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Best Touch Screen POS Systems

These popular POS touch screen systems are portable, convenient, and budget-friendly.

    Nicolette Kier
  • Last updated onUpdated

  • Erica Seppala
  • REVIEWED BY

    Erica Seppala

    Editor & Senior Staff Writer

Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity.

A touch screen POS system is a simple, low-cost way for small business owners to take digital payments, manage inventory, and get financial reports. The best touch screen POS system allows you to sell online, create item discounts and marketing campaigns, and works well for your business type.

We analyzed 23 different touch screen POS systems based on pricing, feature set, POS hardware offerings, payment processing fees, and software contract requirements to help you find the best POS system for your needs.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

CompanyBest ForNext StepsBest For
Square POS

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  • Best free/low-cost option
  • $0-$60+/location/month
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee
  • Best free/low-cost option
  • $0-$60+/location/month
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee

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Lightspeed Retail

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  • Best for managing large retail inventory
  • $89/month-$269/month ($69/month-$199/month annually)
  • Monthly/annual contracts, early termination fee
  • Best for managing large retail inventory
  • $89/month-$269/month ($69/month-$199/month annually)
  • Monthly/annual contracts, early termination fee

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Shopify POS

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  • Best for eCommerce order fulfillment
  • $29/month-$399+/month
  • Monthly/annual contracts, no termination fee
  • Best for eCommerce order fulfillment
  • $29/month-$399+/month
  • Monthly/annual contracts, no termination fee

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Toast POS

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  • Excellent restaurant handheld POS system, durable restaurant hardware, excellent loyalty program
  • $0-$165+/month
  • Two-year standard contract, early termination fee
  • Excellent restaurant handheld POS system, durable restaurant hardware, excellent loyalty program
  • $0-$165+/month
  • Two-year standard contract, early termination fee

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TouchBistro

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  • Best built-in waitlist/reservation management
  • $69/month-$399+/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best built-in waitlist/reservation management
  • $69/month-$399+/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee

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Lightspeed Restaurant

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  • Excellent self-ordering kiosks, intuitive KDS and POS software, good inventory management
  • $69/month-$399+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Excellent self-ordering kiosks, intuitive KDS and POS software, good inventory management
  • $69/month-$399+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee

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Clover POS

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  • Best payment processing options
  • $14.95/month-$114.85/month or custom pricing
  • Custom contracts
  • Best payment processing options
  • $14.95/month-$114.85/month or custom pricing
  • Custom contracts

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Helcim POS

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  • Best for invoicing and custom orders
  • $0
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee
  • Best for invoicing and custom orders
  • $0
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee

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Revel POS

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  • Best for hybrid and complex businesses
  • $198+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best for hybrid and complex businesses
  • $198+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee

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Odoo

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  • Best for hardware connectivity and customization options
  • $0-$46.80/user/month
  • Monthly/annual contracts, no termination fee
  • Best for hardware connectivity and customization options
  • $0-$46.80/user/month
  • Monthly/annual contracts, no termination fee

Visit Site

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KORONA POS

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  • Best security features
  • $59+/month
  • Monthly plans
  • Best security features
  • $59+/month
  • Monthly plans

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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Table of Contents

What Is A Touch Screen POS System?

A touch screen POS system is software that can be installed on touch screen hardware such as iPads or Android tablets. Touch screen POS systems allow you to create orders and take digital payments when paired with a credit card reader and/or virtual terminal.

11 Best Touch Screen POS Systems

The best touch screen POS systems are easy to use, affordable, durable, and have the industry-specific features your business needs.

Our top options include:

Compare Touch Screen POS Systems

Pricing Hardware Compatibility POS Hardware Cost Payment Processing Free Trial
Square $0-$60+/location/mo Apple, Android, proprietary devices $49-$1,189 2.5%-2.9%
Lightspeed Retail $69-$269+/mo Apple $299-$349+ 2.6%-2.9%
Shopify $29-$399+/mo Apple, Android, proprietary devices $49-$475 2.4%-2.9%
Toast $0-$165+/mo Proprietary Android devices $0-$875+ 2.49%-3.49% or custom
TouchBistro $69-$399+/mo Apple Custom Custom
Lightspeed Restaurant $69-$399+/mo Apple $299-$349+ 2.6%-2.9%
Clover $14.95/mo-$114.85/mo Proprietary Android devices $49-$1,799 Custom
Helcim $0/mo Apple, Android, Windows, proprietary devices $99-$349 Custom interchange-plus
Revel Systems Custom Apple Custom Custom
Odoo $0-$46.80/user/mo Apple, Android, Windows, Elo Custom Custom
KORONA $59+/mo Apple, Android, Windows, Elo Custom Custom

Square POS: Best Free/Low-Cost Option

Total Rating 4.9
Pricing4.9

Ease Of Use5.0

Features4.8

Customer Service4.7

User Reviews4.8

Pricing

$0/month

Contract

None

Equipment Cost

$49-$799

Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.

Pros

  • Completely free option
  • Retail, restaurant, and service business software plans
  • Affordable POS hardware
  • Easy to implement

Cons

  • Some businesses may need to upgrade to paid plans & add-ons
  • Must use Square Payments
  • Limited self-serve kiosk options

Square Appointments iPad POS system

Square Appointments on iPad.

Why We Chose Square POS As The Best Free/Low-Cost Option

We love that Square has created such a low barrier to entry for new business owners, offering free POS software, a free website builder, and a low-cost card reader that’s compatible with all touch screen POS terminal devices. Additionally, Square offers several apps besides its base POS app, including kitchen display system (KDS) software, an appointment booking app, and self-checkout software.

This provider also offers a low-cost stand accessory to turn your basic tablet into a countertop register with an integrated card reader, as well as a mount so you can use your tablet on the wall as a KDS, tilted as a self-checkout screen, or tilted on the counter so employees can shift tablets to better angles.

In general, Square is a versatile free/low-cost POS software option for retail, restaurant, and service-based business owners.

Square POS Pricing

Square POS Plans Price  When To Use
Free Plan $0/month If you have basic POS and processing needs
Square Appointments $0-$69/month If you are a business with extensive scheduling needs
Square For Retail $0-$89/month If you are a retail business with needs for advanced features
Square For Restaurants $0-$60/month If you are in the foodservice industry and need restaurant-specific features
Square Online Store $0/month depending on plan If you have eCommerce needs

The Square For Retail Plus plan includes inventory management features like vendor management, inventory counts, automated purchase ordering, and barcode printing. You can also accept cross-location returns and exchanges on the Plus plan.

The Square For Restaurants Plus plan includes an unlimited number of Square KDS software licenses that you can install on tablets, full-service restaurant features like seat and course management, plus operations management features like menu reports, section reports, and the ability to duplicate one tablet’s settings across all devices.

Square also offers an appointment booking software, Square Appointments, for service businesses.

Note: All free plans apply to single-location businesses only. If you open multiple locations, you must upgrade to a Plus plan.

Popular add-ons include Square Loyalty (starting at $45/month), Square Payroll (starting at $35/month), and Square Email Marketing (starting at $15/month).

Square POS Features

Square POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards Add-on
Customer Loyalty Add-on
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management With Square for Restaurants
Delivery Management Add on
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

All Square users have access to these features for free, which is very uncommon among POS providers:

  • Free retail and takeout/delivery ordering website
  • Free Square checkout links to take invoice payments and make sales without a website
  • Free appointment scheduling link for new service-based business owners
  • Unlimited POS devices so businesses can take payments in several ways

Square POS for retail

Square retail POS for clothing store website.

Square For Retail users can sell products in person, on their website, on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, and can list products on Google so users can discover them. Products are synced across all sales platforms, so inventory is always updated.

Square For Restaurants (one of our best free restaurant POS systems) allows you to take orders quickly on iPads or the Square touch screen terminal with conversational modifiers, accept tips, manage orders from multiple ordering platforms, take online orders through a personalized ordering site, and Order with Google. Using Order with Google, people searching for nearby restaurants will discover your restaurant and order from your Google business profile. Square also offers an affordable touch screen kitchen display system, the Square KDS, that’s very easy to navigate.

square KDS screen on android

Square touch screen POS kitchen display software.

Square Appointments users can allow people to book appointments on their own website, Instagram, Google, and through a button embedded into emails and other webpages. You can also send automated appointment reminders, set up time tracking to bill by the hour, and access team management capabilities, all on the free Square Appointments plan.

Hardware Cost & Options

Square best POS system hardware

Square Terminal, Square Register, Square iPad Stand, and Square Bluetooth card reader.

To take chip card and digital payment types, you only need the $49 Square Bluetooth card reader. Square also introduced a new feature in November 2022 called Tap to Pay on iPhone, which allows iPhone users to take tap payments (tap credit/debit cards and digital wallets) within the Square app, no hardware required. We still recommend getting a physical card reader to accept chip card payments.

The Square Stand is a $149 iPad stand with a built-in card reader so you can take orders on an iPad and swivel it around for customers to review and pay for orders. You can also use it as a self-serve kiosk.

The Square Terminal is a $299 handheld touch screen POS terminal so servers and mobile-first businesses can take payments on the go. The $799 Square Register is durable proprietary hardware that includes a register and built-in customer-facing display and card reader that’s a great countertop POS option for retail and restaurant businesses.

Square also offers hardware kits and accessories. Read our guide to Square hardware to help you decide what hardware your business may need.

Payment Processing Costs

Square is incredibly affordable because the company makes its money on payment processing fees, which means you can only process payments via Square Payments, Square’s in-house payment processor.

Square charges a payment processing fee of 2.6% plus $0.10 per card-present transaction on the free plan. You’ll pay 2.5% plus $0.10 per transaction on the Plus plan. You are charged a 3.5% plus $0.15 fee for card-not-present transactions (manually keyed-in cards, card on file charges).

The fee for online transactions and invoices is 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Square subscriptions are month-to-month, and you can cancel your merchant account anytime without consequences.

If you damage your Square hardware within your hardware warranty period, the company will send you new equipment, even if you didn’t purchase the hardware directly from Square. Don’t forget to send old pieces back to Square within 14 days of getting your new hardware, or you will be charged for the new equipment.

Get Started With Square POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Lightspeed Retail: Best For Managing Large Retail Inventory

Lightspeed Retail

Total Rating 4.1
Pricing3.7

Ease Of Use4.4

Features4.3

Customer Service4.1

User Reviews4.0

Pricing

$89-$269/month ($69-$199/month billed annually)

Contract

Monthly, annual, and custom

Equipment Cost

$199-$329

Pros

  • Excellent inventory management
  • Several niche integrations available
  • Customizable loyalty program
  • Free barcode scanner app

Cons

  • Expensive for smaller businesses
  • Early termination fee

Lightspeed Retail touch screen POS system

Lightspeed Retail touch screen POS system.

Why We Chose Lightspeed Retail For Managing Large Retail Inventory

We believe that Lightspeed Retail is one of the best POS systems for retail stores, especially those that may also sell services, digital goods, subscriptions, and other commodities. This is because Lightspeed’s inventory management settings allow for all product types, as well as composite items such as boxes and bundles, and custom purchase ordering features.

The POS also has a strong loyalty program, built-in eCommerce integration, and lots of software integrations, so you can do anything from selling rental items to managing warehouses to creating email marketing campaigns. All Lightspeed integrations are made with Lightspeed’s tablet POS software in mind, so there are rarely any problems with them.

Lightspeed Retail POS Pricing

Lightspeed Retail Plans Price  When To Use
Lean Plan $89/month ($69/month billed annually) For single/multi-location retail business looking for strong inventory management and a customizable POS interface
Standard Plan $149/month ($119/month billed annually) For single/multi-location retail businesses looking for eCommerce and accounting features
Advanced Plan $269/month ($199/month billed annually) For single/multi-location retail businesses looking for a strong loyalty program and advanced business reporting

All Lightspeed plans come with one tablet POS license. You’ll get a custom quote for multiple POS terminals.

Lightspeed add-ons and third-party software integrations come with an added monthly fee.

Lightspeed Retail POS Features

Lightspeed Retail Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling Standard plan and up
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty Advanced plan
Marketing Tools Standard plan and up
Online Ordering Standard plan and up
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Lightspeed Retail’s most unique features are its extensive inventory management, loyalty program setup, and a number of third-party integrations that add niche functions your business may need to succeed. The provider’s eCommerce integration also pairs nicely with the entire Lightspeed ecosystem.

When it comes to inventory management, you can:

  • Open multiple locations and temporary locations and monitor/transfer stock between them all
  • Set automated reordering points for individual products and product groups, with preferred reordering vendors and purchase order settings
  • Create product catalogs for B2C and B2B customers, with customer portals to restrict wholesale/custom pricing to only registered clients
  • Mark inventory as used in store, stolen, or spoiled and generate usage/wastage reports
  • Manage rentals, services, digital goods, and work orders as inventory

Lightspeed Retail inventory management

Lightspeed Retail inventory transfer.

One of Lightspeed’s best integrations includes quoting software, which you can use to convert quotes to estimates to invoices. There’s also a warehouse management integration, property management software, a rental shop manager, and customer service integrations. Plus, you can choose from several marketing platform integrations and employee management software if needed.

Hardware Cost & Options

Lightspeed Retail POS hardware and new card reader

Lightspeed Retail card reader, iPad POS device in case, eCommerce site on PC and smartphone device.

You can purchase a Lightspeed Payments-compatible WisePOS E card reader for $299 and an iPad for $329.

Lightspeed offers accessories such as an iPad stand for $199, a cash drawer for $129, a barcode scanner for $199, a label printer for $124, and a receipt printer for $399.

Contact a Lightspeed representative and ask about a discount on a retail POS hardware bundle.

Payment Processing Costs

Lightspeed has its own processing solution, Lightspeed Payments, which qualified business owners are required to use (this includes pretty much everyone in the US and Canada).

Lightspeed Payments charges 2.6% + $0.10 for card-present transactions and 2.9% + $0.30 for card-not-present transactions for business owners on the Essentials and Plus plans.

Users on the Pro plan will get a custom lower payment processing rate. We suggest that high-volume restaurants invest in the Pro plan for these lower rates.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Lightspeed requires you to fill out an order form, which will show your custom pricing. You will pay one-time fees upfront and you may (depending on your billing cycle) pay for your software subscription on a monthly basis or upfront (in the case of annual or long-term plans).

In general, the longer your POS subscription is, the less you’ll pay per month. However, Lightspeed charges an early termination fee if you decide to cancel your subscription early, and hardware return windows are short, so consider starting out on a monthly plan until you’re sure Lightspeed is the POS for your store.

Get Started With Lightspeed Retail

Read our in-depth review

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Shopify POS: Best For eCommerce Order Fulfillment

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.9

Features4.4

Customer Service4.8

User Reviews4.4

Pricing

Starts at $29/month

Contract

None

Equipment Cost

$0-$500+

Pros

  • Free POS Lite app on all online store plans
  • Buy online for in-store pickup
  • Affordable POS tablet hardware
  • Very customizable sales solution

Cons

  • Most features require add-on apps
  • Must use Shopify payment processor to avoid transaction fees

Shopify POS for Android

Shopify POS on tablet.

Why We Chose Shopify POS For eCommerce Order Fulfillment

We appreciate that Shopify has rolled out a retail-centric in-person POS app that blends well with the company’s excellent eCommerce platform. Shopify offers the “light” version of the POS app for free for all Shopify online store owners and an advanced “pro” version of the app at a reasonable price. Shopify also has the most free and paid add-on apps out of all the touch screen POS providers on this list, so you can really customize your online and on-site business management features.

Shopify works on most tablets (both Apple and Android OS) and offers affordable tablet hardware kits. You can also sell on the go with a tablet and the highly affordable Shopify card reader.

The affordable price point and easy setup make Shopify a great choice for business owners who want to sell retail items, subscriptions, event tickets, services, and/or other nonperishables both online and in person.

Note: Shopify offers a three-day free trial, no credit card required.

Shopify POS Pricing

Shopify POS Plans Price  When To Use
Basic $39/month ($29/month billed annually) If you have a growing eCommerce business with occasional in-person sales
Shopify $105/month ($79/month billed annually) If you want additional reporting and reduced payment processing fees
Advanced $399/month ($299/month billed annually) If you want advanced reporting and additional discounts on processing fees
Shopify Plus $2,000+/month If your high-volume or large business needs an enterprise-level solution

Shopify’s eCommerce pricing plans range from $39/month to $399/month. You get 25% off if you pay for an entire year upfront. Each eCommerce plan (that comes with a full store) offers the “Shopify POS Lite” app for free.

For more retail features, such as store pickup and unlimited staff accounts, you’ll need the $89/month/location Shopify Pro subscription, which is added to your monthly eCommerce plan. Additionally, while there are many free Shopify apps on the company’s app market, some require you to sign up for a paid subscription.

Your payment processing rate decreases on higher-level plans. Businesses with larger transaction volumes should strongly consider upgrading to save money in the long run.

Shopify POS Features

Shopify POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support Supports multiple inventory locations
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Shopify’s in-store sales features include the ability to take partial payments/deposits, schedule discounts and generate digital coupons, put items on layaway, and take custom payment types. You can also customize your touch screen register interface.

Shopify tablet POS

Return online sale on Shopify touch screen POS.

Shopify’s unique features come in the form of its synced online/in-person sales features, which (depending on your version of the POS app) include:

  • An elegant yet easy-to-use eCommerce store builder with in-store pickup, local delivery, and numerous shipping options
  • Exchanges and returns on online items at any of your retail locations
  • In-app social media sales through TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more
  • Integrations with online marketplaces such as Etsy, Walmart, Amazon, and Wish so you can get more sales and more exposure online
  • Inventory syncing between all online and offline sales platforms

Shopify POS tablet

Shopify online store with in-store pickup available.

Most of Shopify’s best features will be available as an app in Shopify’s app market. The market has over 8,000 free and paid apps, with more being added every day. With a Shopify add-on app, you can create your own product catalogs, start an email marketing campaign, and sell subscriptions and memberships.

Hardware Cost & Options

Shopify POS hardware

Shopify POS register stand with card reader.

The Shopify app runs on most phones and tablets. Like Square, Shopify now has Tap to Pay on iPhone, which allows iPhone users to take contactless payment types on their phones, no hardware required.

The Shopify Chip & Swipe Reader, which is the bare minimum requirement for taking chip card and mobile wallet payments, starts at $49. The most expensive hardware is the $639 Shopify Star® mPOP™ With Scanner, an all-in-one customizable retail hardware package.

Not sure what equipment your retail POS system needs? Read our post on Shopify hardware choices, which includes pricing and where to source your hardware.

Payment Processing Costs

Shopify integrates with its own in-house payment processor, Shopify Payments. Retailers that use Shopify Payments do not need to pay transaction fees. In-person Shopify Payments processing fees are between 2.4% and 2.7% per transaction, while online payment fees are between 2.4% and 2.9%, plus a $0.30 flat fee. Percentage fees vary depending on your pricing plan.

If you prefer to use a different processor or do not qualify for Shopify’s in-house payment processor, you have several options, but you will have to pay transaction fees.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Most Shopify requirements surround payment processing. To use Shopify Payments, you must purchase a card reader directly from Shopify. To use a Shopify-approved third-party payment processor, you must use a card reader sold by that payment processor.

Get Started With Shopify POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Toast POS: Best Handheld POS For Restaurants

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing2.6

Ease Of Use4.7

Features5.0

Customer Service5.0

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

$0-$165 plus custom plan

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$0+

Pros

  • Durable heat and spill-proof hardware
  • Excellent handheld POS for servers
  • Great loyalty program builder
  • Very customizable

Cons

  • Must use Toast for payment processing
  • Add-ons are expensive
  • Early termination fee

Toast pub POS system

Toast handheld POS system drink ordering.

Why We Chose Toast As The Best Handheld POS For Restaurants

We believe that Toast's durable Android-based touch screen POS hardware is the most heat and spill-proof restaurant hardware on the market right now. Toast's touch screen kitchen display and point of sale hardware are good, but Toast's most unique offering is its Toast Go 2, which is one of the best restaurant handheld POS systems available.

The Toast Go 2 is a complete POS solution with large-scale table monitoring, order hold and firing functions, and more. Customers can also pay for orders and sign up for a Toast-powered loyalty program directly from the handheld POS.

Toast offers some of the most granular feature customizations out of all restaurant POS systems on the market at a reasonable price point for most midsize and larger restaurant owners. Whether your business operates in one location or many, has its own delivery system, relies on third-party delivery services, hosts events, caters on-location, or anything in between, Toast software is equipped to help you do it all.

Toast POS Pricing

Toast POS Plans Price  When To Use
Quick Start Bundle $0/month You have a small, single-location restaurant with basic feature needs
Core $69/month You need a full point of sale suite with processing and custom hardware
Growth $165/month You need advanced features and are looking to bundle with digital ordering
Custom Custom Larger businesses looking to access the entirety of Toast’s features

Toast’s $0 upfront Quick Start Bundle plan looks like a good deal, but in order to get this deal, you have to pay much higher per-order fees. Instead, it may be worth it to purchase your POS equipment upfront and pay a monthly fee if you can afford it. If you can’t afford it, find a way to finance your purchase or switch to a paid plan as soon as you have the money to do so.

On the $69/month Core plan, you’ll have to pay an additional $75/month if you want to add digital ordering, which includes online orders to takeout and Toast delivery services. The $165/month Growth plan comes with digital ordering at no extra cost.

On the Quick Start Bundle plan, you can add the digital ordering and marketing suite (includes digital ordering, loyalty, gift cards, and email marketing) for no monthly cost, but Toast will increase your per-order payment processing fees again to a relatively high percentage.

You can purchase these popular Toast software add-ons at the following pricing:

  • Digital Ordering: $75/month
  • Third-Party Ordering Platform Sync: $30/month for Grubhub, DoorDash, or Uber Eats; $75/month for all three
  • Loyalty: $50/month
  • Gift Cards: $50/month
  • Kitchen Display: $25/month plus one-time hardware purchase
  • Self-Serve Kiosk: $90/month plus one-time hardware purchase
  • Email Marketing: $75/month
  • Catering & Events: $100/month

Other popular add-ons, such as Toast Payroll and Toast Scheduling, require you to get a custom quote which will be determined based on factors like the number of employees and locations you own.

If you plan on purchasing multiple Toast products at once, make sure to ask about a discount for bundling products.

Toast POS Features

Toast POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Toast’s best features related specifically to the Toast Go 2 handheld POS system are its connections to Toast Loyalty, Toast KDS (kitchen display system), and table/floor management.

The extensive Toast Loyalty program builder automatically:

  • Prompts customers and servers to ask about loyalty program signup
  • Notifies servers on the Toast Go 2 handheld mobile POS system (and any other customer ordering touchpoint) when a customer has loyalty points available for use
  • Connects a loyalty account to a credit card so customers can automatically earn points just by using their cards
  • Allows customers to sign up with a phone number or email and send a welcome gift or loyalty points

Toast Loyalty program

Toast Loyalty program signup on Toast Go 2 handheld POS system.

The Toast Go 2 handheld also links to Toast KDS, which is one of the best kitchen display systems available. With syncing between these two Toast products, servers can:

  • Easily hold and fire orders to the kitchen and get notifications on their handheld device when an order item is ready to be picked up
  • 86 menu items and modifiers from their handheld and kitchen staff will be notified on their screen (and vice versa)
  • View online orders for pickup and delivery, which helps servers who are distributing takeout orders and orders from third-party ordering platforms

We also like all the things servers can do with tables and checks directly on the Toast Go 2. Servers can split checks up evenly or by order items, guest seat, and payment method (e.g., split by gift card and debit card payment).  They can add guests to a table, send guests to another server’s section (great for moving people from the bar to a table), and change the dining option (great for guests who want to order something like a dessert to go).

Plus, the hardware itself is heat and spill-resistant but still lightweight and easy to carry around in an apron or pocket. It has a long charge, fast processing speed, and good connectivity to the back of house.

Hardware Cost & Options

Toast POS hardware

Toast software on PC, kitchen display screen, handheld mobile POS system, and countertop POS system.

Toast software only works with Toast’s proprietary Android-based hardware.

Toast hardware comes at the following prices:

  • Toast Go 2 Handheld POS: $627
  • Countertop POS: $875
  • Outdoor Wi-Fi Access Point: $104
  • Kitchen Printer: $269
  • Cash Drawer: $134
  • KDS: $629 + $25/month
  • Self-Serve Kiosk Terminal: $809 + $90/month

On the pay-as-you-go Quick Start Bundle plan, you can get the handheld POS for no upfront cost and no monthly fees, as long as you agree to pay higher per-transaction payment processing fees. If you pay upfront for your POS hardware, you’ll pay between $69/month and $165/month for your POS software.

In general, we do not recommend the pay-as-you-go plan because the higher per-order fees will cost you more than the original price of the hardware once you get in enough orders.

If you can, pay for your POS hardware upfront. Otherwise, look into equipment financing to help you cover the costs of the restaurant hardware you need in your establishment.

Payment Processing Costs

Toast offers an in-house restaurant credit card processing system at the following payment processing rates, which are dependent on your subscription plan:

  • Quick Start Bundle: 2.99% plus $0.15 per card-present transaction; 3.39% + 0.15 for all transactions if you choose to add the online ordering and marketing suite to your Quick Start Bundle
  • Core: 2.49% plus $0.15 per card-present transaction; 3.50% plus $0.15 per card-not-present transaction
  • Growth & Custom Plan: Quote-based

It’s important to note that while you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription fee on the Starter plan, the higher processing fees you end up paying on card-present transactions can easily exceed the $69/month Core plan subscription fee.

Translation: If you can pay for your POS hardware upfront, you should choose the Core plan or higher to get lower payment processing fees.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Toast subscriptions are typically long-term commitments ranging from 1-3 years, with automated renewals. If you cancel your contract, you may have to pay early termination fees. There are no refunds if you cancel your software subscription.

You may return your Toast hardware for up to 90 days after purchase. Toast also offers a limited lifetime warranty for up to three years on qualifying Toast products.

If you choose to get the pay-as-you-go plan and add the digital ordering and marketing software package to your plan, you will pay a 3.39% + $0.15 fee on all orders, not just online orders.

Get Started With Toast POS

Read our in-depth review

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TouchBistro: Best Reservation & Waitlist Management

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.6

Features4.9

Customer Service3.9

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

$69/month

Online Ordering

Add-on

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Excellent waitlist and reservation management app
  • Strong offline mode
  • Multiple payment processor options
  • Affordable software license payment setup

Cons

  • Inconsistent customer support
  • No self-serve kiosks
  • Early termination fee

TouchBistro restaurant tablet handheld POS system

TouchBistro tablet restaurant ordering system.

Why We Chose TouchBistro POS For Reservation & Waitlist Management

We like that TouchBistro offers comprehensive waitlist and reservation management that is built into TouchBistro's POS and KDS software. This makes it easy for patrons to reserve a table online and get SMS reminders, get added to a waitlist with SMS table-ready updates, and monitor table status to get a better idea of customer flow on the floor.

TouchBistro also offers a unique POS software license setup that is very cost-effective for businesses with a midsize to large number of POS devices required. For single-register setups, TouchBistro is comparable in price to providers like Lightspeed and Clover.

Finally, we like TouchBistro's unique locally-installed solution, which allows businesses like food trucks and catering companies to take orders and payments wherever they are, with no WiFi required.

TouchBistro POS Pricing

TouchBistro Plans Price  When To Use
TouchBistro Plan $69+/month If you have basic restaurant needs and are interested in purchasing add-ons

If you don’t use any integrations or add-ons, TouchBistro is $69/month for one register, billed annually. The Dual plan includes two user licenses and costs $129/month. The Team plan includes five user licenses at $249/month, and the Unlimited plan includes unlimited user licenses at $399/month. This makes TouchBistro a very affordable option for larger restaurants that require several POS devices.

There are also add-ons available at the following prices:

  • Online Ordering: $50/month
  • Loyalty Program: $99/month
  • Marketing: $99/month
  • Gift Cards: $25/month
  • Reservations: $229/month

Some of TouchBistro’s add-ons are more expensive, but there are no per-order fees on orders, which gives TouchBistro an advantage over third-party software add-ons.

The company also charges a nonrefundable one-time $200 setup fee.

TouchBistro POS Features

TouchBistro Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards Add-on
Customer Loyalty Add-on
Marketing Tools Add-on
Online Ordering Add-on
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

TouchBistro’s best touch screen POS features include offline sales capabilities, upselling features, reservation and waitlist apps, and catering features.

As servers take orders, they get upselling suggestions in real-time, plus comprehensive item information, including nutrition and allergen facts, to describe dishes. Patrons who order online get automated upselling suggestions that update in real-time as they add and remove items from their orders.

The best full-service restaurant features include:

  • Reservation System: Customers can make reservations from your web app, Google Business Profile, or by phone. TouchBistro has created a separate reservation app so that you can view and modify reservations, send reminder emails/phone messages about upcoming reservations to reduce no-shows, and create floor plans specifically for managing reservations.
  • Waitlist: The waitlist is part of the TouchBistro Reservations app. With it, you can allow customers to add themselves to the waitlist online when your restaurant is currently full, send customers SMS notifications about their waitlist status, and enforce waitlist cutoff times.
  • Customer Dining Preferences: You can ask for dining preferences/allergies when taking reservations. VIP diners are noted in customer reports, and their preferences can be saved for future orders to create a personalized dining experience.
  • Customer Accounts: You can allow billing to customers’ house accounts with saved payment types. You can also take partial or full balance payoffs and allow customers to preload credits to an account.

TouchBistro restaurant POS system

TouchBistro restaurant POS waitlist/reservation settings.

Catering companies will appreciate these features:

  • Taking Catering Orders: Caterers can create a quote and take notes for a future order, require a deposit for future orders, and choose how far in advance someone can order. You can also set concrete event start and end times.
  • Delivery Customization: Caterers can set different delivery zones, increase fees depending on delivery zone, and set minimum order amounts per delivery zone. If a customer inputs an address outside your delivery zone, an automated message will ask the customer to contact you to discuss a custom order.
  • On-Location Sales: TouchBistro is a unique hybrid system that allows for online and offline sales. You can bring items that are on your catering menu with you and sell them on location.

TouchBistro coffee point of sale

TouchBistro catering house accounts.

Hardware Cost & Options

TouchBistro POS hardware

TouchBistro countertop iPad POS, iPad stand, handheld iPad POS, cash drawer, card reader, and receipt printer.

TouchBistro runs on iPads and iPad Minis, which you may source yourself or purchase from TouchBistro. Unlike restaurant POS providers like Square and Toast, TouchBistro does not have a handheld POS with integrated card reader option. When it’s time to pay, you can bring a separate credit card terminal to guests or send them to the front to pay at a register.

TouchBistro also supports hardware from third-party suppliers such as Chase Payments Solutions (formerly Chase Merchant Services), Square, Star Micronics, Verifone, and Epson.

Check with TouchBistro before purchasing any hardware to make sure the hardware models are compatible with TouchBistro software. Alternatively, you can contact TouchBistro for a hardware quote.

Payment Processing Costs

TouchBistro offers its own in-house payment processing solution, TouchBistro Payments (powered by Chase), which uses an interchange-plus pricing model. Contact TouchBistro for a custom quote.

Interchange-plus pricing can help you get the lowest payment processing rates, depending on your business size, model, and merchant account terms.

You may use third-party payment processors such as Square, TSYS, Worldpay (a company we don’t typically recommend), Barclaycard, or Chase to process payments.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

TouchBistro offers month-to-month and long-term contracts. Like most POS providers, you’ll get better pricing with longer contracts. However, TouchBistro will charge an early termination fee for canceled accounts, so consider getting a short-term contract before committing to anything in the long run.

Get Started With TouchBistro

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Lightspeed Restaurant: Best Tableside Ordering Screens

Lightspeed Restaurant

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing3.1

Ease Of Use3.8

Features5.0

Customer Service4.3

User Reviews4.7

Pricing

$69-$399+/month

Online Ordering

Essential plan and up

Equipment Cost

$129-$519

Pros

  • Convertible standing to tableside ordering kiosks
  • Quick-serve and full service server touch screen options
  • Excellent inventory management
  • Intuitive touch screen KDS software

Cons

  • Early termination fee
  • Add-ons can get expensive

Lightspeed Restaurant POS tablet

Lightspeed Restaurant tablet POS user interface.

Why We Chose Lightspeed Restaurant POS For The Best Tableside Ordering Screens

We love that Lightspeed Restaurant has created such a user-friendly system for servers, kitchen staff, and managers. The system has excellent inventory and reordering features for restaurants and comes at a slightly more transparent price compared to other feature-rich restaurant POS systems on this list.

Plus, Lightspeed offers one of the best self-ordering restaurant kiosks. It’s simple to transition between a touch screen register, standing kiosk, and tableside ordering kiosk, so customers have a number of ways to order without holding up any lines. The tableside ordering kiosk comes with features to offer customers a great dining experience, including the ability to request help from a server and input multiple items at their own pace.

Lightspeed Restaurant also has lots of third-party integrations available, including several liquid inventory management integrations and hotel management integrations. This POS system is easy to use and offers speed and flexibility.

Lightspeed Restaurant POS Pricing

Lightspeed Restaurant Plans Price  When To Use
Starter $69/month Single-location restaurants looking to start a loyalty program
Essential $189/month Restaurants with one or more locations looking for online ordering capabilities
Premium $399/month Larger restaurants & hotels looking for custom payment processing rates

These plans are for one register license. Additional registers cost $59/register/month.

Note: Lightspeed lists these plans online, but you must get a custom quote to find out how much you’ll pay in fees and whether you’ll pay on a monthly or annual basis.

Add-on Lightspeed apps, such as Lightspeed Delivery and third-party delivery app integrations, as well as third-party software apps, are an added monthly fee.

Lightspeed Restaurant POS Features

Lightspeed Restaurant Features Availability
Multi-Store Support Essential plan and up
Contactless Payments Essential plan and up
Multi-Channel Selling Online and third-party delivery platform orders
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering Essential plan and up
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management Paid add-on
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Lightspeed Restaurant’s best touch screen POS features include its self-ordering touch screen capabilities, KDS software, inventory management, and third-party restaurant management apps.

With Lightspeed Restaurant, you can convert a standing self-order kiosk to a tableside ordering kiosk. Quick-serve restaurants can easily place standing touch screen ordering kiosks near the front of the establishment, while fast-casual and sit-down restaurants can place kiosks at the front or at tables.

Additionally, you can allow customers to:

  • Place numerous orders throughout the tableside dining experience
  • Request help from staff members at the self-serve kiosk
  • Collect and redeem loyalty points at restaurant kiosks using QR codes
  • Send “order ready” confirmation texts for customers who opt into them

Lightspeed Restaurant tablet ordering system

Lightspeed Restaurant self-order menu for customers to order with a tablet stationed at their table.

Lightspeed is one of the best kitchen display systems for restaurants, and it syncs well with all ordering sources, including dine-in, takeout, in-house delivery, third-party delivery platform orders, and self-ordering kiosks. You can create custom menus specifically for different ordering sources and designate specific kitchen display/expo screens to manage different order types.

Orders are synced to your restaurant inventory, and menu items/add-ons will automatically be removed from order screens when an ingredient runs out.

Lightspeed offers several integrations for liquid inventory and waste management, plus ID verifications, making Lightspeed one of the best POS systems for bars. Hotels and inns can also find unique hotel management integrations with Lightspeed that charge items to a customer’s room, manage reservations for hotels and hotel restaurants, and manage several restaurant locations within one hotel ecosystem.

Lightspeed Restaurant tablet POS system for restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant integration with hotel management software.

Note: If you want a restaurant POS system with many third-party software integrations but the ability to choose your own payment processor, Clover or Revel are alternative options to consider.

Hardware Cost & Options

lightspeed restaurant hardware bundle

Lightspeed Restaurant on iPad, iPad stand, kitchen printer, cash drawer, and receipt printer.

Lightspeed Restaurant hardware is all iPad-based, which means that you’ll need to bring a separate card terminal to the table for tableside payments or take a card up to the front for payment.

You may purchase your own iPads or through Lightspeed at $329 per device. The iPad stand costs $199, the kitchen bump bar costs $199, the cash drawer costs $129, and the kitchen printer costs $299.

It’s important to purchase your card reader (Lightspeed supports Verifone products) from Lightspeed to make sure your Lightspeed Payments account is configured correctly with the hardware.

Payment Processing Costs

Lightspeed has its own in-house payment processor, Lightspeed Payments, which all merchants in the US and Canada are required to use. The company charges the following payment processing fee for individuals on the Essentials and Plus plan:

  • Card-Present Payments: 2.6% + $0.10
  • Online Payments: 2.9% + $0.30
  • AMEX Card Payments: 3.5% + $0.10

Those on the Pro plan will get a custom payment processing rate, which should be lower than the above rates.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Lightspeed lists monthly pricing, but you must get a custom quote and sign a service contract. Your service contract will tell you whether you’re expected to pay monthly or annually. If you do not pay your fees on time, Lightspeed will charge a late fee. There are no returns on software subscriptions.

If you purchase your hardware from Lightspeed, you must verify that your hardware purchase is accurate. Lightspeed’s 30-day limited warranty will not apply to your purchase if you don’t. There is a restocking fee if you return a Lightspeed hardware purchase.

If you cancel your Lightspeed account, Lightspeed will charge an early termination fee, which can get pretty steep depending on the length of your contract and whether you got any discounts on your initial purchase.

Our advice: Start with a month-to-month subscription before committing to Lightspeed for the long term.

Get Started With Lightspeed Restaurant

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Clover POS: Best Payment Processing Options

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.8

Features4.5

Customer Service4.4

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

Starts at $0/month

Contract

Depends on merchant services provider

Equipment Cost

$49-$1,799 per device

Pros

  • Several payment processor options
  • Easy to use
  • Several touch screen POS options
  • Lots of affordable add-ons available

Cons

  • Potential for scams
  • High upfront costs

Clover garden center POS system

Clover countertop POS system at garden center.

Why We Chose Clover As The POS With The Best Payment Processing Options

We appreciate that Clover provides a self-contained POS solution where your software, hardware, add-ons, and payment processing all come in one package. This makes Clover one of the easiest POS systems to work with.

While Clover is easy to use, it’s still a flexible, scalable solution. You can choose from lots of POS hardware and industry-specific software plans. Unlike other POS providers on the market, you can purchase Clover hardware and sofware from one of many Clover resellers and get your own custom payment processing rates with no added fees.

This is a huge advantage for businesses looking for the best payment processing rates possible.

While Clover works for many business types, we believe Clover is an exceptional option for sellers on the go, especially those that provide personal, professional, and home/field services. This is because Clover’s handheld terminal allows you to send invoices, take payments, print receipts, manage inventory, and accept client feedback.

If your base Clover plan doesn’t have everything you need built into it, there’s an entire app market with software add-ons that are as easy to install as smartphone apps. You can find apps to engage customers, streamline operations, and add specific industry-specific features like age verification or kitchen display systems.

Clover POS Pricing

Clover POS Plans Price  When To Use
Clover Payments $0/month If you only need to process payments and don’t need any POS hardware
Clover Essentials $14.95/month If you have a small retail/service-based business and don’t take returns
Clover Register $49.95/month If you have a small to mid-size retail/service-based business and need more POS features
Clover Counter Service Restaurant $54.95/month If you have a quick-serve restaurant, cafeteria, or mobile food service business
Clover Table Service Restaurant $84.95/month If you have a full-service restaurant or bar

You can also purchase your Clover POS system from a number of Clover-authorized sellers, so prices will vary. Read our Clover pricing guide to understand more about how much you may pay for your Clover hardware, software, and payment processing fees.

Clover Touch Screen POS Features

Clover POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments Depends on hardware choice
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering Depends on software plan
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance Add-on app
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Clover offers retail, restaurant, and service-based business software plans. All Clover users will appreciate the provider’s free loyalty program, online ordering page add-on, and access to Clover’s vast app market. The app market offers everything from ID verification apps to email marketing platform integrations to event ticketing software connections.

Clover POS systems for grocery store

Clover POS loyalty points redemption at checkout.

Personal, professional, and home/field services business owners will appreciate these service-specific features:

  • Invoice by email with status order updates on invoice payments
  • Customer database with loyalty program setup and private feedback
  • Inventory tracking, stock takes, and itemized order creation through Clover Flex
  • Recurring payments with card on file

Clover best POS system

Clover POS invoice status monitoring.

Restaurant owners will appreciate the touch screen floor planning features, table mapping, bill splitting and tipping from the Clover Flex handheld POS system, and the new proprietary touch screen Clover kitchen display software.

Clover KDS software

Clover kitchen display screens.

Hardware Cost & Options

Clover POS hardware

Clover countertop POS system, handheld POS system, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and card reader.

Clover offers a handheld terminal, the Clover Flex, which costs $599 if you purchase it from Clover.com. This is great for mobile sellers, especially professional and field service providers like mobile hairdressers and landscapers.

The Clover Mini is a small countertop terminal ($799 on Clover.com) and includes a built-in receipt printer. The Clover Station is a full countertop solution with a cash drawer, receipt printer, and card reader. On Clover.com, the Clover Station costs $1,699.

It’s important to note that Clover hardware costs vary depending on Clover hardware providers.

Payment Processing Costs

Clover payment processing rates vary depending on where you get your Clover hardware and accompanying merchant services from.

If you get your POS from Clover.com, you’ll pay 2.3% plus $0.10 for card-present transactions and 3.5% plus $0.10 for all card-not-present transactions, which includes invoice payments and online ordering website payments.

Small businesses can get flat-rate payment processing. Larger businesses can seek a merchant services provider that offers an interchange-plus payment processing model, the most cost-effective model for processing large sales volumes.

Read our post on the best Clover resellers to find a Clover-authorized merchant services provider with the best payment processing rates and contract terms for your business.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Since Clover is sold by a number of merchant services providers, there are several contracts you’ll encounter. Read our post on Clover scams so you can avoid the bad companies (and find the good ones).

Get Started With Clover POS

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Helcim POS: Best For Invoicing & Custom Orders

Total Rating 4.2
Pricing4.1

Ease Of Use4.8

Features3.9

Customer Service4.5

User Reviews4.0

Pricing

$0

Contract

Monthly

Equipment Cost

$99 - $329

Pros

  • Completely free POS software
  • Works on any system (smartphone, tablet, computer)
  • Interchange-plus payment processing
  • Excellent invoicing and subscription management

Cons

  • No built-in loyalty program
  • Very few third-party integrations
  • Not for companies making less than $5,000/month

Helcim Apple POS system interface

Helcim POS register interface.

Why We Chose Helcim POS For Invoicing & Custom Orders

We love that Helcim offers completely free touch screen POS software and transparent interchange-plus payment processing fees to all business owners. With this POS model, many business owners (especially ones with higher average transaction sizes) will save money and understand exactly what they’re paying for.

Helcim is generally more beneficial for B2B/B2G businesses, service-based businesses such as veterinarian offices and carpet cleaners, and businesses selling subscriptions because of its invoicing, card storage vault, and custom online checkout designer. We also believe Helcim is a good option for businesses providing custom orders because you can add custom payment parameters and notes to any order anytime.

At the touch screen POS, employees can link payments to invoices and cards on file, charge products and services to business accounts, and generate new invoices from the register.

We also like that Helcim works on any type of touch screen, as well as smartphones and desktop devices. The card reader is also inexpensive, lowering the barrier to entry even more.

Helcim POS Pricing

Helcim POS Plans Price  When To Use
Free Plan $0 If you need free in-person POS software, an online store builder, subscription manager, and/or customer account manager

Helcim’s POS software is completely free to use. You only pay Helcim’s payment processing fees.

Helcim POS Features

Helcim POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Helcim’s free POS system offers all standard POS functions, and it’s easy for employees to add products, discounts, tips, and customer accounts during transactions. You can also add custom transaction notes and checkout fields, pre-authorize cards, save orders for later, and accept checks on the POS, which is not something that many POS systems have built into their register interface. You can sell individual items and sell to businesses using customer portals and large catalogs.

Helcim POS for retail store

Helcim POS checkout payment methods.

Helcim’s invoicing and recurring payment features are what set Helcim apart from the other providers in this list and make it a viable option for B2B and B2G businesses. Helcim’s invoicing features include:

  • Generate invoices from the touch screen POS and link a customer to it
  • Accept partial invoice payments from the touch screen POS and virtual terminals
  • Custom drag-and-drop invoice creation and payment settings
  • Set full and partial invoice due dates
  • Send reminders to customers about upcoming and overdue invoice payments
  • Set recurring invoice payments with a card or account on file
  • Create automated and manual tax settings for invoices

Helcim best point of sale

Helcim POS custom invoice theme designer.

Helcim’s subscription management includes prorated billing, so you only charge customers for the days they use their subscription and metered billing. With this billing method, you charge based on monthly usage data and the ability to add one-time fees and add-ons. Customers will get an automated reminder when their card is about to expire.

You can also create free trials for customers, and if a customer cancels their subscription, you can get feedback that will help you understand why they canceled to optimize your subscription business.

Helcim’s POS and web pages (including checkout carts, subscription signup, approvals, and client portals) can be built with a drag-and-drop builder, so your pages will have only the information you want, and they will all be custom-branded. This is useful for businesses that only need certain information fields, like those selling services, as you can remove fields like the shipping address. It’s also for businesses that require unique ordering fields, such as custom jewelry making using photos submitted by customers.

Helcim free POS system

Helcim free POS system advanced pricing for B2B wholesale item listings.

Hardware Cost & Options

Helcim Apple POS system

Helcim iPad POS system and card reader.

Helcim’s card reader costs $109. It is compatible with just about all smartphone, tablet, and desktop devices.

Additionally, in June 2023, the company launched the $349 Smart Terminal, a handheld POS system that, like the Square Terminal and Clover Flex, includes an integrated POS register, card and mobile wallet reader, and receipt printer.

There are also a few compatible receipt printers available.

Payment Processing Costs

Helcim offers interchange-plus payment processing for all businesses, small or large. There are no minimum sales volumes or transaction numbers. This is highly uncommon among POS providers.

The company offers a sample “find your custom rate” tool on its website. As an example, if a professional services business makes less than $50,000 per month and has an average transaction size is $250 with an even mix of in-person and online payment types, that business will get an estimated processing fee of 1.94% plus $0.08 for in-person payments and 2.51% plus $0.25 for online transactions.

Coming soon, the company will start offering a cash discount program with merchant accounts for business owners who would like to pass their credit/debit card processing fees to customers. The company will uniquely allow business owners to give customers the choice to pay a “convenience fee” if they choose to pay with a card or through a bank account, which has lower fees for business owners than card payments.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Helcim offers very flexible month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees, much like Square does.

Get Started With Helcim POS

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Revel POS: Best For Hybrid & Complex Businesses

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing3.6

Ease Of Use3.9

Features4.7

Customer Service4.2

User Reviews3.8

Pricing

Quote-based

Contract

Three-year commitment for lowest rate

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Retail, restaurant, and service features on all plans
  • Comprehensive feature set and customization options
  • Several third-party integrations
  • Extensive multi-location management

Cons

  • Expensive for smaller businesses
  • Early termination fee
  • Implementation fee

Revel mobile restaurant POS system

Revel iPad POS system with built-in swipe card reader.

Why We Chose Revel Systems POS System For Hybrid & Complex Businesses

We love that Revel is an extremely customizable touch screen POS solution with built-in features for niche business types.

Unlike many other POS systems, you don’t have to choose between retail, restaurant, and service business software plans. This is great for hybrid businesses that serve food and retail items, retail products and appointments, and more. Revel also offers several proprietary add-ons, business reports, and third-party integrations for business owners to streamline operations and thoughtfully expand their offerings.

This POS is also a great option for businesses such as Kung Fu Tea (one of Revel's largest customers) that have multiple stores and want to franchise. Revel has excellent multi-establishment hierarchy settings that help you manage brands, individual establishment permissions, royalty payments, product settings, and more. There are also lots of product transfer settings that help you monitor the location of any product at any given time.

We also appreciate that Revel is consistently updating its product offering based on feedback from customers, so you can rest assured knowing that your POS will continually remain one of the most well-designed systems.

Revel Systems POS Pricing

Revel POS Plans Price  When To Use
Revel plan Quote-based: three-year commitment for cheapest plan Use if you are committed to the product and have a need for high-end features.

Revel’s advertised pricing requires a two-terminal minimum, three-year contract, and you must agree to use Revel Advantage, Revel’s in-house payment processing solution.

However, most businesses will want to add on Revel products such as its delivery software, online ordering platform, highly customizable loyalty program, and multi-location management functions. A Revel representative will give you a custom quote for these software add-ons.

There is also a one-time implementation fee starting at $674 that includes on-site hardware installation and software set up services.

Revel Systems POS Features

Revel POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Revel offers one of the most comprehensive feature sets of any touch screen POS software on this list, mainly because you have access to both retail and restaurant management features.

No matter what type of business you run, you’ll appreciate these unique Revel features:

  • Loyalty Program: Includes custom rewards point setup, gift options, and automated loyalty points marketing for customers who haven’t stopped by in a while
  • Online Ordering: Online ordering for local delivery with real-time driver monitoring and shipping with auto-generated third-party shipping rate calculations; third-party delivery platform integrations
  • Purchase Ordering: Purchase order generation with set par levels, vendor management, and partial/full order receiving
  • Employee Management: Includes scheduling, time clocks, employee roles, and payroll, all within Revel dashboard
  • Multi-Establishment Management: Create different parent and child establishments, unique brands, charge royalty fees, and push changes across single, multiple, or all establishments
  • Inventory: Revel offers inventory matrixing, custom attributes, stock unit conversions, waste management, loss reports, and automated perishable food/liquid inventory tracking
  • Self-Checkout Kiosks: Revel offers self-checkout software that works for retail and restaurant businesses

Revel best POS system

Revel POS inventory item setup.

Revel offers several kitchen-specific touch screen POS apps. This includes the Revel KDS touch screen order manager that includes drive-through order management, which puts Revel on the list of best drive-through POS systems. The company also offers an iPad-based local delivery driver management app and an Android-based customer order-status display system, which is one reason why Revel is one of the best POS systems for pizza shops.

Revel best point of sale

Revel POS kitchen display screen.

Any business that provides services such as catering, rentals, or repairs will appreciate Revel’s built-in appointment booking system and predefined service charges. Revel has an open-ended item feature that allows you to charge a custom fee depending on how long you spent on a service, how long a person rented an item or venue, or any other cost parameter.

The company also offers great third-party software integrations for things like security cameras, digital signage (to show off your brand and your business offerings), and several accounting integrations.

Hardware Cost & Options

Revel Systems POS register

Revel Systems POS register, customer-facing display, receipt printer, and card reader.

Revel offers POS hardware and accessories for Revel users, which you’ll get a custom quote for.

Alternatively, with Revel’s written permission, you may purchase Revel-compatible hardware on your own. The company asks for written permission to ensure that you are spending your money on hardware that will work and can avoid having to return any equipment to third-party providers.

Payment Processing Costs

Revel offers its own in-house payment processing solution, Revel Advantage. The company advertises flat-rate payment processing. You must contact Revel for a custom quote.

You will most likely be required to pay an additional monthly fee to integrate with compatible outside payment processors such as First DataHeartland, TSYS, Chase Paymentech, Worldpay, and Elavon.

Note: If you’re looking for a more affordable restaurant POS system that allows you to choose your own payment processor, TouchBistro is a good alternative touch screen POS choice.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Revel’s standard contract is three years, with a substantial early termination fee depending on how far you’re into your contract before canceling.

While you’ll get the best prices with a longer contract, we recommend making extensive use of your demo, asking lots of questions to your Revel account representative, and even signing up for a month-to-month plan until you’re sure that Revel is the right fit for your growing business.

Revel typically offers a discount for users who bundle their software, hardware, and payment processing into one bill. We recommend that you get an estimate on hardware and payment processing rates from outside companies and bring that estimate to Revel to see if they’ll match it.

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Odoo: Best Hardware Connectivity & Customization Options

Odoo


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Pros

  • Can use POS app for free
  • All niche add-on apps come at one low price
  • Very customizable
  • Compatible with all USB, Bluetooth, HDMI, or WiFi-enabled devices

Cons

  • Can only use with Stripe
  • Not intuitive
  • Lots of setup required

Odoo touch screen POS system

Odoo POS touch screen on iPad.

Why We Chose Odoo POS System For Hardware Connectivity & Customization Options

Odoo is a company that provides a unique suite of integrated business tools, including POS software. All of Odoo’s apps are web-based and bundled at an extremely affordable price for everything you’re getting. For example, you can install the POS, rental, and maintenance apps on one Mac to create a complete bike retail and repair shop for one low monthly price.

Odoo also offers many compatible hardware options as well as an IoT (Internet of Things) box that allows you to integrate anything with a standardized Bluetooth, WiFi, USB, or HDMI connection.

The only downside is that Odoo apps are not as intuitive as the other options on this list, mostly because the software is so vast, and there’s no integrated payment processing setup.

Odoo POS Pricing

With Odoo, you get one app for free, so you can get your POS app without spending any money.

The paid plans are as follows:

  • Standard: $31.10/user/month ($24.90/user/month with annual billing)
  • Custom: $46.80/user/month ($37.40/user/month with annual billing)

With paid plans, you get access to all Odoo apps.

The Custom plan also includes an on-premise local installation offer for offline sales, multi-company management, the Odoo Studio which allows you to create your own Odoo apps, and an external API for even more developer customizations.

The IoT box subscription costs $30/month/box.

Odoo POS Features

Odoo’s POS app comes with built-in inventory management and invoicing. Purchases are called “sessions” and you can create itemized sales or custom payments. Inventory can get very customized, including the ability to print barcode labels in a variety of sizes.

Odoo Mac POS system

Odoo POS system create inventory item.

Much like Helcim, Odoo’s invoicing software allows you to create stylized invoice templates, store B2B customer information, and create custom repayment terms. Unlike Helcim, Odoo has expansive accounting software built into the invoicing software, and with some more account setup, you can keep even better track of your business activity.

However, the POS app is average, so we really like Odoo because of the other apps available. This includes a complete HR and payroll solution, a customer helpdesk ticket management app, a manufacturing order management app, a quality control monitoring app, and shipping courier integrations. No matter what kind of business you own or how large it is, Odoo has everything you and your employees need to succeed.

Odoo POS for Mac

Odoo Rental management app item rental calendar.

Odoo’s IoT box offering allows you to connect any USB, HDMI, Bluetooth, or WiFi-enabled device to your software. This allows businesses in a wide array of industries to create a holistic sales management solution. For example, gas stations can connect fuel controllers to their registers so cashiers can dispense fuel from the POS, and businesses with restricted areas or restricted network access requirements can integrate RFID card readers/key fobs with their business management software.

Hardware Cost & Options

Odoo runs on any tablet or desktop device, as well as proprietary touch screen POS hardware setups from providers like Epson.

You can purchase a Stripe Terminal card reader to take in-person payments. Depending on your model, you may spend between $59 and $299.

The IoT connectivity box does not have an upfront cost. You pay a monthly subscription for boxes.

There are also many compatible hardware options that do not require the IoT box, including RFID tag/key fob readers, cash drawers, and barcode scanners. Customer displays can be any HDMI screen.

Payment Processing Costs

Odoo users can use Stripe to process online and in-person payments, so you’ll be subject to Stripe fees. There are no additional fees to take payments through Odoo. You will have to set up the Stripe connection, and while it isn’t straightforward, there are tutorials to help you.

Note: If you’re looking for a highly customizable POS system with a built-in payment processor and you’re willing to move to an iPad-based POS, Revel Systems is a good alternative to Odoo’s POS system.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Odoo is an extremely flexible software provider with no early termination fees. Stripe is also a very secure payment processor, so the only warning we can give is that it will take a little while to fully set up and appreciate all that Odoo has to offer.

Get Started With Odoo

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KORONA POS: Best Security Features

Total Rating 4.4
Pricing4.9

Ease Of Use4.1

Features3.7

Customer Service5.0

User Reviews4.4

Pricing

$59-$69/month

Contract

None

Equipment Cost

Contact for quote

Pros

  • Excellent loss prevention features
  • Highly secure self-checkout kiosks
  • Good multilocation/franchise management
  • Affordable advanced inventory management

Cons

  • No built-in eCommerce function
  • No built-in loyalty program

KORONA POS system for Android

KORONA POS checkout interface on touch screen.

Why We Chose KORONA POS For Security Features

We like that KORONA is such a flexible POS system in terms of payment processor and hardware accessory choices. Unlike providers such as Square and Shopify, KORONA integrates with high-risk payment processors, which is very useful for businesses like vape shops and liquor stores. The system allows you to integrate just about any cash drawer, barcode scanner, and receipt printer.

The touch screen POS terminal also has lots of register security functions, such as the ability to restrict item voids, returns, and cash drawer opening. The company's self-serve kiosks also include loss prevention features such as RFID tags to reduce theft.

KORONA POS Pricing

KORONA POS Plans Price  When To Use
KORONA POS Core $59/month Basic business operations
KORONA POS Retail $69/month Advanced inventory needs

KORONA offers two monthly plans as well as the following add-ons:

  • Food: $10/month/terminal; includes restaurant software features like menu, table, and server management
  • Plus: $20/month/terminal; includes advanced inventory management features like order level optimization and the ability to create different product pricing for each location
  • Invoicing: $10/terminal/month; includes features like quotes, rentals, and invoicing
  • Ticketing: $50/month/gate; includes features like ticket tiers and printing, customer management, and entry gate management
  • Franchise: $30/month/franchise; includes features like automated royalty payments and consolidated inventory management
  • Integration: $45/month/integration via KORONA’s open API

Other features, such as self-serve kiosk hardware and software, require a custom quote.

KORONA POS Features

KORONA POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling With integration
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering With integration
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

KORONA’s most unique POS features are its loss prevention features, affordable inventory management, and franchise capabilities.

You’ll get these loss prevention features with KORONA:

  • Forced drawer closing, blind till counts, and restricting cash drawer access to open only when they make a sale
  • Require manager approval for item voids, price changes, item returns, and inventory changes
  • Run cash drawer reports at any time, at the end of shifts, and set maximum allowed balance differences
  • Cashier balance and time tracking reports
  • Restrict which cashiers can grant permissions to other cashiers (used for managers who need to be able to use registers but will also need to create new cashiers and associated cashier permissions)
  • Custom self-checkout kiosk hardware and software with RFID tag monitoring to reduce item theft

KORONA best POS system

KORONA POS system cashier permissions.

KORONA’s basic retail plan includes several inventory management features that other POS systems only offer on higher-level plans. These features include:

  • Price and shelf labels with barcode printing automations
  • Pack to single item conversion (great for selling items like cigarettes and liquor bottles)
  • Inventory counts and adjustments from the KORONA POS mobile inventory app
  • Supplier interface integrations with vendor shipment tracking

While KORONA’s advanced inventory management is now a separate add-on as of August 2023, the add-on is affordable and worthwhile unless you have several terminals. The advanced inventory allows you to create set reordering points with automated reordering, generate custom product performance reports, create individual store listings and prices, and perform financial forecasting.

KORONA touch screen POS self-checkout

KORONA self-checkout kiosk with RFID tagging and automated scanning.

With KORONA’s franchising add-on, you can create custom royalty payment systems, automate royalty payments, manage franchisee communication between all locations, set ordering preferences and reordering points per location, and get franchise insight reports.

Hardware Cost & Options

korona pos hardware

KORONA-compatible barcode scanner, POS terminal, admin dashboard on tablet, and credit card terminal.

KORONA integrates with POS terminals by PartnerTech and AURES Group. Both are durable proprietary countertop POS terminals with large screens. The company also offers self-checkout hardware for a custom price.

You may also purchase compatible card readers from Genius, PAX, Dejavoo, and eConduit. You’ll likely get a credit card reader from your merchant services provider that you can connect to KORONA.

Epson is the most common provider of receipt printers and cash drawers, but you can connect any USB printer and cash drawer to KORONA. You can also connect any USB barcode scanner.

Payment Processing Costs

KORONA does not offer in-house payment processing but instead integrates with several payment processors, including Merchant Warehouse and Merchant Payment Systems.

You can also integrate KORONA with several merchant service providers through PAX and Dejavoo payment devices.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

KORONA offers month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees. You can pay for an annual contract and get one month free.

The provider also offers an unlimited free trial so you can try out the software for as long as you need to before committing to it.

You do have to be careful about your merchant agreement and make sure the terms are fair for your business. High-risk business owners should expect to pay a little more for payment processing than lower-risk business owners.

Get Started With KORONA POS

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Methodology

Merchant Maverick has been researching and reviewing POS providers since 2012. Our writers have tested over 100 different point of sale systems, evaluating pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. Read more about how we rate POS providers.

When comparing different POS software systems, we consider many data points, including relative pricing, the depth of niche features offered, the price of hardware, and any associated payment processing fees. Our lists of the best providers include only apps we’ve deemed worthwhile from multiple vantage points. The POS vendors we pick share qualities such as widespread availability, accessibility, user-friendliness, and reasonable pricing. We also look carefully at niche features, such as check-splitting, inventory management, eCommerce, loyalty programs, gift cards, and more.

We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure the providers included meet our internal standards for quality and reputation.

80+

Vendors evaluated

65+

Attributes assessed per vendor

20+

Features weighed

30+

Combined years of experience


How To Choose A Touch Screen POS System

To choose a touch screen POS system, you have to consider your business’s budget, niche business needs, customization capabilities, the software’s learning curve, and where you plan on putting your touch screens, among other factors.

Here’s what business owners in different industries should look into for their touch screen POS.

Touch Screen POS For Retail Businesses

Retail business owners should consider these factors when making their decisions:

  • Mobile Or Countertop POS: If you have one or more permanent retail locations, you may want to incorporate countertop POS hardware to create a centralized location in the building. If you do some or most of your selling on the go, consider using smartphone or tablet mobile POS systems to take payments.
  • Self-Checkout: If you are understaffed or just want to add more checkout options, converting a touch screen to a touch screen self-checkout could be a good solution.
  • Inventory Management: To take stock and manage inventory on the go, a POS app with a smartphone or tablet inventory management app or browser-based admin dashboard is useful. If you have a large inventory, a POS system with a barcode scanner will save a lot of time and minimize mistakes.
  • Online Sales Features: Most retail business owners should start moving towards a multichannel sales approach to build their customer base. A touch screen POS allows you to fulfill online orders for in-store pickup or delivery.
  • Customization Options: While some retail businesses only require straightforward inventory management and sales reporting features, others, especially ones with a large, variable inventory and/or multiple locations, may require a more custom retail POS system setup.
  • Learning Curve: While customization is important, you also have to consider how difficult your software will be to set up and use. If a POS system will take too long or too much effort to set up, or training employees takes too long or they make many mistakes, then consider a different POS software. If you have a lot of employee turnover, you should definitely look for something straightforward that you can easily train people on.

Of course, consider pricing during the entire decision process. If you really need a totally custom software, you will end up paying more for your software. If you have a newer business, consider a more affordable POS that either has the ability to scale with your business or has monthly contracts that you can easily cancel when you need to upgrade to a different POS system.

Touch Screen POS For Restaurants

Restaurant business owners should consider these factors when choosing touch screen POS software:

  • Mobile Or Countertop POS: If you have a small establishment or food truck, consider a space-saving countertop POS system or completely handheld POS. If you have a larger restaurant, consider a POS system with handheld POS hardware so servers can take orders at tables.
  • Touch Screen Self-Serve Ordering System: If your busy restaurant is understaffed or you just want to add more checkout options, converting a touch screen to a self-serve ordering system is a great option. Tableside touch screen ordering is great for full-service restaurants, while standing self-ordering kiosks are a good idea for quick-serve establishments.
  • Online Ordering Features: Most restaurant business owners should offer delivery options, either with your own in-house delivery drivers or third-party delivery platforms, or both!
  • Inventory & Menu Management: Depending on your restaurant’s offering, you may want to create menus with modifier options, different courses, rotating menus, and custom menus for online and in-person orders.
  • Touch Screen KDS System: Most restaurants should consider moving towards touch screen kitchen displays. Touch screen monitors will eliminate the need for paper tickets and manage orders from several sources (online ordering platform, third-party delivery apps, self-serve kiosks, orders from servers, etc.)
  • Customization Options: While some restaurant businesses only require straightforward inventory management and order customization features, others, especially ones with a large, variable menu and/or multiple locations, may require a more custom restaurant POS system setup.
  • Learning Curve: Restaurants often have a lot of employee turnover, so look for easy-to-use software that you can easily train people on. Some options take a lot of initial setup but are worth it to make the overall server and KDS software interface fast and easy to navigate.

Of course, consider pricing .while you’re making your choice. If you really need a custom software, you will end up paying more for your restaurant POS software. If you have a newer foodservice business, consider a more affordable POS that either has the ability to scale with your business or has monthly contracts that you can easily cancel when you need to upgrade to a different POS system.

Touch Screen POS For Niche Businesses

Niche businesses, such as service-based, rental item, or custom order businesses, and businesses catering to both B2B and B2C customers, will have more niche needs. Businesses in more niche industries will need software that either has built-in niche features such as appointment setting or rental item management or software that has integrations available to help meet those needs.

What Is The Right Touch Screen POS System For Your Business?

The best touch screen POS system will not be the same for every business owner. Take advantage of free trials and free demos, test out customer service, and read customer reviews for yourself before signing any contracts.

We recommend buying any POS hardware upfront instead of leasing your equipment, as it costs less in the long run. If you’re struggling to come up with the money upfront, look into equipment financing.

If you decide to work with a POS provider that offers custom payment processing rates and merchant agreements, learn how to negotiate a good merchant agreement to get the best contract terms possible. The best payment processors often integrate with most of the POS systems on this list.

FAQs: Touch Screen POS System

What is the best touch screen monitor for a POS system?

The best touch screen monitor depends on your business type, budget, and the software you want to use.

A proprietary touch screen POS terminal from Toast, Square, or Clover offers the strongest monitors but they cost more than affordable Apple and Android touch screen table POS systems.

Can I use my phone as a POS system?

You can use your phone as a POS system if you download a mobile POS app from a provider such as Square, Shopify, or Helcim.

Why are touch screen devices used in restaurants?

Restaurant touch screen devices allow you to take tableside orders, provide self-ordering kiosks, use kitchen display systems in the back of the house, and manage takeout/delivery orders using an expo screen.

The touch screens make ordering more efficient, decrease errors, and are intuitive for customers and staff.

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Nicolette Kier

Nicolette Kier

Senior Staff Writer
Nicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Nicolette Kier
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