Free POS System With Credit Card Processing
Choosing the right POS system for your business can make day-to-day operations run smoothly and boost sales.
But with so many free brands that come with built-in credit card processing to choose from, including some that even throw in free POS hardware, how do you choose the option that's right for you?
We'll review the top 5 worth looking into.
Continue reading as we provide all the information you'll need in order to select the most fitting option for your business today.
Free POS Systems With Credit Card Processing
Square
- Best all-round free POS software
- Free POS software for retail stores, restaurants, and service businesses
- iPad-based & some free POS hardware is available
Toast
- Best free POS software for restaurants
- Excellent range of restaurant POS features
- Android-based & some free POS hardware is available
eHopper
- Best free POS software for Android-users
- All-in-one POS systems for retail & restaurants
- Free credit card processing, e-Commerce website, & POS terminal
Clover
- Best POS system for versatility
- POS systems for restaurants, retail stores, & service businesses
- 30 days free POS software + free hardware for some plans
Loyverse
- Best for small businesses
- POS systems for restaurants & bars, retail & grocery stores, & boutiques
- Free kitchen display & customer display POS software
Square POS solutions offer some of the best free POS software suitable for a variety of small business types including retail stores, restaurants, and professional services.
The Square point-of-sale system is cloud-based and uses iPads but can work on Android devices as well.
They offer a built-in payment processor with processing fees that range between 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction and 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction. Rates are dependent upon transaction type.
The free POS plan includes a free Square Reader, so once you have your free POS software installed and free card reader set up, you can start accepting payments in person. This system accepts payments by digital wallets, cash, gift card and all major credit cards.
You'll also be able to take customer bookings online, set up an online store, send estimates and invoices electronically and use the virtual terminal to turn your laptop or tablet into a credit card processing device.
Customer management features can be used to build a customer database. Simply create a new profile for each new customer to track their sales. The free plan also comes with gift card features and employee management tools.
Additional Square POS features can be added to your plan at any time for additional fees. These include loyalty programs, marketing, and payroll functions. Our Square POS system cost guides provide more details.
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Toast POS specializes in systems for all types of restaurants, from food trucks to fine dining establishments. If you are in the food service industry, and particularly if you are a small business just starting out, Toast's free POS software can be a lifesaver in keeping costs down.
They have built-in payment processing and the credit card processing fees will depend on the price plan you opt for. Toast has two Start Kit plan options. Their Pay-as-you-Go plan has zero monthly fees. It includes a free router, a free terminal (Toast Flex), and a Toast Tap card payment processor.
The Standard Starter Kit offers the same bundle of software and hardware as the Pay-as-you-Go plan, but the difference is that there is an upfront cost and monthly fee.
However, credit card processing fees are lower. Deciding which option would be a better deal for your business depends on how much business you do. With whichever plan you choose, additional paid POS software and hardware items are available.
The Toast POS solution includes all the top features and provides some of the best POS software for the restaurant industry.
You can take contactless payments and let customers order via their phones with Toast Mobile Order & Pay™. If you're looking for a mobile POS system, the Toast Go 2 is a mobile device which enables business owners to take orders tableside, curbside, or at events. Toast also has a digital suite, enabling online orders, payments, and the management of takeout and delivery.
Inventory management features let you keep close track of your stock levels while employee management tools let you make schedules. Reports tools offer sales analytics and other insights into business finances.
Toast offers a full range of restaurant-grade POS hardware, resistant to grease and spills. Order errors can be minimized with Toast's kitchen display system and a customer display screen. Self-service kiosks are ideal for quick-service eateries, allowing customers to order and pay independently, which significantly speeds up checkout.
Since it's a cloud-based system, you'll have access to every feature from any device, as long as you have an internet connection. And if you have multiple locations, they can all be managed from a single device with remote access.
If technical issues arise, Toast customer service provides 24/7 support, including phone support.
Hardware:
- Starter Kit
- Comprehensive POS hardware inventory including hardware kits & individual components is available by quotation, for other price plans
Software:
- New Restaurant Basics plan: $110 monthly + $4 per staff member
- Essentials plan: $165 monthly
- Custom plan: by quotation
Payment Processing:
- Starter Kit
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eHopper provides an Android-based POS solution for retail and restaurant businesses.
It works on Windows PCs and Android devices, as well as their Poynt POS terminals.
Not only do they offer some of the best free point-of-sale software on the market, but their free card processing and a free e-Commerce website has made this company an attractive POS solution for many small businesses.
You might be wondering why eHopper is the only company on this list that provides credit card processing for 0%.
They use a credit surcharge program (also called a cash discount program) which, in basic terms, passes the credit card processing fees onto the customers. While credit surcharge programs can encourage customers to pay with cash, some customers may be put off by having to pay more if they choose to pay by card.
Essentials is the name of eHopper's free plan. While it includes an online store and in-store tools for no monthly fee, these features are quite limited. Fifty products, three hundred transactions per month, and a single POS terminal are included in the Essentials plan. While you will have access to customer management, inventory management, basic reporting tools from which you can derive sales reports, the more advanced features only come with paid plans.
To streamline your business even further, paid plans include features such as menu builders, advanced inventory management, additional employee management tools, self-service kiosks, and customer display screens.
eHopper offers an inclusive range of POS hardware, great for small businesses who will need to acquire extra items as business grows.
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- Essential Plan: $0 monthly fee
- Omnichannel Plan
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Clover POS is an Android-based system that is also compatible with iOS devices. It is currently used by a multitude of businesses, including restaurants, quick-service eateries, retail stores, home & garden businesses, as well as operations that provide professional and personal services.
This versatile cloud-based POS system offers a plethora of popular features all of which can be accessed anywhere that an internet connection is present. This also means easy management of multiple locations from a single device.
Clover's free point-of-sale system is offered on a thirty-day trial. After 30 days, they charge monthly for their software. Do note that for many of the service business price plans, Clover throws in some free hardware.
This point-of-sale system has built-in payment processing and the credit card processing fees depend on the price plan you choose.
Fees range between 2.3% and 2.6% plus 10¢ for each in-person transaction. Clover's features include inventory management, employee management, reporting and sales analytics, menu and table management, appointment booking, online selling tools, mobile payments, and more.
The more advanced features are available on the larger plans, plus they offer a whole host of attractive hardware including Clover Go and Clover Station.
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Loyverse offers some of the best free POS software for small businesses.
This system works well for eateries, grocery stores, boutiques, and other retail stores.
This flexible cloud-based POS software is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Their free plan includes the easy-to-navigate Loyverse Dashboard, providing business organization with just a few clicks.
The customer displays included in Loyverse's free package allow customers to check their orders.
While this reduces front of house errors, the free kitchen displays reduce back of house errors.
Although Loyverse is one of the few POS providers that does offer free software, they do not have in-house payment processing. Your payment processing options will include Worldpay, Paypal, Zettle and SumUp to name a few.
Top features included in Loyverse's free version include loyalty programs, inventory management, sales analytics, and multiple location management. Integrations, employee and advanced inventory management features are not included in the free version. You can certainly opt for them, but expect additional fees.
While you can select from an extensive range of individual POS hardware, hardware kits are also available.
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The Bottom Line
The 5 free POS systems on our list are all popular options for small business owners, as they help keep upfront costs down.
As a small business grows, the free plan features may no longer be adequate. The good news is, most options on our list allow additional POS software and hardware to be added at a later date.
Often lower processing fees are available with the higher-priced plans and work well for businesses that have high sales volumes.
Finding the cheapest POS system with all the features your business needs can be time-consuming. We are here to do the work for you. Simply complete the form below.
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Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author