Build a POS shortlist
Filter by business type before opening vendor pricing.
Jump to section →Buy Decoded business desk
Compare Square, Shopify POS, Toast, and Clover by workflow and lock-in.
Build a practical shortlist, compare written quotes on the same sales, estimate payment costs, and arrive at vendor demos with questions about contracts, hardware, support, offline mode, and data export.
Independent planning aid · heuristic scores are not ratings · verify current prices and terms
Quick answer
Match the POS to how orders reach the register and what you need to export later, then compare written quotes on the same card sales. Use the shortlist for workflow fit, the fee estimator for one offer, and the quote comparison when you have two proposals.
Resource directory
Shortlist, price the quote, then verify the terms.
Checkout photo for context only. Fit still depends on the shop's workflow, written rates, hardware, contract, and export path.
Compare two quotes
Compare both quotes on the same sales mix and spot the gaps.
Open →Estimate one quote
Turn one rate sheet into monthly cost and a three-year total.
Open →Open hardware finder
Check Square-listed printers, scanners, and drawers.
Open →Scenario-based shortlist
Choose the workflow before the vendor.
The score is an editorial heuristic, not measured performance or a customer rating. Use it to narrow demos, not to sign a contract.
0198/100
Square
Best for: Simple retail and mobile sellers
Watch: Confirm industry mode, inventory depth, and plan tiers in writing.
Fast setupPayments included
Check Square official site
Direct official link. No active partner commission is attached yet.
0280/100
Shopify POS
Best for: Retailers where ecommerce matters
Watch: Shopify says retailers that sell both in person and online get the most from its POS.
EcommerceRetailOmnichannel
Check Shopify POS official site
Direct official link. No active partner commission is attached yet.
0380/100
SumUp
Best for: Very small mobile sellers and simple counters
Watch: Confirm menu, inventory, and multi-location features for your SumUp plan in writing.
MobileSimple
Check SumUp official site
Direct official link. No active partner commission is attached yet.
0477/100
Lightspeed Retail
Best for: Inventory-heavy retail and multi-store operators
Watch: Confirm software tier, inventory features, and processing in writing.
InventoryMulti-locationRetail
Check Lightspeed Retail official site
Direct official link. No active partner commission is attached yet.
Next step after the shortlist
Put both written quotes on the same sales.
Compare processing, per-transaction charges, software, add-ons, hardware, setup, annual fees, and cancellation costs over one contract term. Mark anything not in writing as unresolved and track what each seller promised in the worksheet.
Payment-cost screen
Turn the advertised rate into a planning total.
Request a written quote. Card mix, rewards cards, keyed transactions, chargebacks, PCI fees, taxes, contract terms, and negotiated pricing can change the result.
Estimated blended monthly cost$819
About 893 transactions/month. 36-month processing, software, hardware, and setup estimate: $30,694.
Worked example
Hub fee estimator with default inputs
Example only, built from the fee estimator's default inputs. These are generic values, not any vendor's quoted price. Replace every number with your written quote.
Assumptions (example)
- $25,000 monthly card sales
- $28 average ticket (893 transactions/month)
- 2.60% processing + $0.10 per transaction
- $80/month software
- $1,200 hardware upfront · 36-month view
Planning output (example)
- $819/month processing + software
- 3.28% effective rate (monthly processing + software ÷ card sales; hardware not included)
- $30,694 estimated 36-month total including hardware and setup
Shop-type starting points
Match the guide to how you sell.
Each guide links back to this hub and the quote comparison tool. Start with your format, then normalize both written quotes on the same sales.
Buying printers, scanners, or drawers?
Check the exact POS, device, and connection first.
Filter source-backed Square hardware starting points before ordering a similar-looking model or the wrong interface version. Shopify records remain excluded until official rows are verified.
Only have one offer?
Estimate that single quote first.
Use your card sales and transaction count before you treat a headline rate as the cost of the system.
Already have two proposals?
Put both quotes through the same sales.
Compare processing, per-transaction charges, software, add-ons, hardware, setup, annual fees, and cancellation costs over one contract term.
Owner decision library
Prepare for the workflow, contract, outage, and exit.
These guides turn a vendor demo into a repeatable buying process. Start with your business type, then test the risks most sales presentations skip.
How to Choose a POS for a Bakery or Café
Pick a bakery or café POS for counter speed, modifiers, kitchen tickets, tips, online pickup, and what still works when internet drops.
Open guide →How to Choose a POS for a Small Retail or Gift Shop
Choose a retail or gift shop POS for variants, inventory, gift cards, returns, ecommerce sync, and clean data export before you sign.
Open guide →How to Choose a POS for a Food Truck or Mobile Seller
Choose a mobile POS for battery life, weak signal, prep tickets, tips, and how offline card sales settle after an event.
Open guide →POS Offline Mode and Register-Outage Plan
Prepare for internet, payment-terminal, printer, register, and cloud-service outages with vendor questions and a practical store fallback plan.
Open guide →POS Data Export and Migration Checklist
Protect product, customer, gift-card, sales, tax, inventory, and order data before moving to or leaving a point-of-sale system.
Open guide →Clover Contract and Reseller Checklist
Compare Clover offers by processor, reseller, hardware ownership, software plan, processing rates, contract, support, and cancellation terms.
Open guide →Complete POS Hardware Cost Checklist
Budget registers, payment terminals, printers, scanners, cash drawers, kitchen displays, networking, spares, installation, and replacements.
Open guide →POS Vendor Demo Scorecard
Use one repeatable scorecard for POS demos covering workflow, payments, hardware, support, offline operation, contracts, and data export.
Open guide →POS System Costs and Fees: A Complete Quote Checklist
Compare POS processing rates, transaction fees, software, add-ons, hardware, setup, annual fees, and cancellation costs using one sales scenario.
Open guide →Head-to-head starting points
Compare the operating model, not a star rating.
Eight systems to research first
Different shops need different tradeoffs.
Profiles summarize likely fit and a major caution. They are not hands-on reviews, current price quotes, or paid rankings.
Square
Best for: Simple retail and mobile sellers
Watch: Confirm industry mode, inventory depth, and plan tiers in writing.
Official site ↗Shopify POS
Best for: Retailers where ecommerce matters
Watch: Shopify says retailers that sell both in person and online get the most from its POS.
Official site ↗Lightspeed Retail
Best for: Inventory-heavy retail and multi-store operators
Watch: Confirm software tier, inventory features, and processing in writing.
Official site ↗Toast
Best for: Restaurants, retail, and mixed food-and-retail concepts
Watch: Toast also sells a retail POS. Confirm which restaurant and retail modules your quote includes.
Official site ↗Clover
Best for: Shops considering hardware bundles through banks or processors
Watch: Terms can depend heavily on the reseller and processor.
Official site ↗TouchBistro
Best for: Restaurants wanting restaurant-specific workflows
Watch: TouchBistro says it is not a good fit for retail businesses, independent food trucks, or catering companies.
Official site ↗SumUp
Best for: Very small mobile sellers and simple counters
Watch: Confirm menu, inventory, and multi-location features for your SumUp plan in writing.
Official site ↗KORONA POS
Best for: Specialty retail, ticketing, and regulated-inventory niches
Watch: KORONA lists retail, ticketing, and quick-service setups. Confirm which one your quote covers.
Official site ↗Vendor-demo script
Make each seller answer the same questions.
Ask for answers in writing and attach them to your decision record. A polished demonstration is not evidence that migration, offline operation, support, or cancellation will work as expected.
- 01What is the exact monthly software cost for our complete use case?
- 02What are card-present, keyed, online, and invoice processing rates?
- 03Is payment processing required, optional, or negotiable?
- 04Who owns the hardware after purchase or lease?
- 05What are the contract term and cancellation fee?
- 06Can we export products, customers, sales, gift cards, and order history?
- 07What happens if internet access fails?
- 08What support is available during our open hours?
- 09Which integrations cost extra?
- 10What setup and migration help is included?
Red flags
- Vague or incomplete payment rates.
- Hardware leases that cost more than buying.
- Long contracts before proof of fit.
- No clean data export.
- Support hours that do not match store hours.
- Inventory workflows that only look good in the demo.
Launch checklist
- Test scanner, printer, drawer, card reader, gift card, refund, tax, tip, discount, exchange, and offline sale.
- Train at least one backup person.
- Keep a documented register/internet failure plan.
- Reconcile the first three days against bank deposits.
- Export and retain baseline product and customer data.
Before you decide
Common questions
How do I compare Square, Shopify POS, Toast, and Clover fairly?
Build a workflow-first shortlist, collect written rates for each payment type you use, and run both quotes in the comparison tool with identical monthly sales, average ticket, and contract term. Do not assume the lowest card-present rate is the lowest total cost.
What should I ask in a POS demo?
Use the demo scorecard on this hub: one realistic basket, one failure scenario, written processing rates, sample data export, offline limits, support hours, and cancellation terms. Attach answers to your quote record.
Which guide fits my shop type?
Bakeries and cafés should start with the counter-speed and kitchen-routing guide. Retail and gift shops should start with inventory, variants, and export questions. Food trucks and mobile sellers should start with power, connectivity, and offline settlement.