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Join For FreeBest POS Systems In Canada
These POS companies operate in Canada and provide affordable, feature-rich software for Canadian businesses in various industries.
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WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Expert Contributor
Last updated onUpdated
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REVIEWED BY
Lead Staff Writer
Our content reflects the editorial opinions of our experts. While our site makes money through referral partnerships, we only partner with companies that meet our standards for quality, as outlined in our independent rating and scoring system.
The best POS systems in Canada allow you to take digital payment types, manage inventory, track sales history, and manage your customer base. We ranked several Canadian POS systems based on pros, cons, pricing, and features to help you choose the right POS system for your business.
Learn More About Our Top Picks
| Company | Best For | Next StepsBest For |
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Square POS
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Clover POS
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Shopify POS
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TouchBistro
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Helcim POS
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Lightspeed Retail
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Revel POS
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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
Table of Contents [hide][show]
- Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick
- 7 Best POS Systems In Canada
- Square POS: Best Low-Cost Option
- Clover POS: Best Customization Options
- Shopify POS: Best For Expanding Into eCommerce
- TouchBistro: Best For Single-Location Restaurants & Food Trucks
- Helcim POS: Best For Service Businesses
- Lightspeed Retail: Best For Large Inventory Management
- Revel POS: Best For Chain & Franchise Restaurants
- What Is A POS System?
- How Much Do Canadian POS Systems Cost?
- How To Choose A POS System For Businesses In Canada
- FAQs: Best POS Systems In Canada
Table of Contents
- Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick
- 7 Best POS Systems In Canada
- Canadian POS System Comparison
- Square POS: Best Low-Cost Option
- Square POS
- Pricing
- Features
- Clover POS: Best Customization Options
- Clover POS
- Pricing
- Features
- Shopify POS: Best For Expanding Into eCommerce
- Shopify POS
- Pricing
- Features
- TouchBistro: Best For Single-Location Restaurants & Food Trucks
- TouchBistro
- Pricing
- Features
- Helcim POS: Best For Service Businesses
- Helcim POS
- Pricing
- Features
- Lightspeed Retail: Best For Large Inventory Management
- Lightspeed Retail
- Pricing
- Features
- Revel POS: Best For Chain & Franchise Restaurants
- Revel POS
- Pricing
- Features
- Retail POS Review Methodology
- What Is A POS System?
- How Much Do Canadian POS Systems Cost?
- How To Choose A POS System For Businesses In Canada
- FAQs: Best POS Systems In Canada
Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick
To choose the best Canadian POS systems, our editorial team independently reviewed 15 different POS systems that offer international services to Canada based on a 65-point system spanning five key metrics: pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. All ratings are solely determined by our editorial team according to strict editorial guidelines. You can read more on our methodology below.
7 Best POS Systems In Canada
- Square POS: Best Low-Cost Option
- Clover POS: Best Customization Options
- Shopify POS: Best For Expanding Into eCommerce
- TouchBistro: Best For Single-Location Restaurants & Food Trucks
- Helcim POS: Best For Service Businesses
- Lightspeed Retail: Best For Large Inventory Management
- Revel POS: Best For Chain & Franchise Restaurants
Canadian POS System Comparison
| Monthly Pricing | Payment Processing | POS Hardware Cost | Free Trial | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square POS | $0-$85/month | 2.6%-2.9% | $69-$899 | |
| Clover POS | Custom | Custom | Varies | |
| Shopify POS | $38-$2,300+/month | 2.4%-2.9% | $69-$599 | |
| TouchBistro | US$69-399+/month | Custom | Custom | |
| Helcim POS | $0 | Custom | $129-$399 | |
| Lightspeed Retail | $89-$289+/month | 2.6%-2.9% | $99-$599 | |
| Revel POS | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Square POS: Best Low-Cost Option
Pricing Range
$0/monthContract Length
NoneEquipment Cost
$49-$799Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.
Pros
- Free and low-cost POS software
- Free online store
- Different software plans for each business type
- Affordable POS hardware
Cons
- Must use Square as your payment processor
- Not for high-risk businesses
- Occasional fund holds
Why We Picked Square For A Low-Cost Option
Square Terminal handheld POS system, Square Register, and Square iPad stand.
Square is one of our best free POS systems because it includes free in-person POS software, a free website builder, and industry-specific plans for retail, restaurant, and service-based businesses. Paid plans are affordable and offer advanced features. Plus, Square POS works on most devices and offers some of the most affordable card readers and registers.
Related: Read our Square For Retail review.
Who Should Use Square
- Businesses looking for free POS software
- Businesses looking for low-cost industry-specific software plans
- Businesses that want affordable POS hardware
Clover POS: Best Customization Options
Pricing Range
$0 - $84.95/monthContract Length
3 yearsEquipment Cost
$199-$1,799Pros
- Several durable hardware choices
- No fee for third-party payment processing
- Large app market
- Minimal learning curve
Cons
- Users report poor customer service
- System outages
- Contracts can be misleading and expensive
Why We Picked Clover For The Most Customizable Option
Clover countertop POS system, handheld POS system, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and card reader. (Source: Clover)
We like that Clover offers several POS software plans and hardware options, and you can choose your merchant account provider to get the best contract terms and payment processing rates possible. Since Clover is such a popular system, there is a wide variety of software add-ons for everything from accounting to event ticket management.
Learn More: Read our Clover POS pricing guide for more on how Clover software, hardware, and payment processing are related.
Who Should Use Clover POS
- Businesses looking for no-fee third-party payment processing
- Retailers and restaurants looking for durable POS hardware
- Businesses looking for add-on software features
Shopify POS: Best For Expanding Into eCommerce
Pricing Range
$29 - $299/monthContract Length
Month-to-monthEquipment Cost
$0-$459+Pros
- Strong multichannel selling features
- Built-in international sales features
- Scalable eCommerce and POS solution
- Excellent inventory management
Cons
- Can’t process payments offline
- Transaction fees with third-party payment processor
- No built-in support or discounts for Canada Post
Why We Picked Shopify For Majority eCommerce Sales
Shopify online store with in-store pickup. (Source: Shopify)
Shopify is one of our best retail POS systems for blended in-person and eCommerce sales because the company offers affordable in-person POS hardware and a beautiful online store builder with in-store pickup and delivery. Shopify also has automated multichannel inventory and shipping management, social media and online marketplace sales capabilities, and strong built-in international sales management. When you're ready to take your business online, Shopify is the right choice.
Learn More: Read our Shopify eCommerce review.
Who Should Use Shopify
- Retailers looking to sell in-store and online
- Businesses that want to sell in several regions
- Businesses looking for advanced eCommerce features
TouchBistro: Best For Single-Location Restaurants & Food Trucks
Pricing Range
$69/monthOnline Ordering
Add-onEquipment Cost
Call for quotePros
- Affordable online ordering platform for pickup and delivery
- Built-in reservation and waitlist system
- Catering and events management
- No WiFi required
Cons
- Plans are billed annually
- Strong inventory management costs extra
- Early termination fee
Why We Picked TouchBistro For Restaurants & Food Trucks
TouchBistro countertop iPad POS, iPad stand, handheld iPad POS, cash drawer, card reader, and receipt printer. (Source: TouchBistro)
We like TouchBistro for restaurants because it is a relatively affordable all-in-one POS system that has seating, table, tipping, menu, and business reporting in every plan. We recommend TouchBistro for food trucks because the POS includes an offline mode to take payments without WiFi. There are add-ons for both quick service and sit-down restaurants, plus different payment processor options to get the best rate for your business.
More: Compare TouchBistro to our other best restaurant POS systems in Canada.
Who Should Use TouchBistro
- Single-location restaurants and food trucks
- Restaurants looking for great reservation and waitlist software
- Restaurants looking for good online ordering features
- Businesses that provide catering and event services
Helcim POS: Best For Service Businesses
Pricing Range
$0Contract Length
MonthlyEquipment Cost
$99 - $329Pros
- Free POS software and online store builder
- Excellent invoicing features
- Good payment processing rates
- B2B and B2G payment processing discount
Cons
- No loyalty program available
- Very few third-party integrations
- Multilocation management is lacking
Why We Picked Helcim For Service Businesses
Helcim POS hosted payment page builder. (Source: Helcim)
Helcim is a great choice for service-based businesses, especially B2B (business-to-business) and B2G (business-to-government), because of its excellent custom invoice builder, virtual terminal, and discounts on qualified B2B/B2G transactions. Helcim POS, invoicing, online store, and payment page builder software are free and the company's POS hardware is very affordable. All businesses get a custom interchange-plus payment processing rate, making Helcim the most affordable option for most service businesses.
Learn More: Read up on interchange-plus payment processing and why it's the most affordable payment processing structure in most cases.
Who Should Use Helcim
- Businesses providing one-time or recurring services
- B2B and B2G businesses looking for lower payment processing rates
- Businesses looking for great invoicing and virtual terminal features
- Wholesale and custom order businesses
Lightspeed Retail: Best For Large Inventory Management
Pricing Range
$109-$239/month ($89-$289/month billed annually)Contract Length
Monthly, annual, and customEquipment Cost
$199-$329Pros
- Advanced inventory tracking and reporting
- Vendor and supply chain management tools
- Multilocation retail management tools
- B2B and rental item sales
Cons
- Can get expensive
- Must use Lightspeed payment processor
- Early termination fee
Why We Picked Lightspeed Retail For Large Inventory Management
Lightspeed Retail touch screen POS system. (Source: Lightspeed)
Lightspeed Retail is one of the best POS systems for retail inventory management because the inventory manager is highly customizable and easy to use. Department stores, wholesale businesses, and even stores that offer rental items can easily upload and categorize items. The inventory manager also helps identify shrinkage across multiple locations. Plus, you can also create purchase orders and automatically complete them across multiple vendors, which will help midsize to large retailers save a lot of time on ordering.
Who Should Use Lightspeed Retail
- Retailers with multiple sections or departments
- Retailers offering niche services like rentals, repairs, or appointments
- Businesses looking for strong inventory management
Get Started With Lightspeed Retail
Revel POS: Best For Chain & Franchise Restaurants
Pricing Range
Quote-basedOnline Ordering
YesEquipment Cost
Call for quotePros
- Several niche hospitality products
- Franchise and multi-location management
- Excellent inventory management
- Lots of restaurant hardware and software integrations
Cons
- Expensive for very small businesses
- May require a long-term contract
- Early termination fee
Why We Picked Revel Systems For Chain & Franchise Restaurants
Revel Systems is excellent for chain and franchise restaurants because the iPad-based POS offers a customizable business management solution, enterprise-level multi-location reporting, strong kitchen display system software, and several third-party integrations including drive-thru software/hardware options. Restaurant owners can also set royalty payments and location-specific franchise management features.
Related: Read our post on the best franchise POS systems.
Who Should Use Revel Systems
- Restaurants expanding to multiple locations
- Franchise restaurants that need varying user access levels
- Restaurants looking for niche products like drive-thru, customer display, and self-serve kiosks
Retail POS Review Methodology
Merchant Maverick has been researching and reviewing POS providers since 2012. Our writers have tested over 100 different point of sale systems, evaluating pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. Read more about how we rate POS providers.
When comparing different POS software systems, we consider many data points, including relative pricing, the depth of niche features offered, the price of hardware, and any associated payment processing fees. Our lists of the best providers include only apps we’ve deemed worthwhile from multiple vantage points. The POS vendors we pick share qualities such as widespread availability, accessibility, user-friendliness, and reasonable pricing. We also look carefully at niche features, such as check-splitting, inventory management, eCommerce, loyalty programs, gift cards, and more.
We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure the providers included meet our internal standards for quality and reputation.
80+
Vendors evaluated
65+
Attributes assessed per vendor
20+
Features weighed
30+
Combined years of experience
What Is A POS System?
A POS system is software and hardware that, when combined, allows businesses to take orders on a screen, accept digital payment types with a card reader, manage inventory, and view sales reports.
More: Learn the benefits of a POS system for retailers, restaurants, and service businesses.
How Much Do Canadian POS Systems Cost?
Canadian POS system costs include three components:
- POS Software: $0-$517+/month for cloud-based POS software
- POS Hardware: $49-$899+ for card readers and POS registers
- Payment Processing: Includes a per-transaction fee ranging from 2%-4% on average for smaller businesses
Add-ons like a POS loyalty program, online ordering, and accounting software integrations cost may add to your monthly pricing.
Learn More: Read our post on what payment processing is and how it works.
How To Choose A POS System For Businesses In Canada
To choose a POS system:
- Build a monthly software budget
- Choose your POS hardware needs and budget
- Decide your must-have features, which depend on your industry
- Narrow down your options
- Get a free trial or demo of your potential choices
- Read through and sign a contract
More: Read our full guide to choosing a POS system.
FAQs: Best POS Systems In Canada
Nicolette Kier
Expert Contributor
Nicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
View Nicolette Kier's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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