Best free POS systems: which one fits your business?

What are the best free POS systems?

These all have a free plan you can run a business on, not just a trial. They're in the order we'd suggest them to a typical small business. Your best pick depends on how you sell, so read the "best for" line first.

1. Best overallOur pick

   Square Free

   Best for: most small businesses, from market stalls to shops and counter-service cafes.

   Square Free has no monthly software fee and no long-term contract. Tap to Pay works on a compatible iPhone or Android phone, so you can start with no hardware at all, then add a reader or a countertop setup later. Simple stock tracking and low-stock alerts are free. Full inventory tracking, purchase orders and kitchen display screens live on the paid plans. With a Square Reader (2nd generation), Stand, Terminal, Handheld or Register, you can keep taking cards when the internet drops.

   Costs are on our pricing page, devices on Square rates and hardware, and the full feature list on free POS software features.

   Start free with Square

   No monthly fee on the free plan.

2. Loyalty and kitchen screen

   Loyverse

   Best for: small retail shops, cafes and quick-service spots that want more in the free plan.

   Loyverse calls itself a free POS system with optional paid add-ons, and it doesn't ask for a credit card to sign up. The free plan runs on a phone or tablet and includes sales analytics for the last 31 days, essential inventory with low-stock alerts, a loyalty program, a customer display app, a kitchen display app and multiple stores. It keeps recording sales when you're offline and syncs later. Unlimited sales history, employee management and advanced inventory are paid add-ons. In the US, card payments run through Loyverse Payments or an integrated SumUp or Zettle reader.

   Source: loyverse.com/pricing. Already on it and hitting a limit? See Loyverse alternatives, or our Square vs Loyverse comparison.

3. PayPal users

   PayPal Point of Sale

   Best for: sellers who already take PayPal online and want in-person sales in the same account.

   This is the app that used to be called Zettle in the US. PayPal says the POS app itself has no monthly or setup fees. You can take tap payments on your phone, or add a PayPal card reader or terminal. It handles inventory too. The one gap for some businesses: PayPal's own app doesn't take card payments offline.

   Source: paypal.com/us/business/pos-system/software

4. Laptop checkout

   Helcim

   Best for: service businesses and shops that want the same POS on a laptop, tablet and phone.

   Helcim's POS software comes free with a Helcim account, with no monthly fees or contracts. It runs on laptops, iPads, iPhones and Android phones, and the inventory tools cover SKUs, stock levels, variants and alerts. Tap to Pay on iPhone works for US merchants, or you buy a Helcim card reader once. Its card reader doesn't take payments offline, so you need a connection for every card sale.

   Source: helcim.com/point-of-sale

5. Countertop register

   SumUp POS Lite

   Best for: a small shop or coffee counter that wants one register out of the box.

   SumUp's free POS plan comes preinstalled on POS Lite, a countertop register you buy from SumUp. There's no monthly cost for the free plan. It covers your product catalog, orders, sales reports and basic employee and customer info, and stock updates after every sale. It connects to a SumUp card reader, a cash drawer, a printer, a kiosk or a kitchen display. SumUp doesn't list an offline mode for POS Lite.

   Source: sumup.com/en-us/pos/pos-lite

6. Windows and Android

   eHopper

   Best for: US merchants who want to run their POS on a Windows PC or an Android tablet.

   eHopper's software is free when you sign up for eHopper's own card processing. Otherwise you're on one of its paid plans. It runs on Android tablets and Windows PCs, works with printers, scanners and cash drawers, and has inventory with unlimited products. Offline, it still takes cash and other non-card payments, but card payments need the internet.

   Source: ehopper.com/free-pos

7. Very simple setups

   POSUSA Free POS

   Best for: a food stand, pop-up, small menu or side business with up to 50 products.

   Full disclosure: this one's from POSUSA, the team behind this site. It's a basic, browser-based POS that's free with no monthly fee, no contract and no credit card to sign up. The free plan covers up to 50 products. It runs in a web browser on a phone, tablet or laptop, so there's nothing to install. You get a free online menu or store, QR code ordering where customers pay on their own phone, a POS mode for ringing up sales and tracking stock, tips, modifiers, promo codes and email receipts. Card payments go through Stripe once you connect an account, and you can take cash. Card payments happen on the customer's phone, and the site doesn't mention a card reader or an offline mode, so if you need either, pick something higher on this list.

   Source: app.posusa.com

Two more free plans, with tighter limits

Imonggo is a free web-based POS for one user and one branch. It stays free while you have under 1,000 products and under 1,000 transaction lines a month. Card processing and its offline store are on the Premium plan. Source: imonggo.com/pricing

Zoho POS has a Free plan for one register and one user, with apps for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS and inventory management included. The catch is a cap of 50 POS transactions, so it's better for testing Zoho than running a busy counter. Offline billing starts on the paid plans. Source: zoho.com/pos/pricing

How do the free POS options compare?

Here's what each free plan includes, based on what the vendor says on its own site. "Not listed" means we couldn't find it on the vendor's pages, not that it's impossible.

• Included
• Limited or paid add-on
• Not offered or not listed

How do you choose the best free POS software for you?

Skip the feature lists for a minute and answer these four questions.

1. Where do you sell?

   A counter, a truck, a market table or a customer's phone. If you're on the move, look for offline card payments and read up on mobile POS. If it's a menu and QR orders, a simple browser POS may be all you need.

2. What hardware do you already have?

   Most free plans are cloud-based and run as a free POS app on a phone or tablet. Some need their own register or a Windows PC. Our POS hardware guide shows what you can skip.

3. How much stock do you track?

   A coffee menu needs very little. A retail shop with sizes and colors needs real inventory, and some free plans cap products or move full tracking to a paid plan. Our POS inventory page breaks down what free covers.

4. What does "free" mean here?

   Free outright, free with their processing, or free under a limit. Read the fine print with our guide to whether a free POS is really free, and see what a POS system costs piece by piece.

Running a restaurant, cafe, salon, bar, liquor store or convenience store? Our industry pages cover what matters for each one. And if you're wondering when free stops being enough, read free POS vs paid POS.

Which popular POS systems aren't free?

A few big names come up in every "free POS" search but didn't make this list, because we couldn't find a free software plan on their own sites.

• Shopify POS needs a paid Shopify plan once the trial ends.
• Toast doesn't list a free plan. Its pricing page talks about hardware and implementation costs, and it only runs on Toast-approved hardware.
• Clover charges a monthly software fee on its plans, and you buy its hardware or pay for it on a subscription. We put it next to Square in Square vs Clover.

That doesn't make them bad systems. They're just not free, and this page is about the ones that are. If you're comparing paid plans too, our POS cost breakdown and FAQ are good next stops.