Time is money, and if you run a small business, every second counts. When you're juggling customers, managing staff, and trying to create a memorable shopping experience every day, the last thing you need is a slow check-out process. Fumbling with cash drawers, doing manual calculations, or frustrations with payment processing can cost valuable time (and peace of mind).
What if you could avoid this problem for free? A free point-of-sale (POS) software transforms your checkout process, making it faster, smoother, and more efficient. Imagine ringing up sales in seconds, processing payments with ease, and providing customers with a seamless checkout experience. A modern POS system can save time, organize operations, and delight customers with quicker checkouts.
On top of that, many POS solutions now help manage your inventory and provide essential customer insights.
Below, we have listed the 7 best free POS systems. We’ll look at their features, pros and cons, and what G2 users who have tried and tested these products like and dislike about the products.
Whether you are a small business owner, retail store manager, or restaurateur looking to improve your POS operations, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dig in.
At G2, we rank software solutions using a proprietary algorithm that considers customer satisfaction and market presence based on authentic user reviews. Our market research analysts and writers spend weeks testing solutions against multiple criteria set for a software category. We give you unbiased software evaluations - that's the G2 difference! We don’t accept payment or exchange links for product placements on our list. Please read our G2 Research Scoring Methodology for more details.
This list contains real user reviews drawn from the best free POS software category page. Please note that in the context of this list, software that requires payment after a free trial is considered free. To be included in these categories, a solution must meet the following criteria:
This data was pulled from G2 on October 22, 2024. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
Note: While the POS software itself is free, you will incur a fee each time you process a payment using the system. This is standard practice for most of the free POS systems.
Square Point of Sale is a popular choice for small businesses since it combines a user-friendly interface with a wide range of functionalities that cater to various business types. Its free plan includes essentials like credit and debit card payment processing, detailed sales analytics, integration with the free Square Invoice tool for invoice generation, fraud protection, and customer support.
The Square Point of Sale system is particularly useful for businesses such as retail shops, coffee shops, cafes, and service providers who need reliable payment processing and basic inventory management without incurring setup or monthly fees.
Square’s payment processing costs are 2.6% + 10¢ per card-present transaction and 3.5% + 15¢ for manually keyed-in card payments.
Pros of Square Point of Sales |
Cons of Square Point of Sale |
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Easy to use and intuitive interface |
Slow customer support |
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No setup or monthly fees |
Limited offline mode functionality |
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Robust payment processing and reporting features |
Higher transaction fees for manually entered transactions |
"Square POS has enabled us to keep track of our customer base as well as inventory and sales. We have utilized Square POS to its fullest potential, using nearly every feature available to us, and it has surpassed our expectations in every way. Square POS’s best attribute is its ease of use. The learning curve is minimal when compared to the competition.”
- Square Point of Sale Review, Kelsey B.
"The only thing I don't like is the interface of the app. I wish it were easier to see my total for the day while I'm still taking orders."
- Square Point of Sale Review, Erin S.
Designed for retail businesses of all sizes, Lightspeed Retail POS offers a robust set of features to optimize operations, manage inventory, and provide valuable insights into sales performance.
Lightspeed offers a free trial to allow potential users to test the system and see if it meets their needs, with a processing fee of 2.6% + $0.10 for card-present (CP) transactions or 2.9% + $0.30 for card-not-present (CNP) transactions.
Pros of Lightspeed Retail |
Cons of Lightspeed Retail |
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Ease of use and integrations with accounting software like Quickbooks |
Limited capabilities to add discounts, promotional offers |
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Excellent features for inventory management |
Challenging to use the reporting feature for multi-location stores |
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No learning curve |
Poor customer support |
"Great inventory management features such as min/max and seasonal inventory control. Lots of advanced features for retail operations, such as custom menus available on the sales screen as well as custom menus available for service department operation. Easily combines sales + service for my retail bike shop into one POS and keeps it tidy."
- Lightspeed Retail Review, Bill B.
"Several things in Lightspeed seem to be more complicated than they need to be. Enter inventory is an all-day task. I feel Lightspeed is very limited in terms of discounts and promotional capabilities. Lightspeed is already one of the pricier POSs, and I hate that they want to upcharge you so frequently. I can never get ahold of my account rep. I think they have changed a couple of times, and I've never had great communication."
- Lightspeed Retail Review, Brittany B.
Square for Retail by Square Inc., known for its simplicity and affordability, is designed to meet the needs of retail stores. It offers a free plan where you can add products, manage inventory, sell online, integrate with payment systems, and get sales reports for your store. However, advanced inventory tools and reports need upgradation to a paid plan.
Square for Retail's transaction fee ranges from 2.6% to 3.5% plus 10 to 30 cents.
Pros of Square for Retail |
Cons of Square for Retail |
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Includes all features you need to manage POS at a retail store |
Minimal customer support for free plan |
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Simple to set up payment options |
Occasionally lags when adding products |
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Easy-to-understand reports |
Unexpected system downtimes impacting sales |
“We have been using square for a very long time. I have always found it to be very user-friendly. I really like the reports and the daily email of what we collected. If you use the entire system, you will find that you can run a lot of your business with square products.”
- Square for Retail Review, Wayne H.
“We have twice experienced system-down situations with Square. Not sure what happened, but it definitely impacted our sales and I wish Square had compensated users for the loss of service.”
- Square for Retail Review, Susan M.
Korona POS is a versatile POS system that caters to a wide range of retail businesses, quick-service dining, and ticketing businesses. With its user-friendly interface and solid feature set, Korona offers a reliable solution for managing sales, inventory, and customer interactions.
Korona POS provides a free trial period, enabling users to experience the software firsthand before making a purchase decision.
Pros of Korona POS |
Cons of Korona POS |
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One POS is enough for stores at multiple locations |
Very steep learning curve |
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Extremely knowledgeable customer support |
Constant software updates with features getting removed or changed without documentation |
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Customizable according to the business needs |
Occasional bugs and errors |
"Very user-friendly. You can customize the interface to conform to your business needs. Customer service is always accessible and awesome in the United States. We love that we can fit it to our scale of business and grow with it.”
- Korona POS Review, Darlene P.
"Since there are so many features and capabilities, it can be difficult to learn on the back office side."
- Korona POS Review, Emily W.
Selldone stands out as a cloud-based e-commerce platform with an integrated POS and inventory management system. Unlike many other systems, it doesn’t require specific hardware like POS devices, barcode scanners, or cash registers. It works on any browser, making it ideal for small—to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) building eCommerce stores with no coding experience.
The free version provides the features you need to set up an online store. Depending on the plan you select, the processing fee ranges from 0.5% to 2%.
Pros of Selldone |
Cons of Selldone |
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Complete e-commerce solution with built-in cash register and inventory management |
Limited customization options at the expense of it being a no-code solution |
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Amazing user interface and experience with elegant design |
Challenging to scale as the store expands rapidly with complex operations |
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Friendly and helpful support team |
Steep learning curve for advanced customizations and integrations |
"SellDone is very easy to use, even for people without experience with e-commerce. The drag-and-drop builder makes creating a custom online store easy, and the built-in tools make it easy to manage your inventory, orders, and customers."
- SellDone Review, Jessica S.
"I find the Selldone backend to be complex to learn due to its extensive range of features. It requires a significant amount of time to become proficient in navigating the Selldone backend."
- SellDone Review, Prabhu G.
Loyverse Free POS is a solid contender, perfect for small businesses and entrepreneurs owing to its user-friendly interface and ease of setting up on your phone or tablet. The POS app comes with features like inventory management, sales tracking, and customer loyalty programs.
With its free version, you can add items to the system, make sales, use analytics, and many other functionalities at no cost. However, if you need advanced features like employee management or advanced reporting, you can try them for 14 days and upgrade to a paid plan.
Its ideal users include small cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and small retailers.
Pros of Loyverse Free POS |
Cons of Loyverse Free POS |
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Straightforward setup |
Limited integration capabilities |
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Very easy to use and maintain |
Lack of connection with delivery platforms and online ordering systems |
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Can scale as the business grows with add-ons |
Lack of good customer support |
"Set up is straightforward. I used the free version for our restaurant for 5 or 6 years, then moved on to the paid version since we are running two shops (meaning we bought extra licenses). It's easy to use, easy to set up, and easy to add printers. Well, what do you need more?"
- Loyverse Free POS Review, Raymond S.
"It lacks connection with delivery platforms, generation of delivery and pick-up tickets with clear structure. (Have faced) device synchronization failures. (It also) lacks an invoice generation feature in the case of Spain, for example. There’s a lack of connection with online ordering services. Also, it does not have support service."
- Loyverse Free POS Review, Victor Jesus P (translated).
Sapaad is at the forefront of cloud-based POS solutions for restaurants. Offering ample features to manage orders of all sorts, including takeaways, dine-ins, and delivery, inventory management, and live dashboards to track everything, Sapaad helps restaurants manage their operations with ease.
Sapaad offers a 14-day free trial of its POS software.
Pros of Sapaad |
Cons of Sapaad |
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Easy to deploy |
Weak inventory management system |
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Quick reporting with real-time updates |
No option for offline mode operations |
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Constant customer support |
Lacks the flexibility to integrate with a few inventory management apps |
"User-friendly interface, easy to deploy and implement in the restaurant, and mostly they can integrate all of the third party services in their platform."
- Sapaad Review, Oelbert H.
"It's limited to basic POS system. Gives little detail on inventory and no accounting for suppliers. This makes it weaker than other options."
- Sapaad Review, Hussain Hatim A.
If you feel overwhelmed by the wealth of information about free POS software, this comparison table will help you with all the important aspects:
| Software name | G2 rating | Free plan | Transaction and processing fee | Paid plan |
| Square Point of Sale | 4.7/5 | Yes, features limited | 2.6% + $0.10 per card-present transaction; 3.5% + $0.15 for manually keyed-in card payments | Starts at $29+ per month |
| Lightspeed Retail | 4.0/ 5 | Free trial available | 2.6% + $0.10 for card-present (CP) transactions or 2.9% + $0.30 for card-not-present (CNP) transactions | Starts at $89 per month per 1 location |
| Square for Retail | 4.4/5 | Yes, features limited | 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person sales and 2.9% + $0.30 for online sales | Starts at $89 per month per 1 location |
| Korona POS | 4.6/5 | Free trial available | NA | Starts at $59 per month |
| Selldone | 4.8/5 | Yes, features limited | 2% for the free plan | Starts at $9.99 per month |
| Loyverse Free POS | 4.7/5 | Yes, features limited | NA | Add-ons start at $5 per month, depending on the feature |
| Sapaad | 4.6/5 | Free trial available | 1.69% per transaction | Starts $49.99 per month |
All plans billed annually
A. Not entirely. Many offer free POS software and hardware along with basic features. However, while the software itself may be free, there can still be processing fees for transactions done using a debit or credit card. Nonetheless, the free plans provide significant benefits for small businesses and startups.
A. Consider features like sales tracking, inventory management, and customer management and POS hardware like POS terminal, receipt printer, barcode scanner, credit card reader, cash drawer and customer display depending on your store needs. Ensure it's user-friendly, supports multiple devices, offers customer support, and integrates with other business tools you use.
A. Popular free POS software options include Square Point of Sale, Toast, and SpotOn. They offer a range of features for basic POS needs.
A. Free POS software is generally designed to be intuitive and easy to set up. The POS vendors also provide support in the form of set-up guides as well as customer support to implement the system at your store.
A. Free POS software often has limitations when it comes to managing multiple locations. If you run a business with several locations, you might benefit from the advanced features available in paid plans.
A. Free POS software may offer limited integrations with popular business tools. For extensive integration options, custom application programming interface (API) access, and seamless workflows, paid plans are generally more capable.
Today, POS software is a must-have for smooth business operations, from handling payments and managing inventory to generating insightful sales reports. Choosing the right free POS system can be a game-changer. So, take the time to explore the above options. Consider factors like your sales volume, product category, transaction fees, features, and ease of use, and select the one that aligns best with your business requirements. Remember, free doesn't always mean featureless.
Ready for the next step? Explore the best accounting software to integrate with your POS systems and manage your books easily.
Edited by Monishka Agrawal
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