What is a POS system?
A POS system, or point-of-sale system, facilitates transactions in retail sales. An example of a well-known POS system would be a cash register. Modern POS systems are a combination of hardware and software that often includes a barcode scanner, card reader, cash drawer, and receipt printer. The customer interface is often a touchscreen. The simplest modern POS systems are a credit card scanner connected to a tablet.
Best POS Systems for 2023
- Clover: Best for Hardware Options
- Toast: Best for Restaurants of All Sizes
- Lightspeed: Best for Retail
- TouchBistro: Best for Guest Experience
- GoDaddy: Best for Tracking Sales
- Square: Best for Brick-and-Mortar Businesses
- Upserve POS: Best for Small Restaurants
- CardConnect: Best for Payment Methods
- Epos Now: Best for Ease of Use
- Lavu: Best for Customization
- Revel Systems: Best for Established Restaurants
- Helcim: Best for Transparent Pricing
- A POS system allows you to accept customer payments and track your sales.
- Businesses with more complex needs may also need a way to manage their inventory, customers and staff.
- You should look for an easy-to-use POS system that meets all your business’s needs.
- This guide is for small business owners and merchants looking for the right POS system.
It used to be that a cash register was all a business needed to ring up customers and accept payments. But today, businesses also need a way to take payments, track sales, manage inventory and generate reports. The right POS system can handle all of that for you.
Whether you’re on the hunt for your first POS system or looking to upgrade, it’s hard to know which one will be the best fit for your business. We did the work to evaluate POS systems for you. During our review, we considered factors like affordability, ease of use and overall functionality. We also looked for cloud-based solutions that are easy to set up. Keep reading to learn more about our top picks for small business POS systems.