7 Best Mobile POS Systems of 2023 - Money

Modern exertion has wholly revolutionized the mode concern is done. One of the astir important technological advancements for tiny businesses contiguous is the mobile point-of-sale, oregon POS system, which allows you to instrumentality your concern anyplace you go. It tin beryllium tally connected a smartphone oregon tablet — each you request is simply a paper scholar and an net connection. With a mobile POS system, your concern doesn’t person to beryllium tied down to a storefront, truthful you tin spell wherever the wealth is.

If you’re getting acceptable to start a business oregon privation to upgrade your existent business’s POS system, work on. This nonfiction volition locomotion you done immoderate of the champion mobile POS systems connected the market, positive tips to find the close solution for your business.

Our Top Picks for the Best Mobile POS Systems

• Best for Cost: Square POS
• Best Hardware Options: Clover POS
• Best for Simplicity: Vend
• Best for Retail: Lightspeed
• Best for E-Commerce: Shopify POS
• Best for Restaurants: Toast
• Best for Loyalty Programs: Loyverse

The 7 Best Mobile POS Systems Reviews

Why we chose it: Square is 1 of the astir fashionable POS systems connected the marketplace due to the fact that it’s affordable, casual to usage and comes with a escaped app for Android and iOS.

Whether astatine your section java store oregon a farmers’ market, there’s a bully accidental you’ve already encountered a Square POS system. This was 1 of the archetypal mobile POS systems to deed the market, and it's inactive among the astir fashionable today.

Most concern owners who usage Square admit its transparency and debased costs. The basal app is escaped and casual to usage with immoderate Android oregon iOS device. You tin acquisition further bundle connected the app, including payroll and email selling programs, which outgo betwixt $5 and $45 per month.

Square has built-in outgo processing, which means you don’t person to find a abstracted merchant services provider. Plus, the institution volition nonstop a escaped paper scholar to immoderate caller business. If you privation further readers and hardware, you tin bid them online oregon done the app.

Square has flat-rate processing for each transaction. Here’s however it breaks down:

• In-person payments: 2.6% positive 10 cents
• Online payments: 2.9% positive 30 cents
• Manual cardinal payments: 3.5% positive 15 cents

If you’re a smaller concern conscionable utilizing the basal app and the complimentary paper reader, Square is wholly escaped (minus the transaction fees). However, for a high-volume business, those fees tin adhd up. A larger concern that handles a batch of transactions mightiness find amended options beyond Square.

Why we chose it: Clover POS is simply a hardware and bundle bundle utilized by restaurants, retailers and different tiny businesses connected the go. It’s a coagulated enactment if your concern needs to process payments offline, oregon if you privation entree to high-tech hardware with your POS.

If you already person a merchant services supplier and privation to update your mobile POS hardware, Clover is simply a bully option. This POS strategy tin beryllium integrated with different outgo systems and is disposable done third-party resellers — meaning you don’t person to alteration your merchant account.

Clover POS provides business-specific systems for the following:

• Full work dining
• Quick work dining
• Retail shops
• Professional services
• Personal services
• Home and tract services

All systems are disposable successful 3 plans: Starter, Standard and Advanced, each much broad (and pricier) than the erstwhile one. Software and hardware bundles are included successful the plans, with devices for on-site transactions (the Mini and the Station) oregon for mobile payments (the Go and the Flex)

Clover’s hardware is mostly casual to instal and handle. It besides has a 24/7 lawsuit helpline to work the devices erstwhile thing goes wrong.

Because Clover POS is sold done third-party resellers, contracts whitethorn vary. That said, if you bargain Clover straight from its genitor company, Fiserv, you tin expect these fees:

• For retail: 2.3% - 2.6% positive 10 cents
• For restaurants: 2.3% positive 10 cents
• Any card-not-present transactions: 3.5% positive 10 cents

Clover’s monthly plans scope from $0 to $290, including hardware and bundle costs.

Why we chose it: Vend has built-in outgo processing, level rates and an integrated loyalty programme that marque it a simple-to-use mobile POS strategy for immoderate increasing business.

Vend is an enactment for concern owners who privation much features than Square offers, but inactive privation to support their mobile POS strategy simple. The strategy is casual to usage and bid unit on. It besides comes with integrated outgo processing, truthful you don’t request a antithetic merchant services provider.

A standout diagnostic of Vend’s mobile POS is the quality to execute tasks straight from the smartphone, including scanning barcodes and adding inventory. It besides comes with a loyalty programme that tracks your customers’ outgo past and awards loyalty points.

A large downside to the strategy is that Vend doesn’t enactment with Android devices. You’ll request an iPad oregon iPhone to tally your Vend POS. Another drawback is that determination is nary escaped plan, truthful Vend mightiness not beryllium perfect for a concern that’s conscionable starting out.

Vend level transaction fees are:

• In-person payments: 2.6% positive 10 cents
• Online payments: 2.9% positive 30 cents

Plans scope from $69 to $229 per month, paid annually. This isn’t the cheapest enactment connected the market, but it does connection much features and amended information than a escaped POS system.

Why we chose it: Lightspeed offers a mobile POS strategy with precocious inventory absorption features, a necessity for astir retail businesses.

Lightspeed features easy-to-use systems and built-in outgo processing akin to different mobile POS, but this strategy stands retired due to the fact that it tin beryllium customized for retail. This helps with managing further inventory, completing high-volume transactions, and administrating loyalty programs.

Every Lightspeed program comes with precocious inventory management, which lets you look into the details of each point successful your inventory, including vendor information, stocks and acquisition orders. It's each accessible from your iPhone oregon iPad but, similar Vend, this strategy doesn’t enactment with Android devices.

Another standout diagnostic of Lightspeed is the flexible pricing. As your concern grows, you tin entree little processing rates for high-volume sales. Lightspeed besides offers an enterprise-level program for larger businesses. To find retired if your concern qualifies, you’ll person to get a punctuation from the company.

Without high-volume sales, Lightspeed offers flat-rate processing:

• In-person payments: 2.6% positive 10 cents
• Online payments: 2.9% positive 30 cents

Plans with Lightspeed commencement astatine $69 per month, paid annually. Unfortunately, the lowest-cost program doesn’t travel with capable features for a increasing business. Most businesses wage astir $119 to $199 per period for Lightspeed.

Why we chose it: Shopify stands retired arsenic a mobile POS strategy that integrates online buying with a carnal POS strategy for in-person transactions.

If you’re readying connected mounting up e-commerce for your business, Shopify is simply a bully alternate to get it up and running. All of Shopify’s plans see a website and online store which you tin negociate done the mobile app, and each online payments are automatically integrated with your in-person POS.

Shopify besides comes with bonus features for retail, including inventory management, CRM and loyalty programs. Of course, these precocious features outgo extra. Shopify is much costly than different POS systems for retail. However, the astir costly program comes with little transaction fees and further discounts connected shipping and processing.

Shopify’s fees are a small much analyzable than different POS options and alteration based connected your plan. Here’s an overview:

Basic Plan

• Online payments: 2.9% positive 30 cents
• In-person payments: 2.7%

Shopify Plan

• Online payments: 2.6% positive 30 cents
• In-person payments: 2.5%

Advanced Plan

• Online payments: 2.4% positive 30 cents
• In-person payments: 2.4%

Plans with Shopify scope from $29 per period to $299 per month. Hardware starts astatine $49 for a basal paper reader.

Why we chose it: Toast is specifically designed for restaurants and bars. It features restaurant-grade hardware, casual paper absorption and a room show strategy to assistance your edifice oregon nutrient motortruck tally smoothly.

Just arsenic Lightspeed caters to retail businesses, Toast caters to restaurants, offering aggregate plans that assistance owners integrate ordering and payments into 1 system.

There are 2 large drawbacks to Toast’s POS plans. For one, you can’t usage iOS devices oregon extracurricular hardware oregon paper readers. Also, the institution requires a multi-year work contract, which means it mightiness not beryllium perfect for a brand-new restaurant. But if you’re looking to upgrade your existent POS with mobile options, it mightiness beryllium worthy signing up with Toast.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Toast has updated its hardware to see contactless payments and integer ordering. You tin besides usage Toast to pass betwixt front-of-house and back-of-house, oregon betwixt your off-site determination and the main kitchen.

The systems are each reasonably casual to usage and Toast has 24/7 lawsuit enactment to assistance hole immoderate bugs. When you motion up for your plan, Toast provides ample grooming materials and videos to assistance you get to cognize your strategy and bid caller squad members.

Toast has a precise elemental flat-rate processing interest of 2.49% positive 15 cents for each transactions.

Plans scope from $75 to $272 per period for bundle and hardware bundles.

Why we chose it: Loyverse is simply a mobile POS strategy designed to assistance tiny businesses physique relationships with their customers. The escaped app tin beryllium utilized from immoderate mobile instrumentality and comes with an integrated loyalty programme that tracks outgo past and gives rewards.

Small businesses that are built connected lawsuit loyalty mightiness privation to see Loyverse arsenic a mobile POS strategy due to the fact that of its integrated loyalty programme that tracks each customer’s outgo past and preferences.

When your customers opt into the Loyverse loyalty program, you’ll beryllium capable to spot what they bargain from you and erstwhile — providing adjuvant selling information. You tin adjacent nonstop messages to customers successful the programme to fto them cognize astir upcoming income and events.

The Loyverse app is free, but you volition person to bargain a monthly program if you privation to integrate the loyalty programme with your POS. There are aggregate hardware options available, including mobile paper readers and desktop systems. You tin besides bargain standalone features specified arsenic worker absorption and precocious inventory for a basal monthly fee.

Unfortunately, Loyverse doesn’t travel with built-in outgo processing, truthful you volition request a merchant services provider.

Because Loyverse doesn’t person built-in outgo processing, transaction fees volition alteration depending connected your merchant account. Plans commencement astatine $0 per period and tin scope upwards of $100 depending connected the hardware and features you choose.

Other mobile POS systems we considered

Paypal Zettle

Zettle is Paypal’s mobile POS strategy and app. It’s designed to beryllium casual to usage and plans commencement astatine $0 per month. Although it has constricted features, Zettle could beryllium a decent POS strategy to get your retail concern started.

TouchBistro

TouchBistro is different POS strategy designed specifically for restaurants and nutrient trucks. Plans commencement astatine $69 per period and travel with basal hardware including a scholar for recognition paper payments and room screen.

Revel

Revel is simply a cloud-based concern bundle programme that offers mobile POS systems. It’s connected the pricier extremity but includes a ton of peculiar features similar information reporting and income summaries.

Mobile POS Systems Guide

No 2 businesses are the same, truthful nary POS strategy is cleanable for each business. The champion strategy for you comes down to your concern size, fund and more. This speedy usher volition locomotion you done a fewer factors to see earlier you acquisition your mobile POS solution.

What is simply a mobile POS?

POS stands for point-of-sale. It’s the strategy that takes payments and processes accusation for each transaction made. In that sense, a mobile POS strategy helps your concern tally portion you’re connected the move. Your strategy mightiness beryllium integrated with your telephone oregon tablet to instrumentality contactless payments, oregon see a tiny paper scholar truthful customers tin wage with debit cards. It uses unreality bundle to integrate mobile payments with your business checking account.

A mobile POS is large for restaurants and nutrient trucks, tiny retailers oregon immoderate concern that travels. These systems are mostly affordable (sometimes adjacent free) and assistance caller concern owners negociate their income without a immense upfront investment.

The pros of utilizing a mobile POS system

Considering a mobile POS strategy for your caller business? Here are a fewer benefits to support successful mind.

Easy to use

Mobile POS systems are rather elemental to use. Most of them tin beryllium operated connected mobile devices similar smartphones and they connection intuitive layouts that marque it casual to support way of income information.

Not lone is simply a mobile POS casual for you arsenic a concern owner, but it’s besides little enactment for the customer. These systems are acceptable up for speedy payments and tin integrate online orders.

Convenience

Being capable to tally your concern from a telephone oregon tablet is convenient for respective reasons. With a mobile POS system, you don’t person to spell done the hassle of cash-only payments oregon acceptable up aggregate systems to support way of outgo past and orders.

Plus, a mobile POS makes it casual to determination your concern around. Set up a booth astatine the farmers marketplace oregon merchantability your merch astatine the section euphony festival — each you request is your phone.

Improved lawsuit experience

There’s a crushed you tin find touchscreen POS systems successful beauteous overmuch each store and edifice contiguous — radical similar them.

A mobile POS strategy makes it easier for customers to bid nutrient oregon marque a purchase. They don’t request to interest astir carrying currency and tin adhd a extremity done the aforesaid transaction. Contactless payments besides trim vulnerability to germs, which is wherefore they’ve boomed successful popularity since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cons of utilizing a mobile POS system

So, bash you request a mobile POS strategy for your business? Not necessarily. You'll privation to see the downsides earlier you propulsion the trigger connected a marque caller POS system.

Security risks

Although mobile POS systems are becoming much unafraid arsenic unreality exertion evolves, determination is inactive immoderate risk. POS systems tin beryllium hacked done phishing attacks oregon malware. Not to mention, if you tally your POS from your phone, determination is ever the hazard that your instrumentality tin beryllium stolen.

You’ll privation to marque definite you person information systems successful spot to forestall hacks and support your business’s data. But plentifulness of businesses contiguous inactive usage mobile POS systems contempt these risks.

Costly maintenance

Even if your POS strategy is free, determination are inactive attraction costs to consider. Devices tin interruption down and necessitate repairs. Your POS bundle volition request regular updates, which mightiness necessitate hiring a tech expert.

Simply put, a POS strategy is ever an investment. Be prepared to support and repair your strategy adjacent if you don't person a monthly plan.

Fragility of devices

Running your concern from a smartphone sounds large until you see the practicalities. Mobile devices tin easy interruption — particularly successful a engaged edifice oregon retail environment.

Tablet POS systems and different touchscreen devices should person protective cases connected them astatine each times. You mightiness besides privation to beryllium prepared with a backup strategy successful lawsuit the instrumentality your concern relies connected abruptly breaks.

What to support successful caput erstwhile choosing a mobile POS system

Even considering the limitations, a mobile POS strategy is inactive a large mode to streamline your concern and marque things easier for your unit and customers.

There are tons of options retired there, and each concern has its ain unsocial needs. You don't privation to bargain the archetypal POS you spot conscionable due to the fact that it works for different business. Before you commencement shopping, support these factors successful mind.

Your concern size and type

The size and complexity of your concern volition impact the benignant of POS strategy you need.

For example, if you tally a tiny retail store with nary different staff, you’ll astir apt beryllium good with a escaped app and paper reader. Square POS systems are large for caller businesses that are getting disconnected the ground.

But if you’re opening a edifice that takes online orders and has aggregate squad members, you mightiness privation to put successful a much analyzable POS. Restaurant POS systems tin get a small pricier but connection integrated features similar room screens and currency registers to support everything flowing smoothly.

The features you need

Along with your concern size, see the features you request from your POS system.

Most POS companies connection aggregate types of hardware and software. Do you privation a loyalty programme to physique relationships with your regulars? How astir receipt printers for customers who privation a carnal transcript alternatively of 1 sent by text? If you’re looking for a POS strategy with a batch of features, you should beryllium acceptable to put successful a high-tier program with a institution similar Toast oregon Lightspeed.

iOS and Android compatibility

Some POS systems lone enactment with a definite instrumentality type. If you already ain the devices with which you're going to integrate your POS system, marque definite you take a compatible solution.

Compatibility with some iOS and Android operating systems allows you to support your POS if you alteration devices. It besides means your squad members tin entree your POS from their ain phones.

Overall price

There are plentifulness of inexpensive POS systems retired there. But cheaper isn’t needfully better. Consider your fund and the worth you’ll get from your POS system. If it’s going to bring successful much concern and support your customers happy, it mightiness beryllium worthy the investment.

How We Chose the Best Mobile POS Systems

This nonfiction reviewed 7 mobile POS systems that are fashionable with tiny businesses. No strategy is perfect, but each of these companies stood retired for their affirmative reviews and features. Here are the factors we considered.

Affordability

Cheaper isn’t ever amended — but a mobile POS strategy shouldn’t interruption the slope either. POS systems are designed to beryllium affordable and we sought retired companies that connection a just worth for the services provided.

Range of features

A wide scope of features is important for a increasing business. Optional add-ons and services guarantee your mobile POS strategy tin accommodate to your business’s needs. We reviewed POS suppliers that connection a assortment of hardware options and bundle features that tin beryllium integrated into their plans.

Tech support

Even for a tech-savvy concern owner, lawsuit enactment is simply a must-have. The champion mobile POS systems travel with 24/7 lawsuit enactment to assistance erstwhile your bundle oregon instrumentality fails.

Payment processing options

One of the astir important features of a mobile POS strategy is its user-friendliness. Multiple outgo options (contactless, paper readers, currency and e-commerce) guarantee that you won’t suffer a lawsuit due to the fact that they don’t person the close signifier of payment.

Summary of Best Mobile POS Systems

• Best for Cost: Square POS
• Best Hardware Options: Clover POS
• Best for Simplicity: Vend
• Best for Retail: Lightspeed
• Best for E-Commerce: Shopify POS
• Best for Restaurants: Toast
• Best for Loyalty Programs: Loyverse