8 Best POS Systems To Integrate With QuickBooks In 2023

We love that Square is so affordable, with the majority of its features being free for all users. The company’s hardware is also extremely affordable. You only need a phone and a $49 card reader to start taking sales! Plus, you can take online sales for free.

We also appreciate that Square has designed specific solutions for retail, restaurant, and service businesses. There are great retail inventory management features, an excellent handheld restaurant POS, and a free online appointment scheduler!

It’s a great choice for solopreneurs and small business owners who want an easy, low-commitment way to take sales on the go, set up an affordable in-store register, or get an online store up quickly.

Square can be adapted for any industry and used on a variety of devices, but its free POS is best for low-volume businesses that aren’t ready for a merchant account yet.

For more established businesses looking for an all-in-one system that includes payment processing and POS, check out Square for Retail or Square for Restaurants for pricing, features, and more.

Square has retail, restaurant, and service-based business sales solutions. Many of the software’s best features are free and work across all business types. These features include:

• Free POS and Square Online online store builder
• Free Square Appointments online appointment scheduler
• Free subscription management tool so you can start a subscription/membership program
• Free digital gift card sales
• Unlimited POS devices (single-location businesses only)

Square POS online store builder.

Square’s QuickBooks POS integration is free and easy to set up. You may set up your integration for multiple locations (if you have them), choose whether you want to record every transaction with customer information or just a summary, and specify how far back you’d like to go when importing previous transactions.

Square POS with QuickBooks integration settings.

While future Square sales will automatically appear on QuickBooks, you do still have to confirm them before they’re imported into your books.

Square has a variety of strong hardware options. The Square contactless + chip card reader is just $49, while the mobile Square Terminal card processor is $299. For larger businesses, Square Register is $799, and you can also buy various kits on the website.

Read our guide to Square hardware to figure out what hardware you need for your business and how much you might pay for your equipment.

Square got its start as a groundbreaking payment processing company, and this payment processing is integrated into the Square POS systems. Its rates are competitive and upfront.

Square’s processing fee is 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person contactless payments, swiped or inserted chip cards, and swiped magstripe cards.

Payments that are manually keyed in, processed using a card on file, or manually entered using Virtual Terminal have a 3.5% + $0.15 fee.

Online payments have a fee of 2.9% plus $0.30.

Square does not tie you into any long-term contracts, billing you on a month-to-month basis.

We like the level of freedom that you get with Clover. Unlike POS providers like Square, you get your own dedicated merchant account with custom payment processing fees instead of having the same flat-rate fees as everyone else. Businesses with larger sales volumes and/or smaller ticket values can get a much better deal on payment processing rates.

Clover offers a wide array of hardware options with corresponding retail, restaurant, and service-based business plans. The POS has a built-in online ordering page, loyalty program, and a huge app market, so you can build the exact POS solution your business needs to function well.

Unlike POS providers like Square, you can purchase Clover hardware and software from a number of Clover-authorized resellers. Resellers may charge differently for subscriptions, hardware, and payment processing.

Clover pricing can get complicated, which is why we recommend that you read our Clover pricing guide if you’re interested in this system.

Like Square, Clover offers retail, restaurant, and service-based software plans. Clover further breaks down plans into counter-service and full-service plans, as well as personal and professional services plans.

Clover has some solid built-in features, including a loyalty program, online ordering page, and Order With Google integration. The POS also has some extra features, such as sales by weight, itemized returns and exchanges, and employee shift management.

Clover POS loyalty program.

Its real power comes from the Clover app market, which contains hundreds of apps that you can easily use to add anything from perishable inventory management to EBT transaction capabilities (which is what makes Clover one of the best grocery store POS systems), to event ticket sales.

Unfortunately, Clover does not have a free direct QuickBooks integration. However, there are multiple third-party apps that you can use to connect Clover to QuickBooks (QuickBooks by Commerce Sync is a highly rated app in the Clover app market.)

Clover offers a wide variety of hardware options. Its Clover Go reader is $49, while its Clover Flex handheld terminal is $499. The Clover Mini is $799 and can run your entire business, while the larger Clover Station runs between $1,349 and $1,799.

To add extra POS software subscriptions to additional Clover POS devices, you’ll pay an extra $9.95/device/month if the devices are in the same location.

If, for example, you have two Clover devices in two different locations, you’ll pay the full software fee on each one rather than the full price for the first one and $9.95/month for the second.

Since Clover can be sold by many different providers, you can get several payment processing rates.

If you purchase your Clover system directly from Clover, you’ll pay 2.3% + $0.10 for card-present transactions and 3.5% + $0.10 for card-not-present transactions. Card-not-present transactions include online transactions, invoice payments, and virtual terminal payments.

If your sales come from mostly online sales, you have high sales volumes, a lot of sales with low ticket values, want flexible interchange-plus payment processing rather than flat-rate payment processing, or want better contract terms, we recommend working with one of these best Clover resellers.

Clover offers 36-month and 48-month contracts with early termination fees if you decide to cancel your contract. Clover sales reps may say they can waive the early termination fee, but if that isn’t written into your merchant agreement, it probably isn’t true.

If you work with a Clover reseller, you may have different contract lengths and requirements. In general, look for a Clover reseller with month-to-month contracts and flat-rate or interchange-plus payment processing fee structures.

Also, read up on how to negotiate a merchant agreement to get the best contract terms possible.

We love that Lightspeed itself has an impressive level of inventory and customer management capabilities, plus its own standalone fully developed golf course POS system. We’re also impressed by the number of third-party integrations Lightspeed has. These include scheduling, reservation, and rental management integrations that work seamlessly with your POS system.

The system also provides multi-location support on all plans, making Lightspeed a cost-effective way to sell in multiple locations, including temporary locations such as seasonal stores or events.

Lightspeed  Retail offers a free 14-day trial.

Lightspeed has three unique POS offerings: Lightspeed Retail, Lightspeed Restaurant, and Lightspeed Golf, with the following pricing structures:

• Lightspeed Retail: $89/month-$269/month ($69/month-$199/month with annual billing)
• Lightspeed Restaurant: $90/month-$519/month ($69/month-$399/month with annual billing)
• Lightspeed Golf: Custom pricing

All Lightspeed plans come with one POS register. Extra devices cost $59/device/month.

Read our post on the best POS systems for golf courses to find out why Lightspeed Golf is the best overall golf POS system.

Lightspeed’s best pos retail features are in its inventory management, customer management, and multi-location, and include the following:

• Ability to create a catalog of suppliers and quickly generate purchase orders, receive items, perform stock takes, and more
• Highly customizable loyalty program
• B2B customer accounts, account credits, and quote system
• B2B and B2C sales without creating different websites or sections in your POS dashboard
• Master purchase orders and stock transfers for multi-location business owners

Lightspeed Retail inventory management.

We recommend Lightspeed for rental businesses because Lightspeed has excellent integrations for managing items or locations people rent out for a pre-determined or open-ended amount of time. Lightspeed is also great for hotels because it has integrations that allow reservation booking, guest management, and room monitoring/cleaning, among other features.

We also recommend Lightspeed to golf courses because the system has excellent tee time, event reservation, and customer account management features.

Lightspeed offers a QuickBooks integration through Amaka, an accounting integration provider. Through Amaka, which offers a free and affordable paid plan, you can map sales, payments, taxes, purchase orders, tips, and refunds from Lightspeed to QuickBooks or from QuickBooks to Lightspeed POS.

Depending on your Amaka plan, you can create custom mapping rules, sync multiple stores to one or multiple QuickBooks accounts, and view more detailed sales data.

Lightspeed POS system with QuickBooks dashboard.

Lightspeed offers à la carte hardware on its website, as well as iPad packages, including cash drawers, printers, stands, etc., but you will need to call for a quote depending on what you need.

Note: Lightspeed Retail now requires all new qualified merchants in the US and Canada to use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s payment processor. If you currently use a card reader from a third-party payment processor, you can’t use it anymore. Since you can’t use any existing payment terminals (card readers) with Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed is currently running a free terminal replacement promotion for eligible merchants that includes two free Lightspeed POS terminals (card readers) per qualified merchant.

Eligible merchants include business owners that process a minimum of $100/day in credit card payments, as measured by a monthly average. Apple products are not included in this promotion, so you’ll still need to source an iPad to take sales.

Lightspeed has its own integrated payment processing system, Lightspeed Payments, which merchants in the US and Canada are required to use. For card-present payments, the fee is 2.6% + $0.10, and for card-not-present transactions, the fee is 2.9% + $0.30.

Note: If you are a current Lightspeed Retail user in the US or Canada and use a third-party payment processor, and you qualify for Lightspeed Payments, you must switch to Lightspeed Payments within 30 days of receiving an email notifying you about the switch.

Also, Lightspeed will buy out payment processing contracts for eligible merchants, paying off your early cancellation fees if you process a minimum of $25,000 in card sales and then submit documentation of your previous payment processing contract that states your early termination fee within six months of meeting this minimum processing amount.

It’s important to note that the “paying off” comes in the form of discounted payment processing fees, not a chunk of cash that goes towards your termination fees when you decide to switch to Lightspeed Payments.

Lightspeed offers billing on either a monthly or annual basis. There is an early termination fee for canceling a Lightspeed plan. Consider starting with a monthly contract and switching to an annual one after you’re sure Lightspeed is right for your business.

If you order Lightspeed hardware, you have five business days to confirm that you have received it. If you don’t, the hardware will not be covered under Lightspeed’s 30-day warranty (14 days for Apple products.)

We appreciate the sheer power of Revel System’s self-contained POS ecosystem. It has solutions for retail, restaurants, and service businesses in all niche areas. You can also combine features from different industries, which is great if your business is a hybrid one that sells retail items and fresh made-to-order food and/or services.

The system also integrates with providers in areas such as drive-through communications, security services, digital signage boards, and guest feedback platforms, and has open API access, so you’ll definitely find what you need with Revel Systems.

Plus, Revel is partnered with QuickBooks, which means that the integration process is streamlined.

Revel monthly packages come with a  two-terminal minimum and a three-year contract. However, if you don’t want to commit for that long and/or you want advanced features, such as a customer display system, online ordering, kiosk mode, customer loyalty, etc., the price point can be much higher.

Revel’s inventory management features allow you to create fixed, composite, and dynamic pricing that changes in real-time as a person’s order does. You can automatically create and receive purchase orders from within Revel’s back office and manage invoices.

Revel POS generate new purchase order.

Restaurants will appreciate all the different ways customers can order. Revel offers in-store, self-serve kiosk, tableside orders and payments, and food delivery via third-party delivery platforms like GrubHub. It includes online ordering with curbside pickup and delivery options, as well as delivery driver monitoring and route optimization. Revel is also one of the best drive-through POS systems because it has dedicated drive-through hardware and drive-through order routing.

Hybrid business owners can manage fresh ingredients, retail items, appointments, service invoices, and more, all within Revel’s self-contained POS ecosystem. You can create an online ordering website for both retail and fresh food items.

Revel has its own direct QuickBooks integration which allows you to sync Revel inventory receipts, purchase orders, employee payroll, customer accounts and invoices, and reconciled payments. You may also use class mapping to split sales by department, location, and income accounts.

Revel POS QuickBooks integration setup.

Revel offers everything from iPads, stands, and receipt printers to scanners and scales on its website. You can contact Revel for a custom package or get written consent from Revel to purchase your own Revel-compatible hardware.

Revel has built-in processing through Revel Advantage and boasts competitive fees, but you’ll have to contact the company directly to get a quote that best suits your business.

You may also integrate your POS with a Revel-compatible third-party payment processor, but you might end up paying an extra monthly fee to do so.

As mentioned, to get Revel’s lowest pricing, you have to sign up for a three-year contract which isn’t great, especially if yours is a new business. You can avoid a long-term contract if you wish, but it will drive Revel’s already high price up further.

We love that TouchBistro has put a tremendous amount of work into creating one of the most user-friendly experiences for servers and back-of-house kitchen staff. The system has a hybrid online-offline model, so caterers and food truck owners can operate without Wi-Fi.

This software is ideal for full-service restaurants with extensive coursing or intricate table layouts because of its excellent menu management and coursing capabilities. TouchBistro offers a highly customizable built-in reservation system, waitlist function, customer house accounts, and a customer management system that will make every patron feel like a VIP diner. It’s also capable of liquid inventory management, which is great for restaurants with a bar section or extensive wine list, as well as wineries.

TouchBistro also allows you to connect your POS with several payment processors, so restaurant owners can get the best payment processing rates possible.

The following add-ons can be added:

• Online Ordering: $50/month
• Reservations: $229/month; commission free, so you’ll get one predictable flat-rate fee for reservations every month
• Loyalty: $99/month
• Gift Cards: $25/month
• Marketing: $99/month

While these add-ons are admittedly a little expensive, they are high-quality, sales-focused features that will pay for themselves (and then some.)

TouchBistro was made for servers to provide excellent experiences for customers. Its unique general POS features include extensive order upselling opportunities on both in-person and online orders. You can create a custom web app where customers can order online for pickup or delivery, purchase gift cards, view menu and location information for different establishments, take guest feedback, contact your restaurant and more. You can also create custom buttons and link to anything from employee applications to special event inquiry forms.

Full-service restaurants will appreciate these standout features:

• Excellent waitlist and reservation system with online reservation portal for customers and SMS updates to reduce no-shows
• Integrated floor planning and table management
• Card pre-authorizations and liquid inventory management (great for bars)
• Product pairings for several upselling opportunities
• Menu coursing and order prioritization so everything comes out at the same time and temperature

TouchBistro restaurant POS waitlist/reservation settings.

Caterers will appreciate these unique TouchBistro features:

• Customer quotes and deposits for catering orders
• Set multiple delivery parameters, charge more, and require higher minimum order for delivery depending on delivery zone
• Set up event start and end times and charge service fees
• Complete offline mode so you can sell on-premise and make catering notes before/during/after events
• Custom menu creation and nutritional information for standard catering packages and one-time special events

TouchBistro POS system delivery boundary setup.

TouchBistro connects to QuickBooks via MarginEdge and Shogo. Both are simple integrations that sync your sales with your QuickBooks Online account.

TouchBistro has various hardware options that can be tailor-made for your business. You can call to get a quote and have TouchBistro create an optimized package for you.

TouchBistro does have its own payment processor, but you will have to call to get a customized quote again. You are not locked into the service, however, as the POS does integrate with a handful of other processors.

You can purchase TouchBistro’s software on a month-to-month basis. However, one thing to watch out for is that some of TouchBistro’s features are additional add-ons, and those costs can add up quickly.

We love that Toast provides such an extensive software product line for busy, multi-section, and multi-location restaurants. In addition to its POS software, Toast offers scheduling and payroll management, advanced inventory management and reporting software, and one of the best loyalty programs on the market for restaurants.

Toast offers several ways for customers to order and pay, taking the pressure off of servers if you’re short-staffed. This includes online, tableside, third-party platforms, and self-ordering kiosk orders. Toast’s highly customizable kitchen display system workflows make prepping and expediting items streamlined, no matter where customers order from.

The software allows you to manage different menus, vendors, inventory, stock, employees, tax rates, and more across multiple locations.

Toast’s unique proprietary Android-based hardware is the most durable POS hardware in the restaurant industry. Countertop and mobile POS systems can withstand drops and spills, so restaurant owners can rest assured knowing that the initial equipment investment is worth it.

Most of Toast’s best features, including its kitchen display systems and xtraCHEF integration (required to integrate Toast with QuickBooks) cost extra. Toast often gives discounts for restaurants that purchase multiple features at once.

Toast’s handheld POS system is very user-friendly, and the backend menu and inventory management are incredibly detailed. However, Toast’s most unique features include its loyalty program, kitchen display systems, and multi-location capabilities.

Toast’s loyalty program is next-to-none in the restaurant industry and includes:

• Automated loyalty program enrollment prompts during/after dine-in, takeout, self-serve kiosk, and online orders
• Enrollment via text or email with welcome message and loyalty program marketing messages
• Automated point collection by using a linked card; manual point collection by entering phone number, email, or scanning loyalty QR code
• Automated point redemption prompt when customers earn enough points to redeem an offer

Toast’s highly customizable kitchen display system configurations make it easy for high-volume restaurants, especially ones that take orders from several sources, to get the right orders out at the right time and temperature. It’s also easy to see modifiers and recall any missed tickets, so staff won’t make many profit-eating mistakes.

Toast POS kitchen display system.

You can create identical restaurants with ease or custom menus for each location, and give others access to make their own decisions about things like pricing, making Toast great for franchises, too.

Toast integrates with QuickBooks through xtraCHEF, an automated accounts payable and cost management platform designed specifically for restaurants to minimize accounting time and increase profits.

Toast POS system with QuickBooks integration through xtraCHEF.

When you integrate xtraCHEF with QuickBooks, you can:

• Sync your chart of accounts and vendors to xtraCHEF
• Sync your xtraCHEF invoices as bills in QuickBooks
• Save vendor deposits and returns as vendor credits in QuickBooks
• Turn your Toast sales data as a journal entry in QuickBooks
• Integrate Toast Payroll with QuickBooks

Toast has a variety of hardware options, including countertop POS systems, self-serve kiosks, kitchen display systems, and the Toast Go 2, one of the best mobile POS systems on the market.

Most restaurants will need to get a custom quote on a hardware setup.

Individuals on the Starter and Standard plans can purchase a starter kit, which includes a maximum of two POS terminals.

If you’re on the $69/month standard plan, you are required to purchase your starter kit upfront. The Toast Go 2 costs $609 and the countertop POS costs $799.

If you’re on the Starter plan, there are no upfront costs for your hardware. The costs are made up for in higher payment processing fees which, at some point, will add up to more than the cost of your hardware and a monthly software plan.

In general, we recommend purchasing your POS hardware upfront and getting a monthly software plan if possible. You may need to get a short-term business loan to buy your equipment upfront, but it will most likely be worth it to pay off a loan and then pay higher processing fees for the foreseeable future.

Toast has its own payment processing service that you are locked into. Unless you purchase Toast’s starter kit, you’ll get a custom quote.

The following payment processing rates are for individuals who purchase a starter kit on one of the following software plans:

• Starter Plan Users: 2.99% plus $0.15 on in-person orders; 3.15% plus $0.15 on all orders if you add digital ordering to your Toast package
• Standard Plan Users: 2.49% plus $0.15 per transaction on online and in-person orders

Toast has started locking customers into long-term contracts, sometimes for as long as three years, and charges a substantial termination fee if you cancel, which is certainly a concern.

Consider negotiating a shorter contract or a free trial to make sure the system is right for you before taking the plunge. Many midsize to large multi-section and multi-location restaurants love Toast and want to stick with this POS in the long run, but you should make sure this POS is right for your particular business first.

We love that KORONA is a low-commitment POS option that also gives you the freedom to choose your own payment processor. High-risk businesses can find a payment processor that will work with them. This is a great option for pos software for cannabis shops.

High-risk businesses such as convenience stores, liquor stores, vape shops, and cannabis shops will find many industry-specific features such as cigarette case breakdowns and alcohol eCommerce integrations. Additionally, KORONA has great inventory features, including a free barcode scanner mobile app and product reordering once an item has dipped below its designated par level.

Note: KORONA offers an unlimited free trial. You start paying only when you start charging customers.

KORONA offers the following pricing plans:

• Core: $59/month; includes core POS functions and eCommerce store
• Advanced: $69/month; includes inventory management and employee time tracking
• Plus: $89/month; includes multi-location and franchise features
• Enterprise: Custom-quoted; includes ticketing and event management, pre-built integrations

You get one free month if you sign up for a yearly plan.

KORONA offers both retail and restaurant features on all plans. The platform also offers franchise, multi-location, and ticketing/event management features.

High-risk businesses, specifically convenience, cannabis, vape, and liquor stores, will appreciate these unique KORONA POS features:

• Loss Prevention: Restrictions on cashier actions such as returns and voids; integrations with security cameras; blind balancing
• Restricted Product Sales: Integrated ID scanner, tax, and sales reporting settings for restricted product sales
• Regulated Item Integrations: Integrations with regulated item marketing, loyalty, and inventory management software
• High-Risk Inventory Management: Inventory bundling and breakdowns for regulated items such as alcohol and cigarettes; mobile inventory management app with free barcode scanner; item par levels and reordering when stock dips below par

KORONA POS age restriction requirement.

KORONA directly integrates with QuickBooks. You’ll be able to sync your sales, inventory groups, services, payments, shortages, discounts, stock receipts, and asset values between the two platforms.

KORONA QuickBooks integration.

KORONA offers tablets and a variety of POS hardware options through its website. It also has leasing options for its more expensive equipment, although it’s usually better to buy your hardware outright.

KORONA integrates with numerous card processors, including high-risk payment processors, allowing you to pick and choose the one that best suits your business and gives you the best rate.

There are no long-term contracts with KORONA, although you do get a free month if you sign up to be billed annually.

We love Shopify’s eCommerce platform and the vast number of third-party software you can add to your Shopify plan. We also love that Shopify provides its POS app for free with its online store builder and a line of affordable POS hardware.

Customers can purchase items online for in-store pickup, local delivery, or shipping. They can also get in-store purchases shipped to their home. You can also sell on social media, marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy, and on the go if you use Shopify’s mobile card reader.

If you are a business owner selling retail items or services and plan on making eCommerce a significant revenue source, we highly recommend using Shopify.

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

Shopify’s best features are its retail inventory management capabilities, eCommerce functionalities, and add-ons.

You can sell retail items, services, and subscriptions on several platforms with Shopify, including:

• In-Person: Sell items in-store and get items sent to customers’ homes; sell items on the go with the affordable Shopify card reader
• Online Store: Sell items online for in-store pickup, local delivery, and national/international shipping; add pre-orders, wish lists, layaway, gift card sales, and more ways to sell
• Social Media: Sell on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and more, for free; provides streamlined checkout experience for customer
• Marketplaces: Sell on marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, and Walmart Marketplace

Inventory is synced between all sales channels so that you’ll never sell what you don’t have. You can allow people to pre-order items.

Shopify subscription service website example.

With Shopify, you get access to over 8,000 apps (some free, some paid) that you can add to your POS and online store to add basically any function you need. You can add a loyalty program of your choosing, email marketing with popular marketing software, appointment booking, a quote form, and anything else that fits your business’s needs.

You may integrate Shopify and QuickBooks through one of several Shopify apps or using the Shopify Connector in your QuickBooks Online dashboard. A dedicated Shopify app will integrate with more sales channels, increase automation capabilities, and better reflect your business’s cash flow.

We’ve researched a few QuickBooks apps on the Shopify app market and have found that the A2X QuickBooks Online Sync app is a great choice.

A2X has excellent reviews (4.9 star rating based on 201 reviews) and allows for more automation rules, syncs with different payment gateways like PayPal and BNPL (buy now pay later) apps like Klarna, more profits/fee breakdowns, and helps a lot with taxes. Users also comment on how great A2X customer service has been.

Shopify POS A2X app QuickBooks integration.

Shopify offers bundles that you can purchase online and individual point of sale hardware options to fit your needs. At the very least, you’ll need the $49 Shopify card reader to take sales with an iPad or smartphone.

A complete retail kit, which includes an iPad stand and card reader, retails for $219, while cash drawers retail at $139.

Read our guide to Shopify hardware to learn more about your options, bundling products, and what you may pay for your POS hardware.

Shopify offers its own in-house payment processor, Shopify Payments. Shopify also integrates with more than 100 payment processors, although you will be subject to transaction fees if you opt out of Shopify Payments.

Shopify’s card-present rates range between 2.4% and 2.7%, depending on your software plan. Online purchase payment processing rates range from 2.4% to 2.9%, plus a $0.30 flat fee per transaction.

The higher your monthly subscription, the lower your payment processing fees will be.

With Shopify, you can sign up month-to-month, but to get the lowest rates on your software, you will have to choose to be billed annually or bi-annually.