Restaurants
Open checks, tickets that print in the kitchen, tips on the screen and online orders in the same queue.
Real POS software for $0 a month
A free POS system for small business
Free POS System gets your shop, cafe or salon selling on full point of sale software with no subscription. You only pay a small fee when a customer pays by card.
You'll create your Square account on Square's own signup page. It starts with an email and a password.
Your first Square Reader for magstripe (swipe only) is free with a new account. One per account holder, claimed within a year of activating. See conditions
Through POSUSA, an authorized Square reseller. See rates and hardware
- $0 a month
- for the software on Square Free
- 2.6% + 15¢
- per in-person card payment
- Next business day
- standard transfers, at no cost
- No contract
- cancel whenever you like
Who it's for
Built for the way you sell
Whether you've got a counter, a chair or a folding table at the Saturday market, the same free POS system covers it.
Retail
Scan barcodes, track stock, sell sizes and colors, and keep an online store in sync with the shelf.
Cafes and coffee
Quick taps for the morning rush, oat milk and extra shots as modifiers, and tips that add up.
Salons and barbers
Online booking, staff calendars, deposits that cut down on no-shows and notes on every client.
Food trucks and pop-ups
Take payments from a phone or a small reader, keep selling when the signal drops and change the menu on the fly.
Services and auto repair
Estimates that turn into invoices, deposits up front, cards on file and payments out on the job.
Bars and taprooms
Open tabs by name, ring the next round in a couple of taps, take tips on screen and send drink tickets to the bar printer.
Liquor stores
Scan bottles, prompt for ID on age-restricted items, add bottle deposits and keep a count that drops with every sale.
Grocery and convenience
Scan fast, sell produce and deli by weight, keep counts on what sells, and take EBT SNAP on supported hardware.
What you get
Everything you need at the counter, and after close
Checkout that keeps the line moving
Take tap, chip and phone wallet payments, add tips and send receipts by text or email. Start on the phone you already own, then add a reader or a counter setup when you're ready.
- Tap, chip and digital wallets
- Text and email receipts
- Cash sales cost nothing
See what's selling, from anywhere
Sales and top items update as you ring up. Check the day from your phone after close instead of squinting at a register tape.
- Daily sales at a glance
- Best sellers by item
- Simple stock counts and low-stock alerts
Bookings, invoices and online orders in one spot
Let clients book themselves, bill a customer with an invoice, or take orders online. It all flows into the same sales history as your counter.
- Online booking with staff calendars
- Invoices and estimates
- Online ordering page
How it works
What happens after you click
- 1
Create your Square account
You land on Square's signup page. Enter an email and a password. Signing up is free, with no commitments or long-term contracts.
- 2
Tell Square about your business
Square asks for your business details and verifies your identity, which federal rules require before it can pay you. Then you link the bank account for your deposits.
- 3
Take your first payment
Download the free Square Point of Sale app, add a few items and tap a card on your phone. Standard transfers land as soon as the next business day.
Why this plan
Why we recommend Square's free plan
We've looked at a lot of "free" POS offers. Plenty of them have a catch buried in the contract. Square's free plan doesn't, and it's a real POS, not a stripped-down demo.
Actually $0 a month
Square Free has no monthly subscription. You pay only when you take a payment, and cash or check sales are free.
No contract to escape
No long-term contract and no cancellation fee. If it stops working for you, you leave.
Start with your phone
Tap to Pay on iPhone and Tap to Pay on Android let you take contactless cards with no extra hardware at all.
Money the next business day
Standard transfers to your bank are free and arrive as soon as the next business day. Instant transfers are there if you need them, for 1.95%.
Straight talk
Is a free plan the right fit?
For most small businesses, yes. But not all of them, and we'd rather tell you now than in month three.
Free works well when
- You sell in person, online or both, at a small to mid volume
- You run counter service, retail or appointments
- You'd rather not pay a monthly fee for software
Look at a paid plan when
- Your card volume is high enough that a lower rate beats the subscription
- You run a full-service restaurant with coursing and kitchen screens
- You need full inventory tracking, purchase orders or stock transfers between locations
Not sure which side you're on? Ask us and we'll tell you straight, or compare the best free POS systems side by side.
Need more?
Start free. Upgrade only if you outgrow it.
Square has two paid plans for businesses that need more. They're the same plans for every type of business, and each one comes with a free 30-day trial.
Square Free
Where most start$0 a month
The full POS app, online site, invoices and booking.
- 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person card payment
- Every POS mode, for retail, food and appointments
- Online site, invoices and booking included
Square Plus
$49 a month per location
Everything in Free, plus tools for growing teams.
- 2.5% + 15¢ per in-person card payment
- Advanced POS features for every industry
- Loyalty, email and text marketing, staff scheduling
Square Premium
$149 a month per location
Everything in Plus, with the lowest rates and 24/7 support.
- 2.4% + 15¢ per in-person card payment
- 24/7 priority phone support
- Advanced reporting and no gift card load fees
Paid add-ons
- Square KDS (kitchen display)$30 a device a month on Plus, $20 on Premium
- Square Kiosk self-ordering$99 a device a month on Plus or Premium
- Square PayrollFrom $35 a month plus $6 per person paid
Who we are
Part of POSUSA
Free POS System is a division of POSUSA, run by Jason Feemster. He's spent more than 20 years in tech and over 15 of them hands-on with point of sale: installing systems, fixing them when they break, and helping owners stop paying for software they barely use.
POSUSA is an authorized Square reseller, so when you need help you get a real team that knows Square, not a ticket queue.
That's the whole idea here. Get you on a POS that works, for as little as it should cost.
20+years in tech
15+years hands-on with POS
POSUSAour parent company
Is this free POS system really free?
The software is. You pay nothing per month for the app itself. What you do pay is a processing fee each time a customer pays by card, plus whatever hardware you decide to buy. Cash sales cost you nothing.
How do free POS companies make money?
From card processing. Every time you take a card payment, the provider keeps a small percentage plus a few cents. That's the trade: free software in exchange for running your payments through them.
Will I get locked into a contract?
With the better free POS options, no. Read the sign-up terms anyway and look for early termination fees, equipment leases and monthly minimums. If you see any of those, it isn't really free.
Which devices does it run on?
Your phone or tablet. The free Square Point of Sale app works on iPhone, iPad and Android, and Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android takes contactless cards with nothing plugged in. For a counter setup, Square Stand turns a compatible iPad into a POS station, and Square Terminal, Handheld and Register have the software built in. See them all on our Square rates and hardware page.
Does it work offline?
Yes, for card payments on the right hardware. Square Reader (2nd generation), Stand, Terminal, Handheld and Register keep taking cards when your internet drops and upload them when you reconnect. Upload within 24 hours to be safe: pending payments expire after 72 hours. Tap to Pay and keyed-in cards need a connection, and if an offline card declines later, that sale is on you.
Is Square POS really free?
The software is. Square Free has no monthly fee and no contract. You pay a processing fee on card payments, and for hardware or a paid plan only if you want them. Our guide to whether Square POS is free lists every catch.
Got questions? Talk to a POS specialist at POSUSA.
Not sure the free plan fits, or what hardware you'd need? Call and leave a quick message. One of our POS specialists will call you back.
Start on Square Free today
Signing up is free, with no commitments or long-term contracts. Start on the free plan and move up only if you need more.