Cash Register Brands
From brands offering entry-level cash registers, to those providing complete POS systems, this review covers the entire range of options.
We’ve done our fair share of research, and out of 17 cash register brands on the market, we highly recommend the following top 6.
Continue reading to find inspiration in selecting your next cash register. Find the one below that is best tailored for your business needs.
Brand | Model | Hardware Price (approx.) | Not included | Hardware Quality | Functionality | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Register | $799 | Printer, Barcode Scanner | 9/10 | 10/10 | POS Functions | |
mPOP | $550 | POS terminal, Card reader | 9/10 | 7/10 | Accessories | |
Custom bundles | Quote-based | N/A | 8/10 | 9/10 | Compatibility | |
SPS-340 | $758 | N/A | 10/10 | 7/10 | Cash Register | |
XE-A207 | $380 | Barcode scanner, Card reader | 9/10 | 8/10 | QuickBooks | |
Station | $1499 | N/A | 8/10 | 8/10 | All-in-One POS |
The 6 Best Cash Register Brands
Quick Answer
Square - Best POS Cash Register
Star Micronics - Best Accessories for POS Registers
Lightspeed - Most Versatile Packages
Sam4S - Best Simple Cash Registers
Sharp - QuickBooks Pro Compatible
Clover POS - Best All-in-One POS Register
Square is one of the most successful POS companies you'll find. When you get a POS system from Square, whether your business is retail stores, food and beverage outlets, or professional services, you're buying a powerful toolkit to revolutionize your operations.
For retail stores, the customer data analysis and employee management features are highlights, along with an impressive inventory control system.
Restaurant clients are also bound to be impressed by the menu, ordering, and table management functions designed to make the best use of your server's time. All this combined with automatic calculation of tax rates, customizable loyalty programs, and advanced business analytics makes you realize why so many companies choose Square.
The Square Register kit consists of two displays, one stand-mounted full-sized screen for the employee to use, and a smaller full-color customer display screen that doubles up as a card reader and can handle contactless or card-insertion credit card payments. The POS system can also accept mobile payments directly from the customer's phone.
No locking cash drawer or receipt printer is included in the standard Square Register package, but Square does sell bundles with these added. If you prefer to choose your own accessories, Square recommends the hardware from Star Micronics (see below).
Star Micronics cash drawers, barcode scanners, and receipt printers are approved by Square to accompany their popular POS software and Square Register packages.
A Star Micronics package is an excellent accompaniment to the Square Register I reviewed above but is not limited to working with Square and will interface with most iPad, Android, or Windows-based POS systems via Bluetooth or USB cable.
My favorite product from Star Micronics is the mPOP combined cash drawer and receipt printer unit (separate barcode scanner available).
The design is really stylish, which is not to be overlooked since your cash register is often in full view of the customer, and it's a compact tidy system compared to a separate cash drawer and printer.
There is another advantage to having some of your hardware separate from the actual screen and input part of the register, namely that if you decide to change POS systems you don't have to also replace all of your gear, which can be the case if you buy an all-in-one from your POS provider.
Lightspeed is another highly popular POS provider, and with good reason.
Their POS systems for the retail and hospitality industries are packed with features, intuitive to use, and according to their many customer reviews, highly effective in streamlining and optimizing operations in a broad range of businesses.
As with Square, a Lightspeed POS system automates fiddly processes like adjusting prices for tax rates, customer and employee management, setting up loyalty programs, tracking inventory, and more.
Lightspeed offers hardware bundles specifically tailored to each of the main industry types using their POS software.
These generally feature a stylish and hardwearing Lightspeed iPad stand, lockable cash drawer, handheld card reader, and receipt printer (by Epsom). You can also choose to add a barcode scanner.
The main differences between their retail and restaurant systems are the optional extras such as customer-facing displays or digital menu displays etc.
One of the great things about Lightspeed systems is the ability to pick and choose which pieces of hardware you need. They've purposefully made their POS as broadly compatible as possible, so if you already have a barcode scanner, card terminal, or receipt printer, the chances are they can probably be used with your new Lightspeed system and you can just buy the components you are currently lacking.
Sam4S produces an extensive line of cash registers for almost any budget and purpose.
Their cheapest offerings (which still feature a keyboard, receipt printer, and locking cash drawer), such as the ER-180U, come in at under $200.
In terms of more advanced cash registers, the SAP-530R is an android powered touchscreen cash register with an integrated credit card terminal, whilst their absolute top-of-the-line system is the SPS-2000 System, complete with a large screen (no separate keyboard), and a host of POS functions.
Whatever you need in a cash register, Sam4S has a product for you.
I personally think one of their best cash registers is the mid-range SPS-340, a versatile unit with a large cash drawer and some handy extras such as an SD card slot, optional credit card reader (including EMV), and free software access.
Aimed primarily at restaurants, this register has a lot more going for it than just simple payment processing.
Well-known technology firm Sharp has been producing cash registers then, later, POS software and EPOS hardware for over 40 years. Supplying everything from basic cash registers (e.g. XE-A137) up to significantly more advanced cash registers and full POS solutions.
One of the most popular from Sharp's current catalog of electronic cash registers is the XE-A407 (approx. $380).
Although this model looks similar to a more entry-level cash register (coming complete with receipt printer, dual display, and a large built-in cash drawer), it has a lot of the functions you would expect from a full POS system, including QuickBooks Pro compatible advanced reporting features.
There are options to categorize inventory into up to 99 departments and can handle PLUs for up to 7000 distinct codes, so you can tally sales in specific areas without extra steps in the checkout process.
In terms of programming, PC compatibility and an SD card slot mean you can set everything up on a pc computer and then transfer to the cash register.
The base system does not come with a barcode scanner or terminal to process credit card payments, but these are fully supported as purchasable add-ons.
Clover is a full-featured POS provider using the First Data software platform.
They have several systems, starting with the basic touchscreen Flex and Mini terminals. However, if you want a lockable cash drawer, receipt printer, card reader, and barcode scanner, the Station or Station Pro (with an added Mini smart terminal as a customer-facing display) is the way to go. The hardware is as stylish as it is feature-rich.
With a complete POS system from Clover POS built into your cash register, you can do so much more than just process credit cards and print receipts. The whole checkout process is integrated with the rest of your operation, so every product sold adjusts your inventory and sales data.
The Clover POS also has employee management features, so you can automate timesheets and see who your most effective salespeople are at a glance. You can even run customer loyalty programs and gift card schemes via the register, with customer data being stored automatically.
There are other costs associated with accessing the more advanced POS features, but even the full Register Bundle is unlikely to break the bank at $78.95/month for access to the full functionality of the First Data Clover POS software.
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author
