The best POS system depends on your business type: restaurants usually shortlist Toast or SpotOn, retailers look at Shopify, Lightspeed or Clover, and low-volume sellers can start with no-monthly-fee options like Helcim, GoDaddy POS or Stripe. Compare the monthly software fee, the in-person card rate, the hardware cost and the contract term together, since a $0 plan with higher processing fees can cost more once your sales grow.
This guide is for owners choosing a first POS system or replacing one that costs too much or no longer fits, whether you run a restaurant, a retail shop or a pop-up stand. The systems here range from free software with a $59 reader to full restaurant and retail platforms.
The monthly software fee gets the attention, but card processing is usually the larger cost over time. Weigh software, processing rate, hardware and contract terms together, using your own monthly card volume.
Below you will find posted prices and rates side by side, how flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing differ, the best fit by business type, and the contract terms to question before you sign.
Company reviews
Best for full-service and quick-service restaurants: Toast
- Monthly software
- $0
- In-person card rate
- Flat-rate processing on the Starter Kit
- Hardware
- Quoted by package
Why we picked it. Toast is built mainly for restaurants, with ordering, menu, kitchen and payments tools in one system, and its 10-K says it also sells to convenience stores, bottle shops and grocery stores. Its pricing page lists a $0 Starter Kit, a $69 Point of Sale plan and a $69 plus $9 per employee Build Your Own plan, as listed October 2026, but not the card rate, so get processing and hardware costs in a written quote.
More details, pros and cons
Built for: Restaurants, plus food and beverage retailers such as convenience stores, bottle shops and grocery stores
Regulator: FTC staff sent Toast a draft complaint and proposed settlement in June 2026 over sales and service practices, which Toast disputes
Pros
- Built mainly for restaurants and food and beverage sellers
- One vendor for POS, payments and ordering
Cons
- Card processing rate is not shown on the pricing page, so get it in writing
- Payments are tied to the POS, so switching processors is harder
- FTC staff sent a draft complaint in June 2026, which Toast disputes
Skip it if: You run a general retail shop or want to compare posted card processing rates before talking to sales.
More about Toast
Toast provides a robust, all-in-one POS platform exclusively built for restaurants, offering durable hardware and deep operational integrations.
Best for flat in-person rates with no monthly fee: GoDaddy POS
- Monthly software
- No monthly fee listed for standard payments
- In-person card rate
- 2.5%
Why we picked it. GoDaddy Payments charges a flat in-person rate with no per-transaction cents added, which helps businesses with many small tickets. It also ties into GoDaddy websites, invoicing and pay links.
More details, pros and cons
Other fees: Keyed 3.5%; online 2.7% + 30 cents; $15 per dispute; same-day or instant payouts 1.75%
Pros
- No fixed cents on in-person transactions
- Works with GoDaddy websites and invoicing
- Optional Plus plans lower rates
Cons
- Hardware prices not shown on the fees page
- 1.75% fee for same-day or instant payouts
- Fewer advanced restaurant features
Skip it if: You need deep restaurant tools like table management and kitchen display.
More about GoDaddy POS
GoDaddy POS delivers competitive in-person processing rates and seamless integration with GoDaddy online stores, backed by rapid payouts.
Best for restaurants choosing between $0 hardware and month-to-month terms: SpotOn
- Monthly software
- $0
- In-person card rate
- 2.79%
- Hardware
- Included on All-In
Why we picked it. SpotOn makes restaurants pick a tradeoff and posts both sides: no upfront hardware cost with higher rates and a 2-year term, or paid hardware with lower rates and month-to-month terms.
More details, pros and cons
Early exit cost: Cancel within a year of installation and you pay the difference between your hardware price and full list price; keeping SpotOn POS with another processor costs a $995 conversion fee
Pros
- Posted pricing for both plans
- $0 hardware option
- Month-to-month on Essentials
- 24/7 support
Cons
- $0 plan has a 2-year minimum and processing minimums
- Keyed rate of 3.79% + 20 cents on All-In
- Implementation costs extra on Essentials
- Early exit charges the hardware price gap, and a $995 conversion fee applies to keep the software with another processor
Skip it if: You run retail, since its pricing page is built around restaurants.
More about SpotOn
SpotOn offers a reliable point of sale system with excellent offline processing capabilities and custom configurations tailored for midsize food service establishments.
How much a POS system costs
A POS system has four costs: software, payment processing, hardware and add-ons. As listed October 2026:
- Software: $0 at Helcim, GoDaddy and Stripe, $39 to $399 per month at Shopify, $89 to $289 at Lightspeed, $0 or $55 per station at SpotOn, and $0 to $69 (plus $9 per employee on Build Your Own) at Toast.
- Processing: flat rates of about 2.3% to 2.8% plus 0 to 20 cents in person, or interchange-plus at Helcim. Lightspeed lists a 1.5% card-present rate for Lightspeed Payments; confirm its full fee schedule with sales.
- Hardware: $59 for a Stripe M2 reader, $199 for a Helcim reader, and $297 to $750 per SpotOn device.
Processing is usually the biggest cost. At $30,000 a month in card sales, a 0.3 point difference in rate is about $90 a month.
How to choose a POS system
- Match your industry. Restaurants need table maps, modifiers and kitchen tickets. Retailers need inventory and barcode tools.
- Model your fees. Use your average ticket size and monthly card volume to compare flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing.
- Check the contract. Look for minimum terms, processing minimums and early termination fees.
- Price the hardware. Count terminals, handhelds, printers and cash drawers.
- Check integrations. Confirm it connects to your accounting, payroll, online ordering and ecommerce tools.
- Ask about support hours. SpotOn and Lightspeed list 24/7 support.
Flat-rate vs interchange-plus processing
Flat rate (Shopify, Stripe, GoDaddy, SpotOn) charges the same percentage on every card, which is easy to predict.
Interchange-plus (Helcim) passes through the card network’s cost and adds a fixed margin, such as 0.40% + 8 cents. It is often cheaper, especially on debit cards and at higher volumes, but statements are more detailed.
Also watch for keyed-in rates, which run higher (3.5% at GoDaddy, 3.79% + 20 cents on SpotOn’s All-In plan).
Best POS by business type
- Full-service restaurant: Toast or SpotOn.
- Retail with an online store: Shopify.
- Retail with large inventory: Lightspeed.
- Low volume or pop-up: GoDaddy POS, Helcim or Stripe with a $59 reader.
- High card volume: Helcim’s interchange-plus volume discounts.
Red flags in POS contracts
- Equipment leases that cost more over the term than buying the hardware outright.
- Processing minimums or multi-year terms tied to “free” hardware.
- Early termination fees not shown in the quote.
- Hardware locked to one processor, so you cannot switch without replacing devices.
- Quotes that list software price but not processing rates. Ask for every fee in writing.
Terms to know
- POS
- Point of sale, the hardware and software you use to ring up sales and take payments.
- Card-present rate
- The fee for a card that is tapped, dipped or swiped in person.
- Keyed-in rate
- The higher fee charged when card numbers are typed in by hand.
- Interchange
- The fee card networks and issuing banks charge on each transaction.
- Interchange-plus
- Pricing that passes through interchange and adds a fixed processor markup.
- Chargeback
- A customer dispute that reverses a charge. Processors often charge a fee per dispute.
