Best Free POS Systems of 2024

How to choose free POS software

While the ‘price’ of a POS system (in this case free!) can be a key part of your decision-making process — it should not be the sole criteria. If you’re evaluating free POS software, please be sure to consider the factors that contribute to the overall ‘cost’ of a POS system for your business.

Do you need any industry specific features?

POS software systems are often targeted towards certain retail verticals. This is because the needs of a sit-down restaurant, for example, are very different than the needs of a sporting goods store. Retail POS systems tend to have more advanced functionality around inventory management and purchasing/receiving and selling goods online.  Restaurant POS systems may have features not needed by general retailers, such as reservation, table management and online reservations. More specialized POS systems have even deeper industry specific functionality for a specific type of retailer.  Be sure to understand if the free POS system supports your critical business needs.

What are the payment processing costs and terms?

The most common way for ‘free’ POS companies to make money is to require you to use their payment processing service.  In addition to the quoted rates, be sure to ask about any recurring fees that will be on your statement.  Also be sure to understand if the fees quoted apply to certain types of transaction (credit vs debit) or payment method (card present vs card-not-present).  If a company offers you ‘free’ processing by charging a customer a fee at the register, consider the fee amount and impact on your customer satisfaction – and who pays for debit card transactions.  Also be wary of any payment processing scams.

Are there any other hidden costs?

Many free POS providers have a basic free plan but require users to pay for premium plans with more features or paid add-ons.  Be sure to understand the cost of any add-ons required to run your retail business, as you may need to upgrade to a paid option to get everything you need.

Will the system grow with your business?

If you are just starting out, think about your business’s expected growth and whether the free POS software will work for your business in the future. Changing a POS system is disruptive, so you want to avoid setting yourself up for the costs to upgrade or change down the road.

What is the cost of the POS hardware?

The POS hardware used with POS software is unlikely to be free.  Check to see if you can use your existing POS hardware.  If you need to purchase new hardware, can it be used with other POS software or will you be locked into using only the seller’s POS software.  Hardware lock-in will make it more costly to switch if the software is a bad fit.  If you lease hardware, understand the terms and cancellation provisions.

Does the system offer any key integrations?

Integrating with other business software used at your store may help streamline your operations.  One integration to consider is integrating with your accounting software.  This will help avoid manually entering sales data into your accounting system.  If you sell online, an ecommerce integration may be helpful.  Check to see if the free POS system offers integrations to your most important business software.

Where can I access and use the software?

Be sure to understand how the software can be accessed.  Free POS software may be engineered for a certain operating system or platform.  For example, a few products reviewed need to be downloaded onto either iPads or Android tablets. Some free POS offerings are based on legacy software that cannot be accessed remotely.  Be sure to verify that the free POS software works on your desired devices and operating systems.

Who actually developed the software?

It’s now common for payment processing sales organizations to offer a ‘free’ POS system under their brand that is developed or supported by a completely different company.  Make sure that you know who developed and who will support your POS system.  What happens if there is a glitch, or you want an enhancement?  You will have a better chance of getting good support if the party that you are working with created the application.