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Cheapest POS system (October 2026): lowest total cost at $5K, $20K and $50K a month
The short answer
The cheapest POS depends on how much you sell. Under a few thousand dollars a month, a free plan with a cheap reader is hard to beat: SumUp, Clover Go and Square finish within $149 of each other over three years. For one countertop register at $5K to $20K a month, the four cheapest setups finish within about $902 of each other over three years: Square Free, JET, SumUp, and either Toast's Starter Kit or SpotOn (both priced on restaurant plans). JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ it would cost $23,068 at $20K a month and rank third. Above roughly $25K to $31K a month, the lowest card rate starts to win: Clover's 2.3% Growth plan overtakes Square Free at about $24,629 and JET (at our assumed 2.6% + 10¢) at about $30,641. An interchange-plus quote on a system that lets you pick your processor can go lower still.
Card fees are 75% to 98% of the bill in our models, so compare rates before monthly fees.
The cheapest POS, by sales volume
There's no single cheapest POS. The winner changes as your card sales grow, because a cheaper rate matters more with every dollar you sell.
| Your card sales | Cheapest options (3-year total) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile, about $2,000/month | SumUp Free + Plus reader $2,214 · Clover Go (Starter) $2,359 · Square Free + Reader $2,363 | Cheap hardware ($54–$199) and no software fee; 10¢ beats 15¢ on small sales |
| Counter, $5,000/month | Square Free + Register Kit $6,544 · Toast Starter Kit (pay-as-you-go) $6,665 · JET Topaz 2.0 $6,778 | Low hardware cost matters most |
| Counter, $20,000/month | JET Topaz 2.0 $22,168 · Square Free + Register Kit $22,609 · SumUp POS Plus + POS Lite $22,783 | Near-ties; the per-sale fee starts to count |
| Counter, $50,000/month | Clover Retail Growth + Station Duo $50,857 · JET Topaz 2.0 $52,948 · SumUp POS Plus + POS Lite $53,563 | The lowest percentage rate wins |
Counter rows: one register, $40 average sale, US list prices on October 20, 2026, all cards in person. JET has no processor of its own, so it's modeled with a processor at 2.6% + 10¢, no monthly processor fees, and a $349 allowance for the card terminal, in the range of countertop card terminals sold by Square ($299), Shopify ($349) and Lightspeed ($449). JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ it would cost $7,003, $23,068 and $55,198 over three years at $5K, $20K and $50K, and rank third, third and seventh. Toast's Starter Kit and SpotOn are priced on their restaurant plans. Mobile row: $25 average sale.
Cheapest POS with no monthly fee, and what you pay instead
Six systems in this table have $0 software (SpotOn's All-In plan is also $0 a station, at 2.79% + 20¢ with a 2-year minimum). Each one makes its money somewhere else, usually a higher card rate, missing features or a contract.
| $0 plan | In-person card rate | Hardware | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Free | 2.6% + 15¢ | Reader $59 · Register Kit from $1,189 | Online 3.3% + 30¢; no loyalty, KDS, stock intake or purchase orders; phone support for 90 days |
| Toast Starter Kit | 3.09% + 15¢ (up to 3.69%) | $0 basic kit, yours to keep | 2-year agreement; 1 location, up to 2 terminals; Toast-only processing |
| Clover Starter | 2.6% + 10¢ | Go $199 · Compact $349 | Compact has no inventory or item management; devices locked to the processor |
| SumUp Free | 2.6% + 10¢ | Readers from $54 · POS Lite + Solo $499 | Floor plans, drawer management and multi-device sync need POS Plus ($49) |
| Loyverse | Through partner processors | Your own phone, tablet and printer | Reports cover 31 days; purchase orders, staff and full history are paid add-ons ($5–$25 per store a month) |
| JET POS | Your processor's rate | Topaz 2.0 $1,299 · Onyx MAX $1,800, pay once | Higher upfront cost; Android only; you set up a processor and terminal yourself |
"Free" software is real, but free card processing isn't. Every card sale pays interchange to the customer's bank, which is why every $0 plan with built-in processing that we checked charges 2.6% or more. Our no-monthly-fee guide goes deeper.
1-year and 3-year totals at $5K, $20K and $50K a month
Over one year, low upfront hardware wins. Over three years, the card rate takes over. Here are 11 setups for one countertop register, sorted by their 3-year cost at $20K a month.
| Setup | 1 year | 3 years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5K | $20K | $50K | $5K | $20K | $50K | |
| JET Topaz 2.0 | $3,358 | $8,488 | $18,748 | $6,778 | $22,168 | $52,948 |
| Square Free + Register Kit | $2,974 | $8,329 | $19,039 | $6,544 | $22,609 | $54,739 |
| SumUp POS Plus + POS Lite | $2,797 | $7,927 | $18,187 | $7,393 | $22,783 | $53,563 |
| SpotOn Essentials | $3,105 | $8,190 | $18,360 | $7,815 | $23,070 | $53,580 |
| Clover Retail Growth + Station Duo | $4,448 | $9,038 | $18,218 | $9,547 | $23,317 | $50,857 |
| Square Plus + Register Kit | $3,502 | $8,677 | $19,027 | $8,128 | $23,653 | $54,703 |
| Epos Now Complete Solution | $3,117 | $8,247 | $18,507 | $8,553 | $23,943 | $54,723 |
| Toast Point of Sale ($69) | $4,128 | $9,285 | $19,599 | $9,222 | $24,693 | $55,635 |
| Shopify Basic + POS Pro | $4,237 | $9,367 | $19,627 | $9,961 | $25,351 | $56,131 |
| Toast Starter Kit (pay-as-you-go) | $2,507 | $8,744 | $21,218 | $6,665 | $25,376 | $62,798 |
| Lightspeed Retail Core | $5,013 | $10,143 | $20,403 | $12,009 | $27,399 | $58,179 |
Total = hardware upfront + months × (software + card processing). $40 average sale. Hardware stacks: Square Register Kit; Toast countertop kit (or $0 kit) plus printer and drawer; Clover Station Duo bought outright; Shopify and Lightspeed with an iPad, stand, terminal, printer and drawer; SumUp POS Lite + Solo (no drawer or printer); SpotOn Station 15 at its $750 sale price (list $995); Epos Now Complete Solution; JET Topaz 2.0 with a $349 card-terminal allowance. Shopify POS Pro is the $67 12-month price for stores new to POS Pro. Square quotes custom rates above $250,000 a year.
Example, Square Free at $20K for 3 years: $1,189 + 36 × ($20,000 × 2.6% + 500 × $0.15) = $22,609. JET: $1,299 + $349 + 36 × ($20,000 × 2.6% + 500 × $0.10) = $22,168.
The spread is narrow at the bottom: at $20K a month, the four cheapest setups are within $902 over three years. At $50K, Clover's rate puts it $2,091 ahead of the next-cheapest, JET with a flat-rate processor.
Which POS has the lowest card fees?
Among published list rates, Clover's Growth plans are lowest at 2.3% + 10¢. But the fixed per-sale fee matters as much as the percentage when your tickets are small.
| Plan | Rate | On a $10 sale | On a $40 sale | On a $100 sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clover Growth plans (clover.com) | 2.3% + 10¢ | 3.30% | 2.55% | 2.40% |
| Square Premium ($149/mo) | 2.4% + 15¢ | 3.90% | 2.78% | 2.55% |
| SpotOn Essentials | 2.45% + 15¢ | 3.95% | 2.83% | 2.60% |
| Toast Point of Sale ($69/mo) | 2.49% + 15¢ | 3.99% | 2.87% | 2.64% |
| Square Plus ($49/mo) | 2.5% + 15¢ | 4.00% | 2.88% | 2.65% |
| Shopify Basic · Lightspeed · SumUp · Clover Starter · Epos Now | 2.6% + 10¢ | 3.60% | 2.85% | 2.70% |
| Square Free | 2.6% + 15¢ | 4.10% | 2.98% | 2.75% |
| Toast Starter Kit (Basic) | 3.09% + 15¢ | 4.59% | 3.47% | 3.24% |
Effective rate = (sale × rate + fixed fee) ÷ sale. In-person list rates, October 20, 2026.
On a $10 coffee, a 15¢ fixed fee alone costs 1.5% of the sale. That's why some 2.6% + 10¢ plans beat 2.5% + 15¢ plans for cafés. If your POS lets you choose a processor, an interchange-plus quote can beat all of these. Our Visa and Mastercard fee model landed near 2.2% at $20K a month with a typical card mix.
Where "free" stops being cheapest
Every pairing has a break-even: the monthly card sales where a higher upfront or monthly cost is paid back by a lower rate.
| Comparison | Break-even (card sales/month) | Math |
|---|---|---|
| JET vs Square Free (counter, $40 sales) | about $10,200 | ($1,648 − $1,189) ÷ 36 = $12.75/mo, paid back by 5¢ less per sale. JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ there is no break-even and Square Free stays cheaper. |
| Toast $69 plan vs $0 Starter Kit (over the 2-year term) | about $19,507 | ($69 + $1,153 kit ÷ 24) ÷ (3.09% − 2.49%) |
| Clover Growth vs Square Free | about $24,629 | ($84.95 + $710 ÷ 36) ÷ (0.3 points + 5¢ per $40 sale) |
| Square Plus vs Square Free (in person) | $49,000 | $49 ÷ 0.1 point |
Square Plus rarely pays for itself on its rate alone. You buy it for loyalty, inventory tools and support, not to save on fees. By $49,000 a month you're past Square's $250,000-a-year threshold for custom pricing anyway.
Cheapest POS for restaurants
For a café register at $30,000 a month with $15 tickets, Clover Mini, Restaurant Growth (bought) came out cheapest over three years at $36,127, and Toast's $0 Starter Kit the most expensive at $44,600.
| Café setup ($30K/month, $15 sales) | Hardware | Software/mo | Total/mo | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clover Mini, Restaurant Growth (bought) | $849 | $89.95 | $980 | $36,127 |
| JET Topaz 2.0 + terminal allowance | $1,648 | $0.00 | $980 | $36,928 |
| SpotOn Essentials, 1 station | $750 | $55.00 | $1,090 | $39,990 |
| Square Free + Register Kit (no KDS) | $1,189 | $0.00 | $1,080 | $40,069 |
| Square Plus + Register Kit | $1,189 | $49.00 | $1,099 | $40,753 |
| Toast $69 plan, kit + printer + drawer | $1,581 | $69.00 | $1,116 | $41,757 |
| Toast Starter Kit + printer + drawer | $428 | $0.00 | $1,227 | $44,600 |
A few restaurant-specific catches change the picture:
- Kitchen displays: Square's KDS app needs a paid plan ($30 a month per device on Plus). Toast adds $35 a month per KDS. JET has no kitchen display system and prints kitchen tickets instead.
- Handhelds: Toast charges $50 a month per Go 3 handheld on top of the $599 device.
- Contracts: Toast's $0 kit still comes with a 2-year agreement. SpotOn's $0 All-In plan has a 2-year minimum and processing minimums.
See Toast's full pricing and our best POS for restaurants guide.
Cheapest POS for retail
For one retail counter at $20,000 a month, JET Topaz 2.0 had the lowest 3-year total in our model ($22,168), with Square Free ($22,609) and SumUp ($22,783) close behind. JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ it would cost $23,068 at $20K a month and rank third. Monthly account or PCI fees from your processor (Wells Fargo charges $9.95 + $10 a month) would add another $718 over three years.
Cheapest isn't the only test for a store. Square Free has no stock intake or purchase orders. SumUp's bundle has no cash drawer or printer. If you sell by weight, JET sells a legal-for-trade scale ($349.95, NTEP and Measurement Canada approved); Shopify has no native scale support. KORONA is month-to-month from $59 a terminal, works with any processor, and has a built-in age check for liquor and convenience stores, but quotes its hardware. Our best retail POS guide compares the features.
Where JET is, and isn't, the cheapest
JET is made by the company that publishes WHICHpos, so here is where it loses as well as where it wins.
- It isn't the cheapest for small or mobile sellers. Below about $10,200 a month at $40 tickets, Square Free costs less, because JET's station costs more upfront. For a mobile seller, a $54 to $59 reader on a free plan wins outright (SumUp Free + Plus reader: $2,214 over three years at $2,000 a month).
- It isn't the cheapest at high volume on a flat rate. At $50K a month, Clover's 2.3% beats JET with a 2.6% processor by $2,091 over three years. JET only wins there if you get an interchange-plus quote.
- It's close to the cheapest in between, because the software is $0 for life and you can switch processors whenever you find a better rate. JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ it would cost $23,068 at $20K a month and rank third. Your processor's per-sale fee, monthly fees and terminal price decide whether JET wins.
You also do more setup yourself: choosing a processor, getting a terminal, and running Android, not iPad. Current JET prices are at jetpos.ai.
Hidden costs that make a cheap POS expensive
- Online, keyed and Amex rates: 3.3% + 30¢ online on Square Free, 3.5% + 15¢ keyed on Square, 3.50% + 15¢ for Amex and online on Toast's $69 plan, and 3.19% + 15¢ for Amex on SpotOn Essentials. Our totals charge every card at the base in-person rate, which flatters Toast and SpotOn if you take a lot of Amex.
- Per-device fees: Toast +$50 a month per terminal or handheld, Clover +$19.95 per device, SpotOn $55 per station.
- Leasing: a Clover Station Duo setup on a 36-month subscription costs $6,480 over three years, versus $4,957.20 bought. On the subscription, you don't own it at the end.
- Bank fees: Clover through Wells Fargo adds $9.95 a month and a $10 PCI fee.
- Exit costs: Toast's early termination fee is your remaining software fees, or $150 for each month left on the $0 Starter Kit. Lightspeed charges the rest of the term's fees, and $400 a month (lower-volume merchants) if you use another processor. JET has no contract, but check your processor's early termination fee.
- Add-ons: Square's KDS ($30/device on Plus) and Kiosk app ($99/device), Toast's Core package, which adds online ordering and delivery integrations (+$150 a month over Basic), payroll and loyalty.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest POS system?
It depends on how much you sell. For a mobile seller under a few thousand dollars a month, a free plan with a cheap reader is the cheapest (SumUp, Clover Go or Square, within $149 of each other over three years). For one countertop register at $20,000 a month, the four cheapest setups we priced were within $902 of each other over three years (JET Topaz 2.0, Square Free + Register Kit, SumUp POS Plus + POS Lite and SpotOn Essentials). JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ it would cost $23,068 at $20K a month and rank third. At $50,000 a month, the lowest card rate wins, which is Clover's 2.3% Growth plan among the list prices we checked.
What is the cheapest POS system with no monthly fee?
Square Free, Toast's Starter Kit, Clover Starter, SumUp Free, Loyverse and JET all have $0 software. The difference is what you pay instead: Square Free charges 2.6% + 15¢, Toast's Starter Kit 3.09% + 15¢ with a 2-year agreement, and JET charges for the station once and lets you pick the processor.
Is Square POS really free?
The software is: Square Free costs $0 a month per location. You pay 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person sale, 3.3% + 30¢ online, and buy the hardware ($59 reader to $899 Register). Loyalty, kitchen displays, stock intake and purchase orders need a paid plan.
Are there completely free POS systems?
$0-a-month POS software exists (Loyverse, Square Free, SumUp Free, Clover Starter, and JET once you buy its station), but no POS lets you take cards for free. Every card sale pays interchange to the card's bank, so a processor fee always applies.
What is the cheapest POS for a small business?
For one counter register at $20,000 a month, three-year totals in our model started at $22,168. Square Free, JET, SumUp and SpotOn (restaurant pricing) were all within $902 of each other. JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ it would cost $23,068 at $20K a month and rank third. Above about $24,629 a month, Clover's lower Growth rate starts beating Square Free.
What is the cheapest restaurant POS system?
For a café register at $30,000 a month with $15 tickets, the lowest 3-year totals in our model were Clover Mini, Restaurant Growth (bought) ($36,127) and JET Topaz 2.0 + terminal allowance ($36,928). JET's place assumes a processor charging 10¢ a sale; at Square's 15¢ it would cost $40,528 and rank fourth. JET also has no kitchen display system. Toast's $0 Starter Kit was the most expensive because of its 3.09% + 15¢ rate.
Which POS system has the lowest card fees?
Among published list rates, Clover's Growth plans at 2.3% + 10¢ in person. On a system that lets you choose your processor, an interchange-plus quote can go lower; our Visa and Mastercard model came to about 2.2% effective at $20,000 a month.
Do cheap POS systems have worse support?
Sometimes. Square Free includes phone support only for the first 90 days; Square Premium has 24/7 support. Toast includes 24/7 support on every plan. Check support hours before choosing on price alone.
How do I work out the cheapest POS for my store?
Add up three things over three years: hardware, 36 months of software, and 36 months of card fees at your real monthly sales and average ticket. In our models card fees were 75% to 98% of the total, so start with the rate. Our 3-year cost calculator does the math.
Keep reading
Sources
Every price and rate on this page was checked on October 20, 2026 against the pages below. Something out of date? Tell us and we fix it with a visible note.
- Square: Pricing
- Square: Hardware and POS kits
- Toast: Pricing
- Toast: Countertop Starter Kit checkout
- Clover: Retail pricing
- Clover: Quick-service restaurant pricing
- Clover: Go
- Wells Fargo: Merchant services pricing (Clover)
- Shopify: Pricing
- Lightspeed: Retail pricing
- SumUp: Fees and plans (US)
- SpotOn: Pricing
- Epos Now: Payment processing (US)
- KORONA POS: Pricing
- Loyverse: Pricing
- JET POS: Hardware