Modern Point-of-Sale (POS) solutions are the ideal solution for businesses of today. They help in finishing up a sale quickly and reduce the lines at your store. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to improve your current POS system or buy a brand new point of sale system, read this article till the end and find one that works perfectly for you.
5 Best POS Systems 2023
There are tons of POS systems out there, if you start making a list and then compare them it would take you weeks. Like it did for us. Fortunately for you, we did the research and created this guide. Here’s a list of the best POS systems in 2023:
1. Lightspeed - Best All-Around POS System
- Starting at $39/mo
- Easy to use
- Known for incredible customer support
- Can be used on your own device
Lightspeed POS System is the ideal solution for retailers, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. What makes it the best is it's easy to deploy and even easier to learn.
Another thing that we loved about Lightspeed is that they create a custom plan for every business. They’ll work closely with you to make sure the system works perfectly with your hardware.
Lightspeed is great if there are special requests in your location. You can keep up with all these special demands through the POS system itself. Businesses in particular category love the software:
- Bike shops
- Jewelry store
- Golfing equipment
- Pet supplies
- Home Decor
- Sporting goods
- Apparel
Lightspeed is loved by businesses because they can use it with their own hardware. It's compatible with all kinds of operating systems.
It costs just $39 per month for restaurants and $69/mo for retailers. Do keep in mind that this price is available on an annual billing cycle.
2. TouchBistro - Ideal for Restaurants and Food Services
- Starts at $69 per month
- Niche POS solution
- Perfect for restaurants and bars
TouchBistro is the best POS system for restaurants and food service providers. It only targets the restaurant industry. Businesses don’t have to do a lot of hassle to get everything right.
The top features of TouchBistri include:
- Tableside ordering
- Reporting and analytics
- Table management
- CRM
- Staff management
- Payment processing
- Menu management
- Inventory management
If you want, you can integrate TouchBistro with online ordering capabilities. If you want to take reservations, or set up a customer loyalty program, TouchBistro does it all.
3. Square - Best for In Person and Online Selling
- Free to download
- Can use personal hardware for POS
- Can also be used as a credit card processor
- Real-time analytics and reporting capabilities
Square is one of the most affordable POS Systems that small and medium-scale businesses can use. You require minimum hardware if you want to sell in person, and there’s no hardware requirement if you want to sell online.
Businesses love to use Square because it's perfect for a wide range of industries. Just plug in the Square reader in your phone to start selling.
All the sales done through Square are tracked and stored in a single system. All the data is synced, so you don’t have to do any manual work.
If you’re in a professional services industry such as foods and beverages, then Square offers special pricing for that as well. It doubles as a credit card processor, so you won’t need to integrate with a third-party solution.
There’s only one thing that we didn’t love about Square. It's not ideal for quickly scaling businesses. Some users have complained about their accounts being placed on hold because of large transaction volumes.
4. Shopify - Best for eCommerce Businesses
- Costs $29/mo.
- Ideal for online stores
- Powerful inventory management features
- Comes included with Shopify plans
Shopify POS System is great for eCommerce businesses. If you already have your online business on Shopify, then you can take advantage of the POS system as well.
You can keep track of the inventory in real-time across multiple locations. You can also manage transfers between locations.
With Shopify, businesses can easily create loyalty programs. You can also accept payments in person with the Shopify POS system.
If your eCommerce and retail store are both connected with Shopify POS System, customers can return the products at a local store.
There are different plans offered by the Shopify POS system:
- Basic Shopify - $29/mo
- Shopify - $79/mo
- Advanced Shopify - $299/mo
5. Revel - Suitable for Multi-Location Businesses
- Costs $99/mo
- Installation costs start at $649
- Advanced CRM functionalities
- Central management system
Revel is a great POS System when it comes to businesses with branches spread at multiple locations. Revel calls itself a Hybrid POS, and it uses a combination of cloud and local networks to store the data. This means you can still process transactions even if there’s no internet connectivity.
If your business is spread over multiple locations, Revel has a central management system that connects all the locations.
You can use Revel on multiple hardware options, you can choose from the following:
- iPad Stands
- Apple iPads
- Self-service Kiosks
- Barcode Scanners
- Printers
- Payment devices
- Networking
- Cash drawer and till
Revel suggests that you should use their hardware for things to go smoothly, which in turn adds some cost. If you can afford the costs, installation charges, and hardware, Revel offers a high-end enterprise-level POS system for small businesses.
How to Find the Best POS System?
If you still can’t decide which POS system you should choose, then there are certain things you should keep in mind. Here are the basic features that you should absolutely look for while choosing the best POS System:
1. Payment Processing
If your POS System can’t process payments, its not good for anything. Some options have built-in payment processors, while others offer third-party integrations.
So if you’re already using a payment processor and you don’t want to switch, then you should opt for a POS system that can be integrated with your existing system.
2. eCommerce Capabilities
If you want to sell your product and services online, then you should search for a POS system that can be integrated with an online store. Doing this will make inventory management easy.
Businesses who want to sell both online and offline should use a solution like Shopify.
3. Setup and Usability
The third factor that you need to consider is how easy it is to set up the POS system. Some POS systems don’t require you to purchase any hardware. All you have to do is install them on your device.
Once your POS is installed, it should be easy for your staff to understand and use. If you’re in an industry where there are a lot of changing employees, then your POS system should be simple to understand.
4. Inventory Management
Almost all modern POS systems offer inventory management capabilities. If you want advanced inventory management functionality, you may have to upgrade to higher plans.
5. Hardware
In the end, it all comes down if you want to use your own hardware or buy equipment with POS software.
Buying hardware can also increase your cost, but that’s not always the case. Hardware can also impact the ease of use, that we have discussed.
Hardware type will be dependent on the type of business that you have. Every business has different types of hardware requirements.
Final Thoughts - Top POS (Point of Sales) Systems
Choosing the right POS system is ideal for your business. These modern solutions don’t just process payments. You can use them to build your inventory with registers, and connect online stores with offline stores. Transactions become easier for customers, and everything else is easy for employees and businesses.
Tags: POS Systems, Point of Sales POS Systems