How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Lightspeed Retail and Square for Retail lead for independent stores: Lightspeed for deep inventory control, Square for the gentlest learning curve and free starting point.
- Shopify POS is the natural pick if you already sell online with Shopify: POS Pro adds inventory, staff roles and omnichannel features at $89/month/location.
- Budget-conscious stores should compare Epos Now (from $84/month with hardware bundles) and ERPLY (from $59/month with a free account to start).
- Heartland Retail and Clover bundle processing with the POS, which simplifies billing but ties your rates to one provider.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Lightspeed Retail | Independent retailers with serious inventory needs | See website | No |
 Square for Retail | Small stores that want to be selling today | See website (free plan available) | Yes |
 Shopify POS | Shopify merchants opening or running physical stores | POS Lite included in Shopify plans; POS Pro $89/month/location | Free trial |
 Clover | Stores that want hardware and software from one provider | See website | No |
 Epos Now | Stores wanting a complete hardware-plus-software bundle | From $84/month (complete system from $399 one-time) | No |
 KORONA POS | Retailers that refuse long contracts and locked-in processing | See website | Free trial |
 Heartland Retail | Stores wanting POS, payments, payroll and support from one company | See website | No |
 ERPLY | Multi-store retailers and franchises needing inventory depth | From $59/month | Yes (free account) |
Is your product missing or out of date?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 store management software
"Store management software" usually means three jobs in one: run the register, track the inventory, and manage the people. The systems below all do that, but they split on philosophy. Some (Square, Shopify POS, Clover) start at the checkout and grow outward. Others (Lightspeed, ERPLY, KORONA) start with inventory and treat the register as one endpoint. Pick the philosophy that matches your biggest headache.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Lightspeed Retail is built for stores where inventory is the business: apparel, footwear, sporting goods, bike shops. Purchase orders, vendor management, landed costs, stock forecasting and multi-location transfers are first-class citizens, not add-ons. The built-in ecommerce, loyalty and payments keep the whole operation on one platform, and integrations cover accounting and marketing.
The tradeoff is commitment. Lightspeed does not publish prices, offers no free plan, and sells like an enterprise product. For a boutique with 10,000 SKUs across three locations, that depth pays for itself. For a single gift shop, Square or Shopify POS will get you live in an afternoon. Buy Lightspeed for the inventory engine, not the brand name.
What we like- Deep inventory management with purchase orders, landed costs and forecasting
- Industry-specific setups for apparel, footwear, bike shops and more
- Built-in ecommerce and loyalty unifies in-store and online
Watch out for- No public pricing and no free tier, so evaluation requires a sales conversation
- The depth that inventory-heavy stores love can overwhelm simple shops
#2
Square for Retail
Best for: Small stores that want to be selling today
Visit squareup.com
Starting priceSee website (free plan available)
Free planYes
Square's pitch is speed: sign up free, add items, take payments. The free plan covers item management, discounts, sales reporting and basic inventory, and paid tiers add purchase orders, vendor management, cost-of-goods reporting and cross-location transfers. Because payments, payroll, marketing and banking all live in Square's ecosystem, a small store can run almost everything from one dashboard.
The catch is the bundle: you process with Square at Square's rates, and the deeper you go into the ecosystem, the harder it is to leave. For stores doing under a few hundred thousand a year, that simplicity is worth it. Larger or multi-location retailers should price the paid tiers against Lightspeed before committing.
What we like- Free plan includes core retail features with no monthly fee
- Setup takes hours, not weeks
- Inventory, purchase orders, staff management and online selling in one ecosystem
Watch out for- Advanced inventory (vendor management, COGS reporting, transfer orders) sits in paid tiers
- Processing is Square's, with no option to bring your own rates
- Multi-location enterprises will outgrow it
#3
Shopify POS
Best for: Shopify merchants opening or running physical stores
Visit shopify.com
Starting pricePOS Lite included in Shopify plans; POS Pro $89/month/location
Free planFree trial
If you already run on Shopify, this decision is nearly made: POS Lite comes with your plan and unifies online and in-store inventory, orders and customers. Upgrading to POS Pro at $89/month/location adds the features real stores need: inventory counts and purchase orders, staff roles and permissions, rich customer profiles, retail analytics and endless-aisle omnichannel selling.
Shopify POS is not the pick for a store with no Shopify presence; the subscription underneath makes it expensive as a standalone. But for the omnichannel retailer, one system for the website and the shop floor eliminates the reconciliation work that eats weekends. Start with POS Lite, upgrade the locations that need Pro.
What we like- POS Lite included with every Shopify plan covers casual in-person selling
- POS Pro adds unlimited staff, inventory management, clienteling and omnichannel features at $89/month/location
- One inventory and customer record across online and offline
Watch out for- Requires a Shopify subscription underneath, so it is not a standalone POS
- POS Pro's per-location pricing adds up across many stores
- Advanced retail workflows lag purpose-built systems like Lightspeed
#4
Clover
Best for: Stores that want hardware and software from one provider
Visit clover.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Clover (from Fiserv) is the hardware-first option: sleek terminals, handhelds and mobile readers that all run the same software. The app marketplace fills gaps with hundreds of third-party apps for loyalty, employee scheduling, gift cards and accounting integrations. For a counter-service store that values reliable hardware and an all-in-one counter setup, it is a polished choice.
The buying friction is pricing: quotes come through resellers and ISOs, and total cost depends on hardware, software tier, apps and processing rates. Get competing quotes and read the processing agreement carefully. Clover suits stores that want one throat to choke for hardware, software and payments.
What we like- Purpose-built hardware (Station, Mini, Flex, Go) designed to work together
- Large app marketplace extends the POS with loyalty, gift cards and accounting
- Strong offline capability for busy counters
Watch out for- Pricing is quote-based through resellers and varies widely
- Processing is tied to the Clover/Fiserv ecosystem
- App costs add up on top of the base software
#5
Epos Now
Best for: Stores wanting a complete hardware-plus-software bundle
Visit eposnow.com
Starting priceFrom $84/month (complete system from $399 one-time)
Free planNo
Epos Now sells the whole counter: terminal, printer, card reader and software in one package, advertised from $399 one-time plus $84/month. The software covers sales, inventory, staff management and reporting in the cloud, with integrations to accounting and ecommerce platforms. Setup is genuinely fast, and the 24/7 support gets good marks from small retailers.
Treat the headline pricing as a starting point: Epos Now runs frequent promotions, and the final quote depends on hardware choices and add-ons. For a new store that needs everything at once, the bundle math is attractive. For an existing store with hardware, compare the software-only cost against Square and KORONA.
What we like- Bundled hardware and software packages simplify buying
- Cloud-based with real-time reporting from any device
- Hundreds of app integrations for accounting, loyalty and ecommerce
Watch out for- The advertised pricing is promotion-driven and changes often
- The monthly fee applies per system
- Advanced inventory depth trails Lightspeed and ERPLY
#6
KORONA POS
Best for: Retailers that refuse long contracts and locked-in processing
Visit koronapos.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
KORONA POS positions itself as the anti-lock-in POS: no contracts, no forced payment processing, bring your own rates. Underneath that stance is a capable retail system with strong inventory management, custom reporting and multi-location support, plus ticketing and cafe modules for hybrid businesses. Support is in-house and unlimited, which shows in reviews.
The tradeoff is polish and ecosystem: the design is workmanlike, and you will not find hundreds of third-party apps. For independent retailers (liquor stores, wineries, gift shops) that have been burned by contracts or processing lock-in, KORONA's terms are the feature. Get the quote, compare total cost against Square's bundled processing, and decide with real numbers.
What we like- No long-term contracts and no forced processing agreements
- Advanced inventory, reporting (KORONA Studio) and multi-store management
- In-house US-based support team with free unlimited support
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing with no public numbers
- The interface is functional rather than beautiful
- Smaller app marketplace than Clover or Square
#7
Heartland Retail
Best for: Stores wanting POS, payments, payroll and support from one company
Visit heartland.us
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Heartland (a Global Payments company) sells the relationship as much as the software: POS, payments and payroll from one provider with human support that picks up fast. The retail POS covers sales, inventory, customers and reporting in the cloud, paired with Heartland's payment processing. For owners who want a person to call rather than a help center to search, that matters.
The bundle is also the risk: leaving means replacing payments, software and support at once, so negotiate the processing terms up front and get them in writing. Heartland suits established small retailers that value service continuity over the cheapest rate.
What we like- One vendor for POS software, payment processing and payroll
- US-based support answering in about 30 seconds on average, per the company
- Cloud-based with versatile hardware options
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing with no public tiers
- The bundle means processing and software renew together
- Fewer third-party integrations than Square or Clover
#8
ERPLY
Best for: Multi-store retailers and franchises needing inventory depth
Visit erply.com
Starting priceFrom $59/month
Free planYes (free account)
ERPLY is the dark horse for growing chains: cloud POS plus genuine warehouse management, stock transfers, purchase orders and multi-store reporting from $59/month, with a free account to start. The open API and low-code app maker let technical teams build custom workflows, and offline POS keeps registers running when the internet drops. Regional data hosting (US, Canada, EU, Australia) helps international retailers.
It is less polished than Lightspeed and less simple than Square, but for a retailer outgrowing a single-store system, ERPLY's inventory depth per dollar is hard to beat. Plan the implementation properly: multi-store inventory done wrong is worse than no system at all.
What we like- Deep inventory and warehouse management (WMS) unusual at this price
- Multi-store, franchise and offline POS support
- Open API and app maker for custom workflows
- Free account to explore
Watch out for- The interface shows its age in places
- Onboarding a multi-location setup takes real effort
- Support quality varies by plan tier
The hardware question
Software gets the attention, but hardware decides your go-live date and your counter's daily reliability. Three rules: buy hardware certified for your software (uncertified card readers cause the most common support headaches), budget for spares of whatever touches money (one dead terminal on a Saturday costs more than a backup), and test offline mode before you need it. Clover, Epos Now and Square sell matched hardware bundles; Lightspeed, KORONA and ERPLY work with a wider range of third-party devices. If you already own tablets or terminals, that compatibility list should narrow your shortlist fast.
What store software really costs
The subscription is the smallest line on the real invoice. A honest first-year budget includes: the software subscription, hardware (terminals, printers, scanners, cash drawers), payment processing (the largest ongoing cost for most stores, typically 1.5 to 3.5 percent of card volume), onboarding and training, app subscriptions, and receipt paper and labels. A "free" POS with 2.9 percent processing can cost more than an $89/month system with 1.5 percent processing once volume grows. Model your actual card volume against the processing rates before you compare subscription prices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best store management software for a small retail store?
Square for Retail (free to start, easy setup) and Shopify POS (if you already use Shopify) are the most popular picks for small stores. Lightspeed Retail fits stores with complex inventory, and Epos Now suits new stores that need hardware and software bundled.
How much does store management software cost?
From free (Square's free plan, ERPLY's free account) to around $59 to $89 per month per location for mid-tier systems, plus hardware and payment processing fees. Enterprise and multi-location setups are quote-based. Always budget processing fees separately: they usually exceed the software cost.
Do I need separate software for POS and inventory?
No. Every system on this list combines point of sale with inventory management. The question is depth: Lightspeed, ERPLY and KORONA handle complex inventory (purchase orders, transfers, warehouses), while simpler systems cover stock counts and low-stock alerts.
Can store management software handle multiple locations?
Yes, all eight support multi-location operation, though the depth varies. Lightspeed, ERPLY and KORONA are strongest for multi-store inventory transfers and consolidated reporting. Shopify POS Pro and Square's paid tiers also support multiple locations.
What hardware do I need for a POS system?
At minimum: a terminal or tablet, a card reader, a receipt printer and a cash drawer. Barcode scanners and label printers matter for inventory-heavy stores. Most vendors sell certified bundles; using uncertified hardware is the most common source of support problems.
Should I bundle payment processing with my POS?
Bundling simplifies billing and support (Square, Clover, Heartland), but it locks your processing rate to one provider. KORONA and ERPLY let you bring your own processor, which can save money at higher volumes. Compare the total cost including processing, not just the software subscription.
How we chose
We started with the store management software category as retail buyers search it, then verified each vendor's live homepage and current product lineup. We checked pricing pages directly and wrote "See website" wherever pricing was quote-based or not rendered, rather than repeating third-party estimates. We excluded restaurant-only systems and discontinued products, and favored systems with distinct, verifiable positioning for different store sizes and needs.
Sources we checked (10)
- https://www.lightspeedhq.com/
- https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pricing/
- https://www.squareup.com/
- https://www.shopify.com/
- https://www.shopify.com/pos/pricing
- https://www.clover.com/
- https://www.eposnow.com/
- https://www.koronapos.com/
- https://www.heartland.us/
- https://www.erply.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 spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.