Best All-Around: Square

So is a free POS worth it? It’s up to you to decide.

 

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1. Best All-Around: Square

Square

Square is an excellent all-around app-based POS software for small businesses. You even get a free credit card reader, which lets you accept (swiped) card payments from your phone or tablet. Square is able to offer its software for free because it is primarily a payment processor, meaning the company makes money through your business’s credit card sales.

 

While Square offers paid monthly plans with advanced POS features, you can access the free POS via an app that you download to your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone/tablet; the software also runs on Square’s proprietary mobile terminal and register kits. Though somewhat basic compared to advanced hospitalityEPOS systems, Square offers a number of useful features for a variety of business types, from cafes to spas. With Square’s free plan, you get free eCommerce, email receipts, free invoicing, inventory management, and integrations with other business software.

 

The only real caveat is that Square is a third-party merchant processor—meaning you do not get your own dedicated merchant account. As a result, sensitive fraud controls can leave some merchants prone to withheld funds. Square’s only payment processing option is Square Payments, whose credit card processing rate is currently 2.6% + 10¢.

 

Square POS Fast Facts

 

·         Monthly fee: $0

·         Transaction rate: 2.6% + 10¢

·         Works on iOS, Android, & Square’s custom hardware

·         Free magstripe card reader

·         Free online store

·         Multiple users and locations

·         Restrictions: No choice of processor—must use Square Payments

 

2. Best For New Businesses: ShopKeep

 

ShopKeep POS

 

 

               

 

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ShopKeep is an iPad POS geared toward QSR (quick-serve restaurants) and coffee shops, and accordingly, it has a lot of restaurant EPOS functionality. However, this versatile POS also has useful features for small retail businesses. Some notable ShopKeep features include easy returns, split tickets, detailed reporting, downloadable inventory and customer spreadsheets, and a marketing dashboard. What’s even better is that all of these features are available with ShopKeep’s free plan.

 

While you’ll have to call ShopKeep for a quote for monthly pricing on larger (multi-user, multi-register) packages, ShopKeep also offers a free starter plan. On the free plan, users are limited to a single location and a single staff member. Customer support options are limited as well. Previously, the free plan was limited to businesses processing $5,000 or less per month, but they recently removed this limitation. Businesses on the free plan can also now have unlimited inventory items. So really, the free plan has very few limitations at all! For any newer small business that only needs a single register, ShopKeep provides a pretty amazing value.

 

Free plan (ShopKeep Starter) users can begin accepting cash payments immediately after signup. In order to accept other payment methods, Starter users will need to sign up for either ShopKeep Payments—which offers interchange-plus pricing customized for each business—or a merchant account.

 

Shopkeep POS Fast Facts

 

    Monthly fee: $0

    Interchange-plus pricing with ShopKeep Payments

    Unlimited inventory

    Free detailed reporting

    Compatible with iPad & Clover

    Restrictions: Only 1 user and 1 location, no live customer support

 

Get Started with ShopKeep POS

 

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