How to Choose a Square POS Alternative
Square is a great free, simple starting point, but businesses look elsewhere for three main reasons: flat-rate processing gets expensive as sales grow, inventory and multi-location needs outgrow its basics, and some retailers and restaurants want industry-specific workflows. The right replacement depends on which of those you hit.
If ecommerce is central, Shopify POS unifies online and in-store, while Lightspeed leads for large catalogs and multiple locations. If you mainly need to take mobile payments cheaply, SumUp keeps it simple, and Loyverse offers a genuinely free POS.
For lower fees at scale or specialized retail, KORONA, Epos Now, and Hike are worth a look, and Odoo POS fits teams that want it inside a wider business suite. Match the tool to your volume, catalog, and whether you sell online too.
Square Alternatives Compared
Every published price below was checked against the vendor's own pricing page in July 2026. The Square row is included so you can see what each alternative competes against.
| Alternative | Best for | Starting price (verified July 2026) | Free tier | Why teams switch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify POS | Omnichannel retail selling online and in store | Shopify from $39/mo; POS Pro $89/location | No | Unifies online and in-store selling |
| Lightspeed Retail | Large catalogs and multiple locations | Basic from $109/mo | No | Advanced inventory and multi-location |
| SumUp | Low-cost mobile card payments | Free software; from 2.6% per tap | Yes | No monthly fee, simple mobile reader |
| Loyverse POS | Free POS with inventory and loyalty | Free POS software | Yes | Genuinely free with more retail features |
| Odoo POS | Teams wanting POS inside a business suite | One app free; Standard about $25/user/mo | Yes (one app) | POS connected to full ERP |
| KORONA POS | Retailers wanting lower processing fees | From about $59/mo per terminal | No | Processor-agnostic, strong inventory |
| Epos Now | Retail and hospitality on a budget | From about $39/mo | No | Affordable POS with app marketplace |
| Hike | Multi-channel retail POS | From about $59/mo | No | Cloud retail POS with ecommerce sync |
| SpotOn | Restaurants and local retail | Custom quote | Quote-based | Restaurant tools with local support |
| Copper Point of Sales | Simple offline-capable retail POS | Custom quote | Quote-based | Straightforward register that runs offline |
| Square (for reference) | Small businesses wanting free, simple POS | Free software; 2.6% + 15c per tap or dip | Yes | The baseline these alternatives compete with |
How We Scored These Alternatives
Match scores weigh four things: how well the tool covers what Square does well, strength where buyers say Square falls short (processing cost at volume, inventory depth, and industry-specific workflows), value at typical business sizes, and ease of use. A higher score means a closer fit for the widest range of businesses, not that it wins for every use case.
Sources
Pricing verified in July 2026 against each vendor pricing page: Shopify POS pricing, Lightspeed pricing, SumUp pricing, Loyverse pricing, Odoo pricing, KORONA pricing, and Epos Now pricing. SpotOn and Copper Point of Sales quote each customer individually.
Verified on 8 July 2026 by the SaaSRat editorial team. Pricing changes often; confirm current rates on the vendor site before purchasing.
