BeltStack

POS Software Comparisons

Compare popular POS systems side by side—including Square, Shopify POS, Lightspeed, Clover, Toast, TouchBistro, Vend, and more. These head-to-head matchups break down payments, inventory, restaurant vs retail fit, hardware, and pricing so you can choose the right platform for your business.

See our best POS software roundup for top picks, best POS by use case for picks by business type, and our POS guides for how to choose and use tools.

Compare by Software

Find every comparison that includes a given platform.

Compare Square

Compare Shopify POS

Compare Lightspeed

Compare Clover

Compare Toast

Compare Vend (Lightspeed Retail)

Compare TouchBistro

How We Compare POS Software

Consistent criteria so you can compare with confidence.

Our POS comparisons use the same evaluation criteria across every head-to-head. We look at payment processing capabilities, inventory management features, reporting and analytics, integrations and ecosystem, and pricing transparency—so you see how each platform really stacks up for retail stores, restaurants, and small businesses.

  • Payment processing capabilities — How each system handles cards, contactless, and alternative payments; processing rates and transparency.
  • Inventory management features — Item and stock management, low-stock alerts, and integration with accounting or dedicated inventory tools.
  • Reporting and analytics — Sales by item, period, and channel; dashboards and exports for operations and reconciliation.
  • Integrations and ecosystem — Connections to accounting, ecommerce, payroll, and third-party apps; how well the POS fits your stack.
  • Pricing transparency — Software and hardware costs, processing rates, and total cost of ownership at typical business sizes.

For our full review process and affiliate disclosure, see our methodology page. For deeper guides on how POS software works and how to choose tools, see our POS guides.