Best Bar POS Systems: Which Is Best for Your Venue?

Our latest round of testing crowned Square POS the best POS system for bars, because of its wealth of hospitality-specific features such as automatic menu updates, and affordable pricing options. Likewise, Square provides top-of-the-line hardware and accessory options and and impressed our users with its intuitive interface. 

Another great option is Toast POS. Its granular inventory management and customer engagement tools make it an excellent choice for bigger bars with complex operations. We would also recommend Clover for the best hardware on the market.

Before choosing the right POS system for your bar, there are many things to consider. If you’re operating on a budget, then you’ll want to prioritize a system that doesn’t break the bank, but still delivers. Or, if you’re new to POS systems, you’ll want the one without the steepest learning curve.

In this guide, we break down the best POS systems for bars, based on our extensive research and user testing process.

In this guide:

• Best Bar POS Systems
• Why Do Bars Need POS Systems?
• How to Choose a Bar POS System
• How We Researched the Best POS Systems for Bars
• Verdict – What Are the Best POS Systems for Bars?
• Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Best POS System for Bars?

1. Square POS – Best bar POS overall
2. Toast POS – Best for bars with complex operations
3. Clover – Best for impressive hardware
4. SumUp – Best for speed and efficiency
5. SpotOn – Best for bars enhancing staff communication

Use the links above to jump straight to pricing details or scroll on for in-depth reviews of each provider. For more information on how we ranked these providers, please visit our research section. To compare POS costs, use our comparison tool. 

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.

1. Square POS – Best Bar POS for Scaling and Growing

Get started for: Free (but transaction fees apply)

Small businesses can’t go wrong with Square. Its affordable pricing options across both software and hardware make it a great option for those starting out, and want a safe option. While Square will certainly get your busines up-and-running, it’ll help your business scale because of its vast array of growth-focused tools and features.

This includes customer loyalty programs, inventory management tools, and a strong app market, keeping your bar engaged with its customers and expanding its possibilities through third-party integrations.

Why Square is great for bars

From our time with Square, we found that features such as order/bill splitting and tip management are great for bars. Users can easily split bills by select items, percentage, or a fixed amount, and tips can be automatically shared between employees based on specific working hours.

Working in a bar, we know you’ll probably be on your feet most of the time, so having tasks such as tip distribution completed by itself will save you chunks of time.

Getting set up with Square is pretty easy, too. Both its front-end and back-end were noted by our users as being easy to use and intuitive, and so your staff won’t be dealing with too steep a learning curve. Other platforms that we’ve tested recently, such as SumUp and Lavu, were much more tricky to get to grips with at first.

However, if your bar staff are completely new to POS systems, then it’s important to note that Square doesn’t have a dedicated training mode, compared to other top providers such as Toast, which provides an initial tutorial to new users as they start using the system.

In terms of hardware, our users recommended Square for a sleek and professional look, working particularly well for bars that want to impress customers with modern-looking hardware that won’t look or feel out of date any time soon. The provider also has its own dedicated kitchen display system that easily integrates with its front of house POS, allowing seamless use across your bar, and encouraging more streamlined operations.

We were impressed with Square’s sleek and modern hardware options. Image: Tech.co testing

Another one of Square’s selling points is its huge app marketplace. The store gives users access to a wide range of platforms that can benefit multiple areas of your bar. For instance, the Food & Drink Exchange app can update prices in real time and the Pretamenu app can get bars online in minutes. 

We found the Square POS interface is particularly intuitive for setting up in the back end. Image: Tech.co testing

How much does Square POS cost?

Bars can get started with Square for free, with transaction fees, however. If opting for a paid plan, you can expect to pay either $69/month for the Plus plan, and $165/month for the Premium plan.

If you use Square’s free plan, you won’t have access to 24/7 customer support or its kitchen display software. You’ll also have to pay the following transaction fees:

• 2.6% + 15 cents of each card-based sale
• 3.5% + 15 cents for each keyed-in transaction
• 2.9% + 30 cents for online sales

You can read a more in-depth breakdown of Square’s POS pricing here – or, check out the table below for more information about the provider’s transaction fees across its paid plans:

If you like Square, you might also like:

Toast, if you want to train your staff using a dedicated training mode
Clover, if you need granular cost vs profit tools

2. Toast POS – Best POS for Bars With Complex Operations

Get started for: Free (but transaction fees apply)

Toast POS is built specifically for hospitality businesses, and this is evident in its rich feature offering. These include highly sophisticated cost/profit management and inventory management tools, which would well suit a bar looking to manage and keep track of complex, large-scale operations.

There were some reservations with Toast during our latest round of testing regarding its suitability for smaller businesses, because of its complex tools and ability to run many establishments at once from the same back-end. One user said they “completely agree that it’s definitely more suited to larger restaurants”, and another that they see the provider working “a more full-service restaurant or multi-location”.

Therefore, we’d recommend Toast for established businesses that will actually benefit from its complex, in-depth hospitality tools, and can make the most of them across many locations.

Why Toast is great for bars

Toast’s inventory management tools earned it a perfect score in our tests, which include low and no stock alerts, and a cost/profit management tool, which was missing in our top choice, Square. There’s also the ability to customize your menus centrally, and a complex permissions infrastructure that’ll let you assign different employees varying levels of access depending on their locations. For small to medium-sized chains, these tools will be a great investment.

Likewise, Toast’s host of customer engagement tools makes it easy for your bar to encourage repeat business. Its extensive ecosystem of tools includes email marketing, websites, and in-house loyalty programmes.

On the hardware side, Toast offers starter kits and individual hardware accessories that go along with its software. While our users didn’t find the frontend as intuitive as the backend, we think the Toast Flex POS terminal is one of the better hardware options for large, busy bars – the screen facing towards the customer means they can see what they’re paying for without your staff having to yell it at them.

There’s one big downside to Toast, however – it can only integrate with Android devices. Bar establishments that don’t want to invest in new hardware (which is understandable in the current economic climate) and just need software they can use on their existing devices should look elsewhere.

Toast offers a dual display POS system. Image: Tech.co testing

In terms of help and support options, Toast is a little behind compared to SpotOn and Square, lacking in both social media and email support. There is also no live chat functionality, which could be useful if you’re looking to get support quickly. However, Toast does make up for it for offering an initial tutorial on how to use the system, which one of our users really liked and valued.

Similarly, while Toast does offer an app market where users can enable CRM, accounting and many other integrations, there is no option for ecommerce or floor management apps. If you’re looking for these functions specifically, we would recommend either Square or Clover.

Despite lacking a live chat function, we were able to find a range of articles to answer our queries on Toast’s help center Image: Tech.co testing

How much does Toast POS cost?

Like Square, you can get started with Toast for free, with transaction fees, which are $2.49% + 15¢. Otherwise, Toast has two paid plans to choose from:

• Point of Sale plan – $69/month 
• Custom pricing – contact sales

For a full breakdown of Toast’s offering for bars, see below:

If you like Toast, you might also like:

TouchBistro, if you need an iPad based POS solution
Square, if you don’t need as many tools

3. Clover – Best Bar POS for Impressive Hardware

Get started for: Free (but transaction fees apply)

When it comes to hardware, no provider can beat Clover. Users found that, as well as being sleek and durable, they were equally as responsive and intuitive during our testing. In particular, our users highlighted the terminal/register interface, describing it as “intuitive” and “responsive”.

Therefore, Clover is a great option for bars looking to impress both customers and staff alike with professional and strong hardware. Plus, all of Clover’s hardware is splash-proof, so you’ll never have to worry about a customer spilling a drink and ruining your hardware.

Why Clover is great for bars

For bars, Clover can offer durable and impressive-looking hardware with functions such as fingerprint readers for login, making it easy for your bartenders and other staff members to access the POS swiftly in what can be a fast-paced hospitality environment.

Likewise, our users in particular pointed out how easy it was to use the touchcreen interface, highlighting how “responsive” and “intuitive” it felt.

Even better, some of Clover’s hardware solutions come with LTE connectivity. This means that if the Wi-Fi goes out, you’ll still be able to maintain the efficient pace of your bar business, without worrying that your hardware will fail you.

On the features side, Clover offers plenty that would benefit any bar business, such as stock alerts and profit tracking, and in-depth reporting and analysis tools are available for those wanting to keep ahead of their numbers.

Moreover, the bulk import feature stood out to our users for being particularly easy to use, and will certainly be beneficial for bars wanting to efficiently add multiple itemsto their backend.

We were impressed with Clover’s hardware options, which are definitely some of the best on the market. Image: Tech.co testing

In the backend, our users picked out visual elements like the drag-and-drop table plan as particularly thoughtful, and once familiarized, many felt the system was straightforward to use.

Although, some issues arose when our users were trying to find specific functions, such as applying discounts. In general, our users felt discounts, promotions, and loyalty features were “disjointed”, with that part of the system feeling “clunky and less streamlined” than the others. One user suggested that Clover could have a steep learning curve for an individual who has never used a POS system before.

Unlike Square, however, Clover does have a training mode, so you can train up your bar staff on the system if needed. Likewise, it offers plenty of help and support options, including email and live chat, but if you’d prefer to receive your support through online forums, we would recommend Toast instead.

Clover’s intuitive interface makes it ideal for fast-paced bars that want to provide service quickly. Image: Tech.co testing

How much does Clover cost?

Bars can expect to pay between $135/month for 36 months, to $354/month for 36 months for Clover’s hospitality plans.

Users also have the option of reducing their monthly cost by paying an upfront one, which starts at $849 for the Quick-service starter plan, then $89.95/month.

Compared to the other systems we tested, Clover can get quite expensive, largely due to the high quality of its hardware solutions. Subsequently, bars on a budget may want to look elsewhere, as these premium terminals and accessories can seriously cost you a pretty penny.

If you like Clover, you might also like:

Toast, if you want automated tip sharing tools
Lightspeed Restaurant, if you want to avoid hefty upfront costs

4. SumUp – Best Bar POS for Fast-Paced Businesses

Get started for: $99/month with transaction fees

SumUp is a simple, easy-to-use POS system that we would recommend for smaller establishments. Its minimalist design and simple interface means you and your staff will be able to navigate to and complete tasks at a rapid and efficient rate.

Likewise, several of our users rated it one of the easiest POS systems they’ve used, making this provider the perfect option for bars committed to providing a quick, fuss-free service.

Why SumUp POS is great for bars

Our users were impressed with SumUp’s speed when it came to recording a sale, and this extended onto managing tables, cancelling payments, or editing orders.

We especially liked the fact that the system only asked for necessary information when adding new products or team members. Therefore, if you’re looking to get set up and selling drinks quickly, SumUp will match your pace.

Furthermore, SumUp offers inventory management tools, including bulk uploads and stock alerts, and tip management tools. A highlight for our users included the “park order” function, which allowed users to quickly adjust items mid-transaction. This feature, and more, means SumUp is certainly able to hold its own ahead of the top choices on our list.

Our users loved using SumUp’s simple interface, particularly when recording a payment. Image: Tech.co testing

Not only will SumUp work effectively for your staff, but it works as an effective tool for maintaining a strong customer base. Unlike Clover and Square, SumUp offers built-in email/SMS marketing, allowing you to encourage repeat customers.

SumUp has built-in gift card functionality, too, although you’ll have to pay extra for this feature, which providers such as Clover and Toast include as a free add-on.

For hardware, SumUp has its own kitchen display system, receipt printer, and terminal. During our tests, our users enjoyed the simplistic and straightforward nature of SumUp’s hardware, with several describing it as “one of the easiest POS systems they’ve ever used”.

However, SumUp doesn’t offer a handheld POS system, which could make it less convenient for bars that are looking to provide table service. If this kind of hardware is essential for you, we would recommend Shopify instead.

We found SumUp’s hardware to be both sleek and lightweight. Image: Tech.co testing

How much does SumUp POS cost?

If you choose SumUp, your business can expect to pay between $99/month and $289/month for the POS, without any add-ons. Overall, there are three plans to choose from:

• Connect Lite – $99/month
• Connect Plus – $199/month
• Connect Pro – $289/month

In terms of transaction fees, you can expect to pay 2.6% + 10¢ for in-person card sales, and 3.5% + 15¢ when a card is manually entered or a payment is made online. For a full breakdown, see the table below.

If you like SumUp, you might also like:

Square, if you need to create physical gift cards
Clover, if you need automatic offline functionality

5. SpotOn – Best Bar POS for Enhancing Staff Communication

Get started for: Free with transaction fees

SpotOn stood out to us for its staff management capabilities, making it an excellent choice for businesses wanting a high standard of communication.

This is mostly thanks to SpotOn’s own integration service, Teamwork, which allows users to easily create and release staff schedules, and enable clock-in notifications.

Likewise, Teamwork will also integrate with your preferred payroll software, and automate tip distribution amongst staff. All this, while seamlessly integrating with your POS system.

Why SpotOn is great for bars

On top of its top-tier staff manafement tools, SpotOn provides other POS features to keep your bar running effectively. This includes automatic offline functionality and cost vs profit analysis, perfect for bars looking to understand which products are performing best with customers.

During testing, users found the system easy to set up and use, and SpotOn earned a particularly high score during our usability research because of the intuitive experience it provided.

Although, we did find the back-end a little easier to navigate than the front-end, as some functions in the front-end required a few extra clicks compared to the other systems we tested. For a speedier overall experience, we would recommend SumUp.

We found it easy to accept payments through the SpotOn interface. Image: Tech.co testing

On the hardware side, SumUp offers its own terminal and customer display, but no receipt printers or kitchen display system. Compared to other providers, SpotOn also offers little hardware accessories, which could be a dealbreaker for bars looking to seamlessly integrate all of their hardware into one system.

Similarly, SpotOn doesn’t offer a tablet-based POS solution, making it difficult for bars that want to orchestrate a portable service for customers. If this is something that is important to your bar businesses, we would recommend Square or TouchBistro instead.

Using the calendar view in SpotOn Teamwork, you can easily view staff schedules. Image: SpotOn

How much does SpotOn cost?

Bars can get started with SpotOn for free, including transaction fees of 2.89% + 25¢. However, opting for a paid plan will see transaction fees drop to $1.99 + 25¢, one of the best rates of the POS providers we tested.

Here’s how SpotOn’s paid plans for bars stack up:

• Counter-service: $99/month (+ $3 per employee/month)
• Full-service: $135/month (+ $3 per employee/month)
• Custom: Contact sales

SpotOn’s plans also include options for hardware, including the free plan. To see a full breakdown of what your business will get, see the table below:

If you like SpotOn, you might also like:

Square, if you want to purchase additional accessories or hardware for your POS
Epos Now, if you need to frequently update your floor plan from the front-end

Why Do Bars Need POS Systems?

Here are some ways drink-serving businesses can benefit from bar POS systems. 

• Greater efficiency – From stock control to customer management, useful POS features can streamline these processes and save staff precious time. 
• Better customer experience – For example, streamlined order taking leads to shorter wait times, and cross-channel selling features can make the buying experience much more convenient. 
• Increased revenue – Aside from making life easier for customers and servers, this can dramatically benefit a business’s bottom line by reducing service time and boosting productivity levels. 
• Important insights – If your business is interested in driving up growth even further, lots of modern POS systems offer advanced CRM and reporting tools that allow you to unlock valuable, data-driven insights.  
• Reduced errors – When it comes to handling orders, human error is unavoidable. However, by reducing the need for servers to enter information manually, POS systems help to keep mistakes to a minimum.

Looking for a cash register? Check out our guide.

How Should I Choose a Bar POS System?

Here are some key factors to consider when determining which POS system is best for you:

• Business specialty – when browsing the POS market, we would advise for businesses to think about what features they will need based on your business type. For instance, if you offer food as well as drinks, you’ll probably benefit from targeted POS software with floor plan management and tab-tracking tools, whereas bars that don’t offer table service won’t necessarily need this.
• Business size – Different-sized businesses will require different features and packages. Likewise, if your business has multiple venues, you’ll want to consider a POS that has multi-location functionality, allowing seamless management of all locations
• Clientele – The demographic of your bar will also help determine which POS system will be right for you. For instance, are they more likely to benefit from contactless payments and QR-code coupons? Or will more basic features suffice?
• Budget –  If your business is operating on a tighter budget, it’s best to look for systems that offer free or affordable plan, and you’ll want to consider any hardware and accessories you’ll need in the final price
• Hardware support – some of the providers on our list offer hardware as part of its plans, or hardware can be bought separately. However, there might be some hardware that you don’t necessarily need. For example, if you already have some POS hardware, you should opt for a solution that will integrate with it, so you don’t have to buy any more
• Staff requirements – your staff might be new to using POS systems, and so it’s important to consider how beginner-friendly they are when. Some options, like Toast, offer a training mode for new users, and others like Square will offer strong help and support options as well

How We Researched the Best POS Systems for Bars

We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we’re giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations. After identifying the most relevant, popular POS platforms on the market, we put them through their paces with hands-on testing to better understand their strengths and weaknesses.

In total, we put 11 POS systems to the test, with a focus on hospitality. In our testing sessions, participants were asked to carry out tasks on POS software and describe their user journey, to help us understand what it’s like to use the systems first-hand. In addition to first-hand testing, we developed a detailed methodology, including criteria like software features and help and support centers.

These categories were broken down into further subcategories, so we were able to drill down further into certain topics, to make our insights as granular and useful as possible. Here’s an overview of our main testing categories for POS systems:

• Software: The capabilities provided by the POS product. Includes general features like ordering and payment functionality, as well as industry-specific tools like KSU uploads, and inventory-level stock tracking KDS software.
• Hardware: The quality of a POS’s hardware selection. The presence of an own-brand terminal, as well as hardware accessories like kitchen display systems, receipt printers, and barcode scanners.
• Pricing: The cost associated with acquiring and using the POS system, such as the initial purchase cost, transaction fees, licensing fees, subscription plans, and any additional charges or ongoing costs.
• Usability: We test out the software to gauge how intuitive and easy to navigate it is. We also consider how easy the software is to navigate, and whether any errors took place during testing.
• Help & Support: The assistance and resources available to users when they encounter issues or need guidance while using the POS system, including documentation, tutorials, or knowledge bases.
• Reputation: The aggregate score from customer review sites like Trustpilot and TrustRadius, to understand how POS providers are viewed by their own customer bases.

When it comes to calculating a product’s final score, not all testing areas are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others, For example, we’ll prioritize certain industry-specific features for specific reviews, like an offline mode when reviewing POS systems for food trucks, or kitchen display systems (KDS) when reviewing restaurant POS systems.

At Tech.co, we have a number of full-time in-house researchers who re-run this testing process regularly to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.

Learn more about our research. 

Best POS Systems for Bars FAQs