayPal is a digital payment platform that enables businesses and individuals to pay and accept payments through an online portal without revealing any financial details. The solution is suitable for businesses of all sizes. PayPal provides a one-touch login process, so there is no need to re-enter information. For individuals, users can shop as well as process transactions overseas by linking their card details through PayPal’s portal. For business owners, users can accept international payments from banks or digital wallets on through the portal. They can bill the clients, receive direct payments from suppliers or manufacturers and accept payments from more than 200 markets with a single account. PayPal charges a transaction fee, which is calculated based on businesses’ total sales volumes. The system is compatible with mobile devices.
PayPal Pricing
Pricing is based per transaction. 2.5% + Fixed fee ( $0.041)
Starting price:
$0.04 per month
Free trial:
Not Available
Free version:
Available
Conclusion
You can now open and run a small business with no upfront costs atop no long term contracts. This free point of sale software for small business gives you 24-7 access to customer account information, customer orders and employee schedules through an assortment of secure mobile apps. Simply order and select your POS system package then the equipment will be shipped directly to your door.