9 Best POS Systems for Small Businesses To Help You Grow

Choosing the best POS for your small business can feel overwhelming. Most systems promise sleek tools and “all-in-one” features, but many are full of extras you’ll never use. 

You need the 10% that actually helps you run your business, not the clutter that slows you down.

I’ve heard from plenty of owners stuck with clunky, complicated systems that don’t fit their team or budget. 

That’s why I put this guide together—to focus on what really matters: choosing the best POS system that’s simple, affordable and built for small businesses.

Let’s skip the noise and find the one that works for you.

Overview of the best POS systems for small businesses 

Here’s a quick overview of the top POS system for small businesses: 

1. Square

Best for: Cafes and bars 

Square is one of my go-to picks for small bars and cafés. It’s super simple to set up, and the countertop card reader connects right to an iPad—perfect for fast service during a busy shift. 

If you’re running a casual spot with quick-turn orders, Square makes things smooth without all the extra fluff.

Key features 

• Simple payment processing
• Menu and inventory management
• Table and order tracking
• Easy to connect with your online store

Compared to Toast, Square is often a better fit for small businesses because it keeps things lean. You’re not paying for a bunch of advanced features you might never use. This tool is: 

• Clean 
• Easy to train staff
• Doesn’t require a tech expert to run it. 

Plus, reviewers note that the integrations with accounting software are top-notch. 

Where Square shines: It’s easy to sync with your online store, which is helpful if you sell merch or offer pickup and delivery.

Where Square can improve: Square doesn’t offer as much customization as some other POS systems.

Real customer reviews for Square 

As of publishing, Square has a 4.7 out of 5-star rating on G2. Here’s what customers are saying: 

Customers like: 

“I like that Square POS does all the things you look for or want all in one system. It doesn't just take payments, it also has a loyalty program, email & text marketing, I can take orders in-person or online which created an app just for my business” — Briana S., Square POS G2 review

‍“The Square POS is by far the easiest POS we have used (we have been through 3 others in the past). Both the front end and the back end are intuitive, and adding and editing products is a breeze. Also, the integrations with accounting software (we use Xero) and other solutions are great. The support is also 2nd to none (there's always a human available at the end of the phone).” — Daniel N., Square POS G2 review

Customers don’t like: 

“The downside to Square POS is that since it tries to be a jack of all trades, since it does cover well so many different businesses, industries, that would all operate a little different, sometimes it does get a bit confusing when setting up the first time, but Square has great customer support…” — Briana S., Square POS G2 review

“Some of the integration with online syncing was tricky at first, but those issues have been worked out over time, and Square is very receptive to feedback.” — Deklan R., Square POS G2 review

2. Lightspeed 

Best for: Growing restaurants

Lightspeed is good for growing small restaurants because it gives you serious tools, like menu engineering and reporting, without forcing you into an enterprise-level setup.  

Key features 

• Advanced inventory management
• Menu engineering and reporting
• Built-in loyalty and gift card options
• Integration with accounting, delivery apps and reservation tools

I’ve seen a lot of owners outgrow simple POS systems as they add staff, menu items or locations. 

Lightspeed fills that gap—it’s built for restaurants ready to scale without starting from scratch. It also features strong restaurant management software, like reporting tools, so this option is great if data is up your alley.

Where Lightspeed shines: From tableside ordering to multi-location reporting, it’s made to support growth. 

Where Lightspeed can improve: That said, there’s a learning curve, especially if you’re coming from a more basic system. Some users also mention limited integrations and occasional lag.

Real customer reviews for Lightspeed

As of publishing, Lightspeed has a 4.5 out of 5-star rating on G2. Here’s what customers are saying: 

Customers like: 

“Easy to use, easy to set up, abundantly integrated with additional services.” — Sandstone G., Lightspeed POS G2 review

“Lightspeed Pos is a good system. I would recommend it to anyone. There is an item of note. Lightspeed gift cards need to provide a gift card receipt and have the ability to provide a printed balance to our guests. It doesn't do any of these as of right now. Not a significant issue, but it does need to be addressed.” — Tony V., Lightspeed POS G2 review

Customers don’t like: 

“You can't enter new products on the fly, to do this you need to sign into the back end and sometimes there's a lag before it appears in the menu. Also, since it's a bit more complex than other POS systems the learning curve is a bit high for some users. So it requires a little more training than the average POS system.” — Astrid Y., Lightspeed POS G2 review

“Light speed was lacking some integrations with outside services like open table.” — Emmanuel G., Lightspeed POS G2 review

3. Shopify POS

Best for: Current Shopify users  

Shopify POS is a smart choice for small businesses that already use Shopify to sell online. It connects your in-person and online stores in one system, which makes things like inventory and sales tracking a lot easier. 

Key features 

• Built-in tools for online and in-person sales
• Easy product and inventory syncing
• Works with tons of Shopify apps
• Mobile-friendly interface

For example, if you’re running a restaurant with a retail or eCommerce side, like a bakery that sells merch or a café with an online store, this POS makes syncing everything simple. 

Where Shopify shines: Shopify is easy to use and makes transactions a lot faster, and has overall enhanced their customers’ experience. 

Where Shopify can improve: Reviewers have also reported that Shopify isn’t as customizable as hoped and that there’s a lack of support in certain areas. 

Real customer reviews for Shopify POS 

As of publishing, Shopify POS has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating on G2. Here’s what customers are saying: 

Customers like: 

“Exceptional platform, even for beginners. It has different themes that help you to create a professional store online.” — Jamie Jesurun H., Shopify POS G2 review

“ From the moment I integrated Shopify POS into my store, I experienced nothing but seamless transactions and efficient inventory management. The user-friendly interface made it easy for my team to learn and adapt, ensuring minimal downtime during the transition phase.” — Amit K., Shopify POS G2 review

Customers don’t like: 

“My biggest gripe is the lack of support for subscription items on Shopify POS. This was a promised "coming soon" feature in summer 2023, but was pushed back until all mention of it was removed…People want our subscriptions and we'd like to sign them up on the spot, not wait for them to visit our website.”  — Lauren C., Shopify POS G2 review

“While Shopify POS has many strengths, some users have reported limitations in its customization options compared to other POS systems.” — Josel J., Shopify POS G2 review

4. Toast POS  

Best for: Dine-in restaurants 

Toast POS excels for dine-in restaurants, offering features like: 

• Tableside ordering
• Easy check splitting 
• Integrated kitchen display screens for faster service and less front-of-house stress.

Key features 

• Offers a free plan option 
• Table and order management
• Many integrations and add-ons to choose from 
• Option to customize a plan  

Toast is a strong choice for small restaurants that want room to grow. It’s built specifically for food service, not retail, so the core tools make sense from day one. 

Where Toast shines: You can start simple and add features as you scale, but keep an eye on add-ons and processing fees, which can add up fast.

Where Toast can improve: Some users say there’s a learning curve, especially with modifiers and menu setup. And Toast’s payment processing rates are among the highest in the industry, which can be tough on tight margins. If you're comparing Toast vs Square, check out my guide on Toast’s pricing for more details.

Check out my video below for even more of my insights on Toast POS: 

Real customer reviews for Toast POS 

As of publishing, Toast has a 4 out of 5-star rating on G2. Here’s what customers are saying: 

Customers like: 

“We also love their hardware. It seems Toast has really thought hard about how the POS and KDS systems work. We just installed a new KDS screen this week, and it was actually a joy to mount and get up and running. We had it ready to go in less than 30 minutes. It was just so easy.” — Craig W., Toast POS G2 review

“Great POS system and easy to use. Ease of adding new items and making changes as needed quickly.” —Dawnielle L., Toast POS G2 review

Customers don’t like: 

“It's very robust, so it takes some time and dedication to really maximize the POS, but the same is true for most good Systems. Managing modifiers can be tedious at times.” — Daniel C., Toast POS G2 review

“Customer service team members are not as knowledgeable as they could be and at times have provided information that contradicts others.” — Matthew W., Toast POS G2 review

5. Revel Systems 

Best for: Restaurants with multiple locations

Revel Systems is good for small restaurants with multiple locations because it’s built to keep things consistent and connected. 

Key features 

• Multi-location management tools
• Centralized inventory and menu updates
• Receipt printers and barcode scanners 
• Offline mode for backup during outages

Revel helps you manage multiple stores from a single dashboard, so you’re not constantly logging in and out of different systems or losing track of inventory, staffing and sales across locations. 

Where Revel shines: Reviewers say that this tool is easy to train new staff on, the layout is straightforward and the interface is clean. That helps a lot when you’re hiring quickly or rotating people between locations.

Where Revel can improve: That said, some reviewers say they wish the reporting tools were more customizable. And customer service doesn’t always get glowing reviews, which can be frustrating when you're trying to fix an issue across multiple stores.

Real customer reviews for Revel 

As of publishing, Revel has a 4 out of 5-star rating on G2. Here’s what customers are saying: 

‍Customers like: 

“Configurable layouts and ease of access for training and operations.” — Verified User in Food & Beverages, Revel POS G2 review

“It is easy to use and the touchscreen is smooth and well organized. It helps you to deal with inventory. You can also use multiple cashier account.” — Verified User in Hospitality, Revel POS G2 review

Customers don’t like: 

“There is no customer service any longer. They did good for about 3 years of the 10. Now it is completely nonexistent. All they must want is the "set up" sales. That must be where they are making the most profit.” — Bethany A., Revel POS G2 review

“Wish there was a report writer so I can create custom reports that fit my specific needs.” — Ken K., Revel POS G2 review

6. Lavu 

Best for: Flexible restaurant service

I’d recommend Lavu for small restaurants that need to stay flexible. If you’re running both dine-in and takeout, Lavu makes it easy to manage different pricing and order flows. 

Key features 

• User-friendly interface 
• Real-time inventory management 
• Integration with kitchen display systems 
• Dual pricing for dine-in and takeout 

Where Lavu shines: Lavu is especially useful for small teams, thanks to its simple interface and tools that help speed things up in the kitchen and on the floor. It features an iPad-based system, which is great for a small restaurant's mobility and flexibility needs. 

‍Where Lavu can improve: It doesn’t come with a free trial, and some users say the setup needs more direction. 

Real customer reviews for Lavu

As of publishing, Lavu has a 4 out of 5-star rating on G2. Here’s what customers are saying: 

Customers like: 

Lavu's price point was better for us, especially since the payment processing functions are not available in our country -- the other companies didn't offer any price adjustment for this. Also, Lavu is made for restaurants specifically, and offers integrated inventory management as well as add-on accounting integration.” — Jessica C., Lavu POS G2 reviews

“The Lavu POS system is very intuitive and easy to use - even for the basic users. Ordering has never been easier, whether you're picking up your food, getting it delivered or dining in. The experience so far has been nothing short of amazing with support for reports, user rights, discounts and even some nice extras like comments and action logs.” — Murtaza I., Lavu POS G2 review

Customers don’t like: 

“My main complaint is about customer service and billing, and the lack of updates.” — John D., Lavu POS G2 review

‍“It would be nice if there was some documentation regarding API's, I know nothing about APIs's so the present guide is insufficient to integrate Lavu with your app even though they have a bunch of apps ready to integrate like Quickbooks, Xero, Menu Drive.” — Murtaza I., Lavu POS G2 review

7. SumUp

Best for: Self-ordering kiosks 

If you’re looking for a POS that keeps things light and easy, especially if you just need a card reader, SumUp is worth a look. It's built with small businesses in mind, offering core features like: 

• Sales tracking
• Inventory management
• Online order aggregation without piling on unnecessary complexity

Key features 

• Third-party order integration
• Inventory and restaurant costs tracking
• Cloud-based back office access
• Simple card reader setup 

For fast casual spots or cafés, SumUp helps you stay organized without overwhelming your team. 

Their order aggregation tool pulls in all your third-party delivery orders (like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub) into one central dashboard, no more juggling multiple tablets.

Plus, you can sync your online and in-person menus so customers only see what’s actually in stock.

Where SumUp shines: They even offer a self-ordering kiosk, which can speed things up during busy rushes and give your team more time to focus on the guest experience. 

Where SumUp can improve: However, some reviewers report that connecting the POS to the 3G network can be complicated.

Real customer reviews for SumUp

As of publishing, SumUp has a 3.5 out of 5-star rating on G2. Here’s what customers are saying: 

‍Customers like: 

“POS functionality and speed. Friendly interface.” — Verified User in Information Technology and Services, SumUp POS G2 review

“It is easy, practical and have no hidden costs.” — Johan M., SumUp POS G2 review

Customers don’t like: 

“Struggling to get signal using 3G connection. Hard to get support.” — Verified User in Museums and Institutions, SumUp POS G2 review]

“It doesn't connect very well. Difficult to find connection. Hard to find support.” — Verified User in Museums and Institutions, SumUp POS G2 review

8. OrderCounter POS 

Best for: Hybrid flexibility 

OrderCounter POS can be a good fit for small restaurants that want the reliability of a traditional POS with the flexibility of the cloud. 

It’s a true hybrid system—meaning you get the speed and stability of a local server, but you’re not stuck if your internet goes down. our data is stored both on-site and in the cloud, so you’ve always got a backup.

Key features 

• Hybrid POS setup (local + cloud)
• Real-time data replication and backup protection
• Works for both front-of-house and back-office tasks
• Customizable reporting tools

That’s a big deal for small operators who can’t afford to lose a night’s worth of sales or customer info. 

Where OrderCounter shines: With built-in safeguards like real-time data replication, nightly backups and off-site storage, you can run your small business with peace of mind. 

Where OrderCounter can improve: According to Reddit users, the software can be glitchy at times.

Real customer reviews for OrderCounter

While OrderCounder doesn’t currently have any ratings on G2, you can look up other review sites or Reddit threads to get an idea of what customers are saying. 

9. KwickPOS 

Best for: All-in-one features 

KwickPOS is built for small restaurant owners who are tired of switching between five different systems to run their business. It rolls restaurant POS, online ordering, back-office management, marketing tools and inventory tracking into one platform. 

That means less juggling and more time focused on your food, staff and guests.

Key features 

• Built-in online ordering and marketing tools
• Real-time metrics and reporting
• Flexible, cloud-based access from anywhere
• User-friendly design 

Where KwickPOS shines: It’s cloud-based, so you can monitor real-time sales, update your menu on the fly and manage your operations from anywhere. 

Where KwickPOS can improve: Some Reddit users say KwickPOS can have slow processing times. 

Real customer reviews for KwickPOS

KwickPOS currently doesn’t have any ratings on G2, but I encourage you to check out other review sites or Reddit threads to get an idea of what customers are saying. 

How to choose the best POS for small businesses 

With so many POS systems offering similar features, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But if you’re running a small restaurant, you don’t need every bell and whistle—just the tools that actually help you work smarter and grow.

Here’s what to look for: 

Transparent, predictable pricing

You should always know what you’re paying for. That includes software, hardware, payment processing and add-ons. Look for a POS with clear pricing—no surprise fees. 

That way, you can protect your profit margins and plan for growth.

Growth and automation tools

The right POS doesn’t just take payments—it helps you grow. Look for built-in loyalty programs, email or SMS tools and easy ways to run promos. 

These features keep your regulars coming back, without needing extra apps or marketing help.

Data ownership and portability

Your customer data is gold. You should be able to see, use, and export it any time. That includes guest contact info, order history and reports. Choose a POS that puts you in control so you’re never stuck or locked in.

Offline and fail-safe reliability

Wi-Fi problems shouldn’t stop your service. A solid POS can queue or process payments even when the internet goes down. That means no long lines, no lost orders and no lost revenue.

Unified, easy-to-train workflow 

The best systems keep things simple. One clean interface for counter, table, online, and delivery orders saves time, cuts training and reduces mistakes. That’s a win for new hires and a smoother shift for everyone. 

Ready to take your small business to new heights? 

The best POS for your small restaurant isn’t the flashiest or the most feature-packed—it’s the one that fits how you actually work. Whether you’re running a café, food truck or full-service spot, the right restaurant management software should make your life easier. 

It should help you run smoother shifts, build better customer relationships and grow without the extra headaches.

If you’re not ready to switch POS systems just yet, you can still start with something that makes an immediate impact: better online ordering. 

Owner.com’s online ordering helps small restaurants boost direct orders, improve marketing and build loyalty, all from one simple platform. Book a free demo and see how it works.

Small business POS systems frequently asked questions 

What is the best POS system for small businesses?

There isn't one single "best" POS system for all small businesses; what works well really depends on your specific needs and the type of business you run. 

For example, a small retail shop might prioritize inventory management and ease of use, while a coffee shop might focus on quick transactions and online ordering integration.

Which POS systems have the lowest fees?

When you’re looking at POS system costs for your small business, it's not just one number. You need to consider things like:

• How much you’ll pay to process each sale
• The monthly cost for the software itself
• Necessary hardware 
• Whether adding extra features you need will cost more 

To find the lowest overall cost for you, we recommend comparing these different fees from a few providers.

What hardware do I need for a POS system?  

At a minimum, you’ll need a tablet or touchscreen terminal, a card reader and a receipt printer. If you’re running a full-service restaurant, you might also want a kitchen display system (KDS) or handheld devices for servers. 

Can I use my POS for in-person and online sales? 

Yes, most modern POS systems can handle both, but not all do it well. Look for one with built-in online ordering or solid integrations. That way, your inventory and sales stay synced whether a customer orders at the counter or from their phone.

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