Best Mobile POS Systems Shortlist
Based on my analysis and comparison of the different mobile POS systems available, here’s who made my shortlist:
- Odoo - Best for integrations
- Lightspeed - Best for inventory management
- Stax - Best for quick processing speeds
- Shopify - Best for occasional in-person sellers
- Square - Best for no monthly fee
- Helcim - Best for high-volume businesses
- SumUp - Best for loyalty program integrations
- Loyverse - Best for reporting and analytics tools
- Toast - Best for restaurants
- Clover - Best for ease of use
- Rain POS - Best for retailers
- Revel - Best for advanced features
What Can I Expect From a Mobile POS System?
A point-of-sale (POS) system lets a business accept payments and track transactions. Rather than relying on bulky equipment that needs to be connected to a power source or the internet to function, mobile POS systems give companies the freedom to do business anywhere.
A mobile POS system may be a purpose-built piece of portable hardware, but there are also many mobile POS systems that run through a smartphone or tablet.
As with any POS, you can expect a mobile POS to make it easy to deal with customer transactions. Mobile POS systems can scan the products customers want to buy, calculate the total price and appropriate taxes, and accept payment made using cards, cash, or digital wallets.
A good mobile POS will also include features that help with tracking your relationship with customers and keeping an eye on your company’s product inventory.
Overviews of the 12 Best Mobile POS Systems Options
1. Odoo - Best for integrations
Why I picked Odoo: Odoo is a business services company that offers a huge variety of tech products. Its POS integrates with many of its other tools, making accepting payments while tracking customer relationships, managing inventory, and organizing marketing campaigns a lot easier than managing those functions within their own separate systems.
Odoo Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include the Odoo IoT box, a cross-platform tool that lets you connect your mobile POS to your existing hardware using wifi, bluetooth, USB, or HDMI.
Two things I really like about the IoT box are its versatility and its simplicity. Versatile because it's compatible with any hardware, so you can connect your barcode scanners, receipt printers, cash registers, scales, or anything. And simplicity because you can do it all yourself—no need to call a hardware technician or help desk.
Integrations include Odoo’s full library of business applications and services.
For example, you can combine Odoo’s POS with their inventory management app to automatically track your inventory and manage stock levels. The CRM and email marketing apps help manage your relationships with customers. And, if you sell products online, you can create or redesign product pages with their e-commerce app.
Price: From $24.90 per user per month
Free Trial: 15 days
Pros
- Compatible with any hardware
- Free for one app
- IoT box makes adding features easy even for non-technical users
Cons
- Functionality is limited if you don’t use Odoo’s other services
- High per-user fees
2. Lightspeed - Best for inventory management
Lightspeed has impressive inventory management capabilities and works with a variety of hardware.
Why I picked Lightspeed: Lightspeed is designed to be a single platform for key sale and inventory tasks. The tool updates stock levels automatically with each sale, allowing you to manage multiple retail channels and their inventories more efficiently.
However, I think the price may be a little steep for small businesses. It’s better suited to large, more established companies, in my opinion.
Lightspeed Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include a variety of third-party integrations that allow you to easily customize the tool to your team’s needs.
Lightspeed’s inventory management tools can track inventory across multiple channels and communicate your stock needs with suppliers.
And if you sell both online and in physical stores, I think you’ll appreciate how the tool consolidates inventory data from your brick-and-mortar locations and e-commerce channels so you can view and manage everything in one place.
Integrations include third-party services like AGendrix employee schedule, Amaka accounting, and AppCard loyalty tools.
Price: From $69 per month plus 2.6% + $0.10 per card transaction
Free Trial: 14 days
Pros
- Wide variety of third-party integrations
- Inventory tracking tools
- Lots of mobile hardware options, including chip readers and barcode scanners
Cons
- High price
- Many features are only available with the more expensive plans
3. Stax - Best for quick processing speeds
Why I picked Stax: Stax is an easy-to-use POS that excels when it comes to the thing a POS is most essential for: accepting payments. Stax releases funds to you as early as the next day, even on holidays and weekends.
Stax Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include easy setup for online stores, custom branding for your payment systems, and next-day funding for accepted payments.
I really like that Stax doesn’t charge a markup on credit card interchange fees, keeping your per-transaction costs as low as possible.
Integrations include popular apps like Quickbooks, Xero, MS Teams, Wave, and Zoho.
Price: From $99 per month
Free Trial: 30 days
Pros:
- Next-day funding for payments
- No markup on interchange fees
- Easy setup
Cons
- High monthly cost
- Not cost-effective for companies with low sales volume
4. Shopify - Best for occasional in-person sellers
Shopify is best known for its e-commerce offerings, but it offers a physical POS that can help online businesses expand to in-person sales.
Why I picked Shopify: I feel that if you already run an online store that uses Shopify, relying on the same company for your POS tools can make setup and management much easier.
Shopify Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include the ability to manage your e-commerce and physical stores in the same place, handle in-person returns or exchanges for online orders, inventory management tools, and reporting functionality.
I particularly like Shopify for its reporting features, which make it easy to track your revenues, sales volume, or any other data you want to see.
Integrations include tools to connect your e-commerce and physical presence, offering local delivery, shipping for in-person purchases of online products, and integrations with other Shopify apps.
Price: From $29 per month + 2.7% per transaction
Free Trial: 3-day free trial
Pros:
- Easy to use and set up
- Integrates with your online store
- Extensive reporting features
Cons
- Premium plans can get expensive
- No free card reader
5. Square - Best for growing teams
Square is one of the better-known names in the mobile POS world. If you’re just starting out or you’re working with a small budget, you can get up and running with Square’s mobile POS without breaking the bank.
Why I picked Square: it’s a great option for newer companies that want a simple solution that offers opportunities to scale up as the business grows.
Square will give you a free card reader to get started, so you only pay for card processing fees—not a bad deal.
Square Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include a monthly fee-free service that lets you start accepting payments with no upfront cost. It also supports next-day transfers and comes with live phone support when you need help with the tool.
I especially like that if you need technical assistance or support with the tool, you can connect with a real, live human—rare these days.
Integrations include other Square services, including payroll, online stores, email and text marketing, and third-party services like Quickbooks, WooCommerce, and Wix.
Price: From $0 per month plus 2.6% + $0.10 per card transaction.
Free Trial: Free product demo available
Pros:
- Basic plan has no subscription fee and comes with a free card reader
- Integrates with other Square services
- Customizable plans for different business types
Cons
- Hardware works better with Apple devices than Android
- High fees for card payment processing
6. Helcim - Best for high-volume business
Helcim’s mobile POS can process as many payments as you can throw at it.
Why I picked Helcim: Helcim offers low per-transaction fees, helping high-volume merchants keep their payment processing costs low. But I do mean “high-volume!”—you’ll need to process +$5M in transactions monthly to get the best pricing.
Helcim Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include low per-transaction fees, integrated inventory management tools, a customer relationship management system, and a secure card vault for storing card and banking information. I thought the low transaction fees were particularly appealing, especially when you’re processing a large volume and small savings can add up quickly.
Integrations include Quickbooks, WooCommerce, Magneto, Foxy.io, and GreatExposure.
Price: From 0.50% + 25 cents per transaction (plus card provider interchange fee)
Free Trial: Free product demo available
Pros:
- Low card processing fees, especially for high-volume businesses
- No monthly fee
- Inventory management and CRM
Cons
- Pricing structure suited to high-volume sellers
- Additional cost for hardware
7. SumUp - Best for loyalty program integrations
With its FiveStars loyalty program, SumUp’s POS gives you access to automated marketing campaigns by analyzing your customers’ previous purchases
Why I picked SumUp: In addition to the loyalty program features and other add-on services that can help you boost revenue, SumUp offers low per-transaction fees and no monthly fee.
SumUp Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include easy-to-use card readers that include smart tipping functionality to encourage customers to tip.
SumUp gives you a built-in invoicing tool for sending invoices to your customers, and access to an integrated checking account that allows you to receive payments within two days, which I think businesses will appreciate.
I think the built-in checking account is a convenient feature, making this a potential all-in-one finance solution for smaller companies.
Integrations include the FiveStars loyalty program, which can help automate different aspects of your rewards program and make it easier for new customers to find your business. SumUp’s Shop App offers different hardware and software you can buy to use with their POS.
Price: From 3.25% plus $0.15 per transaction
Free Trial: Free product demo available
Pros:
- Integrated loyalty and marketing tools
- No monthly fee
- Easy-to-use user interface
Cons
- No free hardware available
- Per-transaction fees can be high
8. Loyverse - Best for reporting and analytics tools
Loyverse is a mobile POS that can do a lot more than payment processing, it also gives you a ton of reporting and analytic tools.
Why I picked Loyverse: Loyverse is a mobile POS with extensive reporting and analytics capabilities. There’s no monthly cost, letting you try out many of its features without much risk. I think that alone is a great reason to try it.
Loyverse Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include advanced inventory management tools, employment tracking and management integrations, and built-in sales analytics and customer loyalty tools.
I really liked how the service can be an all-in-one payment and inventory solution, allowing you to process payments, manage inventory, and review financial reports from your main dashboard.
Integrations include Quickbooks, Xero, WooCommerce, Shopify, Amazon, Squarespace, and Kosmos.
Price: Varies based on the payment processor you select.
Free Trial: 14-day free trial
Pros:
- No monthly fees for many services
- Analytics and customer loyalty tools
- Basic POS app is completely free to use
Cons
- Monthly fee for third-party integrations
- Limited integrations
9. Toast - Best for restaurants
Toast offers POS equipment designed specifically for restaurants. You can even adjust the hardware to fit with your restaurant's decor.
Why I picked Toast: Toast is an ideal choice for restaurants because it was built to not break when dropped, spilled on, or dealing with other rigors of restaurant operations.
Toast Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include hardware that’s built to withstand the restaurant environment. It gives you a lot of customization options, plus additional services like payroll and scheduling, which I think makes it a solid all-in-one solution.
I also really like how there are no monthly fees for smaller businesses. You also get a free POS terminal when you buy a plan.
Integrations include UberEats, DoorDash, Resy, Chowly, Grubhub, Recipe Costing, Zuppler, ChowNow, BeerBoard, and Me&u.
Price: From $0 per month
Free Trial: Free product demo available
Pros:
- Resilient hardware designed with restaurants in mind
- Optional payroll and scheduling features for an additional fee
- No monthly fees for basic plan
Cons
- Payment processing fees are not transparent
- Requires a contract
10. Clover - Best for ease of use
Clover is a mobile POS system with an easy-to-use interface and reasonable payment processing fees, so it’s a great choice for most businesses.
Why I picked Clover: Clover has one of the easiest-to-use mobile POS systems in the industry, with a simple setup and a clean user interface. Despite its simplicity, the system is quite capable.
Clover Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include built-in invoicing and loyalty tools, a virtual terminal for taking payments from anywhere, inventory management capabilities, tracking and reporting functions, and employee management tools.
In my opinion, Clover does a nice job of giving you a simple user interface that can still deliver on functionality.
Integrations include Infuse, Abreeze Technology, True, MiPoint, Solupay, and Direct Source.
Price: From $14.95 per month
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
Pros:
- Easy setup
- Mobile hardware options
- 24/7 live support available with some plans
Cons
- Prices can get quite high
- Some features limited to higher-tier plans
11. Rain POS - Best for retailers
Rain POS is designed for retailers that sell both online and in physical stores.
Why I picked Rain POS: Rain POS is designed with cross-channel merchants in mind. You can enter your product information in a single location and sell those products both online and in-person. I know that will save business owners a lot of time.
Rain POS Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include built-in marketing tools that automate texts and emails as well as encourage customer interaction, inventory management services.
I also quite liked its customer loyalty and rewards program that you can use to generate repeat sales and grow your business.
Integrations include ShipStation, Avalara, and TaxJar.
Price: Pricing available upon request
Free Trial: Free product demo available
Pros:
- Purpose-built for cross-channel retailers
- Built-in loyalty tools
- Automated marketing features
Cons
- Pricing is not transparent
- Limited integrations
12. Revel - Best for advanced features
Revel offers a deep set of features that makes it ideal for large retailers and other businesses. However, smaller companies may want to steer clear of the high price tag.
Why I picked Revel: Revel offers a cloud POS system with built-in loyalty programs, inventory management features, and financial reporting and analysis tools.
Revel Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout Features include customer loyalty programs and tools to help manage inventory and employee schedules.
If you offer delivery services, the Online Ordering XT feature lets your customers see what’s in stock before placing orders. It can also build customer profiles that allow you to send personalized communication and more relevant promotional materials.
Revel’s reporting features also stood out to me. You can pull up the Product Sales Mix report to quickly see your best-selling products, or find out which products are most profitable.
Integrations include 7Shifts, Adyen, Amaka, Appfront, Arch, Chowly, Compeat, Craftable, DigitalPour, eCard, FreedomPay, and Grubhub.
Price: From $99 per month per terminal
Free Trial: Free product demo available
Pros:
- Compatible with a wide variety of hardware
- Extensive reporting functionality
- Large variety of integrations
Cons
- Pricing can be high
- Steep learning curve
Other Options
If you’re not convinced that the options on my list are the right choice for your business, these are a few reasonable alternatives.
- Epos Now - Best for low-cost hardware
- NetSuite - Best for integrations with a huge variety of Oracle Services
- Korona - Best for 24/7 support
- Mad Mobile - Best for omnichannel sellers
- Hippos - Best for increasing speed of fulfillment
Selection Criteria for the Best Mobile POS Systems
To build this list, I looked at all of the top mobile POS systems on the market to compare their pricing, features, and other details.
When comparing mobile POS systems, I examined the following criteria.
Core Functionality
To make it on my list of the best mobile POS systems, a product needed to accomplish a few core functions, including:
- calculating order totals
- applying applicable taxes
- accepting customer orders
- processing customer payments and issuing refunds
- documenting sales transaction history
- being portable
Key Features
When ensuring that a mobile POS could handle the above functions, I look for these features:
- Payment acceptance: A mobile POS should have an app that lets you accept payments from a phone or tablet, or a handheld device that can handle card payments.
- Checkout tools. A mobile POS should be able to keep track of the products you sell and make it easy to enter an order and calculate the price.
- Reporting. It’s important to be able to look at your company’s sales history and keep track of not only how much money you’re making but what products you’re selling.
- Inventory management. Retailers need to stay on top of their inventory levels to ensure they don’t lose sales due to stockouts. A good mobile POS should be able to help you track inventory and automatically update stock levels based on sales.
Usability
A mobile POS is designed to make it easier to accept payments while you’re on the go. That means that it’s essential that any service you select be easy to use with as limited a learning curve as possible.
Most POS systems are relatively intuitive once you set them up. Choose the products the customer is buying or enter the prices manually, then let the customer pay with a card or other method. For that reason, I paid close attention to the difficulty of setting up the tool and adding key integrations.
Price
I considered both the monthly fees charged by the vendor and the cost per transaction each time a customer swipes a card. I also took the price of the hardware into account.
You can expect a basic mobile POS to have no monthly fee or one that costs $25 or less per month.
Once you hit about $20,000 in sales you’ll want to upgrade to a service that will likely cost closer to $100. Massive companies clearing $1 million per year will need enterprise plans that can run into the hundreds per month.
Integrations
Many mobile POS systems integrate with third-party tools. I looked for integrations that made sense given the target market of the system.
For example, POS systems aimed at restaurants should integrate with apps like Grubhub or UberEats. A POS system also needs to work with any accounting and inventory tools you’re already using.
Support
If your POS system breaks, that makes it hard to do business and accept payments. That makes support, both for setting up the tool and for troubleshooting any issues that pop up, essential.
I looked for companies that have easy-to-contact support teams and a reputation for satisfying their customers.
People Also Ask
Below are the answers to some of the most common questions that people have about mobile POS systems.
What is the difference between a mobile and a traditional POS?
What are the must-haves for a mobile POS?
How do I choose the right mobile POS system?
Is a mobile POS system secure?
Conclusion
Having the right POS system is important for your customers, your team, and your bottom line.
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