The 5 best iPad POS systems for small businesses

Looking for the best POS system for your small business? There’s a number of strong reasons to look for one that’s iPad based. By using an iPad POS system you can avoid paying for expensive terminals, and it gives you or your staff a lot of maneuverability. 

As a result of the impartial and rigorous testing carried out by our dedicated research team, we concluded that Square was the best iPad POS system for retail small businesses, while Clover was the best option for fast-paced F&B businesses. Square POS is easy to use and has a completely free plan. Clover excels in usability and is packed with features.

They might be our top two choices, but they’re not the only iPad POS games in town. There could be another option that has specific features and benefits that will be a great fit for your needs. That’s why we’ve included a full roundup of the top iPad POS options below:

Swipe right to see more

0 out of 0

• backward
• forward

FEATURED DEAL	BEST ALL ROUND
Lightspeed	Square	Clover	TouchBistro	Shopify
Best for Best iPad POS for driving repeat business	Best for Best overall choice for a retail iPad POS	Best for Best iPad POS for a fast-paced restaurant environment	Best for Best for an easy iPad POS to use	Best for Best iPad POS for combining in-store and online sales
Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.5	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.7	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.7	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.5	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.4
Pricing from £109 per month	Pricing from Free	Pricing from Quote-based	Pricing from $69 per month	Pricing from £5 per month for in person sales £25 per month for online and in person sales
Key benefits Top class customer engagement and loyalty tools Automatic offline functionality Tablet based kitchen display system	Key benefits Free POS app Manage multiple stores Integrate an online store	Key benefits Reporting that gives you a deep dive into your analytics Wide range of tools to boost efficiency Extensive app store	Key benefits Great floor planning tools Seamlessly connect to a kitchen display system Strong cost management tools	Key benefits Unified dashboard for both your online and in person stores Excellent help and support Comprehensive reporting features

Want to use our free comparison tool to compare costs from the best POS systems available? Compare Costs

1. Square: best overall choice for a retail iPad POS

Square

• Starting software price: Free plan
• Transaction fees from: From 1.75%

• Great range of hardware as well as an iOS app
• Excellent employee management system
• Lets you efficiently manage multiple store locations

Summary Square is headed up by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. Specifically designed for small to medium sized businesses, it leads the US market for POS systems, currently serving four million clients.

Show moreless

During our testing, we found that Square’s POS was incredibly easy to navigate around. Source: Startups.co.uk

What makes Square the overall best iPad POS system?

Square came out as overall favourite option for a retail iPad POS thanks to a feature-filled backend, easy to use frontend, and a whole range of tools to help manage your business. The features that jumped out to us as particularly impressive were the multi-location stock management, customisable gift cards, and email marketing tools.

With Square’s POS you can create your own customisable gift cards to help drive your sales. Source: Startups.co.uk

What makes this all the more impressive: you can get all these features on Square’s totally free plan (which we recommended as the overall best free POS for SMEs). The free plan also lets you seamlessly integrate your POS with an online store. The majority of businesses should also find Square’s iPad POS nice and easy to use, as we found it remarkably easy to operate, with all the features effortless to find.

During our testing we found Square to be reassuringly user-friendly. Source: Startups.co.uk

Unfortunately, there’s no training mode for helping new staff get up to speed. This might be an issue for larger businesses who have a high turnover of staff they need to quickly train. If this is a dealbreaker for you, then Lightspeed will be worth looking at. There’s also currently no option for cost/profit management tools, but Shopify can provide this if it’s a key feature for you.

How much does it cost?

	Pricing
Software	Free plan: Free Square for Retail Plus plan: £49/month, per location Premium plan (for businesses that process more than £200,000 per year): custom pricing
Hardware	Square Stand (to turn your iPad into a countertop terminal): £99 plus VAT Square Register: £599 plus VAT
Transaction fees	Free plan: 1.75% in person, 2.5% for virtual terminal and invoices, 1.4% + 25p for online transactions Square for Retail Plus plan: 1.6% in person, 1.4% + 25p for online transactions Premium plan: custom rates
Free trial?	You can test the system using the free plan on a tablet

If you’re on Square’s free plan, then you’ll be subject to a 1.75% transaction fee for in person card payments. In the grand scheme of transaction fees, this is roughly about average. So you won’t be overpaying, and considering it’s on a free plan, that’s a pretty solid deal.

If you’re paying for the Square for Retail plan then you’ll get access to a slightly more competitive 1.6% transaction fee. The monthly cost of the Retail plan also comes in at about average, so you won’t be overpaying for that either.

2. Clover: best iPad POS for a fast-paced restaurant environment

Clover

• Starting software price: Quote-based
• Transaction fees from: Quote-based

• Highly customisable customer display
• Exceptional POS hardware and accessories
• Speedy fingerprint login on the Clover Terminal

Summary Clover is based in California and, as of 2020, processes $133 billion in card transactions annually. It’s owned by Fiserv, the largest merchant acquirer in the world.

Show moreless

We found Clover’s interface to be particularly straightforward when compared to other platforms. Source: Startups.co.uk

What makes Clover a great option for an iPad POS?

During our testing, Clover’s frontend jumped out as intuitive and efficient. This usability makes it a very strong option for restaurateurs who need an iPad POS that can stand up to a fast-paced environment. Especially when compared to some of its rivals, we felt that Clover stood out as easy-to-use and both refreshingly and straightforwardly designed, making it the overall best choice for a restaurant POS system.

We found Clover’s frontend to be highly intuitive, and you can edit floor plans directly from the iPad. Source: Startups.co.uk

We were also thoroughly impressed by Clover’s extensive app store. It provides a wide-ranging selection of third-party applications you can use to turbocharge your business and increase efficiency. For example, you can connect your POS system with small business accounting software, such as Sage.

Clover boasts an impressively extensive app store. Source: Startups.co.uk

Just keep in mind that Clover might be too advanced for the needs of some smaller eateries and pop-ups. There’s also no option for automated tip sharing, which is especially important since the most recent tippping legislation, but Square will have you covered there.

How much does it cost?

	Pricing
Software	Quote-based
Hardware	Clover Mini: £450 Clover Station Solo: Contact Clover for prices Clover Station Duo: £1,300
Transaction fees	Quote-based
Free trial?	None

Clover provides quote-based transaction fees, as opposed to a set fee like Square’s. So what you lose in initial transparency you could make up for with a transaction fee agreement that’s tailored to your needs.

Clover is currently running a promotion where you can get a competitive 1.49% transaction fee on all cards. Just keep in mind that this is based on an 18-month agreement, and you also have to pay a monthly £20 service fee. This does include a payment device, but might not be the best option for those trying to keep down costs with a simple iPad POS.

3. Lightspeed Restaurant: best iPad POS for driving repeat business

Lightspeed Restaurant

• Starting software price: £109
• Transaction fees from: Available on request

• Offline functionality that syncs automatically when back online
• Brilliant customer engagement features
• Tablet-based system is easy to carry around

Summary Based in Montreal, Canada, Lightspeed is a commerce platform that currently serves over 150,000 customer locations.

Show moreless

Lightspeed Restaurant POS is specifically designed for tablets. Source: Startups.co.uk

What makes Lightspeed Restaurant a great option for an iPad POS?

Out of all the providers we’ve reviewed, Lightspeed sets the gold standard for customer engagement tools. If you’re looking to build up repeat business and foster a long-term customer base, then the loyalty tools like built-in email and SMS marketing, as well built-in gift card functionality, will set you up for success.

Lightspeed Restaurant has automatic offline functionality, which should give you peace of mind when taking payments. Source: Startups.co.uk

Lightspeed Restaurant is specifically designed to be used on tablets, but we did find that frontend was a little trickier to use than the back office. But Lightspeed does provide a solid range of accurate help and support options if you get into trouble. You can also be reassured that Lightspeed has automatic offline functionality.

While we found that creating a floor plan in Lightspeed was effortless, this can only be done from the back office, not directly from the iPad. Source: Startups.co.uk

One thing to keep in mind is that you can’t edit the floor plan directly from the iPad, you need to login to the back office. And similarly to Clover, there’s no automatic tip management, so you’ll need to jump back up to Square if this is a non-negotiable for you.

How much does it cost?

	Pricing
Software	Essential: £109 per month Premium: £339 per month Enterprise: Quote-based

Lightspeed Restaurant isn’t a budget option for iPad POS systems. If you’re looking for a cheap-and-cheerful, low-cost option you’d be far better off with Square instead, as the Essential plan starts from a three figure monthly sum.

However, if you’ve got multiple locations to manage and you don’t mind shelling out for first-class loyalty features, then Lightspeed Restaurant will be well worth your attention.

4. TouchBistro: best for an easy iPad POS to use

TouchBistro

• Starting software price: $69
• Transaction fees from: Available on request

• Solid cost management tools
• Tablet-based system is easy to carry around
• Floor plans that are easy to edit

Summary TouchBistro is based in Toronto, Canada, and in 2013 it partnered with PayPal. It now focuses on its POS software developed specifically for iPad.

Show moreless

TouchBistro has a colourful table plan that can be edited directly from the iPad POS. Source: Startups.co.uk

What makes TouchBistro a great option for an iPad POS?

Our testing revealed that TouchBistro was exceptionally easy to use, with an extremely user-friendly front office. Our experience using the frontend was overwhelmingly positive, and we smoothly completed daily tasks with ease. We found it particularly helpful that the floor plan could be edited straight from the iPad.

TouchBistro stood out as an exceptionally easy-to-use POS platform. Source: Startups.co.uk

The built-in reservation system, as well as the marketing features, stood out as especially helpful tools. TouchBistro can also seamlessly connect to a tablet-based kitchen display system, making sure there is smooth communication between the front of house and the kitchen, streamlining efficiency.

We found that completing orders in the frontend was incredibly smooth. Source: Startups.co.uk

Unfortunately the lack of customisability for the QR and mobile code ordering was a bit of a miss for us. If you want more extensive QR and mobile code ordering (particularly important for takeaway businesses) then we’d recommend Lightspeed Restaurant or Clover instead. Once again, we’d recommend keeping mind that only Square has automated tip management.

How much does it cost?

	Pricing
Software	From $69/month (TouchBistro’s pricing is only available in US dollars)
Hardware	Quote-based
Transaction fees	Quote-based
Free trial?	No, but you can get a free demo

TouchBistro won’t be the first port of call for a beginner-friendly, low-cost POS system. Though it does take an interesting approach to its pricing.

You pay the base monthly price for the software, but you can then have a certain level of choice over which features you add. There are upsides and downsides to this. In theory, you can avoid paying for tools you won’t use, but if you do want a fully stocked pantry of features, you’re going to be faced with a large bill.

5. Shopify: best iPad POS for combining in-store and online sales

Shopify

• Starting software price: £5
• Transaction fees from: 1.5%

• Plans starting from as low as £5 per month
• Strong support options to help inexperienced users
• Easily integrates into the online store platform (dependent on plan type)

Summary Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, Shopify is the second largest publicly traded Canadian company. It hosts 5.6 million active stores across more than 175 countries.

Show moreless

Shopify is one of the best options for combining your POS with online sales as you can easily manage both from the same dashboard. Source: Startups.co.uk

What makes Shopify a great option for an iPad POS?

Seeing as it’s the go-to name for ecommerce selling, it makes a lot of sense to go with Shopify if you’re looking to combine your online store with an iPad-based POS system. What makes it especially adept for this is the unified dashboard where you can manage both your online and brick-and-mortar sales.

We were impressed with how user-friendly the frontend of the Shopify POS was in our testing. Source: Startups.co.uk

When we put it to the test, we found that the frontend was really intuitive to use. We particularly enjoyed how straightforward and user-friendly the front office was to use on the iPad. Even if you do run into any problems, Shopify has an excellent range of help and support options to help you out of a jam.

Shopify also impressed us with its extensive app store. Source: Startups.co.uk

Overall, we actually think the POS software provided by Shopify is the most fully-loaded out of all the retail focused systems. We just wish it included a training mode to give novice users a helping hand, similar to the kind offered by Lightspeed Retail. It also can’t take card payments while offline which could be an issue for businesses who suffer from intermittent signal.

How much does it cost?

	Pricing
Software	Sell in person - Starter plan: £5/month - Retail plan: £69/month Sell everywhere - Basic plan: £25/month - Shopify plan: £65/month - Advanced plan: £344/month
Hardware	Shopify POS tablet stand: £131
Transaction fees	1.5% - 5%
Free trial?	Yes

While you do get an extensive app store, strong inventory management tools and comprehensive reporting features, you could potentially get lower transaction fees from a quote-based provider like Clover.

The mid-range, self-titled “Shopify” plan will be the tier that most SMEs will need as it comes with additional staff accounts. If you’re a solopreneur you could use the “Basic” plan, but this still costs £25 per month. It’s not outrageously priced, but those looking for a no-cost plan should be jumping back up to Square instead.

How to choose an iPad POS system for my small business

Integrating an iPad POS system into your business comes with a number of benefits, including mobility and saving costs on expensive terminals.

But how do you know which will be best for your business? Here are the key considerations you’ll need to look out for when shopping for an iPad POS:

Usability

You’ll need an easy-to-use system that won’t have you or your staff tearing your hair out. You want it to be simple, easy to navigate and well-signposted so you can quickly find the features you need.

Our recommendation is to always try a free trial or demo where available. It’s important to see if it will be your cup of tea before signing up to any contracts or investing time and energy into the platform.

A crucial point to consider when choosing an iPad POS is the capacity of the frontend: this is what you’ll be using on the POS each work day. Make sure it’s easy to manage and use on an iPad, and crucially make sure you can edit features from the front office, not just the back.

Tools and features

Different businesses have different needs. A pop-up food stall will have an entirely different set of demands to a multi-chain clothing business.

There’s no point shelling out for advanced features if all you need are basic payment processing tools. But if you’re running multiple outlets then a detailed multi-site inventory management is going to be a dealbreaker, not a “nice to have”.

Sit down and make a list of all the features that are your must-haves, and make sure your chosen POS platform can provide them.

Reliable support

A busy retail floor or a bustling restaurant can make for high pressure work environments. Technology is doomed to go haywire at some stage, so make sure your provider has a solid suite of help and support options so you won’t be left hanging at a critical moment.

Long-term support

All successful businesses should be planning for scalability, even if it’s in the distant future. Don’t just think about what you need today, choose a platform that can grow with your business.

You might want a simple, low-cost iPad POS right now, but what about when you open that second, or third location? Having to jump over to a brand new POS system, and get your staff re-trained to use it, can be a pain. Look for providers that have plans and features to support expansion.

Cost

This will be an obvious concern for all small businesses. If you’re looking for an iPad based POS, there’s a good chance you’re trying to keep your costs low.

But don’t just go straight for the cheapest platform possible. Keep in mind things like: what features you get for your money, transaction fees and contracts. For example, if you have a high turnover of monthly sales, it can be more than worth it to pay a monthly fee in exchange for low transaction fees.

You can read more in our dedicated page about credit card processing fees, and it’s even got a handy calculator to help you work out what you should be paying!

Our methodology: how we test iPad POS systems

Our dedicated research team has rigorously and impartially tested a range of the top iPad POS systems in order to find the best one for your business.

We analysed 16 POS systems in total in order to determine the top five choices for small businesses. We based this on industry-led research, our team’s own insights and actual hands-on user testing.

Our testing and analysis was based on the six categories we felt were the most important to an iPad POS system for SMEs.

Those most critical was usability: how easy the system was to operate.

The second most important was the software: this is the heart of your POS system. This includes all the tools, tricks and features that should ensure a smooth running of your day-to-day operations.

The third most critical was pricing: keeping costs manageable is going to be essential for a small business, so we assess how much it will be costing you. This includes transaction fees, monthly costs and any additional hardware you might need to purchase.

Help and support: this was also assessed as it will be important for a small business to be able to access a range of reliable support options if they run into any issues using the POS.

The two final categories, which were deemed less vital than the others but still important to consider, were additional hardware (which encapsulates any accessories you might need, including a kitchen display system) and the customer score (how likely users are to recommend the system).