A till that freezes at 12:40 on a Saturday costs more than any monthly fee on this page. That is why this ranking cares less about how many buttons a checkout screen has and more about the unglamorous questions: can the register keep taking cards when the router dies, who owns the terminal on the counter, and what does it cost to walk away from the payment processor bundled with the software. Almost every POS vendor now makes its real money on card processing, so the software subscription is often the smallest line on the statement. We looked at retail, restaurant and appointment-based businesses with one to about twenty locations, and judged each system on offline behavior, hardware lock-in, the true blended processing rate, how cleanly sales and inventory history can be exported, and which kind of operator it genuinely suits. The order below is the verdict.
Visibility in this ranking can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the
shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review. The largest vendors in point of sale software
cannot hold places 1 to 3. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
How we ranked these
Setup: from boxed terminal to first sale
Setup for a POS is mostly physical. Someone has to load the product catalog with modifiers and variants, pair the card reader, route tickets to the right kitchen printer or display, and teach part-time staff the void and refund flow before opening. We timed how long each system takes to go from unboxing to a real card sale, and how much of that needs the vendor on the phone. Tablet-based systems with bulk CSV import (Square, Loyverse, KORONA) can be live in an afternoon for a small shop. Restaurant platforms with floor plans, coursing and printer routing (Toast, TouchBistro, Revel) take days and usually involve an onboarding specialist. Lightspeed and Clover sit in between. We also checked whether a second location can be cloned from the first or has to be built by hand.
The real price: processing, hardware and the lease you forgot
The advertised software fee is rarely the number that matters. A café doing $40,000 a month in card sales pays far more in processing than in subscriptions, so we compared blended effective rates rather than headline tiers. We also priced the hardware: some vendors sell standard iPads and printers, others require proprietary terminals that only work with their processing. Third-party equipment leases, common with bank-distributed systems, can run for four years and cannot be cancelled, which turns a cheap-looking terminal into the most expensive item in the stack. Early termination fees, PCI compliance charges, add-on modules for loyalty or online ordering, and per-terminal licensing all went into the comparison. Vendors that publish processing rates on their site scored better than those that quote them only after a sales call.
Getting your data out: sales history, items and customer lists
Switching POS vendors is survivable if you can take three things with you: the item catalog with SKUs and costs, several years of sales by item and by hour, and the customer list with loyalty balances. We tested whether each system exports those as usable CSV files from the back office or only as summarized PDF reports. Customer card tokens almost never move between processors, so recurring or card-on-file customers will need to re-enter details, and a vendor that is honest about that earns credit. We also looked at open APIs and accounting connectors, because a POS that pushes daily sales cleanly into Xero or QuickBooks saves a bookkeeper hours every week. Gift card balances are a common trap: several systems cannot export outstanding balances in a form a new provider can honor.
Independence from the vendor: can you change processors without new hardware
The biggest structural lock-in in this category is the tie between software, hardware and payments. With Clover, Toast, Square and Shopify POS, the terminal on the counter only works with that company's own card processing, so renegotiating a rate means replacing every device. Lightspeed and Revel increasingly steer merchants toward their in-house payments too. KORONA and Loyverse let the merchant choose among several processors, which keeps real bargaining power with the business. We also asked what happens offline: whether the register queues card payments and settles them later, what risk the merchant carries if a stored transaction is declined, and whether a local server keeps the floor running when the cloud is down. A system that stops selling when the internet does is a system you depend on twice.
Who it's for: shop, restaurant, salon or small chain
POS systems split cleanly by the kind of counter they serve. Full-service restaurants need table maps, split checks, coursing and kitchen routing. Retailers need variants, purchase orders, barcode labels and stock transfers between stores. Salons and studios need the booking calendar and the checkout in one place, with tips assigned to the right stylist. Quick-service counters and kiosks need speed and very little else. We judged each product against the operator it was built for and noted plainly where a vendor stretches into a segment it handles poorly, such as a retail-first system selling a thin restaurant mode. Location count matters too: tools that are perfect for one shop can become awkward at eight, and tools priced for chains are wasted on a single market stall.
The 15 tools, reviewed
#1 Lightspeed Retail
Retail POS with purchasing and multi-store stock control · Canada · lightspeedhq.com
Inventory depth Multi-location Supplier catalogs
Lightspeed is what retailers graduate to when a simpler POS starts losing track of sizes, colors and stock across stores. Matrix items, purchase orders, supplier catalogs, serial numbers and transfers between locations are all native, and the reporting answers real merchandising questions such as sell-through by vendor or aged stock by store. The X-Series, which is the former Vend product, and the R-Series share this retail focus. It takes first place because no other system here gives a bike shop or a boutique chain this much control over stock, and because its hardware is standard kit a merchant can keep if it ever moves on.
Where it falls short
The two product lines, X-Series and R-Series, are sold side by side and can confuse buyers about which one they are getting. Initial setup takes real effort, and plans are cheaper with Lightspeed Payments, which blunts the freedom to shop processing. Restaurant features belong to a separate product. Support quality has drawn mixed reviews since the company consolidated its acquisitions.
Wrong for
A single café or kiosk with twenty menu items is paying for depth it will never use; Square or Loyverse is simpler. Restaurants should look at Toast, TouchBistro or Revel.
Pricing: Published monthly plans per location, billed higher without Lightspeed Payments; extra registers cost more. (free trial)
Visit Lightspeed Retail →
#2 Loyverse
Free tablet POS for small cafés and shops · Cyprus · loyverse.com
Free core app Bring your own tablet Processor choice
Loyverse does the basics at no cost: ring up sales on an Android or iOS tablet, print receipts on a common printer, track stock, run a points loyalty scheme and send orders to a kitchen display app. It integrates with several card processors, including SumUp and Zettle in supported markets, so the merchant keeps a choice. For a café, bubble tea shop or small grocery, especially in a market where the big US platforms are unavailable or expensive, it is a sensible default. It ranks second because it delivers the core of a POS at no software cost while leaving processing negotiable, a combination no larger vendor on this list matches.
Where it falls short
Reporting is basic, and the useful extras such as staff time tracking and advanced inventory are paid add-ons. There is no table service floor plan to speak of. Support is mostly via email and a help center. Integrations with accounting tools and ecommerce are thinner than on the larger platforms, and multi-location retail quickly runs into limits.
Wrong for
A full-service restaurant or a retailer with purchase orders, suppliers and several stores should look at TouchBistro or Lightspeed Retail instead.
Pricing: Core POS free, including multi-store back office and kitchen display; paid add-ons for sales history and advanced inventory per store, and employee management per employee. (free plan)
Visit Loyverse →
#3 KORONA POS
Processor-agnostic retail POS with month-to-month terms · United States · koronapos.com
Processor choice No long contract Retail first
KORONA is the rare POS that does not insist on its own payments. The merchant can pick from several supported processors and keep negotiating, and published plans run month to month. The retail tooling is solid for high-SKU stores: automated reordering, mix-and-match promotions, age checks at checkout for alcohol and tobacco, and multi-store stock. It also handles ticketing for museums, zoos and attractions. A small shop can import its catalog and sell the same afternoon, and that mix of quick setup, readable pricing and processor freedom is why it ranks third.
Where it falls short
Table service comes only through the paid KORONA Food module, aimed at cafes, bakeries and quick service rather than full dining rooms, and the interface is functional rather than polished. The app ecosystem is small compared to Clover or Shopify. Hardware is standard but the merchant has to source or buy it through KORONA's bundles. Brand recognition is low, which some buyers read as risk, and the German parent company's roots show in documentation that is thorough but dry.
Wrong for
Full-service restaurants and bars that need table maps and kitchen routing should look at Toast, TouchBistro or SpotOn, and a salon should look at Vagaro.
Pricing: Published monthly plans per register, month-to-month, with the merchant choosing among supported card processors. (free trial)
Visit KORONA POS →
#4 Square
Free-to-start POS with its own readers and terminals · United States · squareup.com
No monthly fee Own hardware Flat processing
Square remains the easiest way to go from nothing to taking cards the same day. The free plan is genuinely usable, the reader ships quickly, and the same account covers a market stall, a counter-service café or a barber chair through its restaurant, retail and appointment modes. Square for Restaurants is part of this lineup rather than a separate product, so we list it once here. As one of the dominant platforms in small-business payments it cannot sit in our top three, but for a new business with modest volume it is often the right first system.
Where it falls short
Flat-rate processing that suits a new business becomes expensive at higher volume, and Square hardware only runs with Square payments. Offline card payments must be processed within a set window, and the merchant absorbs any that decline. Account holds and fund freezes after unusual activity are a recurring complaint. Inventory depth for multi-store retail trails Lightspeed.
Wrong for
A retailer processing several hundred thousand dollars a year should get an interchange-plus quote from Clover or KORONA, and a multi-site restaurant group will find Toast or Revel more capable.
Pricing: Free plan with flat-rate card processing; Plus at $49 and Premium at $149 per location per month lower the processing rate and add features across restaurant, retail and appointment modes. (free plan)
Visit Square →
#5 Clover
All-in-one terminals and software from Fiserv · United States · clover.com
Turnkey hardware App market Fiserv processing
Clover gets the counter right. The Station and Mini terminals are built for daily abuse, the software covers retail, quick service and table service without add-on hunting, and the App Market fills gaps like scheduling or advanced reporting. A merchant buying directly from Clover gets published plan prices and a reasonable setup that can be running within a day or two. Clover is one of the largest POS platforms in the US, so our rules keep it out of the top three, yet it remains the most complete package a small operator can buy in one transaction, with reporting and inventory good enough that most shops never need a second tool.
Where it falls short
Clover devices only process through Fiserv, so changing processors means replacing every terminal. Much of Clover is sold through banks and independent resellers, who set their own rates and sometimes attach long, non-cancellable equipment leases from third-party lenders. Customer service quality depends on who sold you the system. Deeper restaurant features such as coursing and kitchen display routing trail Toast.
Wrong for
A full-service restaurant that needs sophisticated kitchen routing should look at Toast or TouchBistro, and any merchant that wants to shop its processing rate every year should look at KORONA POS instead.
Pricing: Hardware bought outright or financed, plus a monthly software plan and Fiserv card processing; terms vary a lot by sales channel. (none)
Visit Clover →
#6 Toast
Restaurant POS with kitchen, ordering and payroll built in · United States · pos.toasttab.com
Restaurant-built Handheld ordering Toast payments only
No other system on this list understands a busy restaurant as well. Coursing, seat-level ordering, modifier logic, kitchen display routing, handheld ordering at the table and online orders feeding the same kitchen queue are all native and battle-tested at scale. Add-ons for payroll, scheduling and marketing mean some restaurants run their whole back office inside Toast. It is category-dominant among US restaurants, which keeps it out of our top three, but on product merit alone it would compete for first place in its niche.
Where it falls short
Toast hardware only processes through Toast, so there is no room to negotiate a rate with an outside acquirer. Contracts and the low-upfront hardware option can hide a higher processing cost. Add-on modules raise the monthly total quickly. Retail features are thin, and availability outside North America, the UK and Ireland is limited.
Wrong for
A retailer, or a restaurant outside Toast's supported countries, should look at Lightspeed or Epos Now. Owners who want to keep processor freedom should look at KORONA or TouchBistro.
Pricing: Hardware plus monthly software per location and Toast payments; a low-upfront starter plan trades hardware cost for higher processing. (none)
Visit Toast →
#7 Shopify POS
Store checkout tied to a Shopify online shop · Canada · shopify.com
Unified online and store stock Shopify ecosystem Omnichannel
For a brand that started online, Shopify POS removes the hardest omnichannel problem: the store and the webstore share one product catalog, one customer record and one inventory count. Returns of online orders at the counter, pickup in store and shipping a customer an item from a store shelf all work without middleware. POS Pro adds staff roles and store-level stock tools. Shopify is a dominant commerce platform, so it cannot rank in our top three, but for its natural buyer it is often the obvious choice.
Where it falls short
Card-present payments run through Shopify Payments, so processing is not negotiable in most markets. Restaurant features are essentially absent. Retail inventory tools such as purchase orders and supplier management are lighter than Lightspeed without apps. The value depends on already running a Shopify store, and costs add up once apps for loyalty and reporting are included.
Wrong for
A restaurant, or a physical shop with no online store, gains little here; Clover, Lightspeed or Square fit better. Retailers with heavy purchasing needs should compare Lightspeed Retail.
Pricing: In-person selling is included with every Shopify plan; POS Pro is charged per location per month, and in-person cards run through Shopify Payments. (free trial)
Visit Shopify POS →
#8 Revel Systems
iPad POS for multi-location restaurants and retail · United States · revelsystems.com
Always On mode Central menus Multi-site
Revel runs on standard iPads but behaves like enterprise software: menus and prices are managed centrally and pushed to every site, recipe-level inventory tracks ingredients, and the Always On mode keeps registers and kitchen screens talking over the local network when the internet fails. For a regional pizza chain or a group of franchised coffee shops, that combination is hard to match outside Toast. It no longer sits near the top because pricing is quote-only, deals lean on Shift4 processing, and its standalone future under Shift4 is unclear.
Where it falls short
Pricing is quote-only and contracts tend to run for years. Since the 2024 acquisition by Shift4, new deals lean heavily on Shift4 processing. Setup is involved enough that onboarding is a project, not an afternoon. The back office is dense and takes time to learn, and single-location businesses report that support attention goes to larger accounts first. The revelsystems.com site now redirects to Shift4's food and beverage pages, so confirm which product a new contract actually covers.
Wrong for
A single restaurant or shop will overpay for the multi-site tooling and should look at TouchBistro, Square or Clover. Businesses wanting month-to-month terms should look elsewhere.
Pricing: Quote only; software per terminal with a minimum term, plus hardware and processing through Shift4 in most deals. (none)
Visit Revel Systems →
#9 Epos Now
UK POS for retail and hospitality with hardware bundles · United Kingdom · eposnow.com
UK focus Retail and hospitality Hardware bundles
Epos Now is built with British trade in mind: VAT handling, UK hardware bundles, integrations with Xero and Sage, and a hospitality mode with table plans next to a retail mode with barcode stock control. A pub that also sells bottled beer to take away, or a farm shop with a café, can run both sides from one system. It suits UK independents who want a local provider and a boxed setup rather than piecing together tablets and printers.
Where it falls short
Customer reviews repeatedly mention difficulty cancelling, long-running hardware finance and slow support responses. The interface feels older than Square or Lightspeed. Reporting is adequate rather than insightful, and several useful functions arrive through paid apps. Outside the UK and a handful of other markets it has little presence.
Wrong for
Operators who value flexible terms and responsive support should compare Lightspeed or Square in the UK, and a busy restaurant should look at TouchBistro or Toast.
Pricing: Hardware bundles bought or financed, plus monthly software and optional Epos Now Payments. (none)
Visit Epos Now →
#10 Vagaro
Salon, spa and studio booking with checkout built in · United States · vagaro.com
Booking and POS Commissions Client marketplace
In a salon, the sale and the appointment are the same event. Vagaro ties them together: the client books online, the stylist sees notes and formulas, checkout pulls the service from the calendar, and tips and commissions land against the right staff member. Memberships, class packs and retail product sales sit in the same record. It also lists businesses in a consumer marketplace that can bring new clients. For appointment-driven businesses it removes a whole integration.
Where it falls short
Pricing climbs with each bookable calendar up to the seventh, after which more staff are free, and with add-ons such as marketing or branded apps. Payments are tied to Vagaro's processing. Retail inventory is basic compared to a dedicated retail POS. The interface packs a great deal onto each screen, and some owners find reporting harder to customize than they expected.
Wrong for
Any restaurant, bar or general retail store should ignore it. A spa with a large boutique might pair a booking tool with Lightspeed Retail instead.
Pricing: Monthly subscription priced by number of bookable calendars, plus add-ons and Vagaro payment processing. (free trial)
Visit Vagaro →
#11 TouchBistro
iPad POS for independent full-service restaurants · Canada · touchbistro.com
Local server Table service iPad-based
TouchBistro was designed by restaurant people for table service. Floor plans, seat numbers, split bills, coursing and server sections work the way a front-of-house manager expects, and because the system has historically run on a local server in the restaurant, a dropped connection does not stop orders reaching the kitchen. It runs on iPads, which keeps hardware costs predictable. For an independent bistro or bar that wants a restaurant-first system without Toast's processing tie, it is a strong alternative.
Where it falls short
Reservations, online ordering, loyalty and gift cards are each separate add-ons, so the monthly bill grows quickly. Multi-location reporting trails Revel and Toast. The local-server setup needs someone on site who can restart hardware. Retail features are negligible, and the product has been slower than cloud-native rivals to add new features.
Wrong for
Quick-service chains wanting drive-thru and kiosk tools should look at Revel or Toast, and retailers should look at Lightspeed or KORONA.
Pricing: Monthly software per location with paid add-ons for reservations, online ordering and loyalty; integrated payments optional in some markets. (none)
Visit TouchBistro →
#12 SpotOn
Restaurant and retail POS with local service reps · United States · spoton.com
Restaurant focus Local reps Bundled processing
SpotOn competes with Toast on features for bars and restaurants, including handheld ordering, kitchen displays, online ordering and loyalty, and differentiates on service: many accounts are installed and supported by a local representative. Operators who have been burned by call-center support often value that more than any single feature. It also covers venues such as stadiums and entertainment spaces. For an independent restaurant owner in the US who wants the full stack and a named contact, it deserves a demo alongside Toast.
Where it falls short
Processing is SpotOn's own, and the $0 plan pairs higher card rates with a two-year minimum term, so compare plans on your own volume; the rep-driven sales model also means terms can vary between accounts. Retail capabilities are secondary. The product catalog has grown through acquisitions and some modules feel less integrated than the core POS. It operates mainly in the United States.
Wrong for
Merchants outside the US, or anyone who wants self-service signup without a demo, should look at Square, Loyverse or Lightspeed.
Pricing: Published per-station plans: a $0 plan with included hardware, higher card rates and a two-year minimum term, or a month-to-month plan with lower rates and hardware bought outright; multi-unit setups are quoted. (none)
Visit SpotOn →
#13 SumUp POS
Card reader and simple POS for micro-merchants · United Kingdom · sumup.com
Low entry cost Own processing Micro-merchants
SumUp built its business selling small card readers to sole traders across Europe, and the POS grew around that base. A market trader or food truck can buy a reader for a modest one-off price, set up an item library on a phone and take cards the same day with no monthly fee. Busier venues can move to POS Pro, which adds a counter terminal, table and kitchen handling, and staff accounts. The appeal is plain cost at the small end: you see the rate per tap and very little else on the bill.
Where it falls short
Processing is SumUp's alone, so there is no shopping the rate as volume grows, and a flat percentage becomes expensive for a shop taking tens of thousands a month. Inventory is basic, with little in the way of purchase orders or multi-site stock. POS Pro pricing and features differ by country, and support is mostly remote, which hurts when a Saturday rush meets a frozen terminal.
Wrong for
Retailers with deep catalogs or several branches; Lightspeed Retail or KORONA POS manages stock properly. Full-service restaurants will also outgrow it quickly and should compare TouchBistro.
Pricing: The Free POS plan costs nothing beyond pay-as-you-go card fees; POS Plus adds features for a monthly fee, and POS Pro terminals and software are sold as monthly bundles, with prices and rates varying by country. (free plan)
Visit SumUp POS →
#14 Erply
Retail POS and inventory platform for multi-store chains · Estonia · erply.com
Retail chains Processor choice Offline registers
Erply comes from Tallinn and was built for retailers who think in stores rather than single transactions: shoe chains, pharmacies, garden centres and franchise networks where head office sets prices and each branch keeps its own stock and reorder points. Registers keep selling offline and sync afterwards, goods move between stores on transfer orders, and the API is open enough that larger customers build their own reporting on it. It works with several payment processors, so the card rate can be tendered separately from the software.
Where it falls short
The back office is dense and needs real training; a small shop will find too many screens between it and a price change. Costs climb as modules such as loyalty, wholesale and advanced reporting are added, so price the full set rather than the headline plan. There are no restaurant features, and North American buyers will find a smaller reseller and support network than Lightspeed's.
Wrong for
A single café or gift shop that wants to be selling by the afternoon; Loyverse or Square POS is simpler and cheaper, and restaurants should look at Toast or Revel.
Pricing: Published monthly plans that scale with locations and registers; large franchise and enterprise setups are quoted. (free trial)
Visit Erply →
#15 Lavu
iPad restaurant POS for independent venues · United States · lavu.com
iPad POS Restaurants Bundled payments
Lavu launched in Albuquerque in 2010 as an iPad POS for restaurants and has stayed with that market: floor plans, coursing, modifiers that cope with a build-your-own bowl, kitchen printing and a kitchen display. Bars can hold tabs against a card, and reporting shows sales by hour next to labor cost for the same hours. Its pitch is aimed at owner-operators who want a restaurant-specific system on Apple hardware they can buy themselves, without committing to a proprietary terminal fleet.
Where it falls short
The POS itself has no published price, only the Marty AI analytics tiers do, so the real monthly figure surfaces in a sales call once add-ons and processing are bundled in, and some buyers report multi-year agreements; read the contract before the demo ends. The integration list is shorter than Toast's, multi-site menu management is limited next to Revel, and support quality has drawn mixed reviews over the years.
Wrong for
Retailers of any kind, and restaurant groups planning several sites with central menus; Revel Systems or Toast will scale further, and TouchBistro offers similar iPad simplicity with a local server.
Pricing: Quote-based monthly software fees with higher packages adding online ordering and loyalty, usually paired with Lavu's own payment processing; check the contract term before signing. (none)
Visit Lavu →
Questions and answers
What is the best point of sale software in 2026?
Lightspeed Retail is our first pick for shops that live or die on inventory, with variants, purchase orders and stock across several locations handled natively. Loyverse suits a single café, bar or small shop that wants a capable free POS and the freedom to pick its own card processor. KORONA POS is the choice for retailers who want month-to-month terms, published prices and a processor they can change. Square and Clover lead on reach but are held below the top three as dominant platforms, and multi-site restaurant groups should demo Toast and Revel Systems.
Which POS systems keep working when the internet goes down?
Most modern systems have some offline mode, but they differ in what they allow. Square and Shopify POS can store card payments offline for a limited period, and the merchant carries the risk if a stored card later declines. Revel's Always On mode and TouchBistro's local-server design keep the whole floor running on the local network. Toast runs in a local mode on its devices. Ask each vendor how long offline payments can be queued and whether reporting catches up automatically.
Can I use my own card processor with my POS?
Often not. Clover, Toast, Square and Shopify POS require their own processing, and their hardware will not run with another acquirer. KORONA POS, Erply and Loyverse integrate with several processors, which lets you shop the rate. Lightspeed and Revel support outside processors in some markets but increasingly favor their in-house payments. If processor choice matters to you, confirm it in writing before buying hardware.
Do I need proprietary hardware or will an iPad work?
It depends on the system. Revel, TouchBistro, Lightspeed and Loyverse run on consumer tablets with standard printers and cash drawers. Square offers both an iPad app and its own terminals. Clover and Toast use their own devices, which are tied to their processing. Proprietary hardware tends to be sturdier in a kitchen, while tablet-based setups are cheaper to replace and can be reused if you change software.
What happened to Vend and Square for Restaurants?
Vend was acquired by Lightspeed in 2021 and now continues as Lightspeed Retail X-Series, so we cover it under Lightspeed Retail rather than as a separate product. Square for Restaurants is part of Square's point of sale lineup rather than a separate company or platform, so it is covered in our Square entry. Listing them separately would double count the same vendors and the same processing relationships.
What is the difference between a restaurant POS and a retail POS?
A restaurant POS is built around tickets, tables and the kitchen: modifiers, coursing, seat numbers, split checks, tip pooling and routing items to the right printer or display. A retail POS is built around the item: variants like size and color, barcode scanning, purchase orders, stock counts and transfers between stores. Systems that claim both usually have a clear home turf, and it shows quickly once you load your real menu or catalog.
Are there hidden fees in POS pricing?
The usual ones are equipment leases arranged through a third-party finance company, early termination fees, monthly PCI compliance charges, chargeback fees, higher rates for keyed-in cards, and paid add-ons for loyalty, gift cards, online ordering or advanced reporting. Some vendors also charge per additional register or per kitchen display. Ask for a full fee schedule rather than the pricing page, and compare total monthly cost on your own sales volume.
Is a free POS system really free?
Square and Loyverse both have free plans that a small shop can run indefinitely, and SumUp's basic app costs nothing beyond its card rate. Square earns its money on card processing, and Loyverse charges for add-ons such as employee management and advanced inventory. Free software makes sense for a single register with simple needs. Once you need multi-location stock, staff permissions or detailed reports, expect paid tiers either way.
How long does it take to switch POS systems?
A single retail shop with a clean product spreadsheet can switch in a week, most of it spent relabeling and training. A restaurant typically needs two to four weeks to rebuild menus, printer routing and floor plans and to run a parallel test. Plan the cutover for a quiet day, export sales history and gift card balances from the old system first, and keep read-only access to the old back office for tax records.
Which POS is best for a salon or fitness studio?
Vagaro is the strongest fit on this list because booking, client records, memberships and checkout share one database, so a stylist's tip and commission land against the right appointment. Square also has an appointments product that works for simpler setups. A general retail or restaurant POS will force you to run a separate booking tool and reconcile the two by hand.
What should a multi-location business look for in a POS?
Central control of items and prices with the option to override per store, stock transfers and purchase orders by location, consolidated reporting that can also be filtered by site, and staff permissions that follow employees between branches. Lightspeed Retail and Revel are strong here. Check how the price scales per location and per register, because a system that is cheap for one shop can be expensive at ten.
