GoDaddy offers an all-in-one POS system for small businesses, designed to simplify everyday sales, payments, and product management.
Starting at $0 per month under its Standard plan, it’s quick and easy for businesses to start taking payments without a complicated setup. Its free plan also comes with a generous amount of features, including single-catalog inventory, visual catalog management, domain-branded Pay By Links and QR codes and basic customer CRM.
That said, GoDaddy’s simplicity means it isn’t the best choice for businesses with complex inventory needs or multiple locations as it doesn’t offer advanced inventory management features like automated stock routing, purchase order, generation, or detailed store-to-store transfer tracking.
Below, we share everything you need to know about GoDaddy POS, including its core features, pricing, user experience, hardware options, and whether it’s the right choice for your business.
Key takeaways
- GoDaddy POS is a cost-effective option for small businesses, offering a free Standard plan at $0 per month and 2.5% + $0.00 processing fees.
- GoDaddy’s core features include real-time inventory syncing, quick barcode scanning, and free domain-branded Pay By Links and QR codes.
- Upgrading to GoDaddy’s Plus plan for $28/month/store unlocks advanced tools like employee tracking, custom permission profiles, stock alert notifications, and lower transaction fees.
- While GoDaddy POS is suited to low-volume and microbusinesses, it lacks advanced inventory management, automated purchase order creation, and store-to-store transfers.
- GoDaddy POS provides 24/7 direct phone support on all its plans, offering instant operational assistance without requiring a premium subscription.
Why should you trust us?
The Tech.co team pours hundreds of hours into researching the best POS systems because it’s the only way to ensure we’re providing our readers with the most accurate, up-to-date information possible.
We’ve spoken to daily POS users working in restaurants, retail and more, and have tested out more than 20 point-of-sale platforms ourselves, paying close attention to everything from the quality and feel of the hardware to how easy the software is to use, to help you make a clear decision for your business needs.
Head over to our methodology section to learn more about our product review process, which is one of the reasons more than one million users consult our articles every month.
What is GoDaddy POS?
GoDaddy is an all-in-one payment processing and commerce management solution made specifically for small-to-mid-sized businesses, online sellers, and existing GoDaddy/WooCommerce merchants expanding into physical storefronts.
GoDaddy POS is primarily aimed at businesses that want a simple way to sell both online and face-to-face without using separate systems – competing with dedicated POS platforms like Square and Shopify POS. Whether it’s a good fit depends on the size of the business and whether you already use GoDaddy’s ecosystem.
Pros
- Free to get started
- Charges a flat rate with $0 in fixed per-swipe cent fees on dipped/swiped sales
- All-in-one hardware models come with integrated receipt printers, barcode scanners, and payment displays
Cons
- Requires integration with GoDaddy Payments and a GoDaddy/WooCommerce-based web setup
- Lacks advanced inventory options like multi-warehouse stock routing, store-to-store transfers, or size/color variant management
- While in-person swiped transactions carry a low rate, manually keyed-in transactions jump to 3.3% + $0
- Standard: $0/month
- Plus: $28.99/store/month (billed annually)
How much does GoDaddy POS cost?
GoDaddy POS starts at $0 a month on its Standard POS plan, which includes payment processing, native inventory management, and catalog syncing.
For more advanced features, you can upgrade to GoDaddy’s POS Plus plan for $28.99 per store, per month (billed annually). You get everything in the free plan, plus tailored user permission profiles, multi-location reporting, employee tracking, and stock alert notifications.
GoDaddy charges processing fees on every transaction, but removes fixed per-transaction cent fees, meaning you are only charged a percentage on every sale you make. For example, processing fees for in-person transactions on the Standard plan are 2.5% + $0.00 and 2.3% + $0.00 on the Plus plan. However, fees for online sales are higher, as they are 2.3% to 2.7% + 30¢ per transaction.
GoDaddy also offers affordable hardware for small businesses, with its GoDaddy Mobile Card Reader costing around $49-$79 upfront. Other hardware costs include:
- Smart Terminal Flex ($275): Handheld 6-inch mobile touchscreen with built-in thermal printer and barcode scanner.
- Smart Terminal Duo ($399): Countertop station featuring dual screens (merchant + customer-facing), built-in printer, scanner, and dock.
- Smart Terminal Pro ($499-$599): Swivel-screen terminal designed for larger retail counters.
| Plan | Price Monthly cost of the software. | Transaction fees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | ||
| Standard | Plus | ||
| $0/month | $28.99/store/month | ||
| 2.5% + $0.00 | 2.3% + $0.00 |
What are GoDaddy’s key features?
GoDaddy’s POS software is designed around core retail operations, simplified multi-channel catalog management, and simple point-of-sale workflows, rather than advanced enterprise inventory management processes.
With GoDaddy, you can synchronize stock quantities across physical POS registers and GoDaddy/WooCommerce web setups. It also tracks stock counts in real time to prevent items from being oversold online while a customer purchases an item in-store, and offers custom stock alerts to notify managers when inventory drops below predefined safety levels.
Meanwhile, its front-end checkout workflows come with an image-based tile layout on touchscreen terminals, fast barcode scanning integration for quick item lookups during high-volume checkout hours, and configurable checkout tools including item and order discounts, custom modifiers, tax calculation, and tipping options.
Other notable features include:
- Payment and invoice management: Handles chip, swipe, contactless NFC (Apple Pay/Google Pay), QR codes, and digital Pay Links sent via email or SMS.
- Customer directory and basic CRM: Native customer profile creation that records customer contact details, purchase history, and spending trends across both online and physical store visits.
- Employee and account permission management: Multi-user PIN logins for cashiers and shift staff and custom web roles where store owners can set specific access permissions for back-office reporting, catalog edits, and financial settings.
- Analytics and business intelligence reporting: Centralized web-based reporting dashboard combining sales performance, category-level insights, tax summaries, and cross-channel analytics (in-person vs ecommerce).
Does GoDaddy’s POS software have any limitations?
Yes. Most notably, GoDaddy lacks automated store-to-store inventory transfer protocols or purchase order creation workflows that you can get from competitors like Lightspeed.
It also doesn’t support multi-dimensional matrix capabilities (a tool used to group complex product variations like size, color, material, fit and style under a single SKU) needed for large-catalog apparel stores.
Additionally, there are fewer options for connecting with third-party apps and services compared to platforms like Shopify POS and Square.
My experience with GoDaddy POS
After spending time testing GoDaddy POS, I found the system delivered a generally good user experience, particularly when processing straightforward sales and making quick order adjustments. The interface feels like it was made with speed and simplicity in mind, which is crucial for scenarios where staff need to complete transactions quickly.
That said, when testing more complex workflows – like customized orders, item modifications, and promotional discounts – there were some obvious limitations.
What I liked about GoDaddy POS
When testing GoDaddy POS for myself, I found the checkout experience extremely intuitive. Adding items to the cart was quick and straightforward, and making adjustments during the sale was equally as easy.
One particularly useful feature was the ability to quickly edit recently added items. For example, when creating a customized drink order with nested modifiers (such as a Hendricks’s with Elderflower Tonic and Cucumber Garnish), I could immediately revisit the item to add notes, remove modifiers, or make changes without having to start the order again.
Another major plus about GoDaddy is that it provides 24/7 direct phone support to all account holders – something which is restricted to paid/premium plans on Square (Mon-Fri 6AM – 6PM PST otherwise). This gives smaller merchants an immediate safety net if terminal issues or processing errors happen on the floor.
What I disliked about GoDaddy POS
While GoDaddy’s overall checkout experience was intuitive, I did encounter some areas where the workflow felt less refined, particularly when handling more complex orders and promotions.
Specifically, I found it difficult to apply modifiers to existing items. For example, when attempting to add a “no tofu” modifier to a miso soup order, there were no dedicated modification buttons visible, meaning I had to manually enter the change as a note.
Discounts and promotions also proved to be particularly challenging. When attempting to apply the “MEAL 3” discount count – intended to reduce three full meals to $25 each – the promotion did not apply automatically, and I was unable to complete the transaction. In a real-life situation, this wouldn’t be ideal for staff who need to apply offers quickly and accurately.
What business is GoDaddy POS best for?
GoDaddy POS is best for low-volume and micro-businesses, as aside from its $0/month base subscription, GoDaddy provides all-in-one POS hardware options, including the Smart Terminal Flex and Smart Terminal Duo, which are both designed to simplify setup for small businesses.
These devices combine key checkout features (like payment processing, receipt printer and barcode scanning) into a single terminal, which is great for smaller retailers that want a professional POS set up without needing additional hardware.
It also includes free, domain-branded Pay Links and QR codes. With this, merchants can generate a payment link from the POS dashboard or mobile app and send it via SMS, social media, or email to collect remote customer payments instantly without having to build a full online store.
Who is GoDaddy POS not suitable for?
On the other hand, GoDaddy POS is not suitable for multi-location retailers because it doesn’t have advanced features like stock routing protocols, automated purchase order creation, and store-to-store transfer tracking.
It also isn’t suitable for retailers that need complex catalogs as its product variant management and inventory tools are less flexible than those offered by platforms like Lightspeed Retail and Shopify POS.
Our methodology
At Tech.co, we assess POS systems based on the features and factors that matter most in day-to-day business operations. We consider everything from ease of use and staff training to pricing, reliability, and overall performance. For this review, we assessed GoDaddy POS across the following criteria:
- Software (35%): Evaluates inventory management, catalog depth, omnichannel synchronization, ecommerce integrations, and order routing capabilities.
- Hardware (25%): Assesses terminal build quality, barcode scanners, customer displays, and mobile card readers.
- Pricing (15%): Looks at base software licensing fees, transaction processing rates, contract flexibility, and hardware acquisition costs.
- Usability (15%): Reviews touchscreen register navigation, staff onboarding speed, and backend menu clarity.
- Help & support (5%): This includes 24/7 direct phone support availability, live chat responsiveness, and knowledge base depth.
- Reputation (5%): Evaluates market sentiment, review score stability, and brand trust across US commercial users.
Verdict
GoDaddy POS is a cost-effective option for small-to-medium businesses, pop-up sellers, and online brands looking to expand into physical retail stores.
With a $0/month software plan and no fixed per-transaction fee, GoDaddy helps reduce upfront costs and provides a simple way for businesses to begin accepting in-person payments without ongoing software expenses.
However, businesses with more complex operational requirements may find GoDaddy’s capabilities restricting. Larger retailers or multi-location businesses that need advanced inventory management, detailed product variant control, or extensive third-party integrations may be better suited to more specialized POS platforms, such as Lightspeed Retail.
Ultimately, GoDaddy POS is most valuable for businesses looking for a simple and cost-effective solution to manage everyday transactions, but less suited to retailers that need deeper operational control as they grow.