Point of Sale is a method that helps store owners figure out how much money a customer needs to pay. The transaction is done on this website. You can also call a point of sale a point of buying.
The POS can keep information about customers and make profiles for them. It will help you keep track of your stock. With this method, you can find out important business information. Small business owners with few goods can use free POS software to meet their needs.
Why is POS beneficial to use?
The POS system can be set up either on-premises or in the cloud. Mobile POS devices are most often used in the restaurant industry. On-site POS tools have been used for a long time. It works on the internal network and uses computers that are close by.
The cloud is used in a POS system that is based in the cloud. This platform allows you to use it anywhere and anytime with an internet link. It has a lot of useful features for small businesses. It has different ways to pay for it and works with most systems.
The best thing about these tools is using them on your phone. POS systems have many benefits, such as speeding up the checkout process, keeping sales data organized, and saving customer information.
Top Free POS Systems
#1) TouchBistro
It is best if you want an advanced restaurant control system that does everything.
Price: TouchBistro POS pricing plans start at $69 per month.
TouchBistro is a system for running restaurants. It has an easy-to-use platform and a lot of advanced tools. This is an all-in-one system with all the features a restaurant needs. It is a powerful system that works quickly and reliably. It makes things run more smoothly and helps boost sales.
Features:
- TouchBistro has parts that let you order online.
- It makes bookings easier and helps keep track of space and, by extension, bookings.
- It has many different features, like payments, self-service kiosks, digital menu boards, cooking display systems, displays for customers, and so on.
Verdict: TouchBistro is a simple app that has everything you need. It’s a quick and reliable option to help you make more money. It helps you keep track of orders and gives you the tools you need to give people takeaway, dine-in, or delivery.
#2) POS Lightspeed
Best for all-in-one cloud-based POS systems for stores and restaurants.
Price: Lightspeed’s Retail and Restaurant POS system has different plans for how much it costs to subscribe.
Here are the prices for Lightspeed’s restaurant POS system:
Essential: $39/month
Plus: $119/month
Pro: $289/month
The following is how much Lightspeed’s Retail POS system costs:
Lean: $69/month
Standard: $119/month
Advanced: $199/month
When you get in touch, you can get a custom enterprise subscription plan for either or both of these tools. For both programs, you can also ask for a free 14-day trial.
Even though Lightspeed’s store, restaurant, and eCommerce POS system is a little expensive, you can try it out for free for 14 days. The software has features like inventory management, integrating customer info, and fast checkout that can be used to run your business.
You can also handle purchase orders, consolidated master orders, and special orders directly through this POS system. The software also gives you your customers’ buy histories and profiles, which you can use to learn more about them. Lastly, the software has built-in reports to help you make sound business choices.
Features:
- Taking care of inventory
- Options for both shipping and picking up in-store
- Reporting in advance
- Payments Made Easier
- Customers and Marketing
Verdict: With Lightspeed, you get easy-to-use point-of-sale (POS) software made with restaurants and retail shops in mind. It makes it look easy to keep track of stock, sales, and customer relationships. Because of this, it’s the best.
#3) Toast POS
Best for Restaurant Sales and Order Management in the Cloud.
Price: It has a free plan for small restaurants and bars, an excellent place to start. The Essentials Plan will cost $165 per month and is best for restaurants that are already well-known. You can also get a unique plan if you get in touch.
Toast is, without question, one of the best POS platforms you can use. With Toast, you get a cloud-based restaurant management system that lets you handle sales, payments, and orders from a single, easy-to-use platform. The platform gives you a handheld piece of technology that can be changed to fit the needs of the food business.
Also, the platform lets you set up commission-free ordering methods to make takeaway and delivery easy through the Toast app, your restaurant’s website, or by phone. The icing on the cake is the high level of analysis. You get detailed reports that help you determine how well your restaurant is doing.
Features:
- Accelerate Tableside Service
- Online buying and delivery go smoothly
- Complete data analysis and reporting
- Management of menus in the cloud
- Integrations with other apps are possible.
Verdict: Toast is an easy-to-use POS system that has everything you need. With this program running your restaurant, you can access all the information you need to run your business from anywhere, at any time. The software speeds up the process of paying for or delivering food, which makes the customer experience better and helps your restaurant make more money.
#4) Vend
Best for small businesses with only one store.
Price: The free plan from Vend is the best choice for small shops, pop-up stores, and new stores. This free plan includes one user, one register, ten active goods, and one thousand customers. It’s a system that can grow with your needs, and you can pay for more features if you want to. It starts at $99 per month for its cheapest plan.
Vend offers free POS, inventory, and customer reward software that can be used on an iPad, a Mac, or a PC. It can be used for clothing shops, stores that sell home goods, shoe stores, stores that sell food and drinks, and so on.
Features:
- It can work both online and offline.
- It works on all devices.
- It works through the cloud.
- It has tools for managing goods, making reports, and getting insights.
Verdict: Vend gives POS systems a scalable platform for use on any device, including an iPad, Mac, Windows, or Android. It will also work with the tools you already have.
#5) eHopper
The best alternative to Square.
Price: The Essential Package from eHopper is free. Only one POS can use this plan. This free plan gives you all the essential tools and functions. A paid plan for eHopper starts at $39.99 per month per register and has extra features like a menu builder and control of ingredients.
Small businesses can utilize eHopper, a free POS software, across various platforms such as Android tablets, iPads, Windows PCs, and Poynt devices. This versatile software offers features for processing payments, generating reports, managing workers, and maintaining an inventory of stock.
Features:
- Inventory control with alerts for when stock is running low.
- Order management tools, such as adding a note for a customer’s unique needs.
- It can take payments in cash, by credit card, debit card, or other ways.
Verdict: eHopper is for Quick Service Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Bars, Food Trucks, Retail Stores, etc. It also has tools for managing tips, taking orders online, and keeping track of taxes.
#6) Loyverse
Best for businesses that need features like tracking of ingredients, display systems for the kitchen, and a free loyalty program.
Price: Loyverse POS, Loyverse Dashboard, Loyverse Kitchen Display, and Loyverse Customer Display are all free. Add-ons include Employee Management ($5 per month) and Advanced Inventory ($25 per month). Both add-ons can be tried for free for 14 days.
The Loyverse POS system is used in cafes, shops, beauty centers, and other places. It has displays for the kitchen, the point of sale, the back office, the customer, and the monitor. It works on both cell phones and computers.
Features:
- It can help you manage your inventory and your employees.
- You can take care of one or more shops in different places with a single account.
- It has dining choices, printers, and a kitchen display system that restaurants and bars can use.
- It works with more than one way to pay.
Verdict: Loyverse can be used on the iPhone/iPad and Android. It gives you information about sales and will help you keep customers longer and make more money.
#7) Erply
Best for stores just starting. It works best for stores that want to keep unlimited things in stock.
Price: Erply’s cloud-based POS software is free to use on any browser, iPad, Android, and Windows. There are also paid plans that start at $39 per month.
Erply is a free cloud-based point-of-sale system for small and medium-sized businesses. It gives retail companies a POS system with inventory management, CRM, multi-store management, reporting, and an API. This Cloud-based POS has critical features like handling multiple currencies, multiple registers, credit and gift cards, and time clocks and reports.
Features:
- It can give information in real-time.
- It can be used even when you’re not online.
- Keeping track of stock
- It keeps your info safe in the cloud by encrypting it.
Verdict: Erply is a scalable system with servers that are strong enough to handle billions of transactions. It has an answer for many businesses, including Enterprise Retail, Retail Franchise, Toy Store POS, and Wholesale POS.
Conclusion
The free plan for eHopper comes with the most essential tools and functions. Loyverse has free goods like POS, Kitchen Displays, and Customer Displays. Erply is the best choice for new retailers because it can handle unlimited goods.
Square POS has no monthly or setup fees, but you must pay the transaction rate. With Vend’s free plan, you can only sell a certain number of items. Imonggo is always free for businesses with one user, one branch, and a small number of goods.
