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Point-of-sale (POS) systems keep your business running by letting you process sales, oversee inventory, track performance, run marketing campaigns, and manage your employees. However, the POS market is saturated with options, leaving many small business owners wondering what the best solution is for them.
For this guide, I reviewed top providers in the market against a 30-point rubric that evaluates value for money, versatility, ease of use and setup, and scalability.
The best POS systems for small businesses are:
Looking for the best POS system for your small business? Compare vetted products, see reviews, pricing info, recommendations & more. Read the full article here!
Have you ever ordered an item from a restaurant menu on to learn a few minutes later that your order is not available? While this frustrates a lot of diners, restaurants that use a Point-of-Sale (POS) system can eliminate this scenario. Instead, they get real-time updates from the POS on what is available on the menu, which gives them a heads-up on what to advise customers.
POS software can improve restaurant management and increase efficiency in operations to which diners agree. 71% of consumers agree that restaurant technology improves the guest experience (Restaurant Technology News, 2022). Legacy systems are still being used by the vast majority. Technology has become a powerful tool for entrepreneurs to automate and digitize tasks, and POS software is one of the most important assets of any restaurant. Some POS systems even integrate contract repository tools, CRM software, and CMMS software features into their platform.
In this guide, we have listed the best POS software to assist you in finding a dependable platform for your business. To aid you in evaluating your options, the key features of each software are presented, along with pricing details, so you can thoroughly evaluate how it will benefit your operations. This guide also presents POS software statistics and trends to help you gain an overall picture of how this technology is revolutionizing various sectors and industries.
Best for Small Businesses
Square is widely recognized for its affordability, ease of use, and versatility. It's perfect for small businesses across industries like retail, restaurants, and service providers.
Key Features: Free plan available, built-in payment processing, inventory tracking, customer management, and sales analytics.
Why Choose It: No monthly fees for basic plans and great hardware options.
2. Shopify POS
Best for E-commerce Integration
Shopify POS integrates seamlessly with Shopify’s e-commerce platform, making it ideal for businesses with both online and physical stores.
Key Features: Omnichannel support, inventory syncing, detailed analytics, and customer loyalty tools.
Why Choose It: Perfect for businesses aiming for a unified online and offline presence.
3. Toast POS
Best for Restaurants
Designed specifically for the food service industry, Toast POS offers features that cater to restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Key Features: Table management, menu customization, online ordering, and employee management tools.
Why Choose It: Its restaurant-specific functionalities and robust reporting tools make it a standout choice.
4. Lightspeed POS
Best for Retail and Hospitality
Lightspeed offers advanced tools for inventory management, making it suitable for retail, hospitality, and golf course businesses.
Key Features: Advanced reporting, customer loyalty programs, e-commerce integration, and multi-store support.
Why Choose It: Great for managing complex inventories and multi-location businesses.
5. Clover POS
Best for Customization
Clover is known for its customizable hardware and software options, allowing businesses to tailor the system to their needs.
Key Features: App marketplace for custom features, mobile capabilities, and intuitive interface.
Why Choose It: Ideal for businesses looking for a highly flexible and scalable solution.
6. Revel Systems POS
Best for Large Enterprises
Revel Systems is a powerful, cloud-based solution for large businesses and franchises.
Key Features: Extensive integrations, advanced inventory tools, CRM capabilities, and reporting analytics.
Why Choose It: Excellent for businesses with high transaction volumes or multiple locations.
Each system excels in different areas, so your choice will depend on your business type, size, and specific needs. Let me know if you'd like a deeper dive into any of these!
Have you ever experienced ordering an item from a restaurant menu on to learn a few minutes later that your order is not available? While this frustrates a lot of diners, restaurants that use a Point-of-Sale (POS) system are able to eliminate this scenario. Instead, they get real-time updates from the POS on what is available on the menu, which gives them a heads-up on what to advise customers.
POS software can improve restaurant management and increase efficiency in operations to which diners agree. In fact, 71% of consumers agree that restaurant technology improves guest experience (Restaurant Technology News, 2025). Legacy systems are still being used by the vast majority. Technology has become a powerful tool for entrepreneurs to automate and digitize tasks, and POS software is one of the most important assets of any restaurant. Some POS systems even integrate contract repository tools, CRM software and CMMS software features into their platform.
In this guide, we have listed the best POS software to assist you in finding a dependable platform for your business. To aid you in evaluating your options, the key features of each software are presented, along with pricing details, so you can thoroughly evaluate how it will benefit your operations. This guide also presents POS software statistics and trends to help you gain an overall picture of how this technology is revolutionizing various sectors and industries.
For 2025, top-rated POS management software includes Square for all-around value, Shopify POS for e-commerce integration, Toast for restaurants, Lightspeed for advanced inventory, and Clover for all-in-one solutions.
General Purpose & All-in-One:
Nextzen POS:
Known for its ease of use, affordability, and comprehensive features, making it a great choice for small businesses and startups.
Shopify POS:
Ideal for businesses that want to seamlessly integrate their in-store sales with their online e-commerce platform.
Clover POS:
Offers a comprehensive solution with hardware and software, supporting loyalty programs, employee management, and online ordering.
Lightspeed POS:
A robust solution for retail and restaurant businesses, known for its advanced inventory management and sales analytics.
Restaurant-Specific:
Toast POS:
Specifically designed for restaurants, offering features like table management, menu management, and online ordering integrations.
TouchBistro:
Another strong option for independent restaurants, is known for its user-friendly interface and focus on restaurant-specific needs.
Lavu POS:
A cloud-based POS system that is designed for restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Other Notable Options:
Nextzen POS: A cloud-based POS system that is designed for large businesses and franchises.
Zettle by PayPal: A simple and affordable POS system for microbusinesses and solopreneurs.
IT Retail: A POS system that is designed for grocers and markets.
Helcim: A POS system that is designed for professional services.
NCR VOYIX POS - Counterpoint: A specialty retail management system that integrates front and back offices.
KORONA: Designed for small businesses that expect the best retail point-of-sale solution.
Nextzen POS: Best for online businesses looking to sell in person.
SpotOn: Best for managing employees.
Epos Now: Best for managing complex inventories.
Financfy: Offers features like inventory management, cash management, expense management, customizable invoicing, sales management, detailed reporting, multiple warehouse management, and barcode scanner.
ShopUp: Features B2B commerce, last-mile logistics, digital credit, purchase & sales management, expense management, invoice printing, and reporting.
Sunshine IT: Offers sales tracking, inventory management, multi-location control, and billing management.
Retail Mass: Provides inventory management, warehouse management, E-Commerce integration, barcode management, comprehensive financial accounting, purchase & billing.
Best POS Software Table of Contents
POS software for restaurant owners has evolved from managing transactions to having additional features such as inventory management, reservations management, online ordering, and loyalty programs. Indeed, technology has enabled restaurants to provide faster service, while becoming more personal at the same time. In 2025, approximately 50% of the restaurant industry across all segments shifted their resources toward adopting more technology in their business strategies (National Restaurant Association, 2025).
The growing demand for ordering food through mobile apps has prompted one in four restaurant owners to invest in technology while up to 51% of restaurant operators added online ordering to the services offered to customers (National Restaurant Association, 2025). POS software statistics all point to a direction of robust growth that is poised to help the industry recover and even exceed pre-pandemic profitability.
The POS software industry is expected to grow by over 6% between 2021 and 2028 (Grand View Research, 2021). To put this in context, in terms of revenue share, POS software end users make up 15.5 billion of the global restaurant market. The main drivers of the market growth will be full-service restaurants (FSR) which posted a 39% adoption rate (Grand View Research, 2021).
Aside from these developments, POS software trends are also worth noting as they will help determine overall strategy. Overall, 59% of restaurant operators cited improving digital customer engagement as their top strategic goal, followed by improving business analytics (41%), and improving employee productivity and retention (39%) (Hospitality Tech, 2025).
Restaurant operators reap significant benefits from using POS software. Now that businesses are reeling from the pandemic, software solutions like payroll for small businesses are playing a crucial role in getting back to business while reducing costs. The following POS software trends will influence how restaurant operators manage their businesses.
New payment options. The available payment preferences impact the likelihood of a customer choosing your restaurant over another. According to the National Restaurant Association (2025), 29% of those who order food online for takeout or delivery are more likely to choose a restaurant with contactless payment options. Due to the rise of cryptocurrency, e-wallets, and other forms of digital currencies, the developers of POS software are expected to facilitate this growing need for more new payment methods.
Centralized menus. With many POS software being cloud-based platforms, restaurant owners often prefer those that offer tools for the centralized menu for easy updating. For instance, if you want to add a new menu item, the POS system will take care of updating all your branches. This can save you time as it allows you to input new menu items from one location. Moreover, digital menus are on the rise with up to 54% of casual dining restaurant owners incorporating QR codes to improve menu accessibility for their customers (National Restaurant Association, 2025).
Better customer relationship management (CRM). By leveraging POS data, restaurants are now more equipped when it comes to enhancing customer experience. Approximately 25% of restaurants wish to have a loyalty management feature in their POS system while about 37% already have it in their current system but find it hard to use it (RestaurantOwner.com, 2025). The improved collection and management of customer information through POS software enables restaurants to use data and drive revenue growth. Moreover, as digital privacy continues to be a main concern, restaurant owners are searching for a more secure way to transact with customers and keep their data secure.
Online table reservation. Post-pandemic, contactless transactions have become an integral part of service-oriented businesses. In 2025, 58% of restaurants agree that enabling self-service options is a key driver of POS upgrades (Hospitality Tech, 2025). Since the threat of getting infected is still present, diners can make and manage reservations through apps. What is more, customers can chat with chatbots for specific requests and other basic inquiries. The aim of all these additional services is to provide a seamless customer experience.
Competing in the hospitality management sector requires having the right tools to be able to provide a seamless customer experience. As part of the service industry, hospitality management programs teach students to focus on creating experiences that will make the customer loyal. The following list of the best POS software has been identified by the Research.com team based on inventory tracking tools, sales reporting and analytics tools, customer and employee management tools, and mobile access.
Real-Time Updates: POS software provides real-time updates on menu availability, which helps eliminate customer frustration caused by ordering items that are out of stock.
Enhanced Customer Experience: 71% of consumers believe restaurant technology, including POS systems, improves the guest experience by speeding up service and providing accurate information.
Multi-Functionality: Modern POS systems offer features beyond transaction management, such as inventory control, online ordering, loyalty programs, and reservation management, making them a comprehensive tool for restaurant management.
Adoption of New Payment Methods: POS software is increasingly supporting contactless payments and digital currencies, catering to the growing preference for these payment methods among consumers.
Centralized Menu Management: Cloud-based POS systems allow restaurant owners to update menus across multiple locations from a single interface, ensuring consistency and saving time.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): POS systems with integrated CRM capabilities enable restaurants to collect and manage customer data effectively, enhancing customer loyalty and driving revenue growth.
Trends in Self-Service and Contactless Options: The trend towards self-service options, such as online reservations and chatbot interactions, is becoming a key driver for POS upgrades, improving customer convenience and operational efficiency.
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