The Best Shopify POS System: What Should You Use?

Looking for the best POS system for Shopify? The most obvious answer is to take advantage of the Point of Sale software already integrated into your Shopify ecosystem. But not everyone will agree that Shopify’s native POS is the best choice. 

Ultimately, the right decision all comes down to what you really need from a point of sale solution. These days, integrating online and offline selling is becoming pretty commonplace. 

Having an online store with a platform like Shopify means you can essentially turbocharge your reach – connecting with customers all over the world instantly. But that doesn’t mean you won’t want to give your customers an “in-store” experience too. 

The right Shopify POS system will ensure you can bridge those two worlds easily – creating “phygital” experiences without inventory headaches and mess.

Combine it with a few add-ons, like the right Shopify shipping apps, and inventory management tools, and you’re on your way to seriously scalable sales.

So, which POS systems really make an impact? Here’s my guide.

What to Look for in the Best POS System for Shopify

Let’s start with the basics – what do you actually need from a Shopify POS? The most obvious thing is to make sure it actually integrates with your Shopify store – fortunately, that’s usually simple enough. If you can’t find an app on Shopify’s marketplace, you can work with a Shopify Expert here at Storetasker on a custom development. 

Beyond that, I recommend prioritizing:

• Real-time Inventory sync: You need all of your data to be aligned at all times. Make sure you can instantly connect your online store, your offline tills, your warehouse information, and anything else that matters to sales – don’t suffer with delays. 
• Unified customer profiles: The key to consistent personalization. Make sure your profiles track everything, from purchases, loyalty, to preferences, and return history. Bonus if you can connect your CRM platform too. 
• Native omnichannel workflows: Look for features such as buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) and online returns in-store. Remember, there are numerous stages in a customer’s journey these days, and they don’t just happen in one channel.
• Flexible payments: Customers want options. Make sure your system supports cash, gift cards, phone orders, mobile wallets – and anything else you can think of. You might need to upgrade your hardware for this too. 
• Reports and Analytics: In-depth insights into ecommerce and email data, purchasing rates, staff performance metrics, and trends. 

One other great bonus would be an open ecosystem – so you can connect all of the apps and hardware you like, without too much complexity. 

Why Shopify POS is the Obvious Choice

Ultimately, if you’re running a Shopify store, using Shopify’s own proprietary POS is the obvious choice. Unlike patch-work solutions that sync on a timer, Shopify POS writes transactions directly to the same database that powers your online storefront. No middle-ware, no double-data, and no complex connectors messing everything up. 

Honestly, Shopify POS is a great pick for a lot of reasons. Just like the Shopify ecosystem, it’s inherently flexible, allowing for endless integrations and connectors. It also comes with:

• Real-time inventory syncing for all channels
• Fully unified and dynamic customer profiles
• Smart product grouping and inventory management
• Built-in payment processing with Shopify Payments
• Staff management, reports, and permissions
• Intgrated marketing tools
• Tons of valuable hardware options
• Native omnichannel features

Shopify has even shared itself that retailers using this point of sale system reduces operating costs by 16% and increase annual revenue by around 8.9% on average. 

Plus, the “Lite” version of Shopify POS comes built-in to every major Shopify plan – and it’s still incredibly feature rich. Upgrading to POS Pro for $89 per month will give you even more advanced features to play with – without completely destroying your budget.

The only reason not to make Shopify the first POS port-of-call on your list is if you’re not using Shopify yet – and you might decide to stick with a different platform. But if you’re reading this guide, the chances are you’re already a Shopify fan. 

Shopify POS Alternatives That Still Play Nice

If you’ve reviewed Shopify POS yourself and you’re not sure if it’s really the perfect choice – don’t panic. You can still experiment with other options. 

Sometimes you inherit legacy hardware, or your CFO falls in love with a payments deal. These six contenders all integrate - directly or via connector - with Shopify. None beat the native experience, but each has a sweet spot.

1. ConnectPOS: Best For Flexibility 

This isn’t really a Shopify POS alternative on its own – it’s kind of a Swiss Army knife app that lives inside your Shopify backend but happily talks to the outside world. The native plugin mirrors products, customers, and orders in real time, then caches everything locally if your connection falters.

Pricing starts at a modest $9 per register, per month and scales to “call us” enterprise tiers, which is bargain territory for brands juggling multiple warehouses. Where ConnectPOS really shines is gateway flexibility: more than twenty processors ship in the box, from Stripe to Vietnam’s VNPAY, which means lower cross-border fees and happier accountants. Add-on modules handle ERP bridges, rewarded loyalty points, and detailed stock takes. 

The biggest downside is that if you really want to customize everything, you’ll need to invest a little extra in development times – or hire a Storetasker Expert to help. 

Pros

• Real-time sync (and true offline mode) prevents overselling.
• Supports 20 + global payment gateways—goodbye cross-border surcharge shock.
• Deep inventory toolkit: multi-warehouse transfers, colour-coded stock-take app.
• Highly customisable via API and ERP connectors.

Cons

• Setup wizard feels dated; heavy custom work requires developer hours.
• User interface can overwhelm small teams with too many settings.
• Support team operates mostly on APAC hours—response windows vary.

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2. Square POS: The POS Sweetheart

Square is famous for its “plug, pair, profit” mantra, and the 2025 rate sheet hasn’t killed the charm: card-present fees sit at 2.6 % + 15cents, rolling out to every U.S. seller on 27 March 2025.

Hook the free Square-Shopify connector to map SKUs, and you’re good to go. Hardware is pure Apple-store minimalism: the palm-sized Reader slips in an apron pocket while the Register delivers a countertop showpiece complete with customer-facing screen.

One thing to keep in mind, because transactions originate inside Square, data trickles back to Shopify every few minutes – so it’s not always instantaneous. Plus, variant limitations might be a problem for some seriously scaling companies. But if you run a small store, Square is a great pick.

Pros

• Hardware pairs in minutes—ideal for pop-ups or events.
• Free POS software plan keeps costs predictable for small catalogs.
• Rich add-ons (payroll, appointments, Cash App Pay) under one login.

Cons

• Data lives in Square first; inventory syncs back to Shopify on a timer.
• Variant limit (200 per product) cramps fashion or hardware stores.
• Card-present fees can sting at high average order values.

3. LightSpeed POS: Great for Inventory Management

Lightspeed is the cloud POS leader for multi-location boutiques. Expect stellar inventory matrices (size/color/style), purchase orders, and built-in work-order repair flows. The Retail plan now begins at $109 per month when billed annually, with optional “Omni” bundles for advanced e-commerce and analytics – so it can be a little pricey – but not hugely so.

To weld Lightspeed to Shopify you’ll install the official bridge, which sucks web orders into Lightspeed’s brain and pushes inventory back on a five-to-ten-minute cycle. That standalone back office means staff juggle two dashboards - a training tax worth paying only if you genuinely need features like serialized bicycle frames or work-order repairs.

Still, many companies see Lightspeed as a brilliant choice, packed with data depth and flexibility – it’s just not the best choice for smaller sellers.

Pros

• Best-in-class variant and purchase-order tools.
• Multi-store analytics benchmark you against peers.
• 1-to-1 onboarding and dedicated account managers.

Cons

• Separate back-office means staff learn two dashboards.
• Real-time Shopify sync demands an extra plug-in.
• Feature set may be overkill (and over-priced) for single-location shops.

4. Toast: A Leading Option for Restaurants

Toast was born for hot kitchens, and you feel it the minute a ticket fires to a wall-mounted KDS. The 2025 menu: hardware bundles begin at $0 up-front if you sign the processing agreement, software from $69 a month, and average card-present fees hover around 2.9 % plus 10 cents. 

A Shopify integration (via ItsaCheckmate) lets you pipe merch sales into Toast or publish meal kits to your online store - handy if your café also ships coffee beans nationwide. Offline mode caches payments during Wi-Fi issues, and tip-pooling rules are great for teams.  

But barcode workflows and serialized inventory are practically non-existent, so retailers outside of the food and beverage industry might not love this option. 

Pros

• Menu engineering, tip-pooling, and KDS out of the box.
• Offline mode caches orders during Wi-Fi dropouts.
• Integration pipes merch or meal kits straight into Shopify.

Cons

• Retail staples (barcoding, serialized items) largely missing.
• Add-ons like loyalty and online ordering each cost extra.
• Hardware is restaurant-centric, less ideal for apparel counters.

5. Clover: Ideal for Payment Processor Flexibility

Most POS stacks lock you into their credit-card processor. Clover, owned by Fiserv, lets you shop around. UK merchants can negotiate rates as low as 1.49 % card-present or stick with Fiserv’s published interchange-plus plan. 

One great thing about Clover is that POS devices arrive pre-activated. You just pop the SIM card into a Flex handheld or power up the Station Duo’s dual screens and start taking chip-and-PIN in under ten minutes. There’s a Shopify connector to keep orders (mostly) in sync. Plus, Clover’s cloud can still store information offline if you lose connectivity. 

On-terminal item editing workflows are excellent, and there are even quick-service QR menus for table service teams. Notably though, Clover does fall behind in a few areas – like advanced reporting and variant management. 

Pros

• Hardware ships pre-activated—zero-to-swipe in ten minutes.
• True offline chip-and-PIN with secure token storage.
• Processor freedom lets you renegotiate rates every season.

Cons

• App market feels dated; advanced reports cost extra.
• Limited native support for complex inventory variants.
• Integration relies on third-party connectors—another moving piece.

6. Shift4 POS (Previously Revel Systems): Best for Hospitality

Revel - now under the Shift4 umbrella - caters to multi-unit restaurants and stadium concessions that want drive-thru timers, curbside kiosks, and in-depth analytics. Entry pricing starts at $99 per terminal, per month, with multi-year contracts the norm and Shift4 processing baked in.

The open API means developers can shoot data anywhere, so a private connector can push gift-shop hoodies to Shopify or pull web orders into the kitchen. Hardware is iPad first - rugged cases, Bluetooth printers, outdoor menu boards. 

Shift4 also has a lot of great online payment solutions, but you won’t really need these if you’re already using Shopify for your digital transactions. It’s a great all-around tool, if you want lightweight and scalable services, though. 

Pros

• Handles drive-thru, delivery, kiosks, and split-bill with ease.
• 300 + canned reports plus custom data cubes for finance teams.
• Rugged iPad hardware options (indoor and outdoor).

Cons

• Lengthy onboarding with project managers and PCI audits.
• Requires Shift4 processing unless you negotiate.
• Over-engineering for boutiques—brings symphony-level complexity to a three-piece band.

Setting Up the Best Shopify POS Solution 

Not every platform above lives in the Shopify App Store. If you’re not using the native Shopify POS app, you’re probably going to need to deal with some middleware and API calls. The good news is that even if you don’t have a lot of tech knowledge, you don’t have to be restricted. 

I’ll always recommend going for the pre-existing Shopify POS to the companies that want to keep things simple – but if you want a more customized Shopify experience, Storetasker can help. Our experts can help you set up custom automated workflows, integrations and apps. 

We even have headless developers who can help bigger retailers design the ultimate personalized experience for customers across channels. 

If you’re serious about omnichannel growth, and you think Shopify POS isn’t the perfect option for you, reach out to our team today. We’ll make it work. 

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