How we chose these POS systems
We only listed systems that bundle software, hardware and card processing from one company, because that bundle is what a small business actually signs. Then we scored the payments account behind each one with the six weighted criteria on our methodology page: holds and termination risk 25%, pricing transparency 20%, contract terms 20%, total cost 15%, support 10% and customer evidence 10%.
Why score the payments account and not the features? Because features are easy to compare in a free trial, and the account terms are not. A POS with great menus is still a bad buy if its devices go dead when you leave, or if a frozen deposit can stop payroll. Each review linked from the list shows every criterion and what its score rests on.
Square is placed first as our top pick, above higher scores. For a first POS it has the shortest path from box to first sale: a working free plan, hardware you own, and no contract [1][2]. Its 3.2 is shown exactly as scored. BatchOut, our processing service, is a Square dealer and earns money on Square sign-ups made through it. The other seven are in strict score order.
Stripe, Stax, Dharma and Chase were scored too, but they sell card processing first and leave the register software to partners, so they sit on our processor list instead.
Every POS has three costs, and the rate is only one
A POS costs you software, hardware and processing. The comparison table above adds all three for one year on a $30,000 month. GoDaddy came in lowest among flat-rate systems at $9,275, and Heartland highest at $11,868 before its quoted hardware [3][4][18].
- Software. Square, GoDaddy, Helcim, PayPal and Toast pay-as-you-go all have a $0 starting software plan [1][3][6][8][14]. Shopify starts at $39 a month and adds $89 per location for POS Pro [10][11]. Heartland starts at $89 a station [18].
- Hardware. You can start with a $29 PayPal reader or a $49 Shopify reader, or buy a full counter system. Square's Register costs $899 and its Terminal $299 [2][8][12].
- Processing. This is the biggest of the three by far. At $30,000 a month, even a 0.3-point rate difference is $90 a month, or $1,080 a year.
Two paid add-ons change the math for food businesses. Square's kitchen display app is not on the free plan and costs $30 a device a month on Plus [5]. Toast's lower 2.49% rate comes with a monthly software fee and hardware you buy up front [14].
Processor lock-in: what happens to your hardware if you leave
| POS | Hardware | Leaving |
|---|---|---|
| Square | Bought outright or paid over 12 to 24 months [2] | Cancel or switch anytime [1] |
| GoDaddy | Bought outright [4] | No term; 30 days' notice |
| Helcim | Reader bought outright [6] | No contract or cancellation fee [7] |
| PayPal | Terminal only runs PayPal software [9] | No long-term commitment [8] |
| Shopify | Bought outright [12] | Cancel your plan anytime [10] |
| Toast | You own it [14] | Renews each year unless you give notice [15] |
| Clover | Cannot be used with other processors [16] | 36-month subscriptions if not bought [17] |
| Heartland | By quote | Agreement not public |
The safest pattern is hardware you own outright and an agreement you can end with notice. If a salesperson offers a terminal on a monthly lease from a separate leasing company, stop and read our terminal lease guide first. Those leases often outlast the processing account.
Which POS fits which kind of business
- Retail counter with a lot of products: Square or Shopify if you also sell online, Clover if you want a large countertop screen and will buy it outright.
- Coffee shop, bakery or quick-service food: GoDaddy, whose food page highlights sending orders to kitchen printers and taking payments offline [22], or Square on a paid plan for its kitchen display app.
- Full-service restaurant with tables and coursing: Toast. See our restaurant list.
- Salon, repair shop or service business: Helcim or Square, both with free software and no contract.
- Markets, food trucks and pop-ups: PayPal or Square, with a reader and your phone.
Support when the register goes down
When your POS stops on a Saturday night, phone hours decide how much you lose. Toast offers support around the clock by phone or web messaging with every software subscription [13]. Square's phone hours depend on the plan you pay for, with 24/7 phone only on Premium [1][20]. Shopify offers live chat around the clock on Basic but phone support only on its Plus plan [10]. Helcim's phone line is open weekdays and Saturdays, but not Sundays [23]. Heartland says its team answers calls in 30 seconds on average [18].
If you run late hours or weekends, weigh support more than a few hundredths of a point on the rate.
Five checks before you buy any POS
- Ask whether the hardware works with another processor if you leave, and get the answer in writing.
- Find the term, renewal and early termination fee in the agreement itself, not the brochure.
- Price a full year: software, hardware and processing at your real monthly sales.
- Read the reserve and hold section of the payment terms.
- Check support hours against your own opening hours.
In New Jersey, if you plan to add a credit card surcharge through your POS, state law caps it at your actual cost to process the payment [21]. See our New Jersey surcharge law guide.