The best POS for most US retailers is Square: free software, a competitive flat rate, and fast setup. Lightspeed Retail is the strongest for serious inventory and multi-store, Shopify POS is best if you also sell online, and Clover offers the widest hardware and app range. Live pricing and a calculator are below.
Independent guide by SMBCompare. Prices last checked . How we compare
Square is the best all-around retail POS for small and mid-size shops. The software is free, the flat rate is competitive, hardware is inexpensive, and it covers inventory, staff, and reporting well enough for most stores.
Watch out: Inventory depth tops out for very large catalogs or complex multi-store needs.
Lightspeed Retail is built for retailers who live by their stock: deep inventory, purchase ordering, supplier management, and multi-location control. The right call when your catalog runs to hundreds or thousands of SKUs.
Watch out: It charges a monthly software fee, so it earns its keep at scale.
Shopify POS is the pick for retailers who sell online and in-store, keeping inventory and orders in sync across both. If your shop is part of a wider e-commerce business, Shopify ties it together.
Watch out: It charges a monthly software fee depending on plan, plus processing.
Clover is an app-rich POS with the widest hardware range here and payments built in, so it flexes to fit different store setups, from a single counter to a larger floor.
Watch out: Rates and fees are often reseller-dependent, so read the terms before signing.
Enter your business details to see what each option would cost you. Prices are live from our database and shown in US dollars.
| 4 Providers | Square | Lightspeed | Shopify | Clover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est. Cost /mo (USD) | $713/mo | $782/mo | $675/moCheapest | |
| Ratings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.7Capterra (3,000+) | 4.0Capterra (970+) | 4.6Capterra (230+) | 3.8Capterra (570+) | |
| Software & Pricing | ||||
| $0/mo (Plus tiers $69-89/location) | $69-269/mo (Restaurant from $69, Retail $89-269) | $0 POS Lite (Pro ~$89/location) | Quote ($0-135/mo by plan/reseller) | |
| 2.6% + 10c | ~2.6% + 10c | 2.7% (in-person, Basic) | Quote (~2.3-2.6% + 10c indicative) | |
| 10c | 10c | None | Quote | |
| Reader $0 magstripe / contactless $49 / Stand $149 / Terminal $299 / Register $799 | iPad-based; reader/stand/printer bundles (~$300-1,000+) | Tap-and-chip reader from ~$49 / terminal kit to ~$329 | Flex / Mini / Station Duo (purchase or financed, quote) | |
| Free | Possible onboarding fee | Free | Quote (reseller-dependent) | |
| No lock-in | Annual term typical | No lock-in (monthly) | Varies (direct flexible; reseller multi-year) | |
| Not needed (free plan) | Yes (14 days) | Yes (3 days, then $1/mo intro) | No | |
| $0 (free plan); Plus $69-89/location | ~$39 per register | POS Pro ~$89/mo per location | Quote (per device) | |
| Core Features | ||||
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| AI | ||||
| Native (Square AI, copy, Photo Studio) | Native (Lightspeed AI, forecasting) | Native (Sidekick, Magic copy/images) | Limited (forecasting, Insights) | |
| Native MCP (dev/ops, beta) | Via 3rd-party (Zapier) | Native MCP (Storefront) | API only | |
| Industry & Integrations | ||||
| Yes (Square for Restaurants) | Yes (Restaurant product) | No (retail/omnichannel) | Yes (Table Service plan) | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| QuickBooks, Xero, Square Online, 200+ apps | QuickBooks, Xero, built-in eCom, DoorDash, Uber Eats, 100s of apps | QuickBooks, Xero, Shopify App Store, Afterpay/Klarna | Clover App Market, QuickBooks, Xero, e-commerce | |
| Both | Both (Retail + Restaurant) | Retail (omnichannel) | Both | |
| US phone (business hours), 24/7 chat | 24/7 (US-based) | 24/7 (chat/email) | 24/7 (direct); via reseller bank otherwise |
A retail point of sale (POS) system has a different job from a restaurant one: less about tables and tickets, more about stock control, fast checkout, and keeping inventory accurate across what can be thousands of products and several locations. The right system depends on how much inventory complexity you have and whether you also sell online. Below are our ranked picks, then a live calculator to cost each at your card volume.
Retailers weigh a POS on inventory capability and total cost. We ranked on how well the system manages stock (from a small shop to a multi-store catalog), the processing rate and any software fee, whether it syncs online and in-store for omnichannel sellers, and the hardware range. Pricing is live from our database in US dollars.
This is the key decision. A small shop with a modest range is well served by Square: free software, a low flat rate, and enough inventory tooling to cope. A retailer with hundreds or thousands of SKUs, variants, supplier orders, and multiple stores needs a dedicated platform, where Lightspeed's depth pays off despite its monthly fee. And if you sell online as well as in-store, omnichannel sync (Shopify POS) matters more than raw inventory depth.
Free software at a slightly higher processing rate can beat a paid platform with a lower rate, until volume or inventory complexity tips the balance. Work out software plus processing together at your real sales, which the calculator above does. For a small shop, free software usually wins; for a high-volume or inventory-heavy retailer, the capability of a paid platform earns its fee.
For most US retailers, Square is the best all-rounder: free software, a competitive rate, and fast setup. Choose Lightspeed if you need serious inventory and multi-store control, Shopify POS if you sell online and in-store, and Clover if you want the widest hardware and app range. Use the calculator above to cost each at your volume.
For most US retailers, Square is the best overall: free software, a competitive flat rate, and quick setup. For serious inventory and multi-store, Lightspeed is stronger, Shopify POS is best if you also sell online, and Clover has the widest hardware range. See the live rates and calculator above.
Yes. Square is a strong choice for most small and mid-size retail stores: the POS software is free, the flat card rate is competitive, the hardware is affordable, and it handles inventory, staff, and reporting well. Very large catalogs or complex multi-store setups are where a dedicated platform like Lightspeed Retail pulls ahead.
Square has free POS software with no monthly fee, so you only pay card processing, which makes it the cheapest entry point for small retailers. Inventory platforms like Lightspeed Retail charge a monthly software fee, so they cost more up front but add depth a small shop may not need.
Lightspeed Retail is the strongest for inventory, with purchase ordering, supplier management, and multi-store stock control for large catalogs. Square handles inventory well for small and mid-size shops, and Shopify keeps stock synced across online and in-store if you sell in both.
Shopify POS is the pick for omnichannel retail, keeping inventory and orders synced across your online store and physical shop. Square also offers an online store, so it can work for simpler omnichannel setups at a lower entry cost.
We are independent and not owned by any provider. Our picks weigh price, features and US fit for retail, using live pricing from our database, last checked June 19, 2026. The comparison table lets you estimate each option at your own numbers. See How we compare for our full method.