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6 Best Coffee Shop POS Systems In 2024

Coffee shops are busy places, and you need a POS that can keep up. These point of sale software options have all the features you need for your cafe or coffee shop.

    Nicolette Kier
  • Last updated onUpdated

  • Matt Sherman
  • REVIEWED BY

    Matt Sherman

    Lead 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 system for a coffee shop offers strong inventory and menu management, tipping features, online ordering, a loyalty program, and niche features like wholesale coffee ground sales and coffee ground subscriptions.

We evaluated several of the best restaurant POS systems based on pros and cons, pricing for software and hardware, cafe-specific features, and user reviews to help you find the best POS system for your business.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

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  • Best for small coffee shops
  • $0-$60+/location/month
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee
  • Best for small coffee shops
  • $0-$60+/location/month
  • Monthly contracts, no termination fee

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  • Best for catering one-time and recurring events
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best for catering one-time and recurring events
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee

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  • Most customizable option
  • $54.95-$84.95+/month
  • Custom contracts
  • Most customizable option
  • $54.95-$84.95+/month
  • Custom contracts

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  • Best for large inventory management
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best for large inventory management
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee

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  • Best for full food service
  • $0-$69+/month
  • Two-year standard contract, early termination fee
  • Best for full food service
  • $0-$69+/month
  • Two-year standard contract, early termination fee

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  • Best for wholesalers, drive-thrus, and franchises
  • Custom pricing
  • Three-year standard contract, early termination fee
  • Best for wholesalers, drive-thrus, and franchises
  • Custom pricing
  • Three-year standard contract, early termination fee

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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick

To find the best cafe POS systems, our editorial team independently reviewed 13 industry-leading restaurant-specific point of sale software based on our strict editorial guidelines and a 56-point point system across five categories: pricing, ease of use, restaurant-specific features, customer service, and user reviews. You can read more on our methodology below.

6 Best Cafe POS Systems

Coffee Shop POS System Comparison

Monthly PricingPayment ProcessingOnline OrderingFree Trial
Square For Restaurants$0-$60+/month2.6%-2.9%Free
TouchBistro$69-$399+/monthCustom$50/month
Clover POS$54.95-$84.95+/monthCustomFree
Lightspeed Restaurant$69-$399+/month2.6%-2.9%Essential plan+
Toast POS$0-$69+/month2.49%-3.69% or custom$0-$75/month
Revel POSCustomCustomCustom

Square For Restaurants: Best For Small Coffee Shops

Square For Restaurants

Total Rating 4.8
Pricing4.8

Ease Of Use4.9

Features4.9

Customer Service4.6

User Reviews4.5

Pricing

$0-$60/month/location + custom option

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$0-$799

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

Pros

  • Free POS system
  • Free online ordering website
  • Affordable POS hardware
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Occasional fund holds
  • No ingredient-level inventory management
  • Occasional outages

Why We Picked Square For Small Coffee Shops

Square iPad stand and card reader sitting on a cafe counter

Square iPad stand and card reader sitting on a cafe counter. (Source: Square)

We like that Square is one of the best free POS systems available. Free software plans include completely free in-person and online sales software and the hardware is very affordable. It's quick and easy to sign up with Square, order your card readers, and start selling. If you're not immediately sold on Square, the company offers a 30-day free trial on free and paid plans and has generous hardware return policies.

Pricing

Square For Restaurants Plans Price  When To Use
Free $0/month Use if you need the basics in restaurant POS software plus simple processing
Plus $60/month/location Use if you need advanced inventory and 24/7 customer service
Premium Custom Use if you process more than $250,000 a year

Payment Processing:

  • 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person payments
  • 2.9% + $0.30 for online orders

Hardware Cost:

  • $59 Square Card Reader
  • $149 for Square iPad Stand (iPad not included)
  • $799 for Square Register

Popular Add-Ons:

  • $45+/month Square Loyalty program
  • $15+/month Square Marketing

Learn More: Read our Square POS hardware guide.

Best Features

These top Square coffee shop features come with no monthly fee:

  • Payment Options: Accept all forms of payment, including digital wallets.
  • Ordering Interface: Create a custom, intuitive order flow so baristas can serve customers fast. Sell food and retail items.
  • Online Sales: Sell online for in-store pickup and local delivery. Square is also synced with your Google Business profile so customers can find and order from your business when they search for coffee shops near them.
  • Gift Card Sales: Square offers one of the best gift card systems with physical and eGift card sales.
  • Coupons & Discounts: Generate coupon codes and discounts for customer groups (or general codes for all customers) to use in-store or online.
  • Event Ticket Sales: Sell event tickets for book clubs, poetry nights, etc.

Who Should Use Square POS

  • Small coffee shops looking for free/low-cost POS software
  • Cafes looking for affordable POS hardware
  • Coffee shops that want to offer online ordering for free

Get Started With Square For Restaurants

Read our in-depth review

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TouchBistro: Best For Catering

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

  • House accounts for established catering customers
  • Catering order delivery settings
  • Multiple payment processing options
  • Works without Wi-Fi

Cons

  • No free trial
  • Requires one+ year contract
  • Early termination fee

Why We Picked TouchBistro For Catering

TouchBistro countertop iPad POS, iPad stand, handheld iPad POS, cash drawer, card reader, and receipt printer

TouchBistro countertop iPad POS, iPad stand, handheld iPad POS, cash drawer, card reader, and receipt printer. (Source: TouchBistro)

We like TouchBistro for catering because it is an affordable POS system that supports delivery management, order quotes and invoices, standing house accounts, an online ordering platform, and works offline. TouchBistro works on most iPads and payment processors so you'll find the best hardware and payment processing deals on your cafe catering system.

Pricing

Monthly Pricing:

  • $69/month Solo plan (includes one user license)
  • $129/month Dual plan (includes two user licenses)
  • $249/month Team plan (includes five user licenses)
  • $399/month Unlimited plan (unlimited user licenses)

Payment Processing:

Hardware Cost:

  • Quote-based or source your own compatible iPads, iPad stands, cash drawers, and card readers

Popular Add-Ons:

  • $25/month gift card program
  • $50/month online ordering platform
  • $99/month loyalty program
  • $99/month marketing program

Expert Tip: Get quotes from several payment processors to find the best pricing for your business.

Best Features

Coffee shops that provide catering for offices or events will appreciate these top TouchBistro features:

  • Custom Menus: Create menus for different catering clients, online sales, and in-store sales.
  • Customer Accounts: Customers can consistently get their coffee and pay all at once or add credits to their account before your shop provides ingredients/services.
  • Catering Setup & Details: Your online ordering page can double as a catering quote system and order scheduler.
  • Delivery Management: Set different delivery zones and delivery service fees based on how far an area is from your cafe.
  • Partial Payments: Require a deposit before committing to one-time or repeat catering.
  • On-Location Sales: With TouchBistro’s hybrid online-offline capabilities, you can sell bags of coffee, pastries, and merch during events.

Get Started With TouchBistro

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

Starts at $0/month

Contract

Depends on merchant services provider

Equipment Cost

$49-$1,799 per device

Pros

  • Several merchant account options
  • Several POS hardware options
  • Free online ordering module
  • Large app market

Cons

  • Can’t purchase hardware separate from merchant account
  • Hardware is expensive
  • Potential for scams from resellers

Why We Chose Clover For The Most Customizable Option

Clover Station full-sized POS register, Clover Mini customer-facing display tablet, receipt printer.

Clover Station full-sized POS register, Clover Mini customer-facing display tablet, receipt printer. (Source: Clover)

We appreciate that with Clover POS, you choose from an array of sleek POS hardware, select one of several payment processing providers to get the best payment processing rates, and choose apps from an entire app market to customize your software. The app market offers apps for everything from event ticket sales to third-party delivery platform ordering to a free loyalty program builder.

Learn More: Read our Clover POS pricing guide to learn how much you'll spend on your Clover hardware, software, and payment processing each month.

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 Register $49.95/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

Payment Processing:

  • 2.3% + $0.10 for in-person orders (with Clover payment processor)
  • 3.5% + $0.10 for online orders (with Clover payment processor)
  • Custom payment processing with a different merchant services provider

Hardware Cost:

  • $599 for Clover Flex
  • $799 for Clover Mini countertop POS
  • $1,699-$1,799 for Clover Station full POS register package

Expert Tip: Clover’s built-in payment processing fees and software contracts are not the best. Choose one of our best Clover merchant services providers for the best payment processing fees and POS contract terms.

Best Features

Clover’s versatile POS features include:

  • Accept All Payment Types: Clover hardware has built-in tap, chip, and contactless card readers.
  • Durable POS Hardware: Clover offers a full line of handheld and countertop POS setups.
  • Online Ordering: Like Square, Clover offers a free online ordering platform and Google Business integration so customers can order online.
  • Loyalty Program: Clover includes a free basic loyalty program on Clover Restaurant plans.
  • App Market: Choose from free and paid Clover apps to add features such as accounting, retail inventory management, and marketing.
  • Payment Processing: Clover does not charge added fees for using a third-party payment processor. Competitors like Revel Systems charge added fees.

Who Should Use Clover POS

  • Cafes looking to invest in durable POS hardware
  • Coffee shops that want to use a third-party payment processor
  • Cafes looking for a free loyalty program
  • Coffee shops looking to customize their software setup and add-ons

Get Started With Clover POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Lightspeed Restaurant: Best For Large Inventory Management

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

  • Loyalty program on all plans
  • In-depth ingredient management
  • Built-in employee management
  • Online and mobile ordering options

Cons

  • Offline mode lacking
  • Can get expensive
  • Early termination fee

Why We Picked Lightspeed Restaurant For Large Inventory Management

Lightspeed Restaurant receipt printer, iPad stand, cash drawer, and kitchen ticket printer

Lightspeed Restaurant receipt printer, iPad stand, cash drawer, and kitchen ticket printer. (Source: Lightspeed)

We love that Lightspeed Restaurant has the best POS inventory management capabilities, especially for perishable food. You can easily track inventory on an ingredient level rather than a completed item level, track inventory wastage, set up vendors and quick purchase ordering, and get in-depth reports on inventory performance. Plus, multi-location inventory, menu, and item performance report features are built into Lightspeed.

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

Payment Processing:

  • 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person payments
  • 2.9% + $0.30 for online payments

Hardware Cost:

  • $329 for iPads
  • $199 for iPad stands
  • $299 for card readers

Best Features

Lightspeed’s most unique inventory management features include:

  • Ingredient-Level Tracking: Build products out of individual ingredients with ingredient-level inventory tracking and auto-86ing included.
  • Suppliers: Add suppliers and associate them with certain products. Add purchase order emails for suppliers that accept emails and links to supplier ordering websites if email purchase orders are not accepted.
  • Automated Purchase Orders: Set up and automate recurring purchase orders and automated single purchase orders when stock falls below a certain level. Update all stock automatically when you mark an order as received.
  • Stock Rules: Create stock rules that send low-stock notifications, generate purchase order emails, or link to supplier ordering pages.
  • Stock Movements: Monitor product expiration dates, damaged items, stock counts, stock transfers between locations, and more to get an idea of where you’re losing money and how to optimize your menu.

We have to point out that a loyalty program is available on all plans. Also, Lightspeed Restaurant includes third-party software integrations for features like liquid inventory management, third-party online ordering management, and employee scheduling.

Who Should Use Lightspeed Restaurant

  • Cafes looking for comprehensive software and a free loyalty program
  • Coffee shops that want strong perishable inventory management
  • Cafes that want third-party integrations like liquid inventory management

Get Started With Lightspeed Restaurant

Read our in-depth review

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Toast POS: Best For Full Food Service

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

  • Full-service restaurant POS
  • Excellent loyalty program
  • Advanced digital ordering options
  • Card pre-authorization for alcohol sales

Cons

  • Long-term contract
  • Early termination fee
  • Add-ons get expensive

Why We Picked Toast POS For Full Food Service

Customer signing on customer-display screen attached to Toast countertop POS register

Customer signing on a customer-display screen attached to Toast countertop POS register. (Source: Toast)

We believe that Toast is a great fit for coffee shops expanding to offer full restaurant services and even alcoholic caffeinated beverage menus because the system offers excellent table management and order coursing, kitchen display software to manage dine-in and takeout orders, menu customizations for various order types and locations, and great marketing features like a customizable loyalty and gift card program.

More: Compare Toast with our other best kitchen display systems.

Pricing

Monthly Pricing:

  • $0 for no-money-down Starter Kit plan (includes one free POS terminal and higher payment processing fees)
  • $69/month for Starter Kit plan if you pay for your POS hardware upfront
  • $69+/month for Point Of Sale plan
  • Custom Pricing for Build Your Own plan

Payment Processing:

  • 2.49% + $0.15 if you pay for Starter Kit hardware upfront
  • 3.09%-3.69% + $0.15 on $0/month plan
  • Custom rates on higher-level plans

Hardware Cost:

  • $799.20 Toast Go 2 handheld POS system
  • $1,024.20 Toast Flex countertop POS system
  • $674.10 kitchen display screen
  • $1,034.10 Toast self-serve kiosk

Popular Add-Ons:

  • $50/month loyalty program
  • $50/month gift card program
  • $75/month online ordering platform
  • $90/device/month self-serve kiosk software
  • $35/device/month kitchen display system software

Expert Tip: You can get your POS, online ordering, third-party delivery management, gift card, and loyalty program builder for free if you agree to a higher per-order payment processing fee (3.39% + $0.15) and only need one or two POS terminals. However, the per-order fee may cost more than the monthly fees in the long run, so switch to at least the $69/month plan as soon as possible.

Best Features

Toast’s overall best feature for all cafes is its expansive POS loyalty program that customers can sign up for at a countertop POS, at their table, at self-serve kiosks, during online orders, and from print or email receipts.

Toast’s best features for full-service dining include:

  • Floor plans for each section of your expanding cafe
  • Split checks by item, seat, and dollar amount
  • Kitchen display systems with routing to different kitchen stations and a bar section
  • Tableside order hold, firing, and payments with Toast Go 2 handheld POS device
  • Customer order status screens so customers can estimate how long they’ll wait for their to-go coffee order
  • Custom menus for dine-in, carryout, online, private events, and catering orders
  • Vary menus and pricing across multiple locations

Related: Compare the Toast Go 2 with the rest of our best handheld restaurant POS systems.

Who Should Use Toast POS

  • Cafes expanding into sit-down services
  • Cafes looking for an advanced loyalty program and gift card builder
  • Businesses that need strong menu management
  • Coffee shops looking for excellent POS hardware

Get Started With Toast POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Revel POS: Best For Wholesalers, Drive-Thrus, & Franchises 

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing3.6

Ease Of Use3.9

Features4.7

Customer Service4.2

User Reviews3.8

Pricing

Quote-based

Contract

Three-year commitment for lowest rate

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Capable of handling multiple locations/franchises
  • Extensive order pickup features
  • Drive-thru POS integrations
  • Excellent inventory management

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Long-term contract
  • Early termination fee

Why We Picked Revel Systems For Wholesalers, Drive-Thrus, & Franchises

Revel POS system used in coffee shop

Revel POS system used in a coffee shop. (Source: Revel Systems)

Revel Systems is a highly customizable POS software that includes wholesale and retail functions, drive-thru integrations, kitchen display settings for drive-thru expo screens, and franchise features like automated royalty payments. This niche iPad-based POS system that offers an array of software add-ons is an enterprise-level solution for large and multi-location coffee shops.

Pricing

Revel Systems is a completely custom solution so every business owner will get a custom quote on software, hardware, and payment processing costs.

You can source your own POS hardware with written permission from Revel. You can use your own payment processor, but you have pay an additional monthly fee.

Best Features

Revel’s most unique coffee shop POS software features include:

  • Wholesale Management: Create wholesale accounts and customer groups with wholesale discounts. Send wholesalers invoices with deposit and repayment terms. Show different pricing for retail and wholesale customers.
  • Drive-Thru Management: Integrate Revel with drive-thru hardware (drive-thru headsets, digital menus, etc.) Create drive-thru kitchen display and expo screen settings.
  • Franchise Management: View multi-location inventory, employee, and menu management from one master dashboard. Create franchisee permissions and automated royalty payments.
  • Customer Display Boards: Customers may order at the counter, a self-serve kiosk, and online. Carryout customers can view order status boards and get an accurate estimate of their wait time.

Learn More: Compare Revel with the rest of our best drive-thru POS systems.

Who Should Use Revel Systems

  • Coffee shops expanding into franchises
  • Cafes looking to invest in a complete restaurant management ecosystem
  • Coffee shops with a drive-thru component

Get Started With Revel 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


What Is A Cafe POS System?

A cafe POS system is software paired with a credit card reader and other restaurant POS hardware that allows you to sell coffee, baked goods, and store merch. You can also manage a menu and inventory, sell gift cards, and try new ventures like coffee bean subscriptions with a good cafe POS system.

How Much Does A Coffee Shop POS System Cost?

Coffee shop POS system costs can be broken down into three components:

  • POS Software: Includes your basic ordering, payment acceptance, and menu builder software. It can also include online ordering, a loyalty program, and other add-ons.
  • POS Hardware: Includes physical restaurant POS hardware like POS screens, card readers, and kitchen display screens.
  • Payment Processing: Payment processing is a per-order fee that you must pay to move money from your customer’s bank account to your business bank account. Payment processing fees are applied to any digital payment type.

POS software ranges from $0-$400+/month, POS hardware ranges from $59-$2,000+, and payment processing fees range from 2.3%-3.6% on average unless you get custom payment processing rates.

More: Read our post on restaurant POS costs.

Buyer's Guide: How To Choose A Cafe POS System

To choose a cafe POS system:

  • Build Your Monthly Budget: Decide how much you can spend each month on POS software and additional features.
  • Decide Your POS Hardware Needs: Choose between tablet POS and handheld POS hardware (or both). Decide whether you need KDS screens, self-serve kiosks, or other hardware. Consider your budget when you’re choosing your POS hardware.
  • Choose Your Must-Have Features: Consider your cafe size, online ordering options, customer marketing, and cafe management features when deciding your necessary features.
  • Narrow Down Your Options: With a budget, POS hardware needs, and must-have software features, narrow down your choices.
  • Get A Free Trial: If your options do not offer a free trial, make extensive use of a free demo.
  • Sign A Merchant Agreement: Read through and sign a merchant agreement. Make note of early termination fees, hardware warranties, and other contract requirements when signing your agreement.

Related: Read our full guide on how to choose a restaurant POS system.

FAQs: 6 Best Coffee Shop POS Systems In 2024

Which cafe POS system has the best loyalty program features?

Toast has the best loyalty program out of all restaurant POS software. Toast Loyalty currently costs $50/month.

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Nicolette Kier

Nicolette Kier

Senior Staff Writer
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.