Best Mobile POS Systems: Features, Pricing and Usability Comparison

If you’re looking for a mobile POS to take payments on the shop floor or on the go, Square will be your best bet – due to its free plan and fuss-free interface. The POS even throws in a card reader at no cost, earning its title as the most affordable option on this list, and the best small business POS system we researched overall.

However, if you’re looking for a mobile POS that can do more than log orders and take payments, Lightspeed POS is another excellent mPOS, with an integrated customer rewards system to encourage repeat buying, and inventory management tools capable of managing the biggest and most complex inventories.

In this guide:

• Top 5 Mobile POS Systems
• What Are the Benefits of mPOS?
• Verdict: The Best Mobile POS
• How Did We Research and Test The Best Mobile POS Systems
• Frequently Asked Questions

As inflation rates continue to squeeze profit margins for smaller sellers, mobile POS systems give you a way to sell from anywhere without having to invest in costly hardware. If you’re in the market for a cost-effective and user-friendly mobile POS, this authoritative guide ranks and reviews the top options out there, based on the independent findings from our research team.

Read on to learn how each mobile POS service compares to the rest and which is right for your business. Once you’re ready for the next step, take a minute to fill out our form and get quotes custom-fitted for you.

1. Square

• Best POS mobile app overall
• Price from: Free
• Payment processing from: 2.6% + 10¢

Managing a business is hard enough as it is without the interference of complex software. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a simple way to take orders and accept payments on mobile devices, we would recommend using Square. In fact, thanks to Square’s intuitive software and generous free plan, it’s the best mobile POS system we’ve reviewed, as well as the best POS system overall for small businesses.

The service has retail-specific software and a restaurant-specific app, each ranked by our experts as the top in their respective industries. On top of its useful software, we’ve decided that it’s the best system for mobile as well, thanks to its hardware options – like iPad stands and card readers – which are designed specifically for mobile and tablet use.

Check out our full guide to the best POS systems for food trucks.

Who should use Square?

• Pop-up and mobile sellers
• Businesses looking to get selling for free
• New businesses getting started with a POS for the first time

Who shouldn’t use Square?

• Businesses that regularly onboard staff
• Larger retail businesses and full-service restaurants
• Sellers wanting ultra-low processing fees

Square POS features

Square’s POS features are a cut above its competition. Due to the strength of its business management, stock management, and business development features, it’ll be able to meet the needs of most sellers getting started with a mobile POS system.

While Square POS’s features are strong across-the-board, its payment options stood out to our researchers in particular. Aside from standard payment options like cash, credit and debit cards, and mobile payment apps, Square POS accepts digital invoices, QR code payments, and invoices, and even links up to third-party BNPL services.

Square POS includes reports to help you view and analyze your performance, like this sales summary. Source: Tech.co user testing

Square’s customer loyalty program is also highly customizable too. For businesses looking to drive up purchases, the POS lets you choose a loyalty system that works best for you, choose specific terminology like ‘stamps’ and ‘stars’, and select multiple different reward levels.

Compared to competitors like Lightspeed, Clover, and Epos Now, Square’s till features fall slightly short. This is because Square doesn’t offer a training mode to help staff learn the software: In fact, Epos Now is the only POS offering in this guide that does offer one.

Key features:

• CRM and Loyalty
• Detailed reports and analytics
• Sales forecasting
• Staff management and scheduling
• Inventory management
• Online orders
• Booking features
• Modify items straight from dashboard
• Schedule an Automatic Restock

The automations and ability to modify items while on the go both help make Square simple and easy: Perfect for small and mobile-only operations.

The Square POS includes marketing tools like automatic welcome emails for new customers. Source: Tech.co’s user testing

Square POS hardware

Square POS’s excellent portable hardware options are another reason why we gave the provider the top spot. Firstly, Square chucks in a magstripe card reader for its free users, offering a useful way to take payments for free – although this device is limited to swipe payments.

If you require a bit more flexibility, Square’s touchscreen terminal ($299) – Square Terminal – accepts any type of payment method, including chip and PIN, mobile and contactless. The device also lets you manage items and print receipts using it’s 2.5″ by 3.35″ touchscreen.

Square’s POS Terminal lets you take payments and print receipts on the go. Source: Tech.co testing

If you’re planning on creating an iPad setup, rather than using a smartphone, the provider’s Square Stand will be your best bet. The intuitive piece of hardware syncs with a tablet in minutes, and lets you manage a wide range of processes. At $149 the stand is a lot cheaper than similar models offered by competitors too.

Square POS pricing

If you’re looking to keep overheads as low as possible, Square’s system can be used for absolutely free. With Free, users will only be charged a per-transaction fee (2.6% + 10¢ for card-based and 3.5% + 15¢ for keyed-in sales), saving them from costly overhead prices. Paid plans with 24/7 support are available for $60 per month.

For more details on Square’s pricing plans, fees, and a hidden charges, check out our full Square POS review.

2. Lightspeed

• Best for customer loyalty features
• Price from: $69 per month
• Payment processing from: 2.6% + 10¢

Lightspeed offers an integrated customer rewards system alongside omnichannel loyalty tools, and it has customer insight tools as well, which can help managers better target customer segments. While these services might be too granular for a small operation, they’re great for larger businesses, as they unlock useful insights to help them grow their customer base.

Another big benefit: Lightspeed POS has impressive support. The provider’s helpline is open 24/7, and you’re able to reach out to an agent via live chat, phone, or email, depending on your preference.

Who should use Lightspeed?

• Sellers serious about expanding their customer base
• Businesses with large or complex inventories
• Businesses that rely heavily on customer support

Who shouldn’t use Lightspeed?

• New businesses with smaller budgets
• Users that are new to POS software
• Businesses that need assistance with setting prices

Lightspeed POS features

Lightspeed may not be the best retail POS system we reviewed (that accolade goes to Square), but the mPOS did perform well in our research.

When testing Lightspeed, the system excelled in the business management tools category because of its advanced reporting and analytic features which let you measure customer demand and gain tailored marketing insights, and its powerful staff performance capabilities.

Lightspeed let me add notes to specific sales receipts to keep customers informed about changes. Source: Tech.co testing

If your business stocks large or complex inventories, you’re in luck too, as Lightspeed offers a number of unique stock management features like stock transfers, product categorization and supplier returns. All features that competitors like Square and Clover lack.

Lightspeed also does well with till and business development features, meaning it can easily accept any major form of payment and has tools to help keep audiences engaged and growing. The service’s mobile processing tools let you accept a wide variety of payment methods from anywhere in your store, while extras like delivery support and online ordering open up new market segments.

Key features:

• Inventory alerts
• Margin reports
• Online ordering
• CRM and Loyalty
• Sell on the go
• Delivery support
• Set up and monitor staff goals
• Bulk product editing

The system includes one unique inventory feature, too: It tracks how long an item has been shelved, labelling the oldest items “dusty inventory.”

Lightspeed POS hardware

While they might not match Square’s prices, Lightspeed offers a much broader selection of tablet stands than our frontrunner. For one, Lightspeed offers stands for iPads and tablets, making the system accessible to iOS and Android users alike.

The provider’s cheapest universal stand actually comes in at just $89, while its most affordable iPad stand costs $169.

Lightspeed POS pricing

Lightspeed offers three distinct pricing plans for retail businesses.

Businesses can get started with its Basic plan ($89 per month), Core plan ($149 per month), or Plus plan ($239 per month).

While its entry-price might seem high, adding additional licenses is less costly, as each terminal after the first is just $29 per month, and its stellar features, support, and customer satisfaction still make it a great mobile pick for businesses that are willing to make the investment.

Check out how the provider’s retail plans compare in our table below, or read our full Lightspeed POS review for a more detailed breakdown of the system’s price points and features.

3. Epos Now

• Best inventory management features
• Price from: $39 per month/ $449 (one-time fee)
• Payment processing fees: Dependent on card processor 

Epos Now is a feature-rich mobile POS app suitable for retail and food and beverage businesses. Epos Now’s app, which is available on Android and iOS devices, will be a great option for businesses with large or complex inventories, as it offers one of the most comprehensive stock management tools out of any other POS mobile systems we’ve tested.

For those downloading a POS app for the first time, it may be best to pick an alternate option as its interface isn’t as easy to use as platforms like Clover and Square. Epos Now is unique in that it lets businesses cover their costs up-front as well, giving them an option to avoid recurring monthly fees. So, if you’re able to front a slightly larger fee to ease costs down the line, Epos Now may be a good choice for your enterprise.

Who should use Epos Now?

• Stores or food businesses with large or complex inventories
• Businesses waiting to minimize monthly overheads
• Businesses that onboard staff regularly

Who shouldn’t use Epos Now?

• Mobile or pop-up sellers
• New businesses wanting to avoid up-front costs
• Users that are new to POS software

Epos Now POS features

Epos Now’s feature package gives leading systems like Square and Lightspeed a run for their money. From sophisticated inventory management features like real-time stock updates and cost-profit reporting, to staff training features that can get new recruits up to speed in minutes, the POS app will lend itself well to more established retail stores and full-service restaurants.

The POS app even lets you access and edit reports from any device you download it on, making it easy for you to track important business insights on the go. You’re also able to access advanced security controls from the app itself, and Epos Now automatically backs up data onto the cloud, safeguarding important transaction and performance data.

Creating floor plans was easy with Epos Now. It’s drag-and-drop tool let me customize the floor plan to match the design of my restaurant. Source: Tech.co Testing

While Epos Now’s mobile app offers just about every POS capability in the book, its feature-rich software does come at a slight cost to the overall user experience. When we used Epos Now’s app in our user testing, it took us a little bit longer to carry out simple tasks like applying discounts and managing table plans compared with other systems. There was a slight delay when logging orders too, which could easily get frustrating for small and fast service businesses under pressure to serve customers quickly.

Key features:

• Cost-profit stock controls
• Manage reports on the go
• Staff training
• Online ordering
• Barcode ticket scanners
• Advanced analytics
• Real-time stock updates
• Loyalty tools

We found managing guest information with Epos Now straightforward. Image: Tech.co testing

Epos Now POS Hardware

Epos Now Now’s hardware performed well in our research, due to its intuitive nature and sleek design. However, this quality comes at a cost. The provider’s tablet stands cost an arm and a leg more than other options on this list, with its iPad POS costing $649 and its Android tablet POS costing $549. However, alongside tablet stands these bundles also include Epos Now’s Payments device and a receipt printer – somewhat justifying its higher price point.

Epos Now POS Pricing

Epos Now lets you get started for a one-time fee of $449. This gives you access to the POSs full range of features and lets you download the software on a range of devices, including PCs iPads, and smartphones.

If this upfront fee is too high, you’re also able to split the cost into installments by paying $39 per month.

Epos Now also charges flat rates for card transactions: at 2.6% plus 10 cents for credit cards, and 1.7% for Visa and Mastercard.

Epos Now doesn’t currently offer a free package like Square. However, if you aren’t ready to commit to a long-term contract Epos Now also lets users get started with a 30-day free trial.

Check out our guide to all the best restaurant POS systems.

4. Shopify

• Best for ecommerce integrations 
• Price from: $5 per month
• Payment processing: From 2.6%+10c

Shopify is a retail-focused POS system that lets businesses seamlessly sync up the app to their popular ecommerce platform. Despite Shopify’s impressive raft of features – including stand-out capabilities like low stock reports, granular selling reports, and offline cash transactions, we were pleasantly impressed with how easy the platform was to navigate when we tested it out for itself.

Even if you don’t sell goods across multiple channels, Shopify’s integrated payment options and broad selection of mobile-compatible hardware, like WisePad portable card reader, make it a good option for casual mobile sellers – as long as they’re willing to front its relatively high card transaction fees.

Who should use Shopify?

• Growing retail businesses
• Stores that also sell online
• Retail stores that rely on customer support

Who shouldn’t use Shopify?

• Food businesses like restaurants
• Mobile and pop-up sellers
• Stores that want ultra-low transaction fees

Shopify POS features

Shopify’s real strengths come from its omnichannel selling toolkit. Stores can use the POS app to view orders taking plans in-person and online. The platform even lets sellers accept online orders, manage pick-up orders, and even ship goods to customers, making it the number one POS solution for retailers selling goods online across channels.

Like Lightspeed, Shopify also shines when it comes to inventory management. Aside from standard capabilities like real-time stock tracking, Shopify offers inventory analysis tools to help you work out which products are worth reordering, demand forecasting features to get older suggestions based on product performance or seasonality, and purchase orders to the supplier purchase process more streamlined.

See how the POS compares to Shopify in our Lightspeed vs Shopify review.

We found the ordering interface for the Shopify POS simple and straightforward. Image: Tech.co testing

Due to Shopify’s industry-leading ecommerce and stock management features, the POS app is ideal for brick-and-mortar sellers with an online store – especially if they have complex inventories and sell in high volumes. Most of Shopify’s advanced features are only available to Pro users, however, making the app less accessible to smaller sellers who are just starting out on their journey.

We were able to add products to the Shopify POS with this simple field. Source: Tech.co testing

Key features:

• Seamless ecommerce integrations
• Demand forecasting
• Local delivery
• In-store pickup
• Sale item suggestions
• Staff management
• Custom printed receipts

Shopify POS Hardware

Shopify’s hardware options are pretty extensive, so you can be confident that you’ll be able to build a setup that suits you with the provider. Its tablet stands – which cost anywhere from $149 to $185 – actually gives Square’s value a run for its money too. The stands don’t let you accept payments though, so you’ll have to pair them with Shopify’s Tap & Chip Card Reader, which will set you back a further $49.

Shopify POS Pricing

Shopify offers two main POS plans, Starter ($5 per month) and Retail ($79 per month). However, we’d avoid opting for the Starter plan unless you’re only looking to sell online via social media, and you’re willing to put up with pretty extortionate transaction rates starting at 5%.

Shopify Retail package will be a safer bet for most businesses, with the plan giving users access to a much broader array of inventory controls, employee management, and ecommerce features, unlimited POS logins, and one POS Pro location.

5. TouchBistro

• Best mobile POS for restaurants 
• Price from: $69 per month
• Payment processing from: Dependant on card processor

TouchBistro is a user-friendly POS system designed specifically for food and beverage businesses. While the provider’s low learning curve makes it useful to smaller vendors with little POS experience, its app will be a great option for full-service restaurants, thanks to its useful table-side ordering and customizable floor plan features.

However, its feedback isn’t wholly positive, with many customers criticizing the app for its regular, mandatory updates and limited reporting options. The app doesn’t offer an Android version either, so if this is your device of choice you’re ruled out of using TouchBistro.

Who should use TouchBistro?

• Businesses after an ultra-low learning curve
• Restaurants, bars, and cafes
• Businesses looking to grow with detailed reports

Who shouldn’t use TouchBistro?

• Retail stores and pop-ups
• Small vendors after a free, or low-cost plan
• Businesses that require a QR ordering system

TouchBistro POS features

While TouchBistro’s feature offering may not match the likes of Square and Lightspeed, the POS still offers an impressive range of mobile POS capabilities for restaurants and hospitality businesses.

TouchBistro’s software is exclusively iPad-based too, which means that mobile vendors get access to the provider’s full toolkit. Notable features include the POS menu management, which lets you create, edit, and upload customized menus in a couple of taps, and its floor plan management features which lets you create a custom replica of your venue, even down to the table size.

It was easy for me to create my floor plan with TouchBistro, I could even color-code the tables and edit their size and shape. Source: Tech.co user testing

Key features:

• Menu management
• Stock management
• Tableside ordering
• Customizable floor plans
• Take-out and delivery order management
• Bill splitting and seat joining
• Bar tab management
• Custom reports

TouchBistro builds replica receipts on the system, outlining important order information. Source: Tech.co user testing

TouchBistro POS Hardware

TouchBistro is an iPad-based system, making it ideal for sellers relying on its mobile app. However, unlike other providers on this list, it doesn’t publically list the price of its hardware. So, to learn how much TouchBistro’s hardware could cost you you’ll have to reach out to a member of its sales team.

TouchBistro POS Pricing

TouchBisto isn’t as transparent about its pricing as other POS providers in this link. However, we do know that prices for TouchBistro start from $69 per month, and the provider doesn’t currently offer a free version of its software.

Lots of features come at a premium too, bumping up the overall price of the service. Take a look at these options, and their prices below:

• Kitchen Display System – From $19 per month
• Profit Management platform – From $330 per month
• Online Ordering – From $50 per month 
• Reservations – From $229 per month
• Loyalty – From $99 per month
• Marketing – From $99 per month
• Gift Cards – From $25 per month

The cost of TouchBistro’s card transaction fees will depend on which hardware option you select, also. If you choose the provider’s Pay-as-you-go deal, you’ll have to spend around 3.09–3.69% plus 15 cents per transaction. This cost decreases to 2.49% plus 15 cents for card-present transactions, and 3.50% plus 15 cents for card-not-present transactions, if you pay for its hardware upfront.

What Are the Benefits of mPOS?

• Flexibility – mPOS systems can be fixed in one destination, or used on the go. This makes the solution much more flexible than fully fledged POS systems.
• Value – mPOS systems don’t require bulky expesive hardware. This makes them much more cost-effective than regular point-of-sale systems.
• Shorter wait times – Unlike regular POS systems, mPOS devices allow you to take payments anywhere. This allows you to serve customers when they’re in the queue, keeping the line moving and minimizing wait time as a result.
• Scalable – While mPOS are a great launch pad for small businesses, most providers let you upgrade to larger software and hardware packages if your needs evolve.
• Quick set up – mPOS systems are easy to transport and can be set up in no time, making it easy for you work from multiple locations. They’re straightforward to use too, with 62% of retail workers claiming that they’ve made their life easier.

More businesses than ever are embracing m-payments. Learn about the facts and figures in our mobile payment statistics round-up.

How Did We Research and Test the Best Mobile POS Systems?

Frequently Asked Questions