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
- The software subscription is only half the bill: processing rates (2.29% to 2.6% in-person) decide the real cost for most small shops.
- Starting from zero? Square ($0/month, 2.6% + 15¢) and PayPal Zettle ($0/month, 2.29% + 9¢) let you open with almost no upfront cost.
- Already selling online with Shopify? Shopify POS ($89/month per location for POS Pro) keeps inventory and customers in one system.
- Inventory-heavy shops (apparel, specialty, multi-location) get the most from Lightspeed Retail ($89/month annual) or Heartland Retail ($80/month per station), both built around stock management.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Square | New and small shops that want to start with $0 software | $0/month (Free plan; in-person processing 2.6% + 15¢) | Yes (free plan with no monthly fee) |
 Shopify POS | Retailers already selling online with Shopify | $89/month per location (POS Pro); POS Lite included free with any Shopify plan | Free trial (14 days, POS Pro) |
 Lightspeed Retail | Inventory-heavy retailers: apparel, specialty shops, multi-location stores | $89/month billed annually (Basic; $109 month-to-month) | Free trial |
 Clover | Shops that want purpose-built hardware with the software | From $49.95/month (Register software plan; hardware extra or bundled) | No |
 Epos Now | Budget-conscious shops that want one flat software fee | $39/month (software only; processing 2.6% + 10¢ through Epos Now Payments) | Free trial (30 days) |
 Heartland Retail | Multi-store retailers that live in their inventory and purchasing data | $80/month per selling station (Plus plan, advertised; Professional $160) | No |
 KORONA POS | Shops that want to choose their own payment processor | $59/month per terminal (Core plan) | Free trial (unlimited trial, no credit card required) |
 PayPal Zettle | Micro-merchants, market sellers and brand-new businesses | $0/month (in-person processing 2.29% + 9¢) | Yes (no monthly fee; pay per transaction) |
Is your product missing or out of date?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 for small business
POS vendors want you to compare feature checklists. You should compare money: the monthly software fee plus the processing rate on your actual sales, plus whatever the hardware costs. A shop doing $30,000 a month in card sales pays roughly $690 to $780 a month in processing alone at the rates below, which dwarfs the difference between a $39 and a $89 software plan. The best software for a retail business is the one with the lowest total cost at your volume, with the inventory tools your catalog actually needs.
These eight cover the real small-business retail market, from free starter apps to inventory-first platforms.
#1
Square
Best for: New and small shops that want to start with $0 software
Visit squareup.com
Starting price$0/month (Free plan; in-person processing 2.6% + 15¢)
Free planYes (free plan with no monthly fee)
Square is the default starting point for a reason: the software is free, there is no contract, and you can leave next month. The October 2025 pricing overhaul collapsed eighteen subscriptions into three tiers: Free at $0 with 2.6% + 15¢ in-person processing, Plus at $49/month with 2.5% + 15¢, and Premium at $149/month with 2.4% + 15¢. Hardware is the famous advantage: a card reader for $59, a terminal for $299, a full register for $899, all purchasable without a sales call.
The honest catch is rate rigidity. Those flat rates do not move until you clear about $250,000 a year in processing, when custom Pro pricing opens up. Below that, a shop doing real volume pays more than it would on an interchange-plus plan from a traditional processor. The free tier is perfect for testing and for low-volume shops; once card sales pass roughly $15,000 to $20,000 a month, price the Plus tier and get competing processing quotes.
What we like- Genuinely free POS software with no contract and no termination fees
- Flat public processing rates (2.6% + 15¢ in-person on Free)
- Cheap, well-designed hardware (Reader $59, Terminal $299, Register $899)
Watch out for- Processing rates are non-negotiable at small scale, so high-volume shops overpay
- The free plan's online rate (3.3% + 30¢) is steep for delivery-heavy businesses
- Advanced retail features sit in paid tiers
#2
Shopify POS
Best for: Retailers already selling online with Shopify
Visit shopify.com
Starting price$89/month per location (POS Pro); POS Lite included free with any Shopify plan
Free planFree trial (14 days, POS Pro)
If your online store runs on Shopify, Shopify POS is the path of least resistance. Products, inventory, customers and sales data stay in sync between the website and the register automatically, and returns work across channels (buy online, return in store). Every Shopify plan includes POS Lite for basic in-person selling at no extra cost. POS Pro, at $89 per month per location ($79 on annual billing), adds staff permissions, smart inventory tools, purchase orders, demand forecasting and in-store analytics.
The honest catch is the stack. A single location on Basic plus POS Pro runs about $128 a month before processing (2.6% + 10¢ in-person on Basic), and multi-location retailers multiply the $89 per location quickly. Shopify POS is thinner than retail-first systems on pure POS depth: no table management, limited offline card payments, and an app ecosystem that adds up. For Shopify merchants it is still the obvious pick. For everyone else, there is no reason to adopt Shopify just for the POS.
What we like- One inventory, one customer list and one set of reports across online and in-store
- POS Lite (basic checkout and payments) is free with every Shopify plan
- Strong omnichannel features like buy-online-pickup-in-store and local delivery
Watch out for- Real stores need POS Pro at $89/month per location on top of the Shopify subscription ($39/month and up)
- Android app ratings lag the iOS app
- Many advanced features need paid apps from the app store
#3
Lightspeed Retail
Best for: Inventory-heavy retailers: apparel, specialty shops, multi-location stores
Visit lightspeedhq.com
Starting price$89/month billed annually (Basic; $109 month-to-month)
Free planFree trial
Lightspeed Retail is the inventory nerd's POS. Where Square and Zettle treat inventory as a product list, Lightspeed treats it as the business: matrix SKUs, serial tracking, purchase orders, vendor catalogs, low-stock alerts, automated reordering and multi-location stock tracking. The NuORDER wholesale integration lets apparel and specialty shops browse catalogs and import products with photos, UPCs and descriptions straight into the POS. Processing through Lightspeed Payments runs 2.6% + 10¢ in person on every plan.
The honest catch is commitment and complexity. The $89 price needs an annual contract; month-to-month is $109. Core ($149 annual) is where loyalty, advanced reporting and accounting integrations live, and Plus ($289 annual) is where phone support and the API become available. If you run a simple shop with a small catalog, Lightspeed is overkill. If inventory accuracy is your business, it is the best tool here.
What we like- The strongest inventory management on this list: variants, bundles, serialized items, purchase orders and supplier catalogs via NuORDER
- Built-in eCommerce on every plan
- Same 2.6% + 10¢ card-present rate across all card brands including Amex
Watch out for- Annual contracts required for the advertised rates
- 24/7 phone support only on the $289 Plus tier
- Bringing your own payment processor triggers extra monthly fees
#4
Clover
Best for: Shops that want purpose-built hardware with the software
Visit clover.com
Starting priceFrom $49.95/month (Register software plan; hardware extra or bundled)
Free planNo
Clover sells the complete countertop: hardware, software and payments as one package. The software plans start with Clover Payments Basic ($0/month for one device) and step up through Essentials ($14.95/month) to Register for retail ($49.95/month), with processing from 2.3% + 10¢ card-present on higher tiers. The hardware is the draw: the Compact terminal, Mini, Flex handheld and Station Duo are genuinely well-built, and buying direct keeps the software month-to-month.
Read the whole quote before signing. Hardware bought outright is expensive (Station Duo $1,899, Flex $749), and the financed bundles run 36 months with termination fees, which cancels the month-to-month flexibility. The App Market fills the gaps in the core plans (loyalty, advanced inventory, scheduling) at roughly $10 to $99 per app per month, so price your real stack, not the tier. And get the processing rate in writing: Clover sells through resellers and banks whose quotes vary widely.
What we like- Polished, purpose-built hardware lineup from a $199 mobile reader to full countertop stations
- Published card-present rates from 2.3% + 10¢
- Large app market for loyalty, scheduling and advanced inventory
Watch out for- Real cost is hardware plus software plus apps, and the total climbs fast
- Promotional hardware pricing locks you into 36-month contracts
- Core plans are lean, with much of the real functionality in paid App Market add-ons
#5
Epos Now
Best for: Budget-conscious shops that want one flat software fee
Visit eposnow.com
Starting price$39/month (software only; processing 2.6% + 10¢ through Epos Now Payments)
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Epos Now competes on simplicity: $39 a month for the software, 2.6% + 10¢ processing through Epos Now Payments, and hardware you can buy bundled or bring yourself. It runs on just about anything (iPad, Android, PC, proprietary terminals), which keeps startup costs low, and the 100+ app integrations cover accounting, loyalty and delivery. A 30-day free trial gives you room to test.
The honest catch is the contract. Epos Now commonly sells 1- to 5-year terms, and reviewers report billing and cancellation headaches, so read the agreement and confirm the term before signing. Processor choice is narrow (Worldpay, EVO, International Bancard as alternatives), and premium support and advanced reporting cost extra. For a shop that wants predictable flat pricing and can live with the commitment, it undercuts Lightspeed meaningfully.
What we like- Simple flat software pricing from $39/month with no per-transaction software fee
- Runs on iOS, Android, Windows or Epos Now terminals
- 100+ integrations including QuickBooks, Xero and Mailchimp
Watch out for- Long contracts (often 1-5 years depending on package) with reported cancellation friction
- Limited payment processor choice
- 24/7 support costs extra on the base plan
#6
Heartland Retail
Best for: Multi-store retailers that live in their inventory and purchasing data
Visit heartland.us
Starting price$80/month per selling station (Plus plan, advertised; Professional $160)
Free planNo
Heartland Retail (formerly Springboard) is the sleeper pick for serious multi-store operators. The Plus plan at $80 a month per selling station includes multi-location inventory, integrated eCommerce, sales orders, purchasing and receiving, customer management and reporting: functionality that competitors gate behind higher tiers. Professional at $160 adds advanced inventory, promotions and automated reordering. Processing is interchange-plus, which usually beats flat-rate pricing once volume climbs.
The honest catch is the commitment. Contracts run three years with a $295 early termination fee per location, and the processing markup is quote-based rather than published, so you cannot comparison-shop without a sales conversation. There is no trial; evaluation goes through a demo. For a growing multi-store retailer with real inventory complexity, the depth justifies the process. For a single shop, the contract alone is a reason to look elsewhere.
What we like- Deep retail operations: multi-location inventory, purchasing and receiving, sales orders, customer management and custom reporting
- Most functionality included on the entry Plus plan
- Interchange-plus processing can beat flat rates at volume
Watch out for- Three-year contracts with a $295-per-location early termination fee
- Opaque processing markup (quote-based)
- Setup and onboarding run through sales, not self-serve
#7
KORONA POS
Best for: Shops that want to choose their own payment processor
Visit koronapos.com
Starting price$59/month per terminal (Core plan)
Free planFree trial (unlimited trial, no credit card required)
KORONA POS is built on a principle the rest of this list mostly rejects: the POS vendor should not take a cut of your payments. The software is processing-agnostic, so you keep your existing merchant account or shop for the best interchange-plus rate, and KORONA never takes a percentage. Pricing is public and simple: $59 per terminal per month for Core, $79 for Retail with advanced inventory, $99 for Plus, all month-to-month with no setup fees and no contracts. An unlimited free trial lets you test without a card.
The honest catch is the meter. Per-terminal pricing means a three-register shop pays three subscriptions, and the optional modules (food service, ticketing, franchising, integrations) stack on top. The ecosystem is smaller than Square's or Clover's, and the interface has a learning curve. But for shops that already have good processing rates and refuse to give them up, KORONA is the only serious option here.
What we like- Processing-agnostic: keep your current processor and shop for rates, with no percentage taken by KORONA
- Month-to-month with no contracts and no setup fees
- Unlimited users and transparent per-terminal pricing ($59 Core, $79 Retail, $99 Plus per the vendor)
Watch out for- Per-terminal pricing adds up for multi-register shops
- Add-on modules (food service, ticketing, franchising) raise the total quickly
- Smaller ecosystem than Square or Clover
#8
PayPal Zettle
Best for: Micro-merchants, market sellers and brand-new businesses
Visit zettle.com
Starting price$0/month (in-person processing 2.29% + 9¢)
Free planYes (no monthly fee; pay per transaction)
Zettle by PayPal is the minimum viable POS. There is no monthly fee, no contract and no setup cost: you pay 2.29% + 9¢ per in-person transaction and nothing else. The first card reader costs $29, or you can take contactless payments directly on a phone with Tap to Pay. Money lands fast, and the PayPal connection helps businesses that already sell through PayPal online.
The honest catch is the ceiling. Zettle has no loyalty program, no marketing features, few integrations and no offline mode, and there is no path to negotiated processing rates as volume grows. It is a starter tool, not a growth platform: perfect for markets, pop-ups and brand-new shops, and something you will likely outgrow once you need real inventory management or multi-location reporting. Start here for free, graduate to Square or Lightspeed when the business justifies it.
What we like- No monthly fee and no contract: the cheapest way to start taking cards
- Low in-person rate (2.29% + 9¢) undercuts Square
- $29 first card reader, or skip hardware entirely with Tap to Pay on your phone
Watch out for- Thin feature set: no loyalty, no marketing tools, few integrations
- No offline mode
- No volume discounts or interchange-plus option as you grow
Software vs. processing: the two bills you are actually paying
Every POS quote has two parts and vendors love to talk about only one. The software fee is the monthly number on the pricing page: $0 to $289 here. The processing bill is the percentage plus cents on every card sale, and for most shops it is the bigger number by far. At $25,000 a month in card sales, the difference between 2.29% (Zettle) and 2.6% (Square) is about $78 a month, every month, which exceeds the entire software cost of most plans on this list.
Run your own math before choosing. Multiply your monthly card volume by each vendor's in-person rate, add the per-transaction cents times your transaction count, then add the software fee. A low-volume shop ($5,000/month) should optimize for $0 software: Square or Zettle. A mid-volume shop ($30,000-$80,000/month) should get interchange-plus quotes from Heartland or through KORONA and compare against flat rates. A high-volume shop ($250,000+/year) should negotiate: Square, Lightspeed and most processors open custom pricing at that level.
Watch the rate details that move the total. Keyed-in and online rates are always higher than in-person (3.3% to 3.5% is typical), so delivery-heavy businesses pay more than the headline rate suggests. Monthly minimums, PCI fees and statement fees still appear in traditional processor contracts: ask for them by name. And remember that flat-rate simplicity has a price: it is cheap to understand and expensive at scale.
Hardware: buy, lease, or skip it
You have three options and the industry pushes the worst one. Buying outright (Square Terminal $299, Zettle reader $29, Clover Compact $349) costs the least over time and keeps you free to switch vendors. Financing bundles (Clover's 36-month plans, Epos Now's Complete system) spread the cost but lock you in: Clover's financed hardware carries termination fees, and Epos Now's bundles come with multi-year software contracts.
The third option is skipping dedicated hardware entirely. Square and Zettle both support Tap to Pay on a modern phone, which means a market stall or new shop can start taking cards with zero hardware cost. KORONA takes the opposite approach and lets you bring any hardware you already own. For a first location, start cheap and phone-based, then invest in a proper terminal once the register volume justifies it. Never finance hardware before you are sure about the software: the hardware is only cheap while you stay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best retail software for a small business?
For most new small shops: Square, because the software is free and there is no contract. For Shopify online stores: Shopify POS, for the unified inventory. For inventory-heavy retail (apparel, specialty, multi-location): Lightspeed Retail or Heartland Retail. For the absolute cheapest start: PayPal Zettle at $0/month.
How much does POS software cost per month?
From $0 to about $300. Square and Zettle charge $0/month and earn from processing. Epos Now starts at $39/month, Clover retail software from $49.95/month, KORONA at $59/month per terminal, Heartland Retail at $80/month per station, Shopify POS Pro at $89/month per location, and Lightspeed Retail at $89/month (annual). Processing (roughly 2.3% to 2.6% in-person) usually costs more than the software.
Can I use my own payment processor with a POS system?
Sometimes. KORONA POS is fully processing-agnostic, and Heartland and Epos Now support third-party processors. Square, Zettle and Shopify POS lock you into their own processing. Lightspeed allows third-party processors but charges an extra monthly fee for it. If you already have good processing rates, this question decides your shortlist.
Do I need a contract for POS software?
Not always. Square, Zettle, Shopify and KORONA are month-to-month with no termination fees. Lightspeed's best prices need annual contracts. Clover's financed hardware bundles run 36 months, Heartland runs three-year contracts with a $295-per-location termination fee, and Epos Now commonly sells 1- to 5-year terms. Always separate the software term from the hardware financing term.
What hardware do I need to start?
Less than vendors suggest. A card reader ($29-$59) plus a phone or tablet covers most new shops. A dedicated terminal ($299-$399) suits fixed counters. Full stations ($849-$1,899) suit busy registers. Buy the minimum, prove the volume, then upgrade: the hardware is the easiest part of this decision to get wrong by overspending early.
Square vs. Shopify POS: which is better for retail?
Square wins for standalone shops: free software, no contract, cheaper hardware, better offline support. Shopify POS wins for merchants already on Shopify: unified inventory, customers and reporting across online and in-store. If you are not on Shopify and do not plan to be, Square is the better retail POS.
How we chose
We started with the searches buyers run: best retail software for small business, best POS system for retail and small business POS. For each candidate we checked the vendor's own pricing pages and published rate cards, compared software fees and processing rates, and weighed them against public reviews on G2, Capterra, NerdWallet and Merchant Maverick plus practitioner discussion on Reddit. We favored systems with real small-business adoption, published pricing and retail-specific features (inventory, multi-location, hardware options) over restaurant-first or enterprise platforms. Where a vendor publishes no price, we wrote "See website" rather than guessing.
Sources we checked (13)
- https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/pricing
- https://www.shopify.com/pos/pricing
- https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/retail/pricing/
- https://www.clover.com/
- https://www.eposnow.com/ca/pos-comparisons/epos-now-vs-lightspeed/
- https://www.techradar.com/reviews/heartland-pos-review
- https://koronapos.com/pricing/
- https://www.zettle.com/
- https://www.posusa.com/lightspeed-retail-review/
- https://www.posusa.com/clover-pos-review/
- https://www.posusa.com/epos-now-review/
- https://www.posusa.com/zettle-by-paypal/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/software/reviews/lightspeed-retail-pos
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.