6 Best Cloud POS Systems for 2025

Square is a leader in the point of sale space, with industry-specific systems for retail, restaurants, and appointments. The system cannot be beat for the number of industries it covers, the in-house tools it has to offer, and the range of business sizes it can serve. 

I recommend Square for small and new businesses on a budget. Its feature-rich, all-in-one, free plan that includes integrated payments, an online store, basic inventory management, reporting, CRM tools, multistore management, and staff logins. From there, you can upgrade to Square’s advanced paid plans or opt for a custom POS with discounted processing rates if you operate at the enterprise level. 

I also like Square for its array of add-on tools for payroll, SMS and email marketing, loyalty, and more — allowing Square to keep its plans affordable while you pay only for the tools you need. However, as a cloud-based system, Square’s biggest downfall is a lack of integration with third-party payment processors. For a more flexible solution, check out my review of Clover, Shopify, and Lightspeed on this list.

• Value for money: Excellent
• Contract terms: Month-to-month
• Security: Excellent, with chargeback management 
• Offline transaction processing: Yes
• AI-powered POS features: Business insights, customer messaging, team communication, e-commerce product photos, menu generator

• POS system basics: Square’s POS systems include all the basics to run your business: inventory management, reporting, CRM, employee controls, marketing tools, a great checkout interface, sales channel integrations, order management, and integrated payment processing. These features are included in Square’s free POS, but you can get more advanced options if you upgrade to a paid plan. 
• Industry-specific POS systems: In addition to its general purpose POS, Square offers three industry-specific POS systems for restaurants, retailers, and appointment-based businesses like spas, salons, and other service providers. Each of Square’s POS systems comes with tools specifically designed for its industry, free and advanced versions, and industry-grade hardware options.  
• Online store: All Square accounts come with a free online store that you can build and customize for your business with Square Online. Each industry-specific POS system includes an online store — e-commerce for retailers, online ordering for restaurants, and booking for wellness and service businesses. If you have an existing online store, you can integrate some third-party e-commerce solutions with your POS, but the options are limited. However, Square can build you a custom API if you are tied to your current platform. 
• POS app: Square offers a free POS app for both Android and iOS. The app allows you to take your sales on the go and is complete with Tap to Pay functionality, meaning you can take payments by simply tapping a credit card to your phone — no additional hardware required. 
• Integrated payments: Square comes pre-integrated with Square Payments, its in-house payments solution. Square Payments offers competitive flat-rate processing and can be used to process all payment types, both in person and online. Additionally, Square has partnered with Afterpay, so you can offer customer financing for both in-store and online purchases.  
• Add-on tools: Along with Square’s advanced plan options, you can purchase add-on tools — such as payroll, loyalty programs, an upgraded online store, and outreach marketing tools — for a monthly fee on top of any of Square’s POS plans. This means you can add the tools you need and avoid the ones you don’t. There are also a number of third-party tools that you can integrate into your POS.  
• Bespoke POS option: If your business outgrows Square’s Plus and Premium plans, Square offers custom POS plans where you work with Squa

When it comes to e-commerce, Shopify is the industry leader. With top-of-the-line tools for managing orders, converting sales, completing transactions, building a website, accessing discounted shipping rates, and even selling wholesale and B2B, Shopify is ideal for businesses that operate primarily online. Shopify’s checkout interface, ShopPay, converts 15% more sales compared to other e-commerce platforms.

Shopify’s cloud-based POS solution is great for expanding into in-person sales, such as in farmers’ markets, trade shows, and conventions. It comes with a free e-commerce subscription and a paid upgrade option. However, what makes Shopify stand out as a POS provider is its unbeatable omnichannel functionality that integrates with Shopify’s leading e-commerce platform. It also includes integrated payments, inventory management tools, CRM, and add-on tools, along with proprietary mobile card readers and tablet stands for a countertop setup.

That said, I did have to dock points for Shopify’s lack of industry-specific POS features. It also lacks in-depth reporting in its budget-priced packages. For more in-depth insights from your POS, we recommend considering Lightspeed, though it’s a costlier option.

• Value-for-money: Good
• Contract terms: Month-to-month
• Security: Great
• Offline transaction processing: Limited
• AI-powered POS features: Chatbot integration, image editing, product descriptions, machine learning fraud protection

• E-commerce site builder: Use one of Shopify’s hundreds of e-commerce templates to build your site, including industry-specific options for every kind of small business. The site builder is easy to use, allows for customization, and lets you make changes to your site at any time straight from your POS. Note, however, that many of Shopify’s templates come at an additional cost.  
• Shopify Payments: Every Shopify account comes complete with Shopify’s in-house payment processor, Shopify Payments. You can opt for a third-party payment processor; however, you will incur an additional processing fee ranging from 0.6% to 2% per transaction. 
• POS system: Along with your e-commerce Shopify account, you will also get Shopify’s Lite POS system. The Lite POS includes features such as inventory management, reporting, staff management, and CRM tools at a very basic level. If you need a more advanced POS system, however, you can also upgrade to POS Pro.
• Shipping discounts: To help save you time and money on your online orders, you can shop discounted shipping rates from all major shipping companies and print labels straight from your Shopify account. 
• Omnichannel selling: Integrate all your sales channels into your Shopify POS so you can unify inventory, staff, and customer management everywhere you sell. Shopify includes sales channel integrations for your online store, in-person sales, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, eBay, Google, Amazon, and more. Simply add the sales channels you want to track from your Shopify account, and Shopify will take care of the rest.
• Marketing automations: Shopify includes an array of marketing features to help grow your business. These include tools to hone your store’s SEO, build your brand, create targeted ads, identify new customers, and reach out to existing customers through email and SMS based on automated triggers. 
• Shopify App Store: If you need a tool that Shopify doesn’t offer in-house as part of your plan, you can integrate hundreds of third-party tools into your Shopify POS via the Shopify App Store. This includes apps for things like loyalty programs, inventory management, outreach marketing, and analytics. Note, however, that many of these tools come with monthly fees.

Helcim is primarily a payment processing company best known for its interchange-plus processing rates and automated bulk discounts. However, the provider also offers a great POS system, with unlimited inventory and customer relationship management features, completely for free. The cloud-based POS comes with features designed to support professional services, such as accounting, auto repair, and healthcare. It’s also ideal for wholesalers selling to local clients. 

Helcim also provides a native website builder that’s easy to use and can set up online subscriptions, appointment settings, and bulk purchases. But what ties this all together is Helcim’s payment processing tools, such as invoicing, billing management, online and in-person surcharging, and level 2 and 3 data processing for B2B transactions — at no extra cost. Other providers on this list will charge you additional monthly fees to access these features.

That said, Helcim is a primarily exclusive system, which means that third-party integrations are very limited. Square, though also exclusive, has formed more third-party vendor partnerships and can be a better fit if you already have preferred business platforms.

• Value-for-money: Excellent
• Contract terms: Month-to-month
• Security: Great 
• Offline transaction processing: Limited
• AI-powered POS features: Machine-learning fraud monitoring, level 2 and 3 data fee optimization

• Payment page: Add a Helcim payment page to any site with no programming necessary, and you can start making sales, collecting invoices, or even charging for recurring subscriptions. Start by adding a Helcim “Buy Button” or QR code to any webpage. When customers click, they will be taken to the Helcim payment portal to complete their transaction.
• E-commerce: While Helcim’s POS does not integrate with third-party ecommerce platforms, Helcim offers an in-house e-commerce solution with options for both retail and online food ordering. 
• Invoicing: Add Helcim’s invoicing software to your POS to streamline your billing and payment procedures. With Helcim’s interchange-plus rates, you can save significantly on processing fees.
• CRM: Add customers to your customer directory, log the contact information, store payment methods, and view their activity. 
• Interchange-plus pricing: Helcim uses interchange-plus pricing for its processing fees, ensuring that you get the lowest rates by avoiding any merchant markups. Not only that, the more payments you process, the more you save with Helcim’s automated bulk discounts. You can use Helcim’s fee calculator to estimate just how much you will save with their pricing model. 
• Subscription management: Use Helcim’s Subscription Manager to set up recurring payments and collect fees for subscription services right from your POS.
• Free POS system: Every Helcim account comes with a free POS system that includes all the basic tools you need to take payments and manage your business, including inventory tracking, CRM tools, and reporting. The POS system can operate on your personal device or the Helcim Smart Terminal — simply pair it with the Helcim card reader to get started. 
• Inventory management: Add inventory, log it in your inventory catalog, and track its levels and performance so you never miss a beat. 
• Reporting: Review your business’s performance with reporting tools that log your sales totals, tipping information, all your transactions, tender use, sales by category, invoicing totals, sales by products, and discount information.

Clover is a highly customizable POS software and hardware provider. Like Square, Clover offers industry-specific POS solutions for retail, restaurants, and service-based industries. But, unlike Square, which offers most services in-house, Clover allows you to customize your POS system with third-party payment providers, e-commerce solutions, apps, and more.

By default, you can purchase the system from its parent company, Fiserv, which then provides you with Fiserv merchant account pricing plans. I like how you get all the basics you need from the system — inventory management tools, CRM, reporting, payment processing, an e-commerce store, and even a custom loyalty program. The cool thing, however, is that you can opt for additional third-party tools to enhance any of these features so that the Clover POS suits your needs.

If you already have a merchant account and payment processor, you can still upgrade to a Clover POS system and keep your merchant ID. Clover is supported by a number of payment processor resellers so you can keep the transaction rates that best work for you. From there, however, you cannot reprogram your POS systems to accommodate different payment providers — the merchant you chose is what you’ve got, and you can’t change it after the fact. If that’s a deal-breaker for you, consider Lightspeed Retail.

• Value-for-money: Great
• Contract terms: Depends on payment processor
• Security: Excellent 
• Offline transaction processing: Yes
• AI-powered POS features: Targeted customer promotions and offers, analytics, self-ordering kiosk

• Industry-specific POS solutions: Clover offers POS solutions for retail, restaurants (including full and quick service), and service providers. They are complete with industry-specific features and hardware solutions. 
• Third-party customizations: Clover can accommodate third-party customizations via custom APIs. This includes custom tools for anything from payment processing to e-commerce to inventory management. You work with a developer to create the system you need with the tools you want. 
• Clover Online: If you don’t have an existing e-commerce store that you want to integrate with your Clover POS, you can add Clover Online to your POS account to build an e-commerce store with its in-house platform. 
• Clover Payments: For users who don’t have a specific payment processor that they want to use, you can opt for Clover’s in-house payments solution, Clover Payments. With this solution, you can accept all payment types at a flat processing rate, both in-store and online.  
• Inventory management: Clover offers inventory management tools for creating detailed product pages, logging your inventory in a log, and tracking your items as they sell. 
• CRM tools: Log your customers, track their behaviors, and collect reviews. 
• Proprietary hardware: Every Clover account includes sleek in-house Clover hardware that suits your needs. Clover offers mobile and desktop solutions along with industry-specific options for retailers, service providers, and restaurants. 
• Loyalty program: All Clover accounts include a free loyalty program to drive repeat visits, with tools to offer both physical and digital gift cards, reward shoppers with redeemable points, and promote user reviews with review prompts that are built into your digital receipts.

Toast is an industry-leading cloud-based restaurant POS system. Like Lightspeed, it offers a top-of-the-line advanced inventory management feature along with native business management tools, and premium, industry-grade hardware. Recently, Toast also launched its retail POS software that works best for food retailers, such as convenience stores, pizzerias, and liquor shops. 

Unlike Lightspeed, Toast offers an all-in-one free plan that offers a choice of countertop, handheld, or self-service kiosk hardware kit, advanced restaurant features, and a built-in payment processing bundle. This means zero upfront cost for those on a limited budget. The downside is expensive transaction rates that I list in detail below. An alternative is a traditional pricing plan with more competitive processing fees but it will require you to purchase hardware outright. 

All things considered, you would be hard-pressed to find a more equipped restaurant cloud POS system than Toast. If you don’t mind being locked into a long-term contract and payment processor, it is the best choice no matter your budget. Otherwise, check out Clover for a more flexible option.

• Value-for-money: Great
• Contract terms: 2-year contract
• Security: Excellent 
• Offline transaction processing: Yes
• AI-powered POS features: Fraud prevention, sales and labor forecasting, marketing assistant, voice AI integration for phone orders and customer inquiries, benchmarking

• Toast mobile app: Toast Now is a mobile app that allows users to communicate with staff on the go, access real-time business reports, and manage ordering as well as delivery channels.
• Restaurant management: Provides advanced management tools for multilocation restaurants, such as menu management, inventory tracking, menu management, analytics, benchmarking, and more.
• Advanced restaurant inventory management: xtraCHEF is Toast’s replacement to its built-in inventory management feature. It provides real-time ingredient tracking, vendor and purchase order management, digital cookbooks and drag-and-drop recipe builder, accounts payable automation, and more.
• Kitchen display system: Toast offers a kitchen display system with a software interface and a screen display that supports color-coded tickets display order status and order type, such as for here, takeout, or delivery. 
• Self-ordering kiosk: Toast’s latest all-in-one kit is the self-ordering kiosk that allows customers to customize their orders with add-ons and also deliver the Toast Tap method, a contactless payment process for even speedier results.
• Catering & events platform: If you run a catering business, Toast provides a platform that allows you to manage events, customize menu and services, send out invoicing, and offer multiple payment options.
• Customizable interface: Toast’s industry-grade hardware includes a customizable touch-screen display where you can set up quick access to the most popular items on your menu, payment methods, and promotions. The cloud-base function helps with managing table reservations for both countertop and handheld devices.

Lightspeed is another great cloud POS option for retailers large and small. Its retail system, Lightspeed Retail or Lightspeed R-Series, comes equipped with all the basics you need to manage a retail store. This includes integrated flat-rate payment processing from Lightspeed Payments, an in-house ecommerce platform — Lightspeed eCommerce — plus sales channel integrations, inventory management, CRM tools, a customizable checkout, reporting tools, and 24/7 customer support. 

What most impresses me about Lightspeed, however, is its inventory management tools and reporting capabilities. Lightspeed offers granular matric inventory tools — perfect for large, complex inventories — integrated product catalogs, and vendor management tools, so you can place orders and communicate with your product vendors right from your POS. An advanced paid plan, Lightspeed Retail lets you maximize its cloud POS tools, such as stock management and advanced analytics great for managing multiple store locations. 

That said, Lightspeed’s biggest downside is the high price point. And while it does allow you to integrate with a third-party payment processor, Lightspeed will charge an additional fee. If Lightspeed is a bit out of your budget, a Square for Retail POS is your best option. It has a very manageable fee structure that can be customized to fit about any budget. You will sacrifice some advanced reporting and more robust inventory management tools, but it should get your business up and running.

• Value-for-money: Good
• Contract terms: Month-to-month
• Security: Excellent
• Offline transaction processing: Yes
• AI-powered POS features: Automated ordering, website builder, fraud protection, analytics, menu creation

• Customizable checkout: To expedite the checkout process, use Lightspeed’s tile tools to customize your checkout screen with your most used functions and products. 
• Service orders: Create and manage service orders for repairs, alterations, or other services right from your POS. 
• Inventory management: Lightspeed has some of the most advanced inventory management tools on the market designed for large, complex inventories with lots of product variations. Additionally, there are built-in purchase ordering and tracking functions, special order tools, bulk action features, low-stock alerts, and stock counting tools. 
• Lightspeed B2B: Lightspeed includes built-in product catalogs where you can shop from thousands of products and place orders right from your POS. Items you order through Lightspeed-integrated catalogs are automatically added to your inventory catalog, complete with product details, to be tracked and monitored.
• Accounting integration: Lightspeed includes tons of accounting software integrations so you can do your bookkeeping right from your POS dashboard. 
• E-commerce: Lightspeed integrates with several third-party e-commerce platforms, and its Standard and Advanced plans include Lightspeed’s in-house e-commerce solution, Lightspeed eCommerce. 
• Loyalty program: For advanced users, Lightspeed includes a customizable loyalty program that tracks and rewards customers across all your sales channels. 
• Reporting: Lightspeed provides tons of reporting tools including custom reports, customer behavior reports, inventory forecasts, and actionable insights and advice based on your performance. 
• Marketing tools: Lightspeed offers tools to collect customer reviews, segment your shoppers, and send out automated alerts and promotions, and SMS marketing tools. 
• Sales channel integrations: Track and manage your sales from everywhere you sell, including marketing places like Amazon, eBay, and Google Shop, as well as your social media platforms.