iPad POS Software Reviews

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  NCR Silver

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  NCR Silver gets high marks for its ease of use, flexibility, and built-in marketing tools. Unfortunately, while NCR makes solidly good POS software, its Silver product suffers from other issues -- namely, the restrictive service contract foisted on merchants who want to purchase the system.

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  Nobly POS

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  Pros Ease of Use Affordability Simple set up Easy to reach customer service Cons Slightly clunky back office Overview Founded in 2013 in London, England, Nobly hasn’t taken long to rise through the ranks in the iPad point of sale industry. The company specializes in the hospitality industry, gearing its product toward smaller, independent businesses. […]

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  Quetzal

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  Quetzal is a small, friendly iPad POS company, designed for other businesses that are just as small. Some notable things about it are its niche focus for clothing and shoe retailers, strong offline mode, friendly customer service, and simple, competitive pricing.

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  Quickbooks Cloud POS

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  Everyone’s been asking about the latest point of sale platform from Intuit: QuickBooks Cloud POS. Normally, we’d go through the ins and outs of the software, testing it and reporting on what works and what doesn’t, but it turns out we’d be repeating ourselves if we did. As advertised on the QuickBooks website, the company’s latest […]

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  Rezku POS

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  Rezku POS is a relative newcomer on the POS market. Launched in 2014 in Sacramento, California, it features a sleek and modern interface that is extremely easy to navigate and learn. Rezku (the company swears it's pronounced exactly like "rescue") is designed specifically with restaurants in mind and has some terrific features that make it an extremely appealing candidate.

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  Ring It Up

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  Pros Extremely cost efficient Depth of features Allows for easy importing Product is highly mobile Cons Recent dip in customer service Can’t create advanced product modifiers Overview: Despite its incredibly low price, Ring It Up is a powerful, versatile, and mobile point of sale that can be an invaluable resource for virtually any type of […]

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  SalesVu

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  SalesVu's strength is in its broad flexibility. It's more than just a mobile cash register. This software allows you to monitor inventory, create detailed reports, design custom discounts and promotions, maintain an active customer database, and manage employees — and all of this can be done from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.

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  Square Appointments

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  With a full POS system and free booking site, Square Appointments offers a lot of value for salons and independent stylists. But as with other Square products, it only makes sense if you commit to using Square Payments as well, which can be a great convenience or a severe limitation.

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  talech POS

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  Built with advanced inventory features, in-house marketing capabilities, and the ability to integrate with virtually any payment processor, talech takes your standard POS to the next level. There are very few red flags here that would cause you to cross talech of your list automatically. Read more in our comprehensive talech review.

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  Zing

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  Overview: Despite what you may have heard, the life of a software reviewer is not all champagne and caviar. Sometimes it’s a bowl of store-brand Crispy Hexagons topped off with Mylk (warning: may contain dairy). I’m not complaining. I like generic foodstuffs as much as the real thing, inasmuch as the real thing contains things […]

Why Use An iPad POS? 

Odds are if you’re reading this, you’re considering upgrading to an iPad point of sale (POS). iPad POS systems are becoming more and more popular among small businesses, and for good reason:

• Easy Deployment: To get started, you only have to purchase an iPad and a credit card reader, and download an app. Adding a second or third terminal is even easier because all your business data is already in the cloud.
• Easy To Use: Because touchscreens and iOS are so common, your employees’ learning curve will be minimal. Chances are they already know how to navigate an iPad.
• Integrations With Ancillary Software: Most of these iPad-based POS systems integrate with other software that works to support business marketing and operations—including accounting software, booking software, shopping cart software, shipping software, inventory software, and payroll. Older systems usually don’t have these types of integrations.
• Lower Maintenance: Since iPad point of sale systems are based in the cloud, all of the updates happen there, too. You don’t have to worry about updating your onsite servers if you don’t use onsite servers.
• Accessibility: Look over sales reports or inventory from anywhere there’s internet access. Everything is on the web so you don’t have to be at work to have the information.
• Increased Mobility: Your employees can be wherever your customers are. Use your iPad POS at a food truck park or an auto repair shop, a hair salon or a trade show. You’re not tied down to the checkout counter. Anywhere can be the checkout counter.
• Low Upfront Costs: For a single-user situation, the costs involve an iPad and an app. iPad POS software is typically billed monthly, so you don’t have to pay a large sum upfront. Obviously, those costs increase if you use additional hardware or have more than one register, but even the most complete iPad register hardware setup will still cost less than a traditional Windows-based POS.

If you’re still unsure of whether to upgrade to an iPad POS, you might want to read Is It Time To Switch To An iPad POS? We also maintain an updated list of our choices for the best iPad POS systems if you’re ready to start shopping.

Why An iPad POS Is Especially Great For Restaurants 

When the server arrives at the table of your favorite restaurant, she’s carrying an iPad instead of a pen and pad. As the members of your party place their orders, she navigates the touchscreen and sends the order directly to the kitchen from right there at your table. You notice the efficiency of the process and resume conversation with your colleagues.

When it comes time to settle the tab, you hand the server your credit card. Instead of walking away or saying that she’ll be “right back with your receipt,” she completes the entire transaction on the iPad and asks you to sign the touchscreen. Then she offers to email the receipt to you. This modern restaurant ordering system saves paper, time, and energy. (If you’ve ever waited tables, you know the value of saving steps whenever you can.)

Scenarios like these have led to the increased popularity of iPad POS among all kinds of restaurants. iPad POS software is also useful for quick-service restaurants such as coffee shops, ice cream parlors, and food trucks, as these systems allow for quick electronic transactions and feature onscreen tipping prompts. The customer simply brings their phone/Apple Watch close to the screen or swipes/dips/taps their credit card, touches a button with a tip amount or percentage, and that’s it!

On the backend, iPad POS software also helps restaurants do things like manage raw ingredients, track server shifts and tips, edit your menu, and set up email marketing campaigns. All in all, an iPad POS system simplifies many restaurant management tasks.

Features To Look For When Choosing An iPad POS

Thanks to the power and versatility of an iPad, an iPad POS system can do as much or as little as you want it to. If you more or less just want to take orders and payments, you can find a system that does just that. But if you need more advanced features such as advanced inventory management, eCommerce, and accounting software integration, you can find systems that perform those tasks also.

Generally, most quality iPad POS systems will have the following features/attributes:

• Cloud-Based: A cloud-based infrastructure allows for versatility, scalability, secure offsite data storage, remote business management, and regular, automatic updates. Almost all iPad-based systems also have an offline mode that allows you to maintain business operations even if your internet goes down.
• Strong Reporting: A strong POS reporting suite is useful not just for accounting purposes but also to make important decisions such as which items to restock, what items are and aren’t selling, and when to schedule staff.
• 24/7 Support: If (and when) something goes wrong with your point of sale, you need to be able to reach someone immediately to get the problem resolved ASAP. Ideally, the POS provider should offer phone and/or live chat support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Integrated Payments: Most iPad POS providers offer in-house payment processing, and some offer the option to integrate with an outside merchant account or payment gateway. Whichever entity provides payment processing services for your POS, you should have access to competitive rates and terms. The processor should support chip cards (EMV) and ideally also support contactless payments (NFC) such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and contactless credit cards.
• Security Features: In addition to complying industry standards such as PCI DSS compliance and EMV, your iPad POS system should provide built-in security features such as employee PINs and the ability to set different permissions for different employee levels.

Depending on your needs, you may also want advanced POS features such as online ordering, gift cards, a loyalty program, purchase order management, a kitchen display system, appointment functionality, or others. Advanced features such as these may be available through the purchase of add-ons, or they may be included in higher-tier monthly software plans. Some functionalities can also be integrated into your POS via integrations with third-party software.

How Much Does An iPad POS System Cost?

Hardware costs vary depending on how many terminals you want and the hardware your business requires. Usually, you can purchase a basic setup including the iPad, iPad enclosure, credit card terminal, cash register, and receipt printer for less than $1,500. Depending on your industry, you may also require other peripherals such as a kitchen printer, barcode scanner, or customer-facing display.

Monthly software fees for iPad POS vary from vendor to vendor according to the features they offer. There are free iPad POS systems that include just payment processing and a few basic features, but in most cases, you can expect to pay at least $60 to $70/month for one terminal. For an iPad POS system with more advanced functionalities, such as eCommerce or a customizable loyalty program, you may pay upwards of $100/month.

You can find out more about iPad POS expenses by reading How Much Does A POS System Cost? Everything You Need To Know About Software & Hardware Prices.