7 providersAll prices in USDPrices checked Jul 29, 2026

Compare POS Systems in the United States

Compare the best POS systems for US retail and hospitality. See point of sale software costs, card processing rates, hardware, contracts, inventory, and table management side by side.

Browse all POS Systems in our directory

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	SpotOn	Shopify	Square	Lightspeed	Clover	Toast	TouchBistro
Est. Cost /mo (USD)	$668/moCheapest	$675/mo	$713/mo	$782/mo
	Visit SpotOn	Visit Shopify	Visit Square	Visit Lightspeed	Visit Clover	Visit Toast	Visit TouchBistro

Ratings
	4.4Capterra (300+)	4.6Capterra (230+)	4.7Capterra (3,000+)	4.0Capterra (970+)	3.8Capterra (570+)	4.2Capterra (600+)	3.8GetApp (412)
Software & Pricing
	$55/station/mo	$0 POS Lite (Pro ~$89/location)	$0/mo (Plus tiers $69-89/location)	$69-269/mo (Restaurant from $69, Retail $89-269)	Quote ($0-135/mo by plan/reseller)	Quote ($0 Starter to ~$165/mo + add-ons)	From $69/mo
	Best2.45% + $0.15	2.7% (in-person, Basic)	2.6% + 10c	~2.6% + 10c	Quote (~2.3-2.6% + 10c indicative)	Quote (Toast payments, negotiable)	Quote (custom "cost plus" rate, never published)
	Quote	None	10c	10c	Quote	Quote	Not stated
	Quote (SpotOn Terminal, handhelds, KDS)	Tap-and-chip reader from ~$49 / terminal kit to ~$329	Reader $0 magstripe / contactless $49 / Stand $149 / Terminal $299 / Register $799	iPad-based; reader/stand/printer bundles (~$300-1,000+)	Flex / Mini / Station Duo (purchase or financed, quote)	Quote (proprietary terminals, KDS, handhelds)	Quote (iPad-based; financing offered for 2 or more terminals)
	Quote (onboarding with local rep)	Free	Free	Possible onboarding fee	Quote (reseller-dependent)	Quote (implementation)	Not stated
	No long-term lock-in (claimed)	No lock-in (monthly)	No lock-in	Annual term typical	Varies (direct flexible; reseller multi-year)	Quote (multi-year typical)	Not stated
	Demo only	Yes (3 days, then $1/mo intro)	Not needed (free plan)	Yes (14 days)	No	Demo only	Not stated
	$55/station/mo	POS Pro ~$89/mo per location	$0 (free plan); Plus $69-89/location	~$39 per register	Quote (per device)	Quote (per handheld/terminal)	Not stated
Core Features
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	✓	Limited	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Not stated
AI
	Limited (reporting, marketing AI)	Native (Sidekick, Magic copy/images)	Native (Square AI, copy, Photo Studio)	Native (Lightspeed AI, forecasting)	Limited (forecasting, Insights)	Native (ToastIQ)	Not stated
	API only	Native MCP (Storefront)	Native MCP (dev/ops, beta)	Via 3rd-party (Zapier)	API only	Via 3rd-party (community)	Not stated
Industry & Integrations
	Yes (restaurant)	No (retail/omnichannel)	Yes (Square for Restaurants)	Yes (Restaurant product)	Yes (Table Service plan)	Yes (core, restaurant-only)	Yes (floor plan, tableside ordering)
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	DoorDash, Uber Eats, QuickBooks, reservations, marketing	QuickBooks, Xero, Shopify App Store, Afterpay/Klarna	QuickBooks, Xero, Square Online, 200+ apps	QuickBooks, Xero, built-in eCom, DoorDash, Uber Eats, 100s of apps	Clover App Market, QuickBooks, Xero, e-commerce	DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, QuickBooks, 100+	7shifts, MarginEdge
	Hospitality (some retail)	Retail (omnichannel)	Both	Both (Retail + Restaurant)	Both	Hospitality (restaurants)	Restaurants only
	24/7 (US-based, local reps)	24/7 (chat/email)	US phone (business hours), 24/7 chat	24/7 (US-based)	24/7 (direct); via reseller bank otherwise	24/7 (US-based)	24/7

Estimates based on $25,000/mo volume. Rates can change without notice, confirm current pricing with the provider before signing on.

How we calculate this

Estimated cost: each provider’s published prices and rates applied to the inputs you set above (such as volume, team size, or invoices), plus any fixed monthly fees.
Providers with an incomplete cost (shown as “+ processing”) and quote-only providers are never ranked as the cheapest while a complete-cost option exists. A “+ payroll” tag means payroll is not built in, so you would run it on separate software; those providers are still ranked on cost, and you can hide them with the Payroll included filter.
These are estimates. Published rates can change and your final pricing depends on your business, so confirm current pricing with the provider before switching.

Provider details

The top providers, expanded.

Same data as the table above, broken out per provider with the use cases each one fits best.

We may earn a commission when you click through to a provider. This never affects ranking or data shown. Read our terms.

SpotOn

All-in-one restaurant and small-business POS with local US reps, handhelds, online ordering, and integrated payments (quote-led).

Est. cost

$668/mo

Best for

US restaurants and small-business hospitality wanting an all-in-one platform with local reps and integrated payments

Software/mo: $55/station/mo
Processing: 2.45% + $0.15
Hardware: Quote (SpotOn Terminal, handhelds, KDS)
Contract: No long-term lock-in (claimed)

Visit SpotOnView full details

Shopify

Omnichannel POS from the e-commerce platform, best for US retailers who also sell online, with unified stock and orders.

Est. cost

$675/mo

Best for

US retailers who also sell online and want one system for in-store and e-commerce stock and orders

Software/mo: $0 POS Lite (Pro ~$89/location)
Processing: 2.7% (in-person, Basic)
Hardware: Tap-and-chip reader from ~$49 / terminal kit to ~$329
Contract: No lock-in (monthly)

Visit ShopifyView full details

Square

Flat-rate card processing for in-person and online with no monthly fees or contracts.

Est. cost

$713/mo

Best for

Small retail, hospitality, and pop-up businesses wanting the simplest way into US card payments

Software/mo: $0/mo (Plus tiers $69-89/location)
Processing: 2.6% + 10c
Hardware: Reader $0 magstripe / contactless $49 / Stand $149 / Terminal $299 / Register $799
Contract: No lock-in

Visit SquareView full details

Lightspeed

Advanced retail and restaurant POS for established and multi-location US businesses, with deep inventory and built-in payments.

Est. cost

$782/mo

Best for

Established or multi-location US retailers and full-service restaurants wanting advanced inventory and reporting

Software/mo: $69-269/mo (Restaurant from $69, Retail $89-269)
Processing: ~2.6% + 10c
Hardware: iPad-based; reader/stand/printer bundles (~$300-1,000+)
Contract: Annual term typical

Visit LightspeedView full details

Clover

An app-rich POS and payments platform from Fiserv, sold direct and through banking resellers.

Best for

Retail and dining businesses wanting an app-rich POS with payments built in, who will read the reseller terms

Software/mo: Quote ($0-135/mo by plan/reseller)
Processing: Quote (~2.3-2.6% + 10c indicative)
Hardware: Flex / Mini / Station Duo (purchase or financed, quote)
Contract: Varies (direct flexible; reseller multi-year)

Visit CloverView full details

Toast

A restaurant-only POS and payments platform built for the front and back of house.

Best for

Restaurants, bars, and cafes wanting an all-in-one hospitality POS with payments built in

Software/mo: Quote ($0 Starter to ~$165/mo + add-ons)
Processing: Quote (Toast payments, negotiable)
Hardware: Quote (proprietary terminals, KDS, handhelds)
Contract: Quote (multi-year typical)

Visit ToastView full details

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