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These full-featured and reasonably priced POS apps offer must-have features for the hospitality industry, like online booking and staff management.
Shannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Shannon VissersShannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
Expert Contributor
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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.
REVIEWED BY
Matt ShermanMatt 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.
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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.
Hospitality point of sale systems can make it easier for a restaurant, bar, hotel, or any service industry business to keep things running smoothly.
Modern POS features such as self-ordering, staff management, and contactless payments help hospitality businesses accommodate higher-than-normal sales volumes, even when short-staffed. The best POS systems are easy to use, affordable, and full of the smart hospitality industry features you need.
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Pros
Simple, affordable pricing (including free plan)
Industry-specific features for restaurants and service businesses
Straightforward month-to-month terms
Numerous feature and POS hardware options
Cons
Third-party processor means less account stability
Features may not be as deep as dedicated hospitality POS
Why We Chose Square For Best POS With Month-To-Month Pricing
Square is an excellent POS for any small business that offers an affordable month-to-month software plan with no contract and in-house flat-rate payment processing.
Even though Square wasn't built for hospitality per se, there are multiple different ways a hospitality business can use Square. You can use Square's free POS system with paid or free add-ons and integrations tailored to your business needs, like team management, marketing, or restaurant software integrations. Or use one of Square's industry-specific POS systems, such as Square for Restaurants or Square Appointments, which have free and paid plans, depending on how deep of a feature set you need.
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
Some specific hospitality POS features Square offers include: delivery app integrations, online appointment booking, kitchen performance reports, customizable floor plans, online ordering, self-serve ordering, and QR code payments for restaurants.
Square also offers an affordable KDS on the free Square or Square for Restaurants plan; the Square for Restaurants Plus plan allows unlimited KDS devices per location.
Square’s basic Square POS plan is free; Square also has free and paid niche POS systems for restaurants (Square for Restaurants) and service-based businesses (Square Appointments).
Payment Processing
Square charges a flat 2.6% + $0.10 for all in-person transactions. For online payments, Square charges 2.9% + $0.30.
What To Watch Out For
Square is a third-party payment processor that uses an aggregate processing model wherein merchants do not have their own individual merchant accounts. This processing model (also used by PayPal, Shopify, Stripe, and others) can sometimes result in unexpected fund holds and even sudden account terminations in rare cases.
For high-volume businesses with large transaction sizes, a dedicated merchant account may be preferable to Square.
Choose If...
You don’t need an extensive feature set
You are a smaller establishment looking for a low-cost entry point
You want an all-in-one system with excellent proprietary hardware
Why We Chose Lightspeed Restaurant As Best For Hotels
Lightspeed is a powerhouse in the mobile POS and payment processing worlds, combining the two to provide an affordable restaurant point of sale for iPad with integrated flat-rate processing.
Lightspeed Restaurant is geared toward all things hospitality. In particular, Lightspeed advertises that its POS works well for restaurants located in a hotel, though any type of restaurant can use Lightspeed POS. One reason why Lightspeed is one of the best POS for restaurants is because of its excellent inventory management. Lightspeed also offers specific PMS integrations for hotels.
Features
Lightspeed Restaurant Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Online and third-party delivery platform orders
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
Paid add-on
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Lightspeed Restaurant can plug right into your hotel Property Management System software thanks to its numerous PMS integrations, including StayNTouch, Mews, Cloudbeds, Oracle, and ResNexus. The system has tabs that let you track guest charges from your restaurant to your hotel bar and room service.
And with Lightspeed’s Self-Order Menu, your guests can place orders from their room or table in your restaurant.
Additionally, Lightspeed Restaurant integrates with Resengo for reservation management.
Pricing
Lightspeed Restaurant retails for $189-$399+/month billed annually and includes takeout and delivery, plus pre-auth bar mode. Add-ons such as self-order kiosks can drive up the monthly cost.
Payment Processing
Lightspeed processing fees are 2.6% + $0.10 for all in-person transactions and 2.9% + $0.30 for online payments. You also have the option to use a payment gateway such as Cayan, Worldpay, or Bridgepay.
What To Watch Out For
Before committing to Lightspeed, make sure this hospitality POS fits your budget. Though the starting price is reasonable, you will need a more expensive plan or paid add-ons to access advanced features, such as advanced inventory management or KDS. You will also need a strong, reliable internet connection to use Lightspeed.
Choose If...
You have a heavily frequented restaurant in your hotel
You are looking for an all-in-one system with no feature gaps
Revel is an advanced iPad POS system that can be made to fit almost any industry, including hospitality businesses such as restaurants. Revel is powerful enough to handle multilocation establishments and is used by several nationwide quick-serve franchises.
During setup, Revel will customize the POS for your specific business needs. In addition to Revel's inherent customizability, some other things we like about Revel include its rock-solid offline mode to keep your business going even during an internet outage and its constant feature additions and improvements.
Features
Revel 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
Some of Revel’s many built-in hospitality features include online appointment bookings, table reservations, CRM, delivery management, customer display, restaurant reporting, tableside ordering, and many others.
Revel also offers tons of hospitality software integrations.
Use if you are committed to the product and have a need for high-end features.
Pricing is entirely quote-based and the best rates come with a three-year processing agreement with Revel Advantage and a 2-terminal minimum–and that’s without add-ons such as a self-order kiosk, KDS, or digital menu board. Still, when compared to legacy POS systems such as Aloha or Micros, Revel is considerably cheaper and may provide equally strong or even greater functionality, thanks to the power of The Cloud.
Payment Processing
Revel customers say that Revel charges a competitive 2.49% + $0.15 for both in-person and online transactions. It may also be possible to negotiate a custom rate.
Additionally, Revel can integrate with outside payment processors and gateways such as Adyen, FreedomPay, and Moneris.
What To Watch Out For
Revel can be costly and requires a long-term commitment. Make sure you understand the terms of your Revel contract before signing on the dotted line.
Choose If...
You have a multi-location establishment
You don’t mind a slightly higher learning curve
You can afford to sign up for a long-term contract
Not suited for large, multilocation establishments
Somewhat basic POS functions
Why We Chose TouchBistro For Best Reservation Management
TouchBistro is affordable for small food establishments like food trucks and smoothie carts but can also be used for full-service restaurants and bars, with all of your iPads syncing to a local Mac Mini.
Though TouchBistro's core POS functionality is somewhat basic, TouchBistro Reservations is a highly useful add-on for sit-down restaurants. With this add-on enabled, TouchBistro lets you accept reservations through your restaurant's website, TouchBistro's mobile app, or Google Reservations, and keep track of guest records.
Features
TouchBistro Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Add-on
Customer Loyalty
Add-on
Marketing Tools
Add-on
Online Ordering
Add-on
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
All plans include menu management, table management, restaurant reporting, app integrations, staff management, and QR code menus. In addition to reservations, there are various other monthly add-ons you can purchase, including gift cards, online ordering, loyalty, self-service kiosks, digital menu boards, and a KDS.
If you have basic restaurant needs and are interested in purchasing add-ons
TouchBistro plans start at $69/month for one register. There are also various add-ons available for purchase.
Payment Processing
TouchBistro includes in-house payment processing via TouchBistro Payments powered by Chase, which has a transparent cost-plus pricing model, and also integrates with various other payment processors, such as Square, Worldpay, and TSYS.
TouchBistro offers interchange-plus pricing, which is an excellent alternative to flat-rate.
What To Watch Out For
TouchBistro’s standard contract is one year, but your contract may differ. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the terms, length, and fees associated with your contract before committing.
Choose If...
You need advanced scheduling or reservation functionality
Full digital ordering suite with tableside ordering & payments
Cons
Processing fees can be high
No built-in reservation system (though it does integrate with OpenTable and Tock)
Why We Chose Toast As Best POS For Digital Ordering
Unlike the other choices on our list, Toast uses Android POS devices instead of iPads. Since Toast's POS hardware, is purpose-built for the restaurant industry, it can survive spills and drops. Using Toast Go handheld devices, servers can use to accept orders and payments at the table.
Toast is incredibly feature-rich and in addition to core POS functionality, the system also has numerous high-tech features that businesses can use to create a fully digital restaurant ordering system.
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’s smart hospitality functions include tableside ordering and payments, QR code payments that let guests pay from their table, in-house delivery, and mobile ordering from the Toast Takeout app (which also serves as an online tak marketplace, similar to DoorDash, GrubHub, etc.).
Larger businesses looking to access the entirety of Toast’s features
Toast can get expensive if you include all the bells and whistles, but it does offer a free plan that includes all the core POS functionality as well as Toast POS equipment—in exchange for higher payment processing fees.
Payment Processing
Toast includes in-house flat-rate payment processing, with standard rates of 2.49% + $0.15 for in-person transactions on the paid plan. On the free plan, you’ll pay more if you want to add extra features like online ordering. Online processing on either plan is 3.5% + $0.15 for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, and 3.89% + $0.15 for AMEX.
What To Watch Out For
Like Revel, Toast is sold with a multi-year payment processing agreement, so it does require at least a 2-year commitment (even on the free plan). In addition to the commitment, Toast’s processing fees for online orders—which include kiosk payments QR code payments from the table—are high compared to those of competitors, as are their processing fees on the “free” plan.
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
What To Look For In A Hospitality POS
Your hospitality POS should include hospitality-specific features for your industry, whether you own a hotel, restaurant, cafe, etc. There are also certain features that all quality POS systems have, such as transparent merchant services contracts and good customer support.
Here are some important features to seek out when shopping for hospitality point of sale systems:
Monthly Software Pricing: Ideally, you will be able to pay for your POS software on a monthly basis.
Digital Payment Acceptance: Your POS should let you accept all major forms of digital payment—NFC, virtual terminal, Apple Pay, BNPL, QR code payments, etc.
Transparent Processing Fees: Whether the POS uses flat-rate processing, interchange-plus, or another processing model, the POS provider should make it clear exactly what processing fees you will be charged.
Option To Purchase POS Hardware: You should have the option to buy your POS equipment outright rather than just leasing it (buying will save you a lot of money in the long run).
Restaurant-Specific Features: A restaurant POS should include table management, tipping, reservations, food ingredient tracking, and other restaurant management features.
Hotel PMS Integrations: Hotel property management system (PMS) integrations are essential for any hotel business shopping for a POS.
Employee Management: The hospitality industry historically has a lot of turnover, so it’s important that your system has good staff management features to keep track of shifts, tips, performance, and more.
Online Ordering And/Or Online Reservation Booking: Your hospitality POS should allow your customers to place food orders online and/or make online bookings.
Note that if POS doesn’t provide a niche feature that you need out of the box, the POS might integrate with third-party business software—for example, restaurant delivery software—that includes the needed functionality.
Hospitality Point Of Sale Systems That Didn't Make The Cut
EPOS Now
EPOS Now is a highly affordable POS system that advertises “hospitality” packages designed for restaurants and hotels. However, its restaurant functionality is too basic for us to recommend this system for any full-service eatery. Also, the company is UK-based and seems to be geared mostly toward UK rather than US businesses—for example, the only hotel PMS that EPOS integrates with is a UK-based system called Caterbook. They also charge extra for customer support, which all of our recommended hospitality POS providers include in their base price.
Agilysis
Agilysis is another UK-based hospitality software company that also offers its services to merchants in the US and other countries. The company has a wide range of PMS, POS, and payment processing solutions for hotels, resorts, spas, casinos, cruises, restaurants, and event venues.
We have not done an in-depth review of this company yet, so we can’t fully recommend them. If you’ve used Agilysis, we’d love to hear your thoughts on their hospitality POS in the comments.
Find The Right Hospitality POS Software For Your Growth
Choosing a POS system can be a time-consuming process since there are many factors to consider. You first need to figure out your POS budget, and then you can compare hospitality POS systems in terms of their features and the value they provide.
For example, a moderately-priced restaurant-specific POS system may offer features such as raw ingredient management, while a lower-priced general POS may lack this feature, requiring you to buy a separate inventory app.
Besides, features and software costs, payment processing fees and contract length should be major considerations when it comes to choosing your hospitality POS. In terms of processing fee models, flat-rate and cost-plus pricing typically provide the best value for most businesses.
Shannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
We Recommend Square POS For Your Business 🏆User-friendly & feature-rich point of sale system with affordable pricing.Square POS is an intuitive and simple point of sale platform. It offers customizable tools and a variety of add-ons to fit your business needs and reach your goals.Get StartedNo credit card required
