S
Square
4.6 /5
Simple, low-barrier POS for brick-and-mortar businesses
- Software
- $0+ per month
- In-person rate
- 2.6% + 15¢
retailrestaurantqsr
POS fit guide
Is Shopify POS a good POS for retail stores?
Shopify POS is a strong option for retail stores: #3 of 5 in our scoring for this segment.
What retail stores need from a POS
Retailers live and die by inventory accuracy, purchase orders, barcode and variant handling, and reporting that ties margin to SKUs.
- Deep inventory with variants, barcodes and purchase orders
- Stock counts and low-stock alerts
- Per-SKU margin and sell-through reporting
- A customer directory and loyalty
Where Shopify POS fits
- Scores well on integrations — the areas that matter most for retail stores.
- No contract or long-term commitment, so a bad fit is easy to walk away from.
- True unified commerce — one backend for web, retail and social
- Excellent product, inventory and customer data model
Watch-outs
- Advanced retail features require the $89/mo POS Pro add-on per location
- Not built for food service — no kitchen or table management
- Using an outside processor instead of Shopify Payments adds a per-transaction fee
Shopify POS pricing at a glance
- Software
- $39+ per month (Basic plan)
- In-person rate
- 2.6% + 10¢
- Commitment
- No contract
How Shopify POS compares for retail
Among the 5 platforms we review that serve retail stores, Shopify POS ranks #3 for this use case (4.4/5 overall). See the full ranking in our best POS for retail guide .
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify POS good for retail stores?
Shopify POS is a strong option for retail stores: #3 of 5 in our scoring for this segment. Scores well on integrations — the areas that matter most for retail stores. The main watch-out: advanced retail features require the $89/mo pos pro add-on per location
How much does Shopify POS cost for a retail store?
Software runs $39+ per month (Basic plan), in-person card processing is 2.6% + 10¢, and the commitment is: No contract. Run a real month of your card volume through our processing-fee calculator to get an effective rate.
What is the best alternative to Shopify POS for retail?
Square is the closest alternative we'd shortlist (it scores 4.6/5). Compare them side by side on our Shopify POS vs Square page.
Setting up Shopify POS for your retail store?
Tell us your setup and volume — we’ll come back with real pricing and the closest alternatives.
Shopify POS for other business types
Other POS systems for retail stores
Shopify POS for retail stores by city
Same fit, plus local sales tax, surcharging rules and tipping norms.