This post was originally published on this site.
UPDATED: As a retailer, you need a point of sale (POS) system that can not only handle a high number of sales (and at an affordable cost to you), but that makes your day-to-day easier, so you can focus on the most important aspects of running your business.
While many retail POS systems have very similar offerings, it’s the differences in costs and features that can make one best for a retail clothing store and one best for a retail grocery store.
From tablets to touch screens and inventory, we’ve dug down into the specifics of a variety of card machines to bring you the six best retail POS systems for you to compare.
Or, if you feel like you’re ready to decide, why not get quotes for your perfect POS system today. All you need to do is provide us with some basic info about your business in the form below and we’ll match you with the best providers for your needs.
You can jump straight to one of the providers below to learn more or keep reading to compare them all.
The 6 best retail POS systems: A deep dive
>See also: Best payment processors for UK small businesses – 11 of the best
Square POS
Pricing
Free: £0 + processing fees
Plus: £49 per month, per location + discounted processing fees
Premium: custom pricing
Processing rate
- Free: 1.75% per chip and pin or contactless / 2.5% for virtual terminal and invoices
- Plus: 1.6% per chip and pin or contactless / 2.5% for virtual terminal and invoices
Features
- Multi-location inventory management and stock forecasting
- Multi-channel selling both online and in-store
- In-depth sales reports
- Manage your team with unlimited employee passcodes and timecard reporting
- Next working day and instant transfers
Founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey, the man who started Twitter (now X), Square has grown to become one of the most popular point of sale systems in the world for retailers.
And it’s not hard to see why: Square POS is fully stocked with everything a busy retail business needs to handle sales, customers, inventory, and more.
Let’s start with payments. Square integrates all payments, whether they’re through card, Apple Pay, or gift card into your POS, and can deliver funds into your account instantly or the next working day. Meanwhile, in-depth, by-the-minute sales and profit margin reports give you granular insights into performance that you can act on.
Square also helps keep your queue moving with barcode scanning, item search, and customer profiles, and can quickly process itemised returns and exchanges. Its inventory counting tool makes it easy to update, review, and stock take, and stock forecasting alerts you when you need to reorder.
Finally, Square sells a variety of sleek, compact, and affordable hardware, including terminals, card readers, iPod stands, and accessories, so you can find your perfect retail POS setup.
Revolut POS
Pricing
Free with Revolut Business plan*
Processing rate
- 0.8% + £0.02 for domestic consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard)
- Additional £0.08 for Tap to Pay on iPhone
Features
- Free POS software — no monthly subscription fees
- Seamless hardware integration — works with the Revolut Terminal and Tap to Pay on iPhone
- Flexible billing — enables easy bill splitting for quicker checkouts
- Powerful analytics — make data-driven decisions with insights into sales, staff, and trends
- Customer loyalty — boost repeat business by offering your customers discounts and RevPoints
Revolut POS is a free app included as part of the Revolut Business plan that helps merchants efficiently manage their in-person sales and operations.
With its built-in analytics, you can monitor and optimise your business’s performance with detailed reports on store performance, product performance and staff reports.
The Revolut POS app is compatible with iPhones (running IOS 15.0 or later), iPads (running iPadOS 15.0 or newer) and Macs (running macOS 12.0 or later with an Apple M1 chip). However, it is important to note that the Revolut POS is only compatible with Revolut payment hardware terminals, including the Revolut Terminal and Tap to Pay on iPhone.
The Revolut POS is only available with the Revolut Business plan. This requires you to set up a business bank account with Revolut Business, with prices starting from £10/month for the Basic account.
*Right now, you can receive £100 welcome bonus by signing up to Revolut Business via Small Business. To receive the £100 you must onboard via the link below. Offer ends 31/12/2026. Fees, promotional terms, and T&Cs apply.
Get started with Revolut Business
Pricing
mPOS: £995 (one-off)
POS Pro: £1,495 (one-off)
POS Premium: £2,495 (one-off)
Processing rate
1.69% transaction fee per card payment (all card types)
Features
- Track sales, generate reports and manage inventory from your POS
- Card, contactless and mobile wallet payments accepted
- 24/7 UK support by phone and email
- Full on-site installation and training
- Daily payouts
Founded in 2022, Flatpay is trusted by over 70,000 merchants across Europe and it’s not hard to see why with their emphasis on transparency and putting the merchant first.
Unlike some providers, Flatpay simplifies the payment process for merchants by offering a flat rate with zero monthly fees or contracts.
For all POS products, Flatpay’s transaction fee is 1.69% per card payment for all card types. And they pay out daily, meaning you don’t need to fret about when you’ll get your hard-earned funds.
You can manage products, inventory and sales in the POS system, as well as generate detailed reports from day one. All POS packages come with 24/7 support by email and phone as well as full on-site installation and training. Customisable features include language selector, product grid layout, category layout, allow tips, automatic print and stay on last used category.
Just bear in mind that Flatpay requires a minimum monthly card turnover of £995, which is assessed annually. Some flexibility is permitted for seasonal businesses but be sure to cover this when signing up.
You can calculate how much you could save with Flatpay using the link below.
Lightspeed
Pricing
Standard: £75 per month
Core: £149 per month
Plus: £189 per month
Features
- Quick keys and easy search to keep sales moving
- Custom fields and customisable buttons and receipts
- Built-in inventory counting and low stock alert
- Retail analytics across multiple locations
- Integrations with accounting, ecommerce, and marketing apps
Lightspeed is an all-in-one POS system and commerce platform for busy retailers, offering everything from customisable point of sales features to mix and match hardware bundles.
Lightspeed doesn’t sell its own hardware but allows you to combine elements from different brands within your setup. This means you can integrate an industry-leading printer with an industry-leading scanner and cash register.
The inventory management function is pretty comprehensive, with reorder points and low stock alerts to significantly reduce the chances of bestsellers being out-of-stock, and the ability to track unit costs, margins, and inventory levels across multiple locations. And with built-in inventory counting features, you can also minimise errors associated with manual entry.
There’s plenty of analytics and reports to get your teeth into as well, including staff performance and customer spend, all of which can be customised to align with your business metrics.
All packages offer 24/7 chat support, with the Plus package also offering 24/7 phone support.
Finally, Lightspeed offers integrations with loads of leading accounting, ecommerce, marketing apps, and more, allowing you to sync data across multiple platforms and even develop custom solutions with its open API.
Worldpay
Pricing
- Lite: £49 per month
- Standard: £74 per month
- Pro: £89 per month
Features
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- No hidden fees
- Magic AI menu feature
- Create gift cards and loyalty program
- Pay-at-table functionality
- 365 customer support
Worldpay 360 POS, designed with the hospitality sector in mind, is an all-in-one business management and payments solution used by many small business owners.
The Lite package is £49 per month and includes a single hand-held device that provides business management and payment capabilities, complete with an in-built printer.
The Standard package is £74 per month. Alongside the hand-held device provided in the Lite package, the Standard package includes a countertop POS system (choose from a 10 or 15″ device).
The Pro package is £89 per month and includes the same features as Standard with additional integrated software.
Shopify
Pricing
Shopify POS pricing is on top of the cost of your Shopify store plan.
Basic: £25 per month
Shopify: £65 per month
Advanced: £344 per month
+
Shopify POS Pro: £69 per month per location
Features
- Offer customers a fully omnichannel experience by integrating online and in store shopping
- Smart stock monitoring offers sales and inventory recommendations
- Control staff permissions and track the performance of each team member
- Comprehensive checkout function with customisable receipts, discounts, and sales
- Full range of Shopify POS hardware available
Befitting a company whose primary business is online commerce, Shopify has cornered the market in omnichannel selling. For example, a customer can buy in store and have the product shipped to them from the nearest location with it in stock. They can also purchase online and return in store, and you can send them emails promoting an item they were interested in but didn’t buy in store.
When it comes to stock management, Shopify’s Stocky app is a cut above. It uses smart technology to suggest purchase orders based on product performance and can make recommendations for releasing cash and inventory based on what isn’t selling. It also offers detailed inventory reports and tracking, so you can keep on top of stock and plan ahead.
The customisable checkout is also worth highlighting. You can create customised printed, email, and SMS receipts, and there’s a tailored smart grid that adapts based on cart actions, which makes it easy to offer a seamless experience to both staff and customers.
Lastly, it might have started online, but Shopify now offers its own complete ‘plug-and-play’ POS hardware package through the Shopify Hardware store, all available with a one-year warranty.
Next steps
Still not sure which of our six top POS retail systems is best for your business? Why not use our free comparison tool to be matched with the most suitable provider for your needs.
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All pricing information is accurate as of 25th February 2026.
