7 Best Android POS Systems For Small Business In 2023

We love that Square software offers retail, restaurant, and service-based business POS software at no monthly cost, plus affordable hardware options and transparent payment processing fees. On free Square plans, you can add Square POS software on an unlimited number of Android smartphones, tablets, and browsers, which is another reason why Square is one of our best free POS systems.

Since you don’t need any additional equipment except a card reader, the barrier to entry is extremely low for any new and budget-strained business, whether you’re an independent photographer or you’re opening a new restaurant in your neighborhood.

The Square For Retail Plus plan includes inventory management features like vendor management, inventory counts, automated purchase ordering, and barcode printing. You can also accept cross-location returns and exchanges on the Plus plan.

The Square For Restaurants Plus plan includes an unlimited number of Square KDS software licenses that you can install on tablets, full-service restaurant features like seat and course management, plus operations management features like menu reports, section reports, and the ability to duplicate one tablet’s settings across all devices.

Square also offers an appointment booking software for service businesses, called Square Appointments, at the following prices:

• Free: $0/month; includes unlimited POS mobile app licenses, appointment booking website, automated appointment reminders, contract templates, and employee management
• Plus: $29/month/location; includes no-show protection, multiple staff appointments, automated appointment confirmations, and multi-location management
• Premium: $69/month/location; includes resource management, multiple wage rates, and staff commissions

Note: All free plans apply to single-location businesses only. If you open up multiple locations, you must upgrade to a Plus plan.

Popular add-ons include Square Loyalty (starting at $45/month), Square Payroll (starting at $35/month), and Square Email Marketing (starting at $15/month).

Square has software features for retail, restaurant, and service businesses, but no matter which industry plan you choose, you get these free features:

• Square Online: Free online store builder that allows you to sell retail items, take restaurant orders, and/or schedule appointments
• Square Invoices: Free invoice builder to send estimates, charge deposits, and charge cards on file for things like catering orders, multi-stage home improvement projects, or B2B retail orders
• Unlimited Devices: On the free plan, you can use an unlimited number of tablets at your location
• Square Checkout Links: Accept payments via QR code, hyperlink, email, text, social media profile, or buy button embedded in a website
• Square Dashboard: Manage your inventory, reports, online store, appointments, customer profiles, and your team from anywhere on one tablet dashboard

Square Online store builder for selling physical items and digital ones like memberships.

Restaurants will appreciate that Square offers delivery solutions for restaurants that have delivery staff as well as those who need to call on Square’s DoorDash delivery partners. You can also integrate Square with all major third-party delivery platforms, embed your Square ordering site on your Google business profile, and route all orders from all ordering sources to your kitchen display screens.

Service businesses such as salons or home repair businesses will appreciate the Google appointment booking integration, customer confirmation notifications and automated reminders, retail sales capabilities, and the ability to manage resources like manpower, in-store product usage, and tools.

Note: Square has limitations on Android devices. For example, you cannot manage Square Online store orders with Android tablets. For this, you’ll need to open Square on a web browser, not the Android-based app.

Square register, cash drawer, and receipt printer.

To use Square on your Android smartphone or tablet, you’ll need at least the $49 Square contactless card reader to accept chip and mobile wallet payments. This is ideal for businesses with no budget, especially mobile-only businesses.

Square’s proprietary hardware is Android-based, including the $299 Square Terminal and the new $249 Square Restaurant Mobile POS kit.

Square also offers register kits starting at $659, which include cash drawers, receipt printers, barcode scanners, and more. The provider also offers hardware peripherals such as weight scales and stands to create self-serve kiosks.

You may only use Square for payment processing, and the provider charges these payment processing fees for these payment types:

• Card-Present: 2.6% + $0.10 on the Free plan; 2.5% + $0.10 on the Plus plan
• Online: $2.9 + $0.30
• Invoice: 3.3% + $0.30
• Manually-Keyed Card: 3.5% + $0.15

Note: Online payments include payments made via online store, as well as QR codes and other Square Checkout links.

Square subscriptions are month-to-month, and you can cancel your account at any time without consequences.

If you damage your Square hardware within your hardware warranty period, even if you didn’t purchase the hardware directly from Square, the company will send you new equipment. Don’t forget to send old pieces back to Square within 14 days of getting your new hardware, or you will be charged for the new equipment.

We like Clover’s line of Android-based mobile and countertop POS systems, which are sleek, easy to set up, and generally user-friendly. We also appreciate Clover’s extensive app market that includes hundreds of general and niche add-on apps that integrate nicely with your POS software. Clover is made to work like an Android smartphone, so if you know how to use a smartphone, you’ll be able to figure out a Clover device.

Last, we appreciate that Clover allows you to choose where you purchase your POS hardware from several merchant services providers. When you purchase your Android POS system, you’ll also get your own merchant account with custom payment processing rates, which means that you’ll get the opportunity to get the best payment processing rates, not just the flat-rate processing fees provided by companies like Square and Shopify.

The prices listed are for plans purchased directly through Clover.

However, you can purchase your Clover POS system from a number of Clover-authorized sellers, so prices will vary. Read our Clover pricing guide to understand more about how much you may pay for your Clover hardware, software, and payment processing fees.

Clover offers retail, restaurant, and service-based business software plans. All Clover users will appreciate the provider’s built-in loyalty program and free online ordering page.

The real power of Clover comes from the app market, which offers everything from form builders to employee management apps to appointment schedulers. The niche gym membership integrations make Clover one of the best POS systems for gyms, while a more general ticketing app used in creative ways can make Clover one of the best coffee shop POS systems.

Clover POS app market categories.

Clover countertop POS system, handheld POS system, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and card reader.

Clover offers a handheld terminal, the Clover Flex, which costs $599 if you purchase it from Clover.com. This is great for mobile sellers, especially professional and field service providers like mobile hairdressers and landscapers.

The Clover Mini is a small countertop terminal ($799 on Clover.com) and includes a built-in receipt printer. The Clover Station is a full countertop solution with a cash drawer, receipt printer, and card reader. On Clover.com, the Clover Station costs $1,699.

It’s important to note that Clover hardware costs will vary depending on Clover hardware providers.

Clover payment processing rates vary depending on where you get your Clover hardware and accompanying merchant services from.

If you get your POS from Clover.com, you’ll pay 2.3% plus $0.10 for card-present transactions and 3.5% plus $0.10 for all card-not-present transactions, which includes invoice payments and online ordering website payments.

Small businesses can get flat-rate payment processing. Larger businesses can seek a merchant services provider that offers an interchange-plus payment processing model, the most cost-effective model for processing large sales volumes.

Read our post on the best Clover resellers to find a Clover-authorized merchant services provider with the best payment processing rates and contract terms for your business.

Clover offers 36-month and 48-month contracts with early termination fees should you cancel your contract early. There’s also nothing you can do with your Clover hardware if you stop using Clover POS software since Clover hardware is proprietary. The company won’t fix hardware that you obtain from any source other than Clover.com.

If you work with a Clover reseller, you are subject to that reseller’s terms, so do your research before committing. Read your contract and other customer reviews of your potential merchant service provider to avoid Clover scams.

The bottom line is that no matter where you get your Clover hardware, buying expensive proprietary hardware is a big commitment. So, make sure Clover is right for you before spending a lot of money on POS hardware.

We love that Toast has a complete suite of restaurant management software that integrates nicely with durable Android-based POS hardware and kitchen display systems. Using Toast, customers can order on touchscreen Android kiosks, from a server at the counter, or tableside with Toast’s high-quality handheld restaurant ordering system.

With Toast’s numerous product offerings, from payroll to employee scheduling to the Toast Kitchen Display, one of the best kitchen display systems, restaurants of all sizes can keep organized, cut costs, and pull in profits.

Toast also offers a suite of add-on products such as Toast Kitchen Display System, Toast Tips Manager, Toast Payroll, and Toast xtraCHEF, an inventory analysis/cost control tool that helps restaurant owners minimize waste and maximize profits. These products are all custom-priced, and you will get the best per-product price if you purchase multiple products at once.

Note: On the Pay-As-You-Go plan, you’ll pay an extra payment processing fee if you decide to add Toast’s digital ordering suite. While you won’t pay a monthly fee to add digital ordering, the higher payment processing fees often more than cover the monthly subscription of digital ordering from Toast.

Toast has an extensive number of proprietary software products that all integrate with the Android POS system. Each one touches on another aspect of running a mid-size to a large restaurant, such as employee scheduling and payroll, vendor management, and centralized multilocation management.

One of Toast’s most unique and comprehensive features that helps you pull in profits is the loyalty program you can offer customers, which includes:

• Multiple Enrollment Opportunities: Customers can enroll during or after checkout on in-person, self-serve kiosks, tableside, delivery, and takeout orders, plus via a link on your website.
• Custom Account Information: Customers can sign up via text or email and receive a welcome message, plus updates on your loyalty program.
• Earn On Every Purchase: Customers automatically earn points with every purchase made through a card linked to their loyalty account (automatically set to whatever card was used to pay for the order during signup). They may add more linked cards whenever they want and manually enter their loyalty account information on purchases made with cash or check.
• Customer Loyalty Account Link: Customers get their own digital loyalty account link where they can view their points, see ways they can earn, and add their birthday to get a birthday reward.
• Automated Redemption Prompt: Once customers have spent enough to earn a reward, they are automatically asked if they’d like to redeem it. This automated prompt shows up on online, takeout, and in-person orders, so customers will never forget to redeem their points.

Toast restaurant POS loyalty program signup prompt.

Toast also has stellar floor planning, order firing by prep time so that everything comes out at the same time (and temperature), extensive tip pooling and splitting, and large-party service management so that mid-size restaurants with several sections and menu offerings can effectively wait on customers.

Finally, Toast’s restaurant costing tool, xtraCHEF, allows you to create a catalog of vendors and an ordering guide so that anyone ordering stock can easily do so. You can generate one large purchase order from several vendors simultaneously or send one based on a previous invoice. The tool makes purchase ordering feel like a B2C experience, with an easy checkout function that looks like you’re just shopping online.

Toast restaurant POS system purchase ordering.

Toast handheld POS system, countertop POS system, kitchen display system, and PC restaurant management dashboard.

All Toast hardware is Android-based, including the countertop POS terminal, kitchen display systems, self-serve kiosks, and the Toast Go 2, one of the best handheld restaurant POS systems on the market.

On the Starter plan, you can choose a starter kit that includes 1-2 POS terminals and pay $0 upfront, but you will pay higher payment processing fees that will quickly add up to the cost of a POS system.

On the Standard plan, you may also choose a starter kit but must pay for your equipment upfront ($609 for the Toast Go 2, $799 for the countertop POS). Alternatively, you can sign up for the Standard plan and get a custom quote if you want to use several POS systems.

Midsize single-location and multilocation businesses will need to get a custom quote on a specialized Android POS hardware package.

Individuals who purchase a Starter Kit are subject to the following payment processing fees from Toast’s in-house payment processor:

• Pay-As-You-Go: 2.99% + $0.15 per transaction; 3.49% + $0.15 per transaction if you add Toast’s optional digital ordering suite
• Core: 2.49% + $0.15 per transaction

Individuals on the Core, New Restaurants, and Growth plans who get a custom hardware quote will also receive a custom payment processing rate.

Toast requires at least a two-year agreement and processing contract with Toast. If you decide to terminate your contract early, you will pay hefty fees to do so. If you choose Toast,  read your contract thoroughly and make sure you understand all the fees and how long you are committed.

We appreciate that Shopify has rolled out a retail-centric in-person POS app that blends well with the company’s excellent eCommerce platform. Shopify offers the “light” version of the POS app for free with all Shopify online store owners and an advanced “pro” version of the app at a reasonable price. Shopify also has the most free and paid add-on apps out of all the POS system for Android providers on this list, so you can really customize your online and on-site business management features.

Shopify works on most Android tablets and smartphones, although the retail kits Shopify offers are outfitted for iOS devices. Mobile businesses and independent sellers can sell on the go with the highly affordable Shopify card reader, while retail stores can use their POS devices at popup shops and events.

The affordable price point and easy setup make Shopify a great option for business owners who want to sell retail items, subscriptions, event tickets, services, and/or other nonperishables both online and in person.

Note: Shopify offers a three-day free trial; no credit card is required, so try Shopify yourself.

All plans come with the free POS Lite app. There is a POS Pro app you may add onto one of the above plans for an extra $89/month/location. This app comes with more employee permissions, better inventory reporting, and in-person workflow automations.

Your payment processing rate decreases on higher-level plans. Businesses with larger transaction volumes and inventory management needs should strongly consider upgrading to save money in the long run.

Read our guide to Shopify plans and pricing for an idea of what your business needs for fast growth.

Shopify’s unique features come in the form of its synced online/in-person sales features, which (depending on your version of the Android POS app) include:

• An elegant yet easy-to-use eCommerce store builder with in-store pickup, local delivery, and lots of shipping options
• Exchanges and returns on online items at any of your retail locations
• In-app social media sales through TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more, so customers can buy products without having to leave their feed
• Integrations with online marketplaces such as Etsy, Walmart, Amazon, and Wish so you can get more sales and more exposure online
• Inventory syncing between all online and offline sales platforms

Return online purchase at Shopify POS register.

Additionally, Shopify’s app market of over 8,000 add-on apps (both free and paid) for your online store and your Android POS system. These apps allow you to add functions like event ticket sales, subscription sales, a catalog builder, customer accounts, a loyalty program, an appointment booking calendar, gift registry and wish list signups, and more.

There are very few limitations with Shopify for both online and in-person sellers, which is why we consider Shopify to be one of the best retail POS systems on the market.

Shopify card reader.

Shopify works on any Android tablet or smartphone. The Shopify card reader costs $49. Shopify’s retail kits are built for iOS devices, so you won’t be able to use them with Android tablets.

The Shopify app paired with the company’s card reader makes Shopify one of the best mobile POS systems for retail stores.

Shopify offers its own in-house payment processor, Shopify Payments, in a number of countries. To avoid transaction fees that range from 0.5% to 2% per transaction, qualified business owners must use Shopify Payments.

Shopify Payments charges a payments processing fee between 2.4% and 2.7% for in-person orders, while online orders have a processing fee between 2.4% and 2.9%, plus a $0.30 flat fee.

The higher your monthly Shopify subscription, the lower your payment processing fees will be. As companies increase their sales volumes, they should move to a higher plan to save money on fees. At some point, it may be worth it for larger businesses to switch to a third-party payment services provider that offers better payment processing rates and just pay the transaction fees.

Shopify has monthly and annual contracts. Annual contracts have better pricing, and Shopify doesn’t charge early termination fees. However, you won’t get a refund on any plan, so consider this as you’re purchasing your subscription plan. As always, make extensive use of your free trial before committing.

Most Shopify POS users get a one-year warranty on Shopify POS hardware. If you sign up for the POS Pro plan, you’ll get an extended two-year warranty.

We love that Helcim offers a completely free Android POS solution with custom interchange-plus payment processing rates (which can lead to lower fees) to all businesses. It’s a flexible enough free POS for basic retail and food sales, but we believe that Helcim is best for companies that provide services and/or subscriptions to other businesses, government organizations, and/or retail consumers. This could be in addition to one-off sales (e.g. your spa sells clients at-home facial serums on a one-time or subscription basis.)

This is because Helcim has a secure card/bank vault to safely store customer and organization payment information, so you can charge an account on file for an invoice or a recurring subscription payment automatically without any worry about data breaches.

Service-based businesses will appreciate Helcim’s custom invoice builder that you can use to send quotes, estimates, invoices, and receipts. There are also custom invoice payment settings. If someone pays part of an invoice at the register, you can attach the payment to that invoice at the time of checkout.

Subscription-based businesses can create custom subscription rules and tiers, and get feedback on any canceled accounts. You can also add customers to a subscription at the register, provide free trials, and sell add-ons (online or in person).

Helcim started as a merchant services provider and, from there, built free Android POS software, so you only pay your payment processing fees (which you have to pay no matter which POS system you use).

With all checkouts, whether online or in person, customers will be automatically added to a customer registry. You can sign customers up for subscriptions, take deposits and partial payments, and send invoices, in addition to quickly adding custom products and services, all with an Android tablet or smartphone.

Helcim’s unique subscription settings include the ability to create free trials, customer portals so they can manage their own subscriptions, bill on a prorated or metered basis, add one-time fees and add-ons, and send automated reminders to customers when their card is about to expire. If a customer cancels a subscription, you can also get feedback about why they canceled to improve your offering.

Add a customer to a subscription tier at Helcim tablet POS.

Service-based businesses will appreciate the system’s drag-and-drop template builder that allows you to customize information fields. You can build quotes, estimates, and invoices with custom recurring payment schedules. With customer cards/accounts on file, you can bill automatically so customers won’t miss deadlines. You can also send reminders about upcoming and overdue invoice payments.

Helcim POS custom invoice theme designer.

Finally, with Helcim’s higher levels of payment processing security, you can accept B2B and B2G (business to government) payments and get lower payment processing fees.

Helcim POS on smartphone, tablet, and desktop, plus Helcim card reader.

To take sales, all you need is a tablet (or smartphone or desktop device, you can use just about anything), and the $109 Helcim card reader.

Helcim allows you to have an unlimited number of devices in an unlimited number of locations.

All business owners, no matter their size or industry, will get their own custom interchange-plus payment processing rate. For many business owners, interchange-plus processing is much more cost-effective than flat-rate processing provided by companies such as Square and Shopify.

The company offers a calculator on its website to give you an idea of how much you may pay per transaction based on your industry, total monthly sales volumes, average transaction size, payment method mix (online or in-person), and card mix (e.g. Visa, Discover, etc.)

The more money your company makes, and the higher the average transaction size, the better your payment processing rates will be.

Note: Helcim allows you to capture Level 3 transaction data, which translates to less risk on the part of credit card companies, volume payment processing discounts, and a lower payment processing rate for your business. With a Level 3 PCI compliance level, you can also accept corporate cards and government spend account payments.

Helcim offers flexible month-to-month contracts and charges no early termination fees, making Helcim a low-risk POS provider for you to try out.

Loyverse has several industry-specific and general features built into its framework. It also has several great features that normally only come with paid POS software, including a built-in loyalty program, kitchen display system, and multilocation support. Loyverse works completely offline as well, so mobile businesses can rest assured that this POS software won’t stop working on the go.

The free app is compatible with several POS hardware options and payment processors, so you’ll get more freedom to choose with Loyverse than with some other POS providers.

The only downside of Loyverse is that it doesn’t have native eCommerce capabilities, so if you want to focus on online sales, you’ll need to pay for an eCommerce integration or choose another POS option.

Loyverse is free to download and use forever. The following are paid add-ons:

• Advanced Inventory Management: $25/month; great for wholesalers and more complex inventory needs
• Employee Management: $25/month; great for businesses with different employee levels and user access needs
• Integrations: $9/month; necessary for connecting Loyverse to an eCommerce website, accounting apps, and delivery apps

Loyverse is a free POS software available for download on the Google Play Store, which means that you can use it offline and sell from anywhere, with Wi-Fi or without.

All business owners will appreciate that Loyverse offers a free customizable loyalty program builder that can help you retain a local customer base. This is a very uncommon feature among POS systems.

Multilocation business owners will be able to monitor multiple establishments under one account, another very unique free feature. Customers can collect and redeem loyalty points at any of your establishments while you monitor the inventory and performance of all your locations.

Restaurant, bar, and grocery store owners will appreciate these unique industry-specific features:

• Perishable and liquid inventory management
• Free kitchen display system/kitchen printer order routing capabilities
• Takeout/delivery sales options
• Sales by weight, which is great if you sell fresh food in containers and/or fresh produce

Loyverse free kitchen display app syncs to Loyverse POS.

iMin Android POS devices that are compatible with Loyverse software.

The Loyverse app can be downloaded on Android devices from the Google Play store. Compatible card readers range from $20 to $250, depending on what credit card processor you work with.

Loyverse also supports a wide assortment of hardware, including printers, barcode scanners, and Android terminals from providers like iMin and Summi.

Loyverse integrates with several payment processors, including PayPal Zettle, SumUp, and Worldpay.

There are no contract requirements to install the Loyverse app on Android. However, you may have to sign a contract with your payment processor, depending on which option you choose.

We like that KORONA is such a flexible POS system that works across all device types, including Android. The provider offers flexible monthly plans and allows you to choose your own payment processing service provider, which is great for high-risk businesses that don’t qualify for providers like Square or Shopify.

KORONA offers great loss prevention features like forced till counts, and blind stock takes, plus highly custom employee and manager restrictions so only certain people can change prices, void items, make returns, and change anything in your back office setup. You can use your Android smartphone to perform many inventory management tasks using the company’s inventory app.

We also appreciate that KORONA has niche features and partner integrations specifically for businesses in high-risk industries that must adhere to more regulations than other business types do. For example, KORONA’s built-in ID scanner makes this software one of the best liquor store POS systems, while its partner integration with springbig allows businesses to create compliant cannabis marketing campaigns.

KORONA is an excellent solution for businesses selling cannabis, vapes, cigars/cigarettes, adult entertainment products, and other high-risk or regulated items. It’s also great for businesses that need to deter theft and loss, places like liquor stores and convenience stores.

Note: KORONA offers an unlimited free trial, no credit card required. You only start paying monthly fees once you’re ready to accept customer payments, so you can take your time building your custom POS solution.

KORONA POS pricing is as follows:

• Core: $59/month/terminal; best for small stores looking for core checkout functions, employee and manager restrictions, and an eCommerce integration
• Advanced: $69/month/terminal; best for small/medium stores that need inventory management and employee time tracking
• Plus: $89/month/terminal; best for multilocation businesses, franchises, and stores looking for better inventory features
• Custom: Quote-based; best for businesses looking for ticket/event management, pre-built KORONA integrations, and a dedicated account manager

Sine KORONA pricing is per terminal, we recommend that you consider how many terminals you really need in your stores before you sign on with KORONA. You can always add more terminals later.

KORONA’s most unique Android POS system features are its loss prevention features, affordable inventory management, and franchise capabilities.

You’ll get these loss prevention features with KORONA:

• Forced drawer closing, blind till counts, and restricting cash drawer access to open only when they make a sale
• RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag scanning at self-checkout registers to ensure that no items are left unscanned
• Require manager approval for item voids, price changes, item returns, and inventory changes
• Run cash drawer reports at any time, at the end of shifts, and set maximum allowed balance differences
• Cashier balance and time tracking reports
• Restrict which cashiers can grant permissions to other cashiers (used for managers who need to be able to use registers but will also need to create new cashiers and associated cashier permissions)

KORONA POS system cashier permissions.

KORONA offers great inventory management capabilities for its price point, and even general businesses can appreciate these features:

• Set reordering levels with preferred vendor/warehouse reordering sources
• Pack to single item conversion (great for selling items like cigarettes and liquor bottles)
• Product performance reports, including slow sellers, product movement, and reorder optimization level recommendations
• Stock difference lists and product discrepancy reports
• Inventory app so you can send purchase orders, receive items, and scan barcodes from your phone (Plus plan and higher only)

KORONA POS system set reordering levels.

Franchise owners will appreciate the ability to create portals for franchisees with restricted user permissions. You’ll also get franchise revenue reports and a royalty collection setup.

KORONA POS tablet, countertop register, barcode scanner, and card reader.

You may use KORONA on just about any smartphone, tablet, or desktop device, or purchase KORONA’s POS bundles (which you’ll get a custom quote for.)

KORONA is compatible with hardware from Epson, PartnerTech, PAX, Genius, Dejavoo, Econduit, Aures, Honeywell, and more. Most hardware accessories are connected via ethernet cables to ports in a centralized POS hub.

KORONA does not offer in-house payment processing but instead integrates with several payment processors, including Merchant Warehouse and Merchant Payment Systems.

You can also integrate KORONA with several merchant service providers through PAX and Dejavoo payment devices.

KORONA offers month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees. You can pay for an annual contract and get one month free.

The provider also offers an unlimited free trial so you can try out the software for as long as you need to before committing to it.

You do have to be careful about your merchant agreement and make sure the terms are fair for your business. High-risk business owners should expect to pay a little more for payment processing than other lower-risk business owners.