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6 Best POS Systems For A Grocery Store In 2024

These grocery store POS options offer robust inventory management and most have EBT, WIC, lottery, and regulated substance capabilities.

    Nicolette Kier
  • Last updated onUpdated

  • Matt Sherman
  • REVIEWED BY

    Matt Sherman

    Lead Staff Writer

Our content reflects the editorial opinions of our experts. While our site makes money through referral partnerships, we only partner with companies that meet our standards for quality, as outlined in our independent rating and scoring system.

Grocery store POS systems help owners take in-person payments, print receipts, monitor inventory, and manage employees. The best systems also include a customer loyalty program, EBT and WIC sales, online ordering, regulated item sales features, and made-to-order food sales capabilities.

We reviewed several POS systems based on pricing, hardware options, niche grocery store software features, and software contract conditions to help you find the best POS system for your grocery store.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

CompanyBest ForNext StepsBest For
Square For Retail

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  • Best low-cost option
  • $0-$89+/month/location
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee
  • Best low-cost option
  • $0-$89+/month/location
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee

Visit Site

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Clover POS

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  • Easiest software to train employees on
  • $14.95-$64.90+/month
  • Custom contracts
  • Easiest software to train employees on
  • $14.95-$64.90+/month
  • Custom contracts

Visit Site

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Lightspeed Retail

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  • Best for specialty stores and co-ops
  • $109-$289/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best for specialty stores and co-ops
  • $109-$289/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee

Visit Site

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Revel POS

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  • Best for grocery and cafe services
  • Custom pricing
  • Standard three-year contract, early termination fee
  • Best for grocery and cafe services
  • Custom pricing
  • Standard three-year contract, early termination fee

Visit Site

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IT Retail

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  • Best supermarket POS system
  • $199+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best supermarket POS system
  • $199+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee

Visit Site

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POS Nation

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  • Best for selling age-restricted items
  • $149+/month
  • One-time purchase or custom contract with early termination fee
  • Best for selling age-restricted items
  • $149+/month
  • One-time purchase or custom contract with early termination fee

Visit Site

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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick

To find the best POS systems for a grocery store, we at Merchant Maverick reviewed 17 industry-leading and newer POS systems based on pricing, hardware costs, user-friendliness, inventory management capabilities, and niche grocery store POS features/add-ons such as regulated item sales and food café management.

6 Best POS Systems For A Grocery Store

Best Grocery Store POS Systems Compared

Star RatingMonthly PricingPayment ProcessingPOS Hardware Cost
Square For Retail4.7/5$0-$89+/month2.5%-2.9%$59-$1,959
Clover POS4.3/5$14.95-$49.95+/monthCustom$49-$1,799
Lightspeed Retail4.1/5$69-$269+/month2.6%-2.9%$79-$449
Revel POS4.0/5CustomCustomCustom
IT RetailN/A$199+/monthCustom$1,499+
POS NationNA$149+/monthCustom rate$1499 bundles

Square For Retail: Best Low-Cost Option

Square For Retail

Total Rating 4.7
Pricing4.5

Ease Of Use5.0

Features4.8

Customer Service4.8

User Reviews4.7

Pricing Range

$0-$89/month

Contract Length

Month-to-month

Equipment Cost

$0+

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

Pros

  • Free plan available
  • Free online ordering platform
  • Affordable POS hardware
  • EBT and WIC sales capabilities

Cons

  • Not available on Android devices
  • Occasional outages
  • Occasional fund holds

Why We Picked Square For A Low-Cost Option

Square For Retail earned a 4.5 out of 5 in pricing in our evaluation of retail POS systems. We like that Square offers one of the best free POS systems, affordable POS hardware with interest-free financing available, and a free online ordering platform for pickup and delivery orders. Square works on any iPad or iPhone, so you can sell from your store, at farmers' markets, and events.

Pricing

Square For Retail Plans Price  When To Use
Free Plan $0/month (2.6% + $0.10 processing fees) You have a retail store with basic inventory and reporting needs
Pro Plan $89/month (2.5% + $0.10 processing fees) You have a small to mid-sized retail establishment with advanced back-end needs
Premium Plan Custom pricing (2.5% + $0.10 processing fees) You sell more than $250,000 a year

Square charges 2.5%-2.6% + $0.10 for card-present transactions and 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions. There is a 2.5% load fee on Square gift cards.

Square For Retail works on iPad or iPhone. Other Square hardware includes:

  • Contactless Card Reader: $59
  • iPad Stand: $149 (iPad not included)
  • Cash Drawer: $129
  • Barcode Scanner: $119
  • Weight Scale: $500
  • Square Register: $799 (no iPad necessary)
  • Square Register Retail Kit: $1,959; includes Square Register, cash drawer, receipt printer, label printer, and barcode scanner

Learn More: Read our Square POS hardware guide.

Features

  • Accept debit, credit, cash, check, digital wallet, gift card, and store credit payments
  • Accept EBT/food stamps and WIC cards through paid TotilPay integration
  • Free online ordering platform
  • Online order pickup, delivery, and shipping options
  • Sell physical and eGift cards
  • Free team management (up to five team members)
  • Integrate a weight scale for fresh food sales
  • Start a loyalty program ($45+/month)
  • Manage a food subscription/CSA program with Local Food Marketplace integration
  • Free social media marketing integration
  • Low-stock alerts
  • Unlimited POS licenses on the free plan

For more advanced inventory management tools like inventory counts and barcode label printing, upgrade to the paid Square plan.

More: Compare Square with our other best gift card program builders.

When To Use Square

  • You need a free POS system for a small grocery store
  • You need affordable POS hardware and accessories
  • You want to offer online ordering for free

Get Started With Square For Retail

Read our in-depth review

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Clover POS: Most Customizable Option

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.8

Features4.5

Customer Service4.4

User Reviews4.1

Pricing Range

$0 - $84.95/month

Contract Length

3 years

Equipment Cost

$199-$1,799

Pros

  • Lots of add-on apps available
  • Free loyalty program
  • Free EBT payments app
  • Custom payment processing rates

Cons

  • Can’t accept WIC payments
  • Expensive POS hardware
  • Potential for bad contracts

Why We Picked Clover For Customization Options

Clover is the most customizable option because, unlike other providers on this list, several merchant services providers sell the hardware and software. This means you can get a custom contract and the best payment processing rates from a Clover reseller.

We also like that several durable POS hardware options are available and a vast app market full of free and paid add-on apps so you can create a custom grocery store management solution.

Expert Tip: Use one of these best Clover merchant services providers for a good merchant agreement.

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 Retail Growth $84.95/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

Since Clover devices are compatible with several payment processors, you can get a custom payment processing rate that is typically lower than the ones offered by competitors like Lightspeed and Square.

Clover does not charge any monthly fees for using a third-party payment processor (providers like Revel Systems do charge this fee.)

Clover hardware options:

  • Mobile Card Reader: $49
  • Clover Flex: $599 for a handheld POS system
  • Clover Mini: $799 for small countertop POS
  • Clover Station: $1,699-$1,799 for the full POS register kit

Related: Read our Clover POS pricing guide for more on how Clover software, hardware, and payment processing fees work with different merchant services providers.

Features

  • Custom merchant agreements and payment processing rates
  • Accept credit, debit, digital wallet, cash, PayPal, Venmo, gift card, check, EBT, and store credit payments
  • Free loyalty program
  • Free ID scanner app
  • Start a cash discount program to avoid payment processing fees
  • Free employee scheduling and time tracking app
  • Keep track of lottery payouts
  • Several inventory management integrations are available
  • Weight scale integration

When To Use Clover

  • You want durable POS hardware options
  • You want the best payment processing rates available
  • You want to customize your system with add-ons
  • You want a free loyalty program

Get Started With Clover POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Lightspeed Retail: Best For Specialty Stores & Co-ops

Lightspeed Retail

Total Rating 4.1
Pricing3.7

Ease Of Use4.4

Features4.3

Customer Service4.1

User Reviews4.0

Pricing Range

$109-$239/month ($89-$289/month billed annually)

Contract Length

Monthly, annual, and custom

Equipment Cost

$199-$329

Pros

  • Subscription membership management
  • Comprehensive inventory management
  • Wholesale account management
  • Excellent multilocation management

Cons

  • No built-in EBT/WIC integration
  • Add-ons can get expensive
  • Early termination fee

Why We Picked Lightspeed Retail For Specialty Stores & Co-ops

Lightspeed scored a 4.9 out of 5 in features, its strongest features being in the register, store management, and online sales channels categories. We appreciate Lightspeed's extensive inventory management, which is great for specialty stores with unique and rotating inventory. Co-ops can manage co-op memberships and specialty stores can start subscription boxes with Lightspeed's subscription management add-on. Lightspeed also has good wholesaler management so specialty stores can sell to restaurants, caterers, and other businesses.

More: Compare Lightspeed Retail with our other picks for the best retail POS systems.

Pricing

Lightspeed Retail Plans Price  When To Use
Basic Plan $109/month ($89/month billed annually) For single/multi-location retail business looking for strong inventory management and a customizable POS interface
Core Plan $179/month ($149/month billed annually) For single/multi-location retail businesses looking for eCommerce and accounting features
Plus Plan $289/month ($339/month billed annually) For single/multi-location retail businesses looking for a strong loyalty program and advanced business reporting

Other Lightspeed fees:

  • Extra Registers: $59/month/register
  • Additional Locations: $69-$269/month/location
  • Payment Processing: 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person payments; 2.9% + $0.30 for online payments

You must purchase your card reader from Lightspeed. A $79 mobile card reader and a $299 handheld POS terminal are available.

Lightspeed sells iPads, iPad stands, and accessories, but you can also purchase compatible devices on your own, which may be a more cost-effective option.

Features

  • Accept debit, credit, digital wallet, cash, check, gift card, and store credit payments
  • Charge orders to an existing customer account
  • Excellent built-in inventory management
  • Customizable loyalty program
  • Co-op membership subscription management
  • Free iPhone barcode scanner app
  • Online ordering with in-store and curbside pickup, local delivery, and shipping
  • Schedule orders in advance
  • List specialty items on Google Shopping
  • B2B wholesale account management
  • Strong custom business report generator
  • Several third-party integrations
  • Weight scale integration

When To Use Lightspeed

  • You run a co-op or another subscription membership program
  • You want extensive inventory management and reporting
  • You sell specialty items in bulk

Get Started With Lightspeed Retail

Read our in-depth review

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Revel POS: Best For Grocery & Cafe Services

Total Rating 3.9
Pricing3.6

Ease Of Use3.9

Features4.3

Customer Service4.2

User Reviews3.8

Pricing Range

Quote-based

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Retail and restaurant POS software in one plan
  • KDS and self-serve kiosk software
  • Several cash drawer management functions
  • Excellent perishable and retail inventory management

Cons

  • Long contracts with early termination fee
  • Expensive for smaller businesses
  • Implementation fee required
  • No integrated EBT/WIC payments

Why We Picked Revel Systems For Cafe Services

Like Lightspeed, Revel Systems earned a high score in the features category. With Revel's unique all-in-one retail and restaurant software, you can build a cafe into your store for an added income source. The software offers strong inventory, multilocation, and report management so expanding businesses will find everything they need with Revel.

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.

Every business gets a custom quote on software, POS hardware, and payment processing.

There’s a one-time implementation fee starting at $674 which includes software configuration and on-site hardware setup.

Features

  • Accept debit, credit, mobile wallet, cash, check, gift card, check, and store credit payments
  • Excellent retail and perishable inventory management
  • Food item ordering functions
  • Kitchen display system for managing cafe orders
  • Self-serve kiosk cafe ordering
  • Online ordering add-on
  • Immediate and scheduled order pickup and delivery
  • Wholesale customer account management
  • Sell tickets to classes and events hosted by your store
  • Loyalty program builder
  • Physical and eGift card sales
  • Weight scale integration
  • Theft prevention
  • Open API (application programming interface) to build your own integrations

More: Read up on our best POS loyalty programs.

When To Use Revel

  • You want to open a cafe in your grocery store
  • You are expanding to multiple locations
  • You want enterprise-level inventory and report management

Get Started With Revel POS

Read our in-depth review

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IT Retail: Best Supermarket POS System

IT Retail


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Pros

  • Built specifically for supermarkets
  • Excellent multi-department inventory management
  • EBT/eWIC certified POS
  • Registers include weight scales and can be turned into self-checkout

Cons

  • Very expensive startup cost
  • Early termination fee
  • Support costs extra

Why We Picked IT Retail For Supermarkets

IT Retail is designed specifically for fast-paced, multi-department supermarkets. We appreciate that this software is highly customizable and intuitive, especially if you have experience as a cashier, a cash office manager, or have worked inventory.

IT Retail accounts for every facet of running a large grocery store, from cash management to fast checkout to weeding out underlying issues such as theft and excessive shrinkage. Plus, the POS hardware bundles are specifically designed for grocery stores.

Pricing

IT Retail advertises a $199/month software fee. You’re also required to use IT Retail for payment processing and you’ll get a custom payment processing rate.

Common add-ons include:

  • Gift Cards: $30/month
  • Self-Checkout: $30/month/register
  • Deli Scale Integration: $2,799
  • Online Grocery Shopping Platform Integration Fee: $149
  • Grocery House Accounts: $15/month
  • Scale Setup Fee: $199
  • Remote System Configuration: $699
  • Monthly Support: $39/month

Full hardware bundles start at $1,499 and IT Retail offers a wide range of accessories including deli scales.

Features

  • Accept debit, credit, digital wallet, cash, gift card, EBT, eWIC, store credit, and check payments
  • Department-specific product management
  • Set ID scanner requirements for restricted items
  • Lottery sales, payouts, and reporting
  • Strong cash drawer and back office management
  • Manager override requirement settings
  • Flag checks that bounce
  • Custom shrinkage reports
  • Scales built into front-end registers
  • Convert registers to self-checkout stations
  • Deli scale integration with thermal label printing
  • Integration with online grocery shopping platforms
  • Several compatible hardware accessories

When To Use IT Retail

  • You run a multi-lane supermarket
  • Your store has several fresh food departments
  • You want grocery store-specific POS hardware and accessories

Get Started With IT Retail

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POS Nation: Best For Selling Age-Restricted Items

POS Nation


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Pros

  • Tobacco, alcohol, vape, and lottery sales features
  • Perishable inventory management
  • Shrinkage reduction features
  • Automated purchase ordering

Cons

  • Must use POS Nation hardware
  • Customer support and cloud backup cost extra
  • Early termination fee

Why We Picked POS Nation

 

POS Nation is trusted by thousands of retailers around the country and is well-suited for high-volume stores. POS Nation has excellent inventory management and tools to help reduce waste. It's also highly efficient, with automated purchase ordering  and other features specifically designed to help busy grocery stores. With the ability to sell products like lottery tickets and tobacco, POS Nation is an excellent fit for nearly any type of grocery establishment

When To Use POS Nation

  • If you have extensive inventory management needs
  • If you sell lottery items, tobacco, or alcohol
  • If you need grocery specific software

Get Started With POS Nation

Jump back to comparison chart

Retail POS Review 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.

Weighted Rating Breakdown

Pricing 40%
Features 30%
Ease Of Use 15%
Customer Service 10%
User Reviews 5%

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


Key Features Of A Grocery Store POS System

The features you need for your grocery store management software will vary depending on your store’s offering.

These are the features that the best software will have:

  • POS Reports
  • Speedy checkout flow
  • Strong inventory management
  • Employee and manager permissions
  • Barcode generator and scanner
  • Cash drawer and vault management
  • Gift cards and loyalty program
  • EBT/WIC payment acceptance
  • ID scanning for regulated item sales
  • Self-checkout registers
  • Weight scales for pricing fresh food and bulk items
  • Online ordering for pickup and delivery

If you offer niche products or services such as lottery ticket sales, co-op memberships, food subscription boxes, or made-to-order meals, look for a POS system that helps you manage these sales and service types.

More: Learn how to accept EBT payments.

How To Choose A POS System For A Grocery Store

To choose a POS system:

Create A Budget

POS system costs can be broken into monthly software fees, payment processing fees, and an upfront POS hardware purchase.

Most POS providers charge by the register and charge extra for advanced features. Keep this in mind when building a monthly software budget.

Payment processing fees are a per-transaction fee required for businesses to accept any digital payment type. Look for the POS system with the lowest payment processing rates that still meets your feature requirements to save money in the long run.

POS hardware offerings and pricing vary widely for grocery stores. Consider how much hardware you need and can afford to invest in. If you need niche hardware like deli scales, and can’t afford a sleek hardware package from a company like IT Retail upfront, consider financing equipment.

Decide Your Must-Have Features

Grocery stores have a lot of niche product sales and management features. Consider what payment types you want to accept, how large and complicated your inventory is, whether you want to offer products like alcohol or ready-to-go meals, and whether you want to use marketing tactics like weekly item discounts and a loyalty program.

If you have a lot of employees and asset movements (cash and inventory), choose a POS system with anti-theft features like manager override requirements, stock takes, and blind till counts.

Decide whether online ordering makes sense for your grocery store and any niche features you need.

Finally, don’t forget to find good POS reporting software.

Get A Free Trial Of Your Software Options

Once you narrow your list to a few potential choices, get a free software trial for each option. Import inventory, do test checkouts, and get input from your employees while you have your free trial.

Note: If a provider does not offer a free trial, sign up for a demo and ask customer representatives questions about the system.

Read Through & Sign A Merchant Agreement

Look for hidden fees like hardware installation fees, hardware warranty information, and early cancellation fees when you read and negotiate a merchant agreement.

Once you have signed your agreement, start setting up your software and hardware in your store!

Which Grocery Store POS System Is Right For Your Business?

The best POS for grocery store owners varies depending on your store’s size, product, and service offerings, as well as how simple or comprehensive you need your system to be. You will also want to ensure that the cost of a POS system fits your budget.

Once you decide on your POS system, learn how to negotiate a good merchant agreement to get the best software contract and payment processing fees possible.

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Nicolette Kier

Nicolette Kier

Expert Contributor
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
View Nicolette Kier's professional experience on LinkedIn.