How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Square at $0 is the best overall retail software for small businesses, with a free POS, flexible hardware, and broad tools for retail, restaurants, and mobile sellers.
- Shopify POS suits omnichannel retail, with POS Lite free inside a Shopify plan and POS Pro at $89 per month per location in guides.
- Lightspeed Retail at $89 per month suits inventory-heavy and multi-location retail, though guides conflict on higher-tier pricing.
- The real cost decision is processing rates, not subscriptions: entry tiers are usually free now, and vendors earn on payment processing instead.
- Hardware costs sit outside subscriptions, so budget $49 to $5,000-plus per location separately.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Square POS | Overall small business POS | Free | Yes |
 Shopify POS | Omnichannel retail | $5 per month | Yes |
 Lightspeed Retail | Inventory-heavy retail | $89 per month | Trial |
 Toast | Restaurants and food service | Free | Yes |
 Clover | Flexible hardware | See website | Trial |
 Helcim | Transparent processing | Free | Yes |
 KORONA POS | Processor flexibility | $59 per terminal per month | No |
 GoDaddy POS | Low-cost POS | Free | Yes |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best retail software
#1Square POS
Best for: Overall small business POS4.6/5 on
G2 (1,188 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit squareup.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Square earned the highest overall score in one 2026 guide for its low entry cost, flexible hardware, and broad range of tools for retail, restaurants, service businesses, and mobile sellers. The free plan covers a full POS with inventory basics, customer profiles, digital receipts, gift cards, and invoicing, at 2.6 percent plus 15 cents in person and 3.3 percent plus 30 cents online in guides.
Plus costs $49 per month per location in guides and adds seat-level inventory and better reporting, while Premium at $149 per month drops in-person processing to 2.4 percent plus 15 cents. For a side hustle, pop-up, market vendor, or small shop that needs its first sale this week, Square wins on speed alone.
What we like- Free POS with inventory basics, customer profiles, gift cards, and invoicing
- Flexible hardware
- No contract in guides
Watch out for- Plus plan at $49 per month per location in guides
- Premium at $149 per month
- Processing at 2.6 percent plus 15 cents in person on the free plan
#2Shopify POS
Best for: Omnichannel retail4.4/5 on
G2 (368 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit shopify.com
Starting price$5 per month
Free planYes
Shopify POS is the best pick for omnichannel retail, since online and in-person inventory stay unified instead of forking into separate systems. POS Lite comes free inside a Shopify plan, covering basic in-person selling, while POS Pro at $89 per month per location in guides adds advanced features such as smart inventory and staff permissions.
A Shopify plan is required, with Basic at $39 per month in guides, and there are no restaurant features, so food businesses should look at Toast instead. For Shopify merchants adding in-person sales, Shopify POS is the natural choice.
What we like- POS Lite free inside a Shopify plan
- Unified online and in-person inventory
- POS Pro adds advanced retail features
Watch out for- Requires a Shopify plan, with Basic at $39 per month in guides
- POS Pro at $89 per month per location
- No restaurant features
Starting price$89 per month
Free planTrial
Lightspeed Retail suits inventory-heavy and multi-location retailers, especially specialty shops with matrix SKUs such as size, frame, and color combinations. Its inventory depth, multi-location tools, and reporting go further than generalist POS systems, which is why bike shops, apparel stores, and specialty retailers choose it.
Pricing guides conflict, listing Basic at $89 per month in one source and $109 in another, with higher tiers at $179 to $339 in guides, so confirm the current figure before budgeting. The learning curve is steeper than Square. For complex inventory, Lightspeed is the best specialist pick.
What we like- Strong for specialty retail, multi-location, and complex SKUs
- Matrix inventory for size, color, and variant combinations
- Broad reporting
Watch out for- Basic at $89 per month in guides, though another guide lists $109
- Higher tiers reach $179 to $339 in guides
- Steeper learning curve
- Expensive at scale
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Toast is the best retail software for restaurants and food service, with a $0 Starter Kit in guides and restaurant-specific features such as kitchen display, tableside handheld ordering, and menu management. It dominates United States restaurants for good reason: the workflow fits full-service and quick-service operations better than generalist POS tools.
The Point of Sale plan costs $69 per month in guides, contracts run 1 to 3 years in guides, and the hardware ecosystem is closed, so switching later costs more. For restaurants, Toast is the clear pick over generalist retail software.
What we like- $0 Starter Kit in guides
- Restaurant-specific features including kitchen display and tableside ordering
- Dominant in United States restaurants
Watch out for- Point of Sale plan at $69 per month in guides
- 1 to 3 year contracts in guides
- Closed hardware ecosystem
#5Clover
Best for: Flexible hardware3.8/5 on
G2 (108 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit clover.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planTrial
Clover suits businesses that want hardware variety, with a broad device lineup from handhelds to countertop stations, plus software that covers retail and restaurants. Its durable mobile hardware appeals to businesses that sell on the move as well as at a counter.
Pricing varies widely by reseller, with direct plans from $14.95 Starter to $354 per month per device in guides, and reseller contracts may carry hidden fees, so watch reseller pricing carefully. Processing rates also vary by reseller. For hardware flexibility with eyes open on contracts, Clover is a strong option.
What we like- Customizable POS hardware with many device options
- Flexible for retail and restaurants
- Durable mobile hardware
Watch out for- Pricing varies widely by reseller, from $14.95 Starter to $354 per month per device direct in guides
- Reseller contracts may carry hidden fees
- Processing varies by reseller
#6Helcim
Best for: Transparent processing3.9/5 on
G2 (19 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit helcim.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Helcim suits B2Bs and wholesalers needing low-cost, interchange-plus processing, with free software and transparent rates that show the true interchange cost plus a markup. That transparency helps high-volume sellers see exactly what they pay, rather than guessing inside a flat rate.
The ecosystem is smaller than Square or Shopify, with fewer restaurant-specific features, and processing savings depend on volume and card mix. For businesses that prioritize transparent processing over ecosystem breadth, Helcim is the best value pick.
What we like- Free software with interchange-plus processing
- Transparent rates for B2Bs and wholesalers
- No monthly software fee in guides
Watch out for- Smaller ecosystem than Square or Shopify
- Fewer restaurant-specific features
- Processing savings depend on volume and card mix
#7KORONA POS
Best for: Processor flexibility4.7/5 on
G2 (72 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit koronapos.com
Starting price$59 per terminal per month
Free planNo
KORONA POS suits businesses that want processor flexibility above all else, letting them keep a preferred payment processor instead of accepting a POS vendor locked-in rate. At $59 per terminal per month in guides, it appeals to operators who already negotiated good processing terms and refuse to give them up.
There is no free tier in guides, and per-terminal pricing adds up across many registers. For processor independence, KORONA is the best pick.
What we like- Processor flexibility, so businesses keep their preferred processor
- $59 per terminal per month in guides
- Strong for businesses that refuse processor lock-in
Watch out for- No free tier in guides
- Per-terminal pricing adds up across many registers
- Smaller brand than Square or Lightspeed
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
GoDaddy POS suits microbusinesses and occasional sellers who want a low-cost POS without a monthly fee. Setup is simple, and it fits GoDaddy online sellers adding in-person sales without learning a new platform.
The feature set is smaller than Square or Shopify, with fewer advanced inventory tools, so complex retail needs outgrow it fast. For simple, low-cost selling, GoDaddy POS is the best budget option.
What we like- Free entry tier in guides
- Simple setup for microbusinesses
- Fits GoDaddy online sellers adding in-person sales
Watch out for- Smaller feature set than Square or Shopify
- Fewer advanced inventory tools
- Best for simple selling, not complex retail
How we chose
We started from what retail software must do well: process transactions reliably, manage inventory, customers, and staff, and report sales clearly across channels. We compared vendor pricing pages and current 2026 guides, and we favored systems with clear pricing, real free tiers, and honest limits. We left out discontinued systems, including QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale, whose sales ended with users steered toward Shopify POS, and legacy enterprise systems sold only by quote. Prices here come from 2026 guides and vendor pages, and they vary by plan, reseller, and billing period, so check the pricing page before you pay. The commercial model changed since 2015: the entry tier is usually free now, and vendors earn on payment processing instead, which makes the processing rate, not the subscription, the number that decides your real cost.
How to pick retail software
Start with your business type, not the cheapest headline price. A restaurant, a specialty retailer, and a market vendor each need a different system, and the wrong fit costs more in workarounds than any subscription saves.
Match the system to the business
Square suits general small retail and mobile sellers, Shopify POS suits omnichannel merchants, Lightspeed suits inventory-heavy specialty retail, Toast suits restaurants, Helcim suits high-volume B2Bs, and KORONA suits businesses that refuse processor lock-in. Pick the system built for your business type first, then compare prices inside that shortlist.
Model the all-in first-year cost
A $69 monthly subscription plus $1,500 hardware plus $25,000 annual processing fees plus $2,000 implementation totals $29,000-plus first-year all-in for a single-location $1 million revenue operator in one guide. Add hardware, implementation, and processing to the subscription before comparing, since the subscription alone hides most of the bill.
Test the checkout before you commit
Run a real sale end to end: scan, discount, refund, and receipt, on the hardware you will actually use. Check offline mode, since a POS that stops during an outage stops your business, and confirm that inventory syncs across channels without manual fixes. A system that fails the test checkout will fail on your busiest day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best retail software overall?
Square for most small businesses, thanks to its free tier and broad tools, Shopify POS for omnichannel retail, and Lightspeed Retail for inventory-heavy specialty shops. Toast wins for restaurants.
How much does retail software cost?
Entry tiers are often free, with paid plans from $49 to $149 per month per location for Square, $39 plus $89 per location for Shopify POS Pro, and $89 per month for Lightspeed Retail in guides. Add processing fees and hardware to the subscription for the true cost.
Is Square really free?
The Square POS software is free, with payment processing at 2.6 percent plus 15 cents in person on the free plan in guides. Paid plans add inventory, reporting, and lower processing rates, but the free tier covers basic selling.
What is interchange-plus pricing?
Interchange-plus pricing shows the card network interchange cost plus a fixed markup, so you see exactly what you pay. Helcim uses this model, which suits high-volume sellers who want transparency over flat-rate simplicity.
Should I choose a POS tied to my online store?
Yes, if you sell online and in person. Shopify POS keeps inventory unified across channels, which prevents overselling and double data entry. If you sell in person only, a standalone POS such as Square or Lightspeed may fit better.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://squareup.com
- https://www.shopify.com/pos
- https://www.lightspeedhq.com
- https://pos.toasttab.com
- https://www.clover.com
- https://www.helcim.com
- https://koronapos.com
- https://www.godaddy.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.