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The 5 Best Bakery POS Systems

If you're looking for a POS system for your bakery, these top-notch options have all the features, functionality, hardware, and affordability that you need.

    Matt Sherman
  • 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.

The best POS systems for bakeries should be able to keep your shop running with the efficiency that a finely-tuned kitchen needs. POS systems for bakers should have excellent inventory management, ingredient tracking, and a strong loyalty program, all without costing a fortune.

Plenty of excellent point of sale options are available with these features and more. We’ll take a look at some of our favorites in this post.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

CompanySummaryNext StepsSummary
Lightspeed Restaurant

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  • All-in-one system with great features
  • Excellent raw ingredient tracking
  • Intuitive kitchen display system
  • All-in-one system with great features
  • Excellent raw ingredient tracking
  • Intuitive kitchen display system

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TouchBistro

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  • Designed with foodservice establishments in mind
  • Strong inventory management and ingredient tracking
  • Easy pricing with many add-on options
  • Designed with foodservice establishments in mind
  • Strong inventory management and ingredient tracking
  • Easy pricing with many add-on options

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Square POS

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  • All-in-one system that is free to use
  • Access to app store and additional add-ons
  • Incredibly easy setup and usability
  • All-in-one system that is free to use
  • Access to app store and additional add-ons
  • Incredibly easy setup and usability

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Toast POS

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  • Intuitive restaurant-specific feature set
  • Excellent mobile, online, and delivery options
  • Android-based with free plan available
  • Intuitive restaurant-specific feature set
  • Excellent mobile, online, and delivery options
  • Android-based with free plan available

Visit Site

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KORONA POS

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  • Intuitive POS with a simple pricing plan
  • Strong reporting functionality
  • Multiple payment processing options
  • Intuitive POS with a simple pricing plan
  • Strong reporting functionality
  • Multiple payment processing options

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Show Fewer Options

Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

The Best POS Systems For A Bakery

Bakery POS systems should help you track your sales, ingredients, and customers, and many can provide additional perks, such as loyalty programs and useful integrations.

How The Top Bakery POS Systems Compare

Pricing Payment Processing Costs Hardware Costs Online Ordering Free Trial
Square $0+ 2.6% + $0.10 $0+
Toast $0+ 2.49% + $0.15 Quote-based
TouchBistro $69/month Integrates with processors A la carte hardware available
Lightspeed Restaurant $69/month+ 2.6% + $0.10 Quote-based
KORONA $59/month+ Rates vary through Authorize.net A la carte hardware available w/integration

Lightspeed Restaurant: Best Overall POS System For Bakeries

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

  • Quick-serve mode
  • Self-ordering functionality
  • Offline mode

Cons

  • Early termination fee
  • Costly for very small bakeries

 

lightspeed restaurant

Why We Chose Lightspeed Restaurant For Best Overall Software

As one of the best POS systems for restaurants, the cloud-based Lightspeed Restaurant POS runs on the iPad exclusively, and you can access your back end through the Lightspeed website or a mobile app.

One of the many benefits Lightspeed Restaurant offers bakeries is the ability to tie in records of raw ingredients to specific products for real-time raw goods tracking. Some of its strongest back-end features include employee management, product management, customer management, and reporting.

Lightspeed also boasts many third-party software integrations as well as paid add-ons for advanced features, including loyalty, a self-order kiosk, online ordering, delivery management, a customer-facing display, and reporting, all with a sleek UI.

Lightspeed Restaurant 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

Lightspeed Restaurant has three pricing plans plus an enterprise plan.

The Essentials Plan is likely all you need for a smaller bakery. The larger Plus and Pro plans are better suited for sit-down restaurants.

Lightspeed Restaurant Software Features For Bakeries

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 has one of the deepest feature sets available for foodservice establishments. This all-in-one platform has everything your bakery could need and is excellent for small to larger establishments. It is the best POS system for inventory management, too.

Here are some of the feature highlights:

  • Inventory Management: Get real-time updates on what products you have in stock and do a cost analysis on items to keep your bakery profitable.
  • Kitchen Display: Send orders directly to the kitchen and allow bakers to see specific recipes for reference.
  • Staff Profiles: Set up specific and unique profiles for each employee in your business.
  • Takeout & Delivery Options: Allow customers to order online and pick up in-store, or set your business up for delivery through your own service or a third-party company.
  • Contactless Ordering: Allow customers to type in orders and make payments without any employee contact.
  • Built-in Loyalty: Reward and entice customers to come back to your establishment by allowing them to rack up points for free or discounted items.
  • Multistore Functionality: If you’re looking to expand your business to multiple stores, Lightspeed can track employees and inventory across locations.

Hardware Cost

Lightspeed sells iPad bundles on its website, but you’ll have to call them to get the exact pricing. They also sell individual POS hardware items, such as printers, card readers, and scanners.

lightspeed restaurant hardware seasonal business

Payment Processing

Lightspeed uses its own payment processing system, with a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction for individuals on the Essentials and Plus plans. Those on the Pro plan can get a custom payment processing rate from Lightspeed.

You can also integrate Lightspeed with a Lightspeed-compatible third-party payment processor. Established businesses with larger sales volumes should consider finding a dedicated merchant account that gives the best payment processing fees and account stability.

Contract Warnings & Requirements

Lightspeed allows you to sign up for its services on a month-to-month basis, annual basis, or custom contract length.

There can be substantial early termination fees, so start with a monthly plan until you’re sure you’re ready to commit to this POS software.

Get Started With Lightspeed Restaurant

Read our in-depth review

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TouchBistro: Best Bakery POS System With Offline Mode

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

  • Simple interface
  • Easy pricing structure
  • Multiple integrations

Cons

  • Average customer support
  • Some features gaps

touchbistro self ordering

Why We Chose TouchBistro For Best Offline Mode

TouchBistro is great for bakeries because it’s affordable, easy to use, and allows you to take complex bakery orders with ease. TouchBistro is an ideal iPad POS option for bakeries that want a modern tablet-based system and the security of onsite data storage. TouchBistro differs from most other mobile POS systems in that all your data is stored onsite.

Rather than syncing back to the cloud, POS app data is stored directly on your iPad or a local Mac server. For the Standard (one iPad) subscription, your entire bakery will be managed directly from the iPad. For two or more registers, you will need to set up a local server on a Mac Mini, Macbook Pro, or iMac, which will sync data to and from your iPad registers. However, you will need an internet connection to process credit card payments.

TouchBistro Pricing

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

TouchBistro has extremely simple pricing with plans starting at $69/month with the option to add on advanced features, such as a loyalty program.

TouchBistro Software Features For Bakeries

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 was built by and for restaurant owners and workers and is an incredibly intuitive system loaded with features to help your foodservice establishment run efficiently.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • Table Management: For bakeries with seating and in-store dining, TouchBistro can help you lay out your restaurant and track orders across tables efficiently.
  • Menu Management: Easily display your menu items on your tablet and make pricing changes or add daily specials.
  • Kitchen Display System: Send orders from your POS system directly to the kitchen and allow your bakers to see orders instantly on an intuitive screen.
  • Inventory Cost Tracking: See what items are selling well and what are the most cost-effective to push or feature.
  • Employee Management: Assign employees various permissions and easily track and create schedules for your bakers.
  • In-depth Reporting: Run analytics on your best-selling products and what stores are performing best.
  • Mobile Ordering: Allow customers to purchase items online for pick-up to maximize efficiency and increase sales.

Hardware Cost

Like many POS companies, TouchBistro offers hardware bundles, but you will have to contact the company directly to get a custom price. TouchBistro has different bundles for different business sizes, and you can also choose items à la carte directly from the website if needed.

Payment Processing

TouchBistro does not have its own payment processor, but it integrates with multiple processors, so you can shop around to find the best rate for your establishment. Some of the big names it integrates with include Square, Chase, and Moneris.

Contract Warnings & Requirements

TouchBistro allows you to purchase its software month-to-month with no long-term commitment.

Get Started With TouchBistro

Read our in-depth review

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Square POS: Best Free Bakery POS System

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

  • Free eCommerce
  • Simple processing
  • Intuitive hardware options

Cons

  • Occasional fund holds
  • High processing fees for high-volume sellers

Square POS hardware iPad stand

Why We Chose Square For Best Free POS Software

Square is popular among all types of small businesses in the foodservice sector, including small bakeries and cafes. It conveniently combines payment processing with cloud POS functionality and can be used on any hardware, including iPads, Android smartphones, and Square's custom-built POS hardware solutions like Square Terminal and Square Register.

Square's free online store allows you to sell online. Square comes with strong inventory management, team management, menu management, reporting, invoicing, eGift cards, and unlimited devices, all of which come with the free plan as well. All in all, Square is probably the most feature-rich free POS available and the easiest to use.

Square 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-$60/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

Square’s free POS and Square for Restaurants both have free plans. If you need more advanced features, you can also sign up for Square for Restaurant’s Plus plan for $60/month.

Square POS Software Features For Bakeries

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

Square has both its free POS app and a free version of Square for Restaurants, which has a few more foodservice-specific features. Either would be well-suited for a smaller bakery.

Here are a few of its feature highlights:

  • Auto-Gratuity: Increase profits with prompts for tipping and auto-tipping for larger orders.
  • Advanced Modifiers: Make sure orders are accurate with forced modifiers, walking customers through menu choices and options.
  • Table Maps: For dine-in establishments, lay out your store and track orders from table to table.
  • Item Counts: Always know exactly how much inventory you have at all times for easy re-ordering.
  • Team Management: Keep track of employee schedules, hours, wages, and tips in one convenient area.
  • Square Hardware Compatibility: Square has a number of unique hardware options, allowing for mobile and contactless ordering.
  • Order Management: Easily split tickets if necessary or make quick revisions to orders through Square’s intuitive interface.

Hardware Cost

Square has a number of unique hardware devices, all of which are compatible with Square’s free plans.

Here are some of your options:

  • Square Contactless Chip Reader: $49
  • Square Stand: $149
  • Square Terminal: $299
  • Square Register: $799
  • Square Terminal Kit: $1,389

Square hardware comparison

Payment Processing

Square is known for its simple and affordable payment processing platform. Its standard rates are 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction for in-person payments and 3.5% + $0.15 for card-not-present transactions.

Contract Warnings & Requirements

There are no long-term contracts with Square, and you can use all of its software on a month-to-month basis.

Get Started With Square POS

Read our in-depth review

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Toast POS: Best Bakery POS For Mobile Ordering

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

  • Intuitive, resilient hardware
  • Strong customer support
  • Restaurant-specific features

Cons

  • Long-term processing contracts
  • Only compatible with Toast hardware

toast flex guest screen

Why We Chose Toast For Best Mobile Ordering

Toast is the top Android-based POS solution for restaurants with numerous features and hardware options, all specifically designed for restaurant use. Couple its advanced functionality with best-in-class customer support, and you get a highly capable POS for any sized bakery, including franchises and multilocation eateries.

Toast is a complete all-in-one POS and payment processing solution. It's meant to be used with Toast's custom-built Android hardware, such as the Toast Go handheld ordering device, the Toast Flex POS monitor and customer-facing screen, and the Toast Tap contactless payment terminal. All of the hardware is built for restaurants, so it's spill-proof and drop-resistant, with more RAM and longer battery life than consumer tablets.

Toast 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 has four pricing tiers, including a custom plan for larger businesses.

Toast Software Features For Bakeries

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 is one of the more popular restaurant-specific POS systems around. It is chock-full of features that can help any foodservice establishment.

Here’s a bit of what you can expect:

  • Tableside service: With Toast Go, you can have employees take orders directly from the table, saving valuable time and turning tables over quickly.
  • Sales Summaries: Track your best-selling items and trends in ordering.
  • 24/7 Customer Support: Toast is known for its excellent customer service that’s accessible at any time of day.
  • Menu Management: Easily create and change menus as much as you want with Toast’s templates and easy modifying system.
  • Loyalty: Sign customers up for rewards and store their information for future marketing campaigns.
  • Marketing: Get customer information for email campaigns and tailor-made promotions to encourage repeat business.
  • Access To Integrations: Toast integrates with hundreds of companies, giving you access to niche software that can help your bakery in ways you may not have even thought about.

Hardware Cost

Toast is known for its intuitive restaurant hardware, including the handheld Toast Go device, which you can purchase from the website, although they don’t list the specific pricing. There are also a variety of hardware bundles to choose from, including a unique cafe and bakery bundle that’s priced at $518.

toast go 2

Payment Processing

Toast has its own payment processing platform that you must use with Toast’s software. Toast gives you two options for processing. Its free plan charges 2.99% + $0.15 per transaction. You can also pay $69/month; then, your fees are 2.49% + $0.15.

Contract Warnings & Requirements

In recent years, there have increasingly been reports that Toast locks customers into long processing contracts that are borderline impossible to get out of without incurring a significant penalty. Make sure you read all of your contract requirements carefully before signing up with Toast.

Get Started With Toast POS

Read our in-depth review

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KORONA POS: Best Bakery POS For Processing Options

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

  • Customizable POS
  • Built-in gift cards
  • Offline mode

Cons

  • Basic inventory
  • Limited integrations

Why We Chose KORONA For Best Processing Options

While KORONA is probably not the best option for full-service restaurants, its inventory management and deep reporting set make it more than capable of handling even a mid-sized bakery. It has strong ingredient tracking and automatic re-ordering, and can help analyze what items are the most cost-effective.

KORONA also makes it easy to customize your POS with multiple payment processing options, hardware bundles, and a simple interface. For most bakeries, the cheapest plan should have more than enough features to keep things running efficiently, and the built-in eCommerce and gift card functionality are nice bonuses.

KORONA 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 has three pricing plans plus an enterprise plan for larger businesses. The plans are $59/month, $69/month, and $89/month, and all come with unlimited users, eCommerce, and gift cards.

KORONA Software Features For Bakeries

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 is a simple, cloud-based POS option that is an excellent option for smaller to mid-sized businesses. KORONA has a deep feature set for its affordable price.

Here are some of its best functions:

  • Promotions & Discounts: Bring in customers with Korona’s simple marketing features that allow you to create sales and discounts quickly.
  • Employee Management & Time Clock: Track hours and let employees clock in and out with this built-in feature.
  • Customer-Facing Displays: Ensure accurate orders and set up contactless ordering with Korona’s kiosk mode.
  • Stock Notifications: Get instant alerts when certain items are running low and set up automatic re-ordering.
  • Product Analysis: Do a deep dive into your inventory and find out what ingredients are driving up prices or cutting into profits.
  • Gift Cards & Loyalty: A built-in feature with Korona, set up a gift card program and encourage repeat customers by offering rewards for every dollar spent.

Hardware Cost

KORONA integrates with most POS hardware on the market and has tablets, printers, scanners, and card readers available on its website. It also offers the option to lease equipment (something we don’t usually recommend) as well as the option to purchase equipment with a payment plan.

korona pos hardware

Payment Processing

KORONA doesn’t have its own processor, but it does integrate with dozens of other companies, giving you the ability to search for the best processor and rate for your needs. KORONA integrates with Elavon, Fiserv, Cayan, Global Payments, and many others.

Contract Warnings & Requirements

KORONA does not have any contractual requirements to use its software, allowing you to purchase it month-to-month.

Get Started With KORONA POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

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


Looking For One Of These Names? 3 Honorable Mentions For Bakery POS Systems

Here, I’d like to highlight some systems we haven’t reviewed previously but are relevant because of their specialized features for bakeries, including features for wholesale bakeries and bakeries that fill custom orders.

BakeSmart

BakeSmart is point of sale software specifically for bakeries that make custom cakes. The software claims to cover every aspect of running a bakery, from order-taking to production to product costing.

Unlike the web-based POS software we’ve reviewed above, BakeSmart is an on-premise POS solution that is locally installed at your business. However, the software does allow you to sell online. This software is a bit pricey, but if you specialize in custom cakes and like what you see in the demo, it could be the right choice for your bakery.

BakeSmart plans start at $199/month, plus a $999 installation fee.

Cake Boss

Cake Boss is made specifically for home bakery businesses. You can use the software to manage recipes, determine production costs, generate quotes, add sketches or photos of finished products, and send customized invoices with your logo.

However, CakeBoss doesn’t have an actual POS component, so it’s more for small home businesses that accept payments via check, cash, PayPal, etc. CakeBoss is web-based (runs from your internet browser) and affordably priced at $149 for the first year and then $20 annually after that. The company also offers a 30-day free trial.

Mountain Stream

Mountain Stream is delivery management software geared toward the wholesale bakery industry. In addition to wholesale distribution, Mountain Stream also has features for bakeries offering home and retail delivery. The software is well-received by online reviewers and includes various features, such as online ordering, production planning, CRM, inventory management, and more. To accept online payments, you can use PayPal or Stripe payment gateways. Mountain Stream is an eCommerce platform for wholesale and home delivery, not a POS for in-person selling.

Mountain Steam has two separate products called Streamline (for wholesale distribution) and Boomerang (for home and retail delivery). The pricing for Streamline starts at $249/month, plus a $499 installation fee; the pricing for Boomerang isn’t listed.

Which POS System For A Bakery Is Right For Your Business?

All of the bakery POS systems we mentioned have affordable monthly pricing structures and are equally suited for an established business that wants to cut POS overhead or a brand-new bakery that wants to start selling confections without a sizable investment or commitment.

However, the best POS systems vary greatly in price and by industry, and different systems are better for different needs; Toast and Lightspeed Restaurant are better for advanced requirements, while KORONA, Square, and TouchBistro are better for a bakery with more modest POS needs.

It’s not a bad idea to test drive some POS software for bakers before you settle on one; you can request a free trial or demo of all the above systems. You might also want to check out our post on the best POS systems for cafes.

FAQs About Bakery POS Systems

What is the most user-friendly bakery POS system?

Many POS systems for bakeries excel in ease of use, but Square, Lightspeed, Toast, KORONA, and TouchBistro have some of the most user-friendly interfaces.

Jump back to comparison chart

Matt Sherman

Matt Sherman

Lead Staff Writer at Merchant Maverick
Matt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.
Matt Sherman
View Matt Sherman's professional experience on LinkedIn.