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 is the best free start, with a free plan, no contracts, and hardware for every budget.
- Lightspeed is the best inventory pick, with variant tracking, purchase orders, and multi-location stock.
- Toast is the restaurant benchmark, with kitchen displays, table management, and deep reporting.
- Clover is the hardware pick, but buy direct: reseller contracts hide fees that direct pricing does not.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Square | Free start, all-around | Free | Yes |
 Lightspeed Retail | Inventory-heavy retail | $109/month | No |
 Toast | Full-service restaurants | $0 starter kit | No |
 Clover | Flexible hardware | $14.95/month | No |
 TouchBistro | iPad restaurants | $69/month | No |
 SpotOn | Restaurant profit tools | $0/month | No |
 Helcim | Low processing costs | Free | Yes |
 Loyverse | Free small-shop POS | Free | Yes |
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We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best Shopify POS alternatives
#1Square
Best for: Free start, all-around4.6/5 on
G2 (1,208 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit squareup.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Square is the best free start and the most popular Shopify POS alternative. Its homepage presents a point of sale platform that powers the whole business, with payments in person and online, team management through payroll and scheduling, marketing campaigns and loyalty, cash flow tools with instant fund access, and hundreds of app partners. It reports more than 450,000 food and beverage sellers globally, $39 billion-plus generated by retailers using Square annually, and 15 million-plus appointments booked through Square every month.
Published comparisons list a free plan, Plus at $49 a month per location, and Premium at $149, with in-person processing at 2.6 percent plus 15 cents on the free plan. The trade-off is processing cost at scale: flat-rate pricing is simple but expensive once volume grows, which is when Helcim's interchange-plus model wins. For small retail, quick-service, food trucks, and services, Square is the strongest pick here.
What we like- Free plan with no contracts
- Hardware from $59 readers to full registers
- Payroll, loyalty, and banking in one system
Watch out for- Light on full-service restaurant depth
- Flat-rate processing gets expensive at volume
Starting price$109/month
Free planNo
Lightspeed Retail is the inventory champion. Its homepage presents a leading point of sale and commerce platform that meets customers wherever they shop, unifying in-person, online, and social sales, with highly customizable setups for apparel, footwear, garden, home, bike, sporting goods, CBD, and vape stores, plus mobile selling, funding access, and personalized support. It reports trust from businesses in more than 100 countries, with customers managing 115 stores on one system and 10,000-plus SKUs.
Published comparisons list Lightspeed Retail from $109 a month for Basic, $179 for Core, and $339 for Plus, with Lightspeed Payments card-present rates around 1.5 percent in some guides. The trade-off is cost and complexity: Lightspeed is the most expensive retail pick here and takes longer to learn. For specialty retail with complex inventory, Lightspeed is the best Shopify POS alternative.
What we like- Advanced inventory with variants and purchase orders
- Multi-location stock
- Industry-specific setups
- 100-plus countries
Watch out for- Expensive
- Steeper learning curve than Square
Starting price$0 starter kit
Free planNo
Toast is the restaurant benchmark. Its homepage presents a POS built for peak volume, slim margins, and complexity at scale, trusted by 180,000 locations, with Toast IQ connecting data and workflows across the business at no additional cost, thousands of restaurant-specific features, and revenue at Toast restaurants averaging more than 47 percent greater than the average US restaurant. It holds G2 Grid Leader and Fastest Implementation badges for restaurant POS.
Published comparisons list a $0 starter kit and paid point of sale plans from $69 a month per location, with 1 to 3 year contracts and closed hardware. The trade-off is lock-in: Toast hardware only works with Toast, and contracts tie you down. For full-service and quick-service restaurants, Toast is the strongest pick here, while retail shops should look at Square or Lightspeed instead.
What we like- Restaurant benchmark
- Kitchen displays
- Table management
- Toast IQ data included at no extra cost
Watch out for- 1 to 3 year contracts
- Closed hardware
- Add-ons get expensive
#4Clover
Best for: Flexible hardware3.8/5 on
G2 (108 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit clover.com
Starting price$14.95/month
Free planNo
Clover is the hardware pick. Its homepage presents a POS for food and beverage businesses, with a Clover for every small business, restaurant-grade hardware including Mini, Flex, Station Duo, KDS, and Kiosk, online ordering integrations, a custom website with menu management, hosted checkout, and pickup and delivery in one system. It reports being named Best in Class by Javelin's 2025 Small-Business Point-of-Sale System Scorecard.
Published comparisons list Clover from $14.95 a month direct, rising to $354 a month per device on higher plans, and warn that reseller channels carry hidden fees that direct pricing does not. The trade-off is the seller: buy direct from Clover, not through a reseller, or the same hardware can carry very different rates. For businesses that want polished terminals and processor choice, Clover is the best pick here.
What we like- Wide hardware range from Mini to Station Duo to Kiosk
- App marketplace
- Named Best in Class by Javelin 2025
Watch out for- Reseller pricing varies wildly
- Processing rates depend on seller
Starting price$69/month
Free planNo
TouchBistro is the iPad restaurant pick. Its homepage presents an all-in-one POS and restaurant management system that is fast, reliable, and easy to use, built for restaurants, with menus, staff, tableside ordering, floor plans, reporting, inventory, labor management, kitchen displays, gift cards, loyalty, marketing, online ordering, and reservations on one cloud-based platform. Its own FAQ states POS software starts at $69 a month for all restaurant POS features, with an Essentials Bundle from $99 a month including hardware and payments with $0 upfront hardware.
The trade-off is fit: TouchBistro is built exclusively for foodservice and is not a good fit for retail businesses, food trucks, or catering companies, per its own FAQ. It is also Apple-first, with iPads as the core hardware. For iPad-based full-service restaurants that want a Toast alternative without Toast contracts, TouchBistro is the best pick here.
What we like- IPad-first design
- Floor plans and table management
- Offline ordering between devices
- Strong restaurant focus
Watch out for- Not for retail or food trucks
- Smaller ecosystem than Toast
- Apple hardware required
#6SpotOn
Best for: Restaurant profit tools4.4/5 on
G2 (245 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit spoton.com
Starting price$0/month
Free planNo
SpotOn is the restaurant profit pick. Its homepage presents restaurant technology from a company that gets hospitality, with a cloud-based restaurant management system covering point of sale, online ordering, reservations, labor management, AI-powered profit and loss analysis, and integrations, plus 24/7 support. It reports being the number one point of sale according to real restaurants on G2 for 6 consecutive quarters, with point of sale software plans starting as low as $0 a month and a Core Bundle for most restaurants.
The trade-off is focus: SpotOn is restaurant-first, so retail shops get less than they would from Square or Lightspeed. Its commission-free online ordering and AI profit analysis are the standout features for restaurants watching margins. For restaurants that want Toast-level depth with a different support culture, SpotOn is the best pick here.
What we like- Number one rated restaurant POS on G2 for 6 quarters
- Commission-free online ordering
- AI profit analysis
- 24/7 support
Watch out for- Restaurant-first
- Pricing scales with bundles
- Smaller retail feature set
#7Helcim
Best for: Low processing costs3.9/5 on
G2 (19 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit helcim.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Helcim is the processing-cost pick. Its homepage presents affordable payments with wholesale rates, human support, and no fine print, with no monthly fees, no PCI compliance fees, and no subscription charges: you only pay when you process a transaction. Its interchange-plus model passes card brand costs straight through with a small transparent margin that shrinks automatically as volume grows, typically saving 25 percent on average versus flat-rate processors once a business reaches $40,000-plus a month in sales. It offers up to $500 in processing credits for switching, free data migration, and next-business-day deposits.
Published comparisons list in-person rates from 1.83 percent plus 8 cents and online from 2.77 percent plus 25 cents. The trade-off is ecosystem: Helcim's POS is thinner than Square's or Lightspeed's, and proprietary hardware from Clover or Square will not transfer. For growing businesses where processing fees now hurt, Helcim is the best Shopify POS alternative here.
What we like- No monthly fees
- Interchange-plus pricing with automatic volume discounts
- Up to $500 switching credits
- Next-day deposits
Watch out for- Smaller ecosystem than Square
- POS depth thinner than Lightspeed or Toast
#8Loyverse
Best for: Free small-shop POS4.7/5 on
G2 (17 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit loyverse.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Loyverse is the free small-shop pick. Its homepage presents a free POS system that powers the whole business, with real-time sales tracking, inventory management, team oversight, and customer engagement in one place, reporting more than 350,000 active merchants in 170-plus countries, $31 billion in annual sales, and 30-plus languages. Its free tier includes point of sale, sales analytics for the last 31 days, essential inventory, loyalty, multi-store management, customer display, kitchen display, and integrations, with optional paid add-ons.
The trade-off is payments: integrated payment providers vary by country, and US merchants should confirm their provider before committing. Loyverse runs on phones and tablets you already own, with no proprietary hardware required, and keeps recording sales offline. For small shops, cafes, and quick-service spots that want a free POS without a contract, Loyverse is the best pick here.
What we like- Truly free core POS
- Offline sales recording
- Inventory, loyalty, and multi-store included
- No proprietary hardware
Watch out for- Integrated payments vary by country
- Advanced features are paid add-ons
- Smaller US presence
How we chose
We compared these tools on entry cost, processing rates, hardware, inventory depth, restaurant features, offline mode, contract terms, and ecosystem size. We opened each vendor's homepage to confirm the product exists today and matches its description, and we used published comparison guides where homepage pricing was not shown. We did not claim hands-on testing. Where a price could not be verified from the vendor, we used published comparison figures and flagged them as such rather than guessing. Shopify POS itself starts at $39 a month for Basic, with POS Pro adding $89 a month per location, per published comparisons, so most alternatives here cost less at entry, though processing rates decide the real bill.
What to verify in a trial
Start by calculating your real monthly cost at your actual sales volume, since the processing rate matters more than the subscription once you pass a few thousand dollars a month. Next, test the hardware you plan to use, since Bluetooth and printer issues are the most common POS complaints. Finally, check contract terms and exit costs before signing, especially with Toast and Clover resellers, since hardware leases and early termination fees can dwarf the software price.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shopify POS?
Shopify POS is Shopify's point of sale system for in-person selling, syncing inventory, customers, and orders with an online Shopify store. It starts at $39 a month for Basic, with POS Pro adding $89 a month per location, per published comparisons. Teams leave it for lower costs, restaurant features, or inventory depth.
Which Shopify POS alternative is free?
Square offers a free plan, Helcim charges no monthly fees, and Loyverse offers a free core POS. Lightspeed, Toast, Clover, TouchBistro, and SpotOn charge monthly fees or processing minimums.
Which is best for restaurants?
Toast is the restaurant benchmark, with kitchen displays and table management. TouchBistro is the best iPad alternative, and SpotOn is the best pick for profit tools and commission-free online ordering.
Which is best for retail with lots of inventory?
Lightspeed Retail, with variant tracking, purchase orders, and multi-location stock, is the best inventory pick. Square suits simpler retail, and Loyverse suits small shops on a budget.
Should I buy Clover direct or through a reseller?
Buy direct. Published comparisons warn that Clover reseller contracts carry hidden fees and wildly variable rates, while direct pricing runs from $14.95 a month per device.
What matters more, the subscription or the processing rate?
The processing rate, once volume grows. A free plan at 2.6 percent plus 15 cents can cost more per month than a $109 plan at 1.5 percent, so calculate both at your real sales volume.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://squareup.com
- https://www.lightspeedhq.com
- https://pos.toasttab.com
- https://www.clover.com
- https://www.touchbistro.com
- https://spoton.com
- https://www.helcim.com
- https://loyverse.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.