Best POS Systems for Retail Shops in the UK
Retail lives and dies on stock. A good retail POS tracks inventory, handles barcodes, and ideally keeps your shop and online store in sync — without charging you a fortune per sale.
The POS may earn commission when you click links or apply through certain providers. This does not cost you extra, and providers cannot pay to change our editorial verdicts. Our comparisons are based on publicly available pricing, product information and our own editorial criteria.
Our top picks for retail shops
Square
4.5The strongest free POS software option. Tidy app, decent ecosystem, no monthly fee to start. Great for small retail, cafés and service businesses that want software without signing their life away.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- £0 (paid POS tiers available)
- Transaction fee
- 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard)
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- Next working day (instant transfer for a fee)
- Genuinely good free POS app
- 1.75% flat rate isn't bespoke-cheap at high volume
Shopify POS
4.0The obvious choice if you sell on Shopify and want in-person to match your online store. Strong for ecommerce-led retail; less compelling if you're not already on Shopify.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- From your Shopify plan (POS Pro extra)
- Transaction fee
- Shopify Payments in-person rates (plan dependent)
- Contract
- Monthly Shopify subscription
- Payouts
- Per Shopify Payments schedule
- Seamless with a Shopify online store
- Only makes sense if you're on Shopify
Lightspeed
4.1A serious retail/hospitality POS with strong inventory and multi-location features. More advanced and more expensive — overkill if you only need basic card payments.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- From ~£59/mo (plan dependent)
- Transaction fee
- Payments via Lightspeed or integrated provider (quoted)
- Contract
- Subscription, often annual
- Payouts
- Depends on payments provider
- Powerful inventory and reporting
- Pricier monthly subscription
PayPal Zettle
4.2PayPal-friendly card payments with a simple reader and no monthly software fee for basic use. Good for small retailers and mobile sellers already in the PayPal world.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- £0
- Transaction fee
- 1.75% card & contactless
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- 1–2 working days (into PayPal/bank)
- No monthly fee for the basic POS app
- Ecosystem less ambitious than Square
What matters for retail shops
Inventory management
Track stock, variants and low-stock alerts across your range.
Online + in-person sync
One source of truth if you also sell online.
Barcode & receipt hardware
Scanners, label printers and a proper till station.
Sensible per-sale cost
Higher-value baskets mean the percentage rate matters more.
Fees to watch
Recommended setup
Square is the easy all-rounder for independent retail. If you sell online via Shopify, Shopify POS keeps everything in sync. Lightspeed suits bigger inventories and multiple locations.
Compare these providers
Showing 4 of 4 providers
Prices last checked:| Provider | Best for | Monthly | Transaction | Reader from | Contract | Payouts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Square4.5 | Cafés | £0 (paid POS tiers available) | 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard) | £19 + VAT | No contract (pay-as-you-go) | Next working day (instant transfer for a fee) | Visit |
| PayPal users | £0 | 1.75% card & contactless | £29 + VAT (first reader often discounted) | No contract (pay-as-you-go) | 1–2 working days (into PayPal/bank) | Visit | |
Lightspeed4.1 | Multi-location retail | From ~£59/mo (plan dependent) | Payments via Lightspeed or integrated provider (quoted) | Hardware bundles (quoted) | Subscription, often annual | Depends on payments provider | Visit |
Shopify POS4.0 | Shopify merchants | From your Shopify plan (POS Pro extra) | Shopify Payments in-person rates (plan dependent) | Reader from ~£49 | Monthly Shopify subscription | Per Shopify Payments schedule | Visit |
- Monthly
- £0 (paid POS tiers available)
- Transaction
- 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard)
- Reader from
- £19 + VAT
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- Next working day (instant transfer for a fee)
- Watch out for
- 1.75% flat rate isn't bespoke-cheap at high volume
- Monthly
- £0
- Transaction
- 1.75% card & contactless
- Reader from
- £29 + VAT (first reader often discounted)
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- 1–2 working days (into PayPal/bank)
- Watch out for
- Ecosystem less ambitious than Square
- Monthly
- From ~£59/mo (plan dependent)
- Transaction
- Payments via Lightspeed or integrated provider (quoted)
- Reader from
- Hardware bundles (quoted)
- Contract
- Subscription, often annual
- Payouts
- Depends on payments provider
- Watch out for
- Pricier monthly subscription
- Monthly
- From your Shopify plan (POS Pro extra)
- Transaction
- Shopify Payments in-person rates (plan dependent)
- Reader from
- Reader from ~£49
- Contract
- Monthly Shopify subscription
- Payouts
- Per Shopify Payments schedule
- Watch out for
- Only makes sense if you're on Shopify
Find the right POS for your retail shop
Answer a few quick questions and we'll match you to providers that fit how you actually trade.
FAQs
What's the best POS for a small retail shop?
Square is the most popular all-rounder — free POS app, good inventory and no monthly fee to start. If you already use Shopify online, Shopify POS is the natural fit; for large inventories, Lightspeed.
Do I need inventory management built in?
If you carry more than a handful of lines, yes. Square, Lightspeed, Shopify POS and Epos Now all include inventory; basic readers like SumUp don't go as deep.
How we compare
We compare providers using publicly available pricing, contract information, hardware costs, payout details, software features and suitability for different UK business types. Some links may earn us commission, but providers cannot pay to change our editorial verdicts. Read our full methodology.
The POS editorial team
Independent UK payments research. We test, read the small print and write it up in plain English.