With free restaurant POS software, hardware, menu programming, training, and installation anywhere in the USA, you get everything you need to replace your old system or to be ready for opening day. With Elite, you also get all the top restaurant management system features, equipment, and functions required in a bar and restaurant, without the astronomical upfront costs of the big brand name companies.
With free restaurant POS software, hardware, menu programming, training, and installation anywhere in the USA, you get everything you need to replace your old system or to be ready for opening day. With Elite, you also get all the top restaurant management system features, equipment, and functions required in a bar and restaurant, without the astronomical upfront costs of the big brand name companies.
1) Something to sell
POS Software is one of simplest Point of Sale software that you will ever see. It is an open source POS software and is free to use. It is an open source POS software and is free to use. It lets you record all the sales activity of your store, with the following details: product, category, quantity, cashier, and date of sale. Square (read our review) is, by far, the most popular and feature-rich mobile register solution with no monthly fee. But unlike the other free POS’s on this list, Square is less a software solution and more a fully mobile payments solution, meaning it runs via an app on your smartphone or tablet rather than a web browser on a computer (you can access your backend reports and your. Our free restaurant POS software uses current software technology and has modest system requirements. As long as the computer you want to use meets these minimum system requirements, Point of Success Special Edition will work for you: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 operating system 2GB memory.
2) Somewhere to sell it
3) Something to manage the transactions
4) A dream (optional)
What are the top 10 best free POS software in 2018
Square
Imonggo
Floreant POS
Loyverse POS
Chromis POS
eHopper
Linga
ProffittCenter
SlickPOS
Back in the day, that meant a storefront, a cash register and whatever inventory or supplies for the service you were hoping to provide. Today, pretty much all you need is a smartphone or laptop with internet access and some inventory.
It’s easier than ever to set up an e-commerce business that runs out of your home with one of the many e-commerce platforms, but some entrepreneurial people want to set up something like a restaurant, a booth at a convention or a stand at a farmers market. For these people, restaurant POS software and retail POS software are a necessity to process in-person credit card payments or other transactions.
To help you find the perfect free POS system for you, we’ve compiled a list of 10 free POS systems to help you start or expand your business.
Ideally, a restaurant or storefront will have a full cash register setup with a cash drawer, card reader and maybe a barcode scanner. However, for a business just starting out, this hardware paired with a fancy POS system can be extremely expensive. For those just starting out or running a mostly e-commerce business with occasional face-to-face interaction, free POS software provides just the right amount of functionality for no cost.
The list we’ve outlined here includes any restaurant or retail POS solution with an available free offering. It should be noted that this does not include products that are only free on a temporary basis, such as limited trial versions for new users. They may only support one user or one project, but they’re truly free offerings. Scaling, however, will often require full investments.
These products alone have well over 300 validated user reviews on G2 Crowd as of August 17, 2018, and only represent a small portion of the 400-plus restaurant and retail POS software offerings listed on our platform. Whenever possible, the products are ranked by user satisfaction score.
Here is an in-depth review of the best free POS software in 2018.
1. Square POS
Image courtesy of Square
Square has created a truly mobile POS system that works with nearly any mobile device. By using Square’s small magstripe reader that plugs into any phone’s headphone jack, users only pay 2.75 percent per swipe. Without any additional hardware, the service is completely free at signup.
Free option:
Reader for magstripe that plugs into a mobile device’s headphone jack (2.75 percent fee per swipe)
Paid option:
Reader for contactless and chip: $49 for the hardware, plus 2.75 percent per dip or tap
Tablet stand for contactless and chip $169 for the hardware, plus 2.75 percent per dip, tap or swipe
Register: $999 or $49/month for 24 months for the hardware, plus 2.5 percent + 10 cents per dip, tap or swipe
Features:
Analytics and sales reports
Inventory management
Integrated payment processing
Invoicing
Employee management
Payroll
Marketing
Loyalty programs
What users like: “I can operate as a fully functioning traveling company now. Not only is the mobile app great for on-the-go credit card payments, but I can also issue electronic receipts for cash and checks. I have all of my sales now logged into one place.” — Square review by Kelsi C.
What users dislike: “I dislike that if I have to enter a credit card number manually (rather than swiping, because sometimes cards fail to read correctly when swiped), Square will charge me a higher percentage. This is sometimes unavoidable when a credit card, although present, may not be correctly read by the card reader.” — Square review by Liz W.
Recommendations to others considering the product: “Training is absolutely key to the successful implementation of this product. As with any point of sale system, you're going to have to get used to a whole new set of tools and features. I recommend taking some time to explore all of your options. It's really good for basic retail, but if you're a bigger retail business, there are probably other more robust options for your market.” — Square review by Dan S.
2. Imonggo
Image courtesy of Imonggo
Imonggo is a free POS software solution that does not require any hardware aside from a computer or mobile device. Suited particularly for retail stores, Imonggo is also available as an iPad app and can be integrated with Xero, an online accounting tool.
Free option:
Standard version: one branch, one user, 1,000 product limit, integrated inventory management
Paid option:
Premium: $30/month
Features:
Sales analysis
Inventory management
Reward promos
Customer membership
Work offline
Email receipts
Customer and supplier management
What users like:
“Very user-friendly. Love the offline feature.” — Imonggo review by a user in furniture
3. Floreant POS
Image courtesy of Floreant POS
Floreant POS is one of the first free and open-source restaurant POS systems able to handle enterprise-grade restaurants. Floreant was created in 2008 when a Denny’s restaurant hired the Floreant team to upgrade its database.
Free option:
Available for Windows, Mac and Linux
Paid option:
Floreant is open source; the developer welcomes donations
Features:
Menu builder
Payroll
Advanced reports
Kitchen display options
Plugins
Mobile support
What users like: “The POS system is an open-source system that enables every programmer access to explore on the system to suit his/her usage. it is very self-explanatory when you follow the user guide manual.” — Floreant POS review by Daniel O.
4. Loyverse POS
Image courtesy of Loyverse POS
Loyverse POS is a free POS system for mobile devices. Loyverse offers its own hardware and integrates with a variety of POS hardware and card readers. The platform can also integrate with a variety of payment providers.
Free option:
Available for iPhone, iPad and Android systems
Paid option:
Employee management optional add-on: $5/month per employee or $50/year per employee (or $50/month or $500/year for unlimited employees)
Advanced inventory optional add-on: $25/month per store or $250/year per store
Features:
Printed or electronic receipts
Refunds
Cash management
Discounts
Open tickets
Item modifiers
Offline mode
Manage multiple locations
Credit card payments
Inventory management
Employee management
Sales analytics
Loyalty programs
What users like: “For our group of franchises, Loyverse Point of Sale has been the perfect addition, because it allows us to be as diverse as we want to be and grow in any direction that we want to grow.” — Loyverse Free POS review by Alfred C.
What users dislike: “The updates are first released on Apple devices and then on Android.” — Loyverse Free POS review by Omer A.
Recommendations to others considering the product: “It’s perfect for small-to-medium businesses.” — Loyverse Free POS review by Sophia P.
5. Chromis POS
Image courtesy of Chromis POS
Chromis POS is a free, open-source POS software that was initially created for a tropical fish shop operated by a friend of one of the developers. Since that first build, the platform has expanded to include restaurant functionality with kitchen display screen software.
Free option:
Available for Windows
Paid option:
Chromis POS is open source; the developer welcomes donations
Features:
Multiple sale modes
CSV import for product list
Barcode supported
Built-in reporting
Support for USB printers
Remote kitchen printing
Kitchen screen support
Customer database
6. eHopper
Image courtesy of eHopper
eHopper is a free POS software built for small businesses. The product is supported on a variety of platforms, including the Poynt terminal offered by eHopper. eHopper also offers an e-commerce platform that integrates with the company’s POS solution.
Free option:
Essential package: one register, order tracking, inventory management, tip management, reporting, and more
Paid option:
Freedom package: $3.99/month per register
Features:
Order management
Order tracking
Customer management
POS payments
Split payments
Receipts
Inventory management
Employee management
Tip management
Tax management
POS reporting
Apps and integrations
Be the first to write aneHopper review!
7. Linga
Image courtesy of Linga
Linga is a cloud-based POS platform available on the Apple App Store. Linga is primarily used on iPads and can easily integrate with iPad enclosures, EMV credit card readers, printers and cash drawers. Linga also includes many features for restaurants in addition to those for retailers.
Free option:
Starter: single user, 25 products, barcode scanning, and more
Paid option:
Basic: $19.99/month paid annually per register or $39.99/month per register
Pro: $49.99/month paid annually per register or $69.99/month per register
Enterprise: $89.99/month paid annually per register or 109.99/month per register
Features:
Discounts
Gift cards
Split payments
Refunds/returns
Integrated credit card processing
Barcode scanning
Employee dashboard
Reports
Email marketing
8. ProffittCenter
Image courtesy of Pinterest
ProffittCenter is a free POS platform that has been available and receiving updates since 1999. The standard hardware integrations are a barcode scanner and a printer.
Free option:
Available for Windows
Paid option:
N/A
Features:
Inventory management
USB printer integration
Reports
Ordering system
Multiple currency support
Be the first to write aProffittCenter review!
9. SlickPOS
Image courtesy of GNU Emacs
SlickPOS is a free POS that is dedicated to helping startup businesses get on their feet. It is available for desktop, iPad, iPhone or Android devices and can also work offline. SlickPOS can be used for both retail stores or restaurants, depending on which features you choose to utilize.
Pos System For Restaurant Business
Free option:
Available for Windows and Mac
Paid option:
Smart: $19/month or $199/year
Perpetual: $999 for a lifetime license
Features:
Works offline
Table management
Discounts
Inventory management
Recipe management
SMS and digital receipts
Customer feedback
Dashboard and reporting
API integration
10. uniCenta
Image courtesy of uniCenta
uniCenta is a free and open-source POS system initially created as a hobby project in 2010. The platform has become a commercial-grade product that has been downloaded more than one million times in more than 150 countries since 2010.
Free option:
Free and open source
Free Restaurant Pos System For Ipad
Paid option:
Best Free Pos Software Download
Base: $76.39/year
Plus: $173/year
Features:
Barcode scanning
Multi-payment
Restaurant mode/retail mode
Voucher management
Discounts
Table management
Inventory management
Supplier management
Customer information
Employee management
Reporting and analytics
Be the first to write auniCenta review!
Free Pos Software For Desktop
Next steps for selecting the best free POS software
Free software doesn’t always need to mean you need to sacrifice quality or features. While many of these products don’t have the robust features that you would find in a paid POS tool, they are great jumping-off points for either starting a new business or testing out new systems.
If you’re looking to break out into e-commerce as well, check out these 10 great online marketplaces.
* Please note: Reviews may have been edited for spelling and grammar.