Best Retail POS System: 10 Options for Shops

A retail till does far more than take money now. It holds your stock counts, your customer list and every sale you've ever made, which is why switching later is such a pain.

The ten systems below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from free tablet apps to POS packages built around one type of store. Each description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If you also need rotas for shop staff, my guide to employee scheduling software covers that side.

Retail POS systems at a glance

In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
ConnectPOS	Cloud POS for online stores	Adding a till to an existing web store	Not stated
Erply	Retail POS and inventory	Stock control across several shops	Not stated
Hike	POS, payments and online store	One system for till and web shop	Trial only
KORONA POS	Retail POS	Convenience, liquor and specialty shops	Trial only
Lightspeed Retail	Multi-store POS suite	Multi-store retailers with big catalogues	Trial only
Loyverse	Free POS app	A first till on a tablet	Yes
POS Nation	Retail POS with hardware	Liquor, grocery and convenience stores	Not stated
Rain POS	Specialty retail POS	Bike, dive, music and fabric shops	Not stated
Shopify POS	In-person selling for web brands	Online brands opening a shop or pop-up	Not stated
Square for Retail	POS for single shops	Quick setup for a single shop	Trial only

Ten retail POS systems to consider

ConnectPOS

Best for: Retailers already selling on Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, NetSuite or WooCommerce who want a store POS built on top of that platform.

Erply

Best for: Shops where stock is the headache, with a cloud retail POS and inventory management sitting in one system instead of two.

Hike

Best for: Small retailers who want the shop counter, card payments and an online store run from one unified platform rather than separate apps.

KORONA POS

Best for: Owners of convenience, liquor, garden, thrift or gift shops who want a POS with franchise, multi-location and self-checkout features listed.

Lightspeed Retail

Best for: Growing retailers with several stores and deep catalogues who want POS, inventory, ecommerce and wholesale tools from one vendor.

Loyverse

Best for: Brand-new shops and market stalls that want a free POS app with inventory and a loyalty programme before moving to anything bigger.

POS Nation

Best for: Independent liquor, grocery, tobacco and convenience stores that want a POS package with hardware set up for their kind of shop.

Rain POS

Best for: Specialty shops such as bike, dive, music, quilt and fabric stores that also need rentals, work orders and an online store.

Shopify POS

Best for: Brands that already sell online and want in-person selling at shops, pop-ups and markets tied to the same back office.

Square for Retail

Best for: Single-location shops that want a retail POS from a big payments name, with the option to upgrade plans later.

The record-keeping rule hiding inside your till

Here's the part people forget when they pick a POS. The IRS says to keep business records for 3 years in most situations, and longer in the specific cases it lists on its records guidance.

Your POS is where most of those sales records live. Before you sign up, check that you can export every sale, refund and stock movement in a format you can open without the vendor. If you ever leave, those records have to come with you.

Free app, specialty system or online-first platform?

Retail POS options fall into three camps. Free and low-commitment apps run on a tablet and suit new shops and stalls. Specialty systems are built around one kind of store, such as bike, dive or liquor shops, with features like rentals or work orders. Online-first platforms come from ecommerce companies and suit brands that sell on a website as well as in person.

Pick the camp first, then compare within it. A quilting shop and a convenience store need very different things from the same screen.

Questions to ask in every demo

1. Can I import my current product list, including variants like size and colour?
2. How does stock update when I sell online and in the shop on the same day?
3. Which card readers and printers work with it, and can I use mine?
4. What happens at the till if the internet drops?
5. Can staff have their own logins and limited permissions?
6. How do I export all my data if I leave?

Features that matter more than they look

• Variant handling. Sizes, colours and styles that don't need a separate product each.
• Offline mode. The till keeps working when the internet doesn't.
• Customer records. A simple way to recognise regulars and reward them.
• Staff permissions. Limits on refunds and discounts by role.

When a shop outgrows its first POS

The signs are easy to spot: you're keeping stock in a spreadsheet next to the till, you can't see one shop's stock from another, or online orders keep selling items you've already sold in person. When two of those are true, it's time to look at a system with stronger inventory and multi-location support.

Retail POS for very small shops

If you're a one-person shop or a market trader, keep it simple. A tablet app with card payments, basic stock and a customer list covers almost everything. Spend your time on the shop, not on configuring software.

Do you make retail POS software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on choosing a retail POS

Don't choose on the screen that looks nicest in the demo. Choose on how well it handles your stock, because that's where shops lose hours every week. Run your messiest product, the one with ten sizes and three colours, through every system on your shortlist.

Then think about the next three years, not the next three months. If you plan to sell online, make sure the POS and the web shop share one stock count. My ecommerce website checklist covers what that online side needs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best retail POS system?

There isn't one best system for every shop. Free apps suit new stalls, specialty systems suit stores like bike or liquor shops, and online-first platforms suit brands that also sell on a website.

Is there a free retail POS system?

Yes. At least one system on this list describes itself as free POS software. Check the table for each one.

How long should I keep sales records from my POS?

The IRS says to keep records for 3 years in most situations, with longer periods in the cases it lists. Make sure you can export your POS data.

Can a retail POS manage stock as well as sales?

Most can. Check how it handles variants, transfers between shops and stock sold online.

Do I need special hardware for a retail POS?

Some systems sell their own hardware and others work with a tablet and a card reader. Ask which devices are supported before you buy anything.

What's the difference between a retail POS and a restaurant POS?

Retail systems focus on products, variants and stock. Restaurant systems focus on tables, kitchen tickets and menus.