Best Free Restaurant POS Systems

Get Started With Square POS

Total Rating	4.9
Pricing4.9
Ease Of Use5.0
Features4.8
Customer Service4.7
User Reviews4.8

Pricing Range

$0/month

Contract Length

None

Equipment Cost

$49-$799

Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.

Pros

Numerous integrations
Easy to use
Scalable
Competitive processing fees

Cons

Occasional fund holds
Advanced features are add-ons

Why We Chose Square For Best Overall

When it comes to free POS software, it's hard to beat Square.

Square POS tops "best of" lists across Merchant Maverick and the web for good reason. The app is completely free, and it's easy to get started. Once you've signed up, you'll be able to accept payments in your restaurant and access other features, such as basic POS inventory management, employee management, and reports.

You'll also get many other nice features you won't find with other free POS software, including a basic eCommerce site, digital gift cards, and a Square kitchen display stand.

You can visit the Square App Marketplace to explore numerous integrations covering everything from accounting software to loyalty programs and employee management. When you're ready for a more robust restaurant POS system, you can upgrade to Square for Restaurants, which has additional restaurant-specific features, such as menu creation, table management, tableside ordering, and delivery integration.

Square Pricing For Common Add-Ons

There are multiple ways to add to your Square system and tailor it to your individual needs if you need more features or are looking to expand.

Square For Restaurants Paid Plan: $60/month
Square Payroll: $35/month + $6/employee
Square Loyalty: $45/month
Online Store: Free-$72/month
Email Marketing: $15/month

Square POS Features

Square POS Features	Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards	Add-on
Customer Loyalty	Add-on
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management	With Square for Restaurants
Delivery Management	Add on
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Square’s free POS app is just that… free, and its popular Square For Restaurants app also starts with a free plan with some expanded offerings just for restaurant owners.

Here are some of the standout features Square offers:

Menu management
Auto-gratuity
Advanced modifiers
Table mapping
Item counts
Square KDS

Hardware Cost

Here are some of the prices for Square’s hardware extras:

Square Stand: $149
Square Terminal: $299
Square Reader for contactless and chip: $49
Square Register: $799

Payment Processing

Square has its own payment processor, and its card-present fees are 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction. Card not present transactions are 3.5% + $0.15, and Square Online purchases are 2.9% + $0.10.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Square allows you to purchase its services and use its payment processing plans on a month-to-month basis with no long-term contracts.

Choose If...

You want a highly scalable software with generous features
You want access to an extensive app marketplace
You want a simple interface and processing structure

Toast POS: Best Android POS

Toast POS

Get Started With Toast POS

Total Rating	4.0
Pricing2.6
Ease Of Use4.7
Features5.0
Customer Service5.0
User Reviews4.1

Pricing Range

$0/mo - $69/mo; with custom plans available

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$0+ if you agree to a higher processing rate

Pros

Android-based
Excellent mobile ordering
Intuitive interface

Cons

Pay for advanced features
Shady long-term contracts

Why We Chose Toast For Best Free Restaurant POS Software For Androids

With the free Starter plan, you'll receive built-in payment processing and customer support. Toast has a very user-friendly interface, and representatives can help you get set up quickly. Toast has hardware and bundled packages that offer everything you need to get started, from tablets and card readers to kitchen displays and kiosks. Its mobile ordering devices and online ordering functionality also set it apart from most competitors.

If you need more than basic POS features, you can upgrade to a paid plan or purchase one (or more) of Toast's add-ons. Additional modules include Toast payroll, loyalty programs, online ordering, takeout, and more.

Many third-party integrations are available, such as Grubhub, Bevspot, PayTronix, Shogo, and Restaurant365.

Toast Pricing For Common Add-Ons

Toast has multiple add-ons, but you will have to all for a quote to get accurate pricing on specific features. Here’s what’s available:

Toast Mobile Order & Pay
Partner Connect integrations
Scheduling
Marketing & loyalty
Payroll & team management

Toast Free Restaurant POS Features

Toast POS Features	Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Toast is tailor-made for the restaurant industry, with excellent mobile ordering options and a generous free plan. Here are some of the features included:

Table management
Reporting
Menu management
Invoicing
Fraud monitoring
Automatic updates

Hardware Cost

Toast offers a variety of hardware options, and you can purchase through its website or through third-party vendors. Terminal bundles generally run for around $1400, and bundles for its handheld tablet run for around $450.

Payment Processing

You must use Toast’s own payment processor, and the fee for the free plan is 2.99% +$0.15 per transaction. That fee comes down slightly if you sign up for their paid plans and pay for your hardware upfront.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Toast has started to develop a somewhat unsavory reputation for locking customers into long-term processing contracts. You’ll want to read your user agreement carefully to make sure you know exactly what you’re signing up for, although this appears to be less frequent when using Toast’s free plan.

Choose If...

You want restaurant-specific hardware and software
You want excellent online ordering and delivery functionality
You are OK potentially signing up for a long-term processing contract

Loyverse: Best For Small Restaurants

Loyverse

Get Started With Loyverse

Total Rating	4.5
Pricing4.3
Ease Of Use4.9
Features4.4
Customer Service4.7
User Reviews4.9

Pricing Range

Free

Contract Length

None

Equipment Cost

Varies depending on need

Pros

Multilingual
Strong customer service
Scalable

Cons

Integrations are an add-on
Limited processing options

Why We Chose Loyverse For Best For Small Restaurants

Loyverse has multilocation management, inventory tracking, customer loyalty, a kitchen display system app, a customer display app, and more, which is a pretty impressive suite for a free app. Loyverse is extremely easy to use, so it's a great choice for businesses with no prior POS experience.

It's one of the more popular free POS software companies in the country and is also scalable, with options to buy some of its more advanced features. However, Loyverse really is best suited for smaller establishments that don't need a ton of those extra features, as they can add up and become less affordable than other POS systems. If you're really looking to keep your POS costs to a minimum, Loyverse is one of the best options around.

Pricing For Common Add-Ons

Here are things you can add to your Loyverse POS:

Employee Management: $25/month per store
Advanced Inventory: $25/month per store
Integrations: $9/month

Loyverse Free Restaurant POS Features

Loyverse Features	Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management	With integration
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Loyverse was created as an entirely free product for small businesses. As such, it packs a lot of features into its easy-to-use software. Here are some highlights:

Multi-store support
Marketing tools
Online ordering
Inventory management
Built-in loyalty
Modifiers

Hardware Cost

Loyverse does not have its own proprietary hardware, but it offers just about every piece of equipment you might need on its website, from printers to tablets, to scanners, to cash drawers, and has them all available for both Android and iOS devices.

Payment Processing

Loyverse integrates with a handful of third-party processors like WorldPay, SumUp, CardConnect, and a few others so you can shop for the best rate for your business.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Loyverse’s free plan is truly free, and there are no long-term contracts you have to worry about. If you choose any of its add-on features, they can be purchased on a month-to-month basis.

Choose If...

You have a very small restaurant or food truck
You are just starting out but may want to add advanced features
You want a built-in loyalty program

eHopper POS: Best For Cheap Processing

eHopper POS

Get Started With eHopper POS

Total Rating	3.5
Pricing3.5
Ease Of Use3.5
Features3.0
Customer Service4.5
User Reviews3.8

Pricing Range

$0 - $35.99/month/device with a year-long subscription

Contract Length

Monthly, yearly

Equipment Cost

$69 - $1,450

Pros

Free processing
Free terminal

Cons

Limited integrations
Not overly intuitive

Why We Chose eHopper For Best Cheap Processing

eHopper's free POS plan won't break the bank and has the features you'd expect from POS software, including inventory management, customer management, tip management, split payments, and basic reporting.

It's a solid option for smaller vendors and ones that can easily pass on processing fees to customers. You get a solid set of features and truly don't have to shell out a penny for the services if you don't need anything beyond the free package. For businesses just starting out that will likely stay small, eHopper is definitely worth checking out.

Pricing For Common Add-Ons

Here is what you can add to eHopper:

Advanced pricing plans: $29.99/month when billed annually
Loyalty: $9/month but free for omnichannel members

eHopper Free Restaurant POS Features

eHopper has a limited free plan that includes processing that is technically free as well. It includes a good number of the basics within its free plan as well. Here’s what to expect:

Unlimited products
Customer Management
Employee Management
Reporting
Access to apps
Multi-location
Price editing

Hardware Cost

eHopper offers tablets and bundles on its website, along with individual items like printers and card terminals.

Payment Processing

This is where eHopper is a bit unique. They offer free processing for users, which is technically true, but those fees still exist, and they simply get passed on to customers. This will save you money but may not ingratiate yourself to your customers and may not be the best option for high-volume sellers. eHopper also integrates with a handful of third-party processors as well.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

eHopper has you sign up for contracts anywhere from one year to three years with discount fees the longer you sign up. But you’ll want to make sure you’ve read your contract agreement first and are happy with the product before signing anything.

Choose If...

You have very little up-front cash
You want a free terminal with your software
You only need basic customer and employee management

Get Started With Floreant

Floreant: Best Locally Installed POS

Floreant	Visit Site

Pros

Strong offline mode
Runs on multiple platforms
Easy to use

Cons

Limited customer service
Gateway fee for processing
Free feature set is limited

Why We Chose Floreant For Best Locally Installed Restaurant POS Software

Floreant is a bit of an odd duck in today's POS world in that it is open-concept and locally installed. However, one of the main problems with traditional locally installed systems is that it is cost prohibitive.

Floreant is free, so go figure.

You also get the benefit of having offline functionality and a decent feature set if you're a small company just getting started. You'll be on your own a bit in terms of customer service, setting up processing, and purchasing hardware, but if you like the freedom to make those decisions, Floreant is worth a look.

Floreant is pretty easy to use and learn, although its interface is pretty basic. There are also no customer management tools, and you won't find round-the-clock customer support like some of the other software options on this list.

However, if you want locally installed software that gives you basic POS features for a low cost, give Floreant a try.

Pricing For Common Add-Ons

Floreant also has a paid subscription service that gives you access to advanced features. This starts at $19.99 and gives you access to the following features:

Ticket splitting
Multiple user roles
Gift cards
Barcode label printing
KDS with bump bar
Reconciliation

If you use Authorize.net as your gateway, there is also a $25/month fee.

Floreant Free Restaurant POS Features

Floreant is a unique locally installed POS system that is free and open-sourced, running on Android, Windows, and iOS devices. It may be a bit old-school in today’s cloud-dominated industry, but it still has a solid feature set. Here’s what you can expect:

Bar tabs
Modifiers
Table mapping
Advanced reporting
Customizable interface
Offline mode
Kitchen display options

Hardware Cost

Floreant does not provide any specific hardware for users, but one of its perks is that it’s compatible with just about any common restaurant hardware, giving you the option to search and purchase what works for you. It runs in any Java-supported platform.

Payment Processing

Floreant doesn’t give you many options here, but it doesn’t integrate with Authorize.net for processing. They can also provide you with a card reader if necessary when you set up an account with them. There is a $25/month fee to use its services.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Floreant is free and open-sourced, and its software can be used free of charge with no long-term contracts. If you upgrade to its paid service, you also have the option of paying month-to-month.

Choose If...

You need offline functionality for payments
You have some familiarity already with POS software
You want software that’s compatible with most types of hardware

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.

Weighted Rating Breakdown

Pricing 40%

Features 30%

Ease Of Use 15%

Customer Service 10%

User Reviews 5%

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

When Should You Upgrade To A Paid POS Plan?

While free point of sale software that covers all of your needs is always going to be an ideal scenario for small business owners, sometimes it’s worth it to buckle down and pay a little for advanced features. But when is the right time to make the upgrade? You should consider a more advanced POS software tier if:

You are planning on growing or expanding in the near future: If your business is doing well and you are planning on expanding your inventory, adding employees, or even opening a new location, you may not want to skimp on your POS software plan anymore. Many free plans only allow a small number of users and stations or have caps on the number of SKUs you can enter. It’s probably better to upgrade sooner than later to not put yourself in a bind.
You find yourself considering paying for add-ons: Don’t let yourself get nickel and dimed. If you’re finding that you need features like a loyalty program or advanced inventory that comes with a fee, it’s probably worth it to sign up for a paid subscription plan that also will give you additional benefits that could help your business in the immediate or in the future.
The paid tiers offer discounts or other benefits: Check out all of the offerings from a POS company’s plans. In some cases, you’ll get access to better customer service of even discounted processing rates which might end up paying for the monthly subscription fee by itself.
You need to upgrade your hardware: Having functional and efficient point of sale hardware can be extremely important to a small business and if you’re needing to upgrade in this department, it may be time to upgrade your software as well. Sometimes you can get a discount if you bundle these services. Often you won’t get the most out of your hardware unless you have access to some of those advanced features as well.

Which Free POS System Is Right For Your Business?

Free point of sale software will almost always have more limited features than you’ll get with paid plans, but there are plenty of free options available that may have exactly what you’re looking for. Feel free to check out our small business resources for bars and restaurants as well.

If you’re a restaurant that is just starting out, you may only need a payment processor and some basic menu and inventory management. If that’s the case, an expensive monthly plan probably isn’t worth it. Many of these companies with free offerings also offer add-ons or paid tiers, so if your restaurant grows, you can easily tap into them.

There are also POS systems for specific food-services industries, as well as point of sale systems for pizza places and POS systems for bars and nightclubs.

Good luck with your search!

Bio
LinkedIn
Latest Posts

Matt Sherman

Lead Staff Writer at Merchant Maverick

Matt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.

View Matt Sherman's professional experience on LinkedIn.

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1. Square POS

❮ ❯

Intuitive software and hardware
Highly scalable
No long-term contracts

2. Toast POS

❮ ❯

Excellent online ordering functionality
Extremely user friendly
Tailor-made for restaurants

3. Loyverse

❮ ❯

Deep features with free plan
Intuitive interface
No long-term contracts

4. eHopper POS

❮ ❯

Free Processing
Strong customer management
Unllimited products

5. Floreant

❮ ❯

Open concept
Can run offline
Freedom to build your own system