9 Best Apple POS Systems For Small Business

Square Free is best for small businesses with only one location (or mobile-only/online businesses) and straightforward inventory needs.

Square’s paid plans are best for multi-location businesses or businesses with more complex inventory and employee management needs.

Paid add-ons are also available.

Square POS is a popular, highly affordable system for small businesses in the retail, restaurant, and service industries. Standout features include:

• Online ordering websites
• Appointment scheduler (ideal for salons)
• Employee management features
• Social media selling features
• Support for unlimited devices
• Kitchen Display Systems (add-on)
• Advanced inventory tracking (paid plans)

Square hardware costs $0 – $799.

To use Square on your iPad or iPhone, you’ll need at least the Square contactless card reader to accept chip and mobile wallet payments.

You can also purchase a Square Stand, which holds up your iPad and includes a built-in card reader, so you won’t need to deal with a separate card reader.

Business owners, especially restaurant owners, who want the ability to take payments on the go should consider purchasing the Square Terminal.

Square also offers register kits, which include cash drawers, receipt printers, barcode scanners, and more.

All Square accounts include processing with Square Payments. Square charges 2.4% – 2.6% + $0.15 for all in-person payments and 2.9% – 3.3% + $0.30 for all online payments.

Square is entirely pay-as-you-go with no contract.

The downside is that Square is a third-party payment processor, which means you don’t get the same account stability or customer service you’d typically get with a dedicated merchant account.

Lightspeed plans all come with one POS register software license and Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s in-house payment processor.

Extra registers incur an additional monthly fee.

Third-party software integrations cost extra and are billed by third-party software providers.

Lightspeed Retail includes all the standard in-store POS functions, plus:

• Multistore & multi-sales channel inventory management
• Holds & layaways
• Shop by appointment
• Store credit
• Retail product reporting
• Free barcode scanner for scanning large amounts of inventory

Lightspeed Retail also has rental item management integrations and appointment scheduling functions that make this Apple POS system a great option for rental businesses.

The dedicated golf POS solution offers everything you need to run a public or private golf course.

Lightspeed hardware costs $199 – $329. 

To download Lightspeed software, you must use an iPad that can run iOS version 14.5 or higher.

You can purchase a Lightspeed Payments-compatible WisePOS E-card reader, as well as accessories like an iPad stand, cash drawer, barcode scanner, label printer, and receipt printer.

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

Lightspeed plans include built-in payment processing with Lightspeed Payments. Lightspeed Payments charges a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person payments and 2.9% + $0.30 for online payments.

Lightspeed allows you to sign up for monthly or annual plans. While you’ll get the best pricing for annual plans, we recommend signing up for a monthly plan until you decide you really like your POS solution.

If you decide to cancel your plan before your subscription term is up, you will have to pay an early termination fee.

Also, Lightspeed plans will automatically renew unless you let a Lightspeed Representative know that you do not intend to renew your plan within 90 days (if you have a longer contract length) or 30 days with a monthly plan if you signed up for a plan without a custom order form.

Lightspeed hardware is only eligible for the 30-day warranty (14 days on Apple products) if you verify that you have received your hardware within five business days of receiving it.

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

Helcim’s free iPad POS system includes all standard tools for managing sales, products, discounts, and customer accounts. It also supports both B2C and B2B sales through large catalogs and customer portals.

Invoicing and recurring payments:

• Custom drag-and-drop invoice creation and payment settings
• Set full or partial due dates and send automatic payment reminders
• Schedule recurring invoices using saved cards or bank accounts
• Apply manual or automated tax settings for invoices

Subscription management:

• Prorated billing that charges customers only for days used
• Metered billing based on monthly usage data
• Add one-time fees and add-ons to recurring plans
• Automated card-expiration reminders for subscribers
• Offer free trials and collect feedback when customers cancel

POS and web customization:

• Drag-and-drop builder for checkout pages, subscription signups, and client portals
• Custom branding and field control to display only relevant information
• Ideal for service-based businesses that don’t require fields like shipping addresses

Helcim’s equipment costs $99 – $329. This includes a card reader that’s compatible with just about all smartphone, tablet, and desktop devices.

There are also a few compatible receipt printers available.

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 to help you estimate costs.

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

All Lightspeed plans come with one restaurant POS tablet software license. Additional tablet register software licenses add to your monthly pricing.

Popular Lightspeed add-ons can also add to your costs.

Lightspeed integrations cost a separate monthly fee.

Lightspeed is built for both quick-serve and full-service restaurants, as well as niche venues like wine bars and hotels. It offers a range of built-in tools to boost customer engagement and streamline operations.

Customer engagement:

• Built-in loyalty program
• Discount management tools
• Text and email marketing campaigns

Inventory and menu management:

• Assign ingredients to preferred vendors with automated purchase orders
• Sync menu and inventory data to alert staff about low stock and automatically disable sold-out items or modifiers
• Track shared ingredients across multiple dishes for accurate reordering and reporting
• Identify spoilage, waste, and theft to reduce profit loss
• Generate reports on top-performing menu items and cross-location insights

Multi-location management:

• Create one master restaurant account to manage multiple locations
• Duplicate POS and kitchen display settings from a single iPad

Self-ordering features:

• Lightspeed’s self-ordering table mode lets guests place multiple orders across courses at their own pace and pay at the end of the meal
• Ideal for sit-down restaurants looking to streamline service without adding kiosks

Integrations:

• While Lightspeed doesn’t include a built-in reservation or waitlist system, it supports several affordable, well-designed third-party integrations

Hardware costs range from $129 – $519. Lightspeed Restaurant hardware is all iPad-based. Hardware options include a countertop POS with a customer display, standalone iPads for tableside ordering, and/or iPad kiosks for self-ordering. Lightspeed’s KDS is also iPad-based.

You may purchase your own iPads or through Lightspeed.

We advise contacting Lightspeed to get a custom quote on a hardware bundle.

You are required to use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s payment processor (powered by Stripe), which charges the following per-transaction fees for those on the Essential plan:

• In-Person Payments: 2.6% + $0.10
• Online/QR Code Payments: 2.9% + $0.30

Lightspeed requires you to fill out a custom order form, which will detail your contract length. Lightspeed Restaurant’s pricing page lists only monthly fees, meaning that you can get a monthly contract to start with.

While longer contracts cost less in the long run, Lightspeed does charge an early termination fee, and hardware return windows are short (14 days for Apple products, 30 days for accessories).

Discounts are available if you pay for a 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 Shopify Pro subscription, which is added to your monthly eCommerce plan. Paid apps add to your monthly costs.

Standout features for multichannel retail sellers include:

• BIPOS (buy online, pick up in-store)
• BORIS (buy online, return in-store)
• Local delivery
• Post in-store items on marketplaces and social media
• Publish items across all channels
• Inventory automatically decreases across all channels when a sale is made
• Gift cards
• Exchanges
• Deposits
• Partial payments
• Custom sales/discounts
• Marketing campaigns
• Convert stores into multiple languages and currencies
• 8,000+ apps

Shopify hardware ranges from $0 – $459+. Shopify POS can use iOS or Android hardware, but you’ll need to use an iPad to take advantage of all the features. To sell on an iPad, you will need a Shopify card reader, and an optional POS hardware kit.

Shopify sells hardware bundles such as a Star Micronics mPOP bundle that includes a tablet stand, cash drawer, receipt printer, and hand scanner (iPad not included).

Shopify payment processing is included via Shopify Payments. The rate you pay is dependent on your plan level and in-person transaction fees are 2.4% – 2.7%.

You can also integrate an outside payment processor, but you will have to pay an additional transaction fee on each sale.

Shopify plans are month-to-month with no contract.

Like Square Payments, Shopify Payments is a third-party payment processor, which means you won’t get your own dedicated merchant account and may not have great account stability. Shopify Payments is powered by Stripe.

Revel’s pricing plans include a three-year contract and payment processing with Revel Advantage.

Considering that Revel is made for established businesses, possibly with multiple locations, many business owners will get a custom quote for their monthly POS subscription.

There is also a mandatory one-time POS implementation fee for professional software setup and training.

Revel Systems is a highly customizable Apple POS system that is flexible enough to take one feature and apply it to many situations.

Standout features include:

• Built-in drive-through ordering capabilities
• Self-serve kiosks
• Online ordering/delivery modules
• Multi-store management
• In-depth inventory management
• Appointment scheduling
• Open ticket functions
• Invoicing
• Loyalty programs
• Gift cards
• Offline mode

Revel offers several software and hardware integrations. There are even drive-through digital menu board and speaker system integrations, which is one reason why Revel is one of our best drive-through POS systems.

You must get a quote and then purchase hardware directly from Revel or get approval from Revel in writing for specific hardware purchases.

Revel offers a hardware and service leasing program from Apple Financial Services to help merchants reduce their upfront purchase costs with an extended payment plan. However, we generally recommend purchasing your hardware up front whenever possible to avoid interest.

Revel offers in-house payment processing, Revel Advantage, but like many payment processors, you must get a custom quote.

You may also choose to work with several external payment processors, such as Moneris, Adyen, and Tyro. Revel may charge an extra monthly fee for doing this, though.

Revel contracts have a 36-month standard term length, and to get the best pricing, you are expected to stick to this contract length and use Revel Advantage payment processing.

If you cancel your Revel contract early, you’ll pay an early termination fee equal to twice your usual monthly payment for the rest of the contract term length or $15,000, whichever is greater.

You can back out of your contract before an annual automatic renewal if you give at least a 30-day notice.

If you add user licenses, your pricing will increase.

There are also several add-ons available, including an online ordering module, a gift card program, and a reservations system.

The company also charges a nonrefundable setup fee and includes your hardware setup plus software walkthrough.

TouchBistro has all your standard restaurant POS features, plus features such as:

• Customizable server interface
• Upsell prompts
• Automated inventory tracking
• KDS system

TouchBistro makes it easy for kitchen staff to navigate online, tableside, and third-party delivery app orders so you never miss a sale.

TouchBistro’s hybrid cloud-based/locally installed setup allows your POS to function completely offline, making TouchBistro one of the best food truck POS systems out there.

TouchBistro sells iPad POS hardware kits, including a kit for smaller venues with an iPad, router, kitchen printer, and cash drawer. Larger venues with a multiple-iPad setup can use a Mac mini server to sync all the iPads.

As with many restaurant POS vendors, you’ll have to call for a custom hardware quote.

TouchBistro includes built-in payment processing with TouchBistro Payments (powered by Chase), which has an interchange-plus payment processing model.

You can also use TouchBistro with an outside payment processor, such as Square, TSYS, or WorldPay. As far as we can tell, TouchBistro doesn’t charge extra for using an integrated processor.

TouchBistro gives you options to sign up month to month, but offers its best rates if you pay for its services a year in advance. However, TouchBistro does charge an early termination fee if you cancel your plan early.

If you do end up canceling your plan, you must send a written notice to TouchBistro at least 30 days before the end of your subscription term, or you’ll be automatically charged for another term.

Businesses that will benefit from extensive appointment booking features, such as in-home cleaning services, salons, spas, and personal trainers will find everything they need on talech’s Premium plan, which includes all of talech’s features.

Additional fees include the following:

talech offers retail and restaurant POS solutions that are somewhat basic compared to other options. It’s talech’s service business POS solution that sets this system apart from its competitors. Key features include:

• Fixed and variable length service charges
• Start and end time padding
• Invoicing for consultation, products, and services
• Online payments
• Online booking website
• Product sales by weight
• Product bundling
• Inventory alerts
• Supplier tracking
• Discounts and store credit

talech sells various iPad stands, kits, and other peripheral hardware. You’ll need to contact talech for ordering and pricing information.

talech includes multiple payment processing options, giving you the ability to choose which one works best for you. Some options include Elavon, Global Payments  Chase, and USAePay.

talech offers month-to-month and annual plans. You can deactivate your plan at any time without facing any penalties. If you choose to reactivate your plan after deactivating it, you’ll be charged a $50 fee.

Loyverse’s core POS package, which includes the POS software itself, the backend management dashboard, a kitchen display system, a customer display system, and a built-in loyalty program, is free forever.

Paid add-ons include:

• Employee Management
• Advanced Inventory
• Integrations

Loyverse is a free POS system built with grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, and bars in mind. Standout features include:

• Basic inventory
• Kitchen display systems
• Loyalty programs
• Customer relationship management features
• Embedded weight barcodes
• Inventory management functions
• Employee management (add-on)
• Advanced inventory (add-on)

You may download the Loyverse app on any Apple device. Loyverse sells hardware such as barcode scanners, printers, cash drawers, and iPad stands.

You’ll have to purchase compatible card readers on your own.

You may use Worldpay, SumUp, or PayPal to accept payments.

Loyverse offers monthly and yearly plans with no penalties for cancellation.