SaaS directory
8 Square POS alternatives for 2026
The tools buyers compare with Square POS, side by side on price, pricing model and what each one is built for.
Why teams look beyond Square POS
- Processing fees and upfront hardware costs add up.
- Support access complaints are common across POS vendors, check before buying.
- Businesses that want to choose their own payment processor.
- High-volume merchants sensitive to flat-rate processing.
From Square POS's published plan limits and recurring themes in public reviews. See the Square POS review for sources.
Square POS vs. its alternatives
| Tool | Pricing model | Starting price | G2 rating | Hardware and terminals | Payment processing terms | Industry features | Reporting and analytics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Square POS Current | per location | $0/month (Square for Retail Free) | 4.6 (1,208 reviews) | Square sells its own handheld, terminal, register, stand and kiosk hardware (hardware prices not verified) | Square-only processing; 2.6% + 10c in person on Free, 2.5% + 10c on Retail Plus. | Separate Retail, Restaurants and Appointments products. | Reviewers on G2 praise reporting (G2 summary) |
 Clover | per device/plan bundle | Varies by vertical; Standard bundle $130/month or $849 + $84.95/month (as listed by Clover) | 3.8 (87 reviews) | Clover Station Duo, Mini, Flex; Station Duo about $1,799 to $1,899 (third-party) | About 2.3% + 10c card-present, 3.5% + 10c keyed (third-party); rate depends on reseller. | Retail, restaurant and services plans. | |
 Shopify POS | plan + per location | POS included in every Shopify plan; Basic from $39/month (third-party), POS Pro $89/location/month | 4.4 (335 reviews) | Shopify card readers plus tablet or phone; hardware prices not verified. | Shopify Payments; in-person 2.6%/2.5%/2.4% + 10c by plan (third-party); EU page 1.5%/1.3%/1.2%. | Retail focused. | G2 reviewers praise reporting. |
 Toast | per location | $0/month on pay-as-you-go Starter Kit; $69/month standard Point of Sale plan (per a Toast article) | 4.2 (370 reviews) | Proprietary Toast terminals, handhelds, kitchen display and kiosks; tiered hardware bundle around $1,024 (third-party) | Toast Payments only; rates vary by plan and pay-as-you-go vs traditional. | Restaurant-specific: table service, kitchen display, online ordering. | G2 reviewers flag missing reporting features. |
 SumUp | flat | $0/month POS Lite; $499 bundle (Register + Solo reader) | 3.3 (6 reviews) | POS Lite Register plus Solo reader $499 bundle. | 2.6% + 10c in person; 3.5% + 15c eCommerce. | ||
 Lightspeed | per location | Retail Basic $89/month billed annually or $109 monthly (third-party) | 4.0 (294 reviews) | Lightspeed Payments about 2.6% + 10c (one review); same across plans. | Retail and Restaurant (plus Golf, hospitality) | Reviewers highlight reporting. | |
 Revel Systems | custom | Contact sales | 4.1 (146 reviews) | Shift4 plans to sell its payments product to Revel customers (Restaurant Business) | Restaurant focus, 18,000+ locations at time of deal (Restaurant Business) | ||
 TouchBistro | flat | From $69/month (Point of Sale, hardware and payment processing extra) | 4.1 (108 reviews) | POS plan requires own hardware; Essentials Bundle and Custom Setup include restaurant-grade hardware; financing for 2+ terminals. | Integrated payments bundled in Essentials and Custom plans; rates not published on pricing page. | Floor plan and table management and tableside ordering included in base plan; Kitchen Display System as add-on. | Reporting and analytics included in POS and Essentials plans. |
 Epos Now | per terminal bundle | $399 + $84/month (Epos Now US page) | 4.0 (10 reviews) | Countertop, Countertop 2, Duo, Air, Link, Pro+, Kitchen Display; printers, scanners, cash drawers. | Not stated by the vendor. | Retail and hospitality. |
The alternatives in detail
Clover
Fiserv-owned POS and merchant processing platform sold through banks and resellers, with bundled hardware and software plans.
- Starting price
- Varies by vertical; Standard bundle $130/month or $849 + $84.95/month (as listed by Clover)
- Pricing model
- per device/plan bundle
- G2 rating
- 3.8 (87 reviews)
- Hardware and terminals
- Clover Station Duo, Mini, Flex; Station Duo about $1,799 to $1,899 (third-party)
- Payment processing terms
- About 2.3% + 10c card-present, 3.5% + 10c keyed (third-party); rate depends on reseller.
- Industry features
- Retail, restaurant and services plans.
- Pricing model
- Software plan plus processing plus hardware or financing.
Choose it if
- Small restaurants and retailers wanting bundled hardware plus software.
- Merchants buying through their bank or ISO.
Skip it if
- Merchants who want predictable published pricing.
- Buyers who need strong phone support (G2 reviewers complain)
Worth knowing
- Clover is sold through banks and resellers, so rates and terms vary by reseller.
- Additional devices roughly $11.95 to $19.95/month each (third-party)
- Station Duo financing about $95/month over 36 months (third-party)
Shopify POS
In-person selling layer for Shopify stores, with a free baseline in every plan and a paid POS Pro add-on per location.
- Starting price
- POS included in every Shopify plan; Basic from $39/month (third-party), POS Pro $89/location/month
- Pricing model
- plan + per location
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (335 reviews)
- Hardware and terminals
- Shopify card readers plus tablet or phone; hardware prices not verified.
- Payment processing terms
- Shopify Payments; in-person 2.6%/2.5%/2.4% + 10c by plan (third-party); EU page 1.5%/1.3%/1.2%.
- Inventory management
- Inventory management is in POS Pro, not the free baseline (EU page)
- Online and omnichannel sales
- Native: same Shopify store and catalog online and in store.
Choose it if
- Merchants already running a Shopify online store who add physical locations.
- Retailers wanting unified web and store inventory.
Skip it if
- Restaurants needing table service.
- Stores not on Shopify (POS requires a Shopify plan)
Worth knowing
- Staff roles, inventory management and customer profiles require POS Pro, not the included baseline.
- Pro is billed per location, so extra stores multiply cost.
- Plus includes POS Pro for the first 20 retail locations (third-party)
Toast
Restaurant-only POS and payments platform with its own hardware and tiered software plans, sold mostly on quote.
- Starting price
- $0/month on pay-as-you-go Starter Kit; $69/month standard Point of Sale plan (per a Toast article)
- Pricing model
- per location
- G2 rating
- 4.2 (370 reviews)
- Hardware and terminals
- Proprietary Toast terminals, handhelds, kitchen display and kiosks; tiered hardware bundle around $1,024 (third-party)
- Payment processing terms
- Toast Payments only; rates vary by plan and pay-as-you-go vs traditional.
- Online and omnichannel sales
- Core and Growth add online ordering and loyalty (third-party)
- Industry features
- Restaurant-specific: table service, kitchen display, online ordering.
Choose it if
- Restaurants, bars and cafes needing table service, kitchen display and online ordering.
- Single-location operators who can use the Starter Kit.
Skip it if
- Retailers or service businesses (Toast is restaurant-focused)
- Operators wanting to bring their own processor or avoid multi-year terms.
Worth knowing
- Pay-as-you-go ($0 software) trades monthly fees for higher processing percentages.
- Reported contract length about 2 years (third-party, verify in order form)
- Pricing is quote-based after a demo, so tier prices differ by source.
SumUp
UK-founded card reader and POS company with a $0/month POS Lite and flat in-person rates.
- Starting price
- $0/month POS Lite; $499 bundle (Register + Solo reader)
- Pricing model
- flat
- G2 rating
- 3.3 (6 reviews)
- Hardware and terminals
- POS Lite Register plus Solo reader $499 bundle.
- Payment processing terms
- 2.6% + 10c in person; 3.5% + 15c eCommerce.
- Pricing model
- No monthly fee plus flat processing plus hardware.
- Target company size
- Micro and small.
Choose it if
- Micro-merchants and market stalls wanting no monthly fee.
- Businesses wanting simple flat-rate processing.
Skip it if
- Larger multi-location retailers or full-service restaurants.
- Merchants needing deep inventory.
Worth knowing
- G2 shows only 6 reviews; Capterra lists SumUp Air at 4.5 from 1,470.
- Contract: mobile reader month-to-month, POS plans 12-month.
Lightspeed
Montreal-based commerce platform with separate retail and restaurant POS products, sold on annual or monthly plans.
- Starting price
- Retail Basic $89/month billed annually or $109 monthly (third-party)
- Pricing model
- per location
- G2 rating
- 4.0 (294 reviews)
- Payment processing terms
- Lightspeed Payments about 2.6% + 10c (one review); same across plans.
- Inventory management
- Reviewers highlight inventory management.
- Industry features
- Retail and Restaurant (plus Golf, hospitality)
- Reporting and analytics
- Reviewers highlight reporting.
Choose it if
- Multi-category retailers needing deeper inventory and reporting.
- Mid-size and multi-location merchants.
Skip it if
- Micro-merchants wanting $0 software.
- Buyers needing fast support (G2 complaints)
Worth knowing
- Annual billing saves roughly 15 to 20% vs monthly (third-party)
- Lightspeed absorbed Vend and ShopKeep products (not verified)
- Transaction fee same on all plans.
Revel Systems
Cloud iPad POS for restaurants that is now owned by Shift4, with the old vendor site redirecting to Shift4's food and beverage pages.
Rebranded: Acquired by Shift4 (deal announced May 2024, reported at $250M cash). revelsystems.com now redirects to shift4.com/food-beverage; a competitor blog says Revel is being folded into SkyTab, which is unconfirmed.
- Starting price
- Contact sales
- Pricing model
- custom
- G2 rating
- 4.1 (146 reviews)
- Payment processing terms
- Shift4 plans to sell its payments product to Revel customers (Restaurant Business)
- Industry features
- Restaurant focus, 18,000+ locations at time of deal (Restaurant Business)
- Pricing model
- Quote based; reported per terminal plus processing.
- Target company size
- Multi-location restaurants and chains.
Choose it if
- Existing Revel restaurant operators already on the platform.
- Restaurant groups that accept Shift4 as their payment processor.
Skip it if
- Buyers who want a POS independent of one processor.
- Buyers who need a documented long-term Revel roadmap.
Worth knowing
- Shift4 agreed to buy Revel in May 2024 for $250M cash and closed in June 2024 (Seedtable)
- Revelsystems.com 301-redirects to shift4.com/food-beverage, so there is no standalone vendor pricing page.
- More than 18,000 restaurant locations used Revel at the time of the deal (Restaurant Business)
TouchBistro
IPad-based restaurant point of sale with table service features, sold as software-only or as a bundle with hardware and integrated payments.
- Starting price
- From $69/month (Point of Sale, hardware and payment processing extra)
- Pricing model
- flat
- G2 rating
- 4.1 (108 reviews)
- Hardware and terminals
- POS plan requires own hardware; Essentials Bundle and Custom Setup include restaurant-grade hardware; financing for 2+ terminals.
- Payment processing terms
- Integrated payments bundled in Essentials and Custom plans; rates not published on pricing page.
- Inventory management
- Paid add-on, price not published.
- Online and omnichannel sales
- Online ordering is a paid add-on, no commission on online orders per vendor FAQ.
Choose it if
- Full-service restaurants that want floor plan and tableside ordering on iPads.
- Venues that want 24/7 support included in the subscription.
Skip it if
- Retail stores needing SKU-level inventory (inventory is a paid add-on and the product is restaurant-focused)
- Buyers who want fully published all-in pricing: add-on prices and hardware are quote-based.
Worth knowing
- Entry price of $69/month excludes hardware and payment processing; the bundle at $119/month adds hardware and integrated payments.
- KDS, inventory and online ordering are separate add-ons without public prices.
- 24/7 support and software updates are included at no extra charge per vendor.
Epos Now
UK-origin POS vendor selling bundled hardware plus monthly software in retail and hospitality.
- Starting price
- $399 + $84/month (Epos Now US page)
- Pricing model
- per terminal bundle
- G2 rating
- 4.0 (10 reviews)
- Hardware and terminals
- Countertop, Countertop 2, Duo, Air, Link, Pro+, Kitchen Display; printers, scanners, cash drawers.
- Payment processing terms
- Not stated by the vendor.
- Industry features
- Retail and hospitality.
- Pricing model
- Upfront hardware plus monthly software plus processing.
Choose it if
- Small retail and hospitality shops wanting bundled hardware.
- UK and US SMBs.
Skip it if
- Buyers who want transparent published pricing.
- Merchants wanting multiple conflicting promos clarified.
Worth knowing
- Capterra 3.8/5 from 714 reviews, much larger sample than G2.
- Required support plan often sits beside discounted hardware (ERPResearch)
- Price increase to $84/month reported 2026-09-27 (Costbench)
When to stay with Square POS
- Single-shop retailers and service businesses that want to start at $0 software.
- Merchants who want one vendor for hardware, payments and online store.