The 10 Best Mobile POS Systems for 2023 Tested and Compared

The best mobile POS system will allow you to manage your sales from just about every location, as all you’ll need is a smartphone or tablet. Instead of installing bulky terminals, you can carry these handheld portable POS systems in your back pocket and record orders, print receipts, and accept payments.

However, with so many tools available, it can be difficult to zero in on the one that perfectly aligns with your needs. That’s why we’ve researched and reviewed dozens of solutions to identify the 10 best mobile POS systems based on criteria like pricing, compatibility, features, integration, and customer support. Keep reading to learn why platforms like Square, TouchBistro, and Toast have been industry leaders for years.

The 10 Best Mobile Point of Sale Solutions Ranked

Here’s a quick sneak peek into the best features of our top recommendations so you know what to expect from this comprehensive guide:

1. Square — Overall, the best mobile POS system, which is ideal for taking custom orders and quick menu access. You can also offer automated discounts for faster checkouts.
2. TouchBistro — Highly recommended for its great table and floor management tool. It allows you to take reservations in advance and seamlessly switch tables without losing orders.
3. Toast — The best mobile POS for small businesses, which lets you get started for free. It also has best-in-class security tools to safeguard every transaction against fraud.
4. Lavu — Popular POS solution with a dual-pricing feature so you can chalk up different pricing schemes for different credit cards and cash payments. Its Kitchen Display System makes it ideal for restaurants and eateries.
5. Clover — A versatile tool that allows you to create a separate profile for each employee so you can track their activities and monitor individual sales. This POS’s cost-tracking feature will help you keep your inventory budget in check.
6. Shopify — One of the most affordable and well-rounded POS systems. Along with offering free online stores on every plan, it also comes with a fantastic cash tracking tool to prevent employee theft.
7. Lightspeed — Ideal mobile POS system for established businesses that want premium services like card-based customer authentication. You’ll get a dedicated customer success manager, a personalized consultant, a dedicated support team, and much more.
8. Epos — One of the best customer support teams in the industry, with a built-in age verification tool that can be used to sell products like alcohol and e-cigarettes. It also has a flat 1.7% processing fee, unlike other transaction-based POS systems.
9. Revel Systems — Top choice if you want 100% control over online ordering. You can either do everything in-house with Online Ordering XT and Delivery XT or outsource delivery to drivers using Driver XT.
10. Loyverse — One of the few tools with a free-forever plan for POS, with a kitchen display and customer display. Even the add-ons are pretty cheap and start at just $5.

What is a Mobile POS System?

With the ability to accept various payment methods, including credit cards and digital wallets, mobile POS systems are perfect for on-the-go businesses, food trucks, pop-up shops, and other settings where a stationary POS terminal might be impractical.

Mobile POS terminals streamline transactions, enhance customer service, and provide valuable insights into sales data while meeting the demands of a dynamic, modern, mobile-centric marketplace.

Why You Need a Mobile POS Solution

Here are some reasons why your business needs a mobile POS solution.

• Layout Flexibility: Mobile POS systems mean you don’t need dedicated registers, freeing up floor space and creating a more customer-friendly store design.
• Shorter Wait Times: mPOS systems empower staff to take payments on the go, reducing checkout wait times and enhancing the shopping experience.
• Increased Sales: Faster transactions and personalized service can boost customer satisfaction and increase sales and loyalty.
• Cost Savings: mPOS systems often include inventory and customer management features, reducing the need for additional devices and lowering expenses associated with traditional POS systems.
• Enhanced Mobility: With no fixed location requirement, mobile POS systems are ideal for businesses on the move, such as food trucks, mobile coffee bars, and flower carts.
• Improved Convenience: Customers can make purchases anywhere in the store, and staff can provide a streamlined, personalized shopping experience.
• Greater Productivity: Equipping staff with mPOS systems allows them to handle checkouts while multitasking, boosting overall productivity and efficiency.
• Limits Business Liability: Mobile POS systems don’t store customer credit or debit card details, reducing the chance of security breaches. This saves businesses significant costs on data security measures.

The Best Mobile POS Apps Compared

Here’s a table highlighting the key differences between each of our top picks so you can compare them side by side and make a quick yet informed decision on the best POS system for mobile for your business:

Reviews of the Top 10 Portable POS Solutions

Excited to find the best mobile POS to fit your business? We’ll now dive into our detailed reviews of each of our top recommendations, including their best features, pros and cons, and pricing. Ready?

1. Square — Overall, the Best Mobile POS System, Making Custom Ordering a Breeze

Square offers flexible POS hardware that can be used on the go or with the rest of your counter setup. It comes in the form of light and compact tablets you can easily carry around the store.

If you want to put the device down at the counter, you’ll find a range of tablet stands on Square, too. Plus, you’ll find the app with all Square’s functionality on Google Play and Apple Store for Android and iOS devices, respectively – so you can use it on whatever device you like.

We recommend Square’s POS software for restaurants and fast food joints. Its Item Modifier feature helps you take custom orders with all the modifications printed on a receipt, so your customer knows exactly what they’re being charged for.

For faster checkouts, Square also offers custom item grids. Here, you can store the menu items. For instance, if a pumpkin spice latte is your best-selling product during the fall season, it makes sense to have a shortcut that’ll let you add it to the bill in a click. The faster the line moves, the happier your customers will be.

You can also speed up checkout with automated discounts, adding offers to categories or items so every time someone orders them, the discount is added to the bill without you having to manually enter it.

If you’re dealing in expensive items, you’ll like Square’s AfterPay feature. It’s a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solution that lets your customers pay in four installments over six weeks. You get all your money at the time of sale, however, without having to wait.

Providing a credit solution that allows your customers to pay over time allows them to make larger purchases than they could otherwise afford, and it does so without exposing you to credit risk.

2. TouchBistro — Highly Recommended for Table and Floor Management

TouchBistro, as the name suggests, is a dedicated restaurant management software product. Its services extend far beyond a regular checkout POS, though.

For instance, it comes with a unique table and floor tool that helps you manage your in-person service better. You can integrate your TouchBistro Reservations and then use your POS system to take reservations for your guests in advance.

You can also use the app to smoothly make transfers. Since the POS system will have a record of everyone’s tables and orders, no items will be lost during switches.

It also simplifies tableside ordering. Instead of shuttling between tables and a register, your servers can carry mobile TouchBistro POS iPads and take orders.

One of the most interesting features here is the upsell pop-up, which reminds your servers to offer additional products. If your customers order steak, a preconfigured pop-up can remind servers to recommend sides, such as potatoes or salad. This functionality also puts TouchBistro near the top of our list for the best POS for bars.

TouchBistro’s POS also simplifies bill splitting. You can split evenly or by simply dragging and dropping items ordered to individual guests, making the process extremely simple.

What’s more, TouchBistro’s interface is very user-friendly. It’s neat, intuitive, and easy to navigate. The options are clear and neatly ordered in the menus. Even if you aren’t used to POS systems, TouchBistro will be a breeze.

One thing that may bother some users is that, as of now, TouchBistro only works on iPads – you’ll find the TouchBistro POS app on the Apple App Store. It’s also more squarely geared towards eateries than services like Square – though it does have a deeper feature set for the category.

3. Toast — Best Mobile Point of Sale System for Small Businesses, with a Free Starter Plan

Toast, a popular restaurant POS service provider, lets you get started for free with its Quick Starter Bundle. This comes with the main hardware and basic cloud POS features like billing and accepting payments, which will be enough for most small businesses.

If you want to access its more advanced features, you’ll have to move up to the paid plans, but the switch is worth it. The paid plans offer a built-in payment fraud monitoring tool, for example, which constantly analyzes your transactions and detects and blocks charges that seem suspicious so you can avoid chargebacks.

The pricing and range of features on offer are very reminiscent of TouchBistro. Other features include industry-standard encryption, an Address Verification System for online orders, and hardware equipped with EMV and NFC technology, which add a few more layers of security to each transaction.

Currently, it works on Android phones and tablets, giving you a lot of choices for hardware – but excluding iPads – and the app is available for download on the Google Play Store.

Toast also provides a dedicated takeout app to let customers order from anywhere. Unlike third-party platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, you don’t have to pay commission – everything you earn is yours.

It also comes with a power-packed offline mode where you can not only process payments but also print order tickets and receipts without an internet connection. Once you have an internet connection, you can then send your payments through to be recorded.

4. Lavu — Popular POS Solution with Dual Pricing to Offer Cash Discounts

Lavu’s biggest USP is its dual pricing feature, which lets you put different prices for the same item depending on the mode of payment or whether it’s online or offline.

Online payments through card or payment apps often come with a processing fee. So, if you want to keep your profit margin intact despite the fees, you can increase the price for online transactions while keeping the prices low for cash payments.

Another way that Lavu helps you increase your profit is through its Best-Seller report. This report identifies and highlights the products that are most popular among your customers.

This information helps you in two ways – you’ll know what’s in demand, so you’ll stock up your inventory accordingly. Plus, you’ll also understand what kind of items your customers usually like and recommend similar items to them.

We also loved its intuitive Kitchen Display System – the perfect way to maintain seamless communication between the servers and the chefs at the back.

All the orders you take on your POS handheld devices can be sent to the kitchen display at the back with just a few clicks. This is a much more efficient way of communicating, saving any misunderstandings that can arise from verbal orders.

It also offers some really interesting add-on options. For example, to keep customers coming back, you can engage them in a loyalty program named Lavu Loyalty – a benefit available in all three plans.

Similarly, if you have a restaurant with a bar, you can integrate with Digital Pour or Bar-i Liquid Accounting to get insights into bar performance and manage liquor inventory.

Since it’s an entirely iPad-based POS system, you won’t find any apps for Android, but you can download it to your iPhone for quick access.

5. Clover — Ideal POS System for Businesses

Unlike several of the tools on our list, Clover isn’t made exclusively for restaurants. In fact, it has tools for sectors including professional services, home services, personal services, and retail, among others.

Along with a compact handheld POS system with a built-in card reader, you can download the Clover Go app on your Android or iOS devices for flexibility.

Its biggest USP, as explored in our full Clover POS review, is that it lets you create separate profiles for employees and customers. The profile for employees lets you track the activities of individual team members as and when they log in for the day.

You can check the total sales they made, the tips they collected, and the items that sold during their shift. Creating customer profiles helps you keep track of loyal customers – their likes, dislikes, loyalty program updates, and feedback can all be found here.

This information will come in immensely handy when designing a new campaign. Plus, if you need help crafting CRM activities like birthday/anniversary discounts, you’ll find all the necessary details in the customer database.

We really liked Clover’s cost tracking feature – the perfect tool to keep your inventory’s budget under check. You can check cost by item, and details like how much each item costs to stock.

Although this feature is only available on the Clover Flex Register plan, using these tools with the auto-generated sales reports is the best way to identify your best-selling products. These two reports can also help you calculate the overall profit margin of each item so you’ll know which products to promote.

6. Shopify — One of the Most Affordable POS Solutions, with a Free Online Store

Shopify has been dominating the ecommerce and retail space since 2006. It is well known for its wide-range compatibility with different devices. Available for both Android and iOS, you can use the app on your smartphone as well as a tablet.

The best thing about Shopify is that there are some useful features available on all the plans regardless of the price. This way, you aren’t forced to upgrade to a costlier plan for a basic benefit.

For instance, all Shopify plans let you create unlimited registers, which can be used to set up multiple checkout points. These cash registers can also be paired with a cash tracking tool.

When the tracking is turned on, you’ll be able to see every penny that comes in and goes out of your till. This includes the direct payment you receive from your customers as well as the change given out by your employees.

Cash tracking can also take care of other forms of payments, such as credit cards. With such a detailed audit trail, it’s almost impossible for anyone to steal from you.

You get access to a unified inventory where you can track the stock for your online and in-person store – no more struggling to keep up with the stock of two inventories.

Another feature that makes Shopify the perfect POS solution for new businesses is it comes with a free website.

The “Sell In-person” plans come with a simple online store for your business, whereas the “Sell Everywhere” plans come with a custom online store that you can design as per your wish. If you don’t already have an online site for your store, Shopify can save you the trouble of looking into the best website builder.

7. Lightspeed — Versatile POS Solution with Card-Based Customer Authentication

Lightspeed caters to four different industries – retail, restaurants, ecommerce, and golf – and offers separate plans for each. We highly recommend it for established businesses looking for premium services, especially because of its diverse hardware options. As of now, the app is available for Android, iOS, and Albert devices.

Its Enterprise plan for each industry (with a bit of variation) comes with a dedicated support team, a customer success manager, a personal consultant, a dedicated premium support team, and so on. In short, there’ll be an entire team from Lightspeed’s end ensuring that your business works smoothly every day.

There are a few other interesting features that caught our attention. For instance, the restaurant POS tool comes with Pre-auth bar mode, which lets you open a customer tab with a swipe of their card. Doing so helps you ensure they have enough funds in their account before you start serving them.

You can also close their tab in just one click. This process also helps you verify that the customer in front of you is the rightful owner of the card.

Similarly, the retail POS plan helps you offer an omnichannel loyalty program. You already know what a loyalty program is – it’s a scheme designed for loyal customers where each purchase earns them virtual points that they can use to get discounts on their next purchase.

What Lightspeed does is simplify it further by allowing you to use the same loyalty program for all your customers – whether they are online or offline. It saves you the trouble of managing multiple loyalty programs.

The ecommerce POS plan comes with a free plan that helps you launch your store online. Once you’re all set, you can move to one of the paid plans where you’ll have the option to automate tax calculation, add multiple lingual stores to reach a global audience, create discounts, and market your products online.

8. Epos — Excellent Customer Support and Charges a Fixed Fee of 1.7% on Card Transactions

Epos comes with a bunch of extra tools that give it an edge over the other POS systems. For instance, its most interesting feature is the built-in age verification tool. If you’re selling age-sensitive items like alcohol, this tool will help you stay compliant with local laws.

It also comes with multiple-choice menus that help you upsell customers. Epos lets you create combo orders in advance so you can quickly bill a customer and keep the line moving.

For fancy, sit-down restaurants, Epos offers an intuitive kitchen display where your servers can not only share customer orders with the chefs at the back but can also add notes on allergy and dietary restrictions of the customers, simplifying communication between the two teams.

Another thing that we love about Epos is its fixed transaction processing fee. Usually, the processing fee varies from card to card. But with Epos, you’ll always only pay a flat 1.7% on every transaction.

Since you’ll know what percentage of your profits will be taken as a fee beforehand, you can price your items accordingly and keep your revenue intact.

If you’re not a tech expert and are looking for an easy POS system, we highly recommend Epos. It comes with one-on-one onboarding support for new users, and once you are all set up, you can still access technical support 24/7.

And as a cherry on top, it has dedicated apps for Android and iOS devices for both smartphones and tablets.

9. Revel Systems — Comes with Built-In CRM Tools to Help Retain Customers

Revel Systems caters to two industries – retail and restaurants. The retail POS features are best for building customer engagement. It comes with a built-in CRM app that allows you to offer loyalty programs to long-term customers.

The mobile POS system also comes with a customer-facing display so that they can check the prices as you scan each item.

They’ll also be able to see all the taxes and discounts you add to the bill directly from the screen so that there’ll be no discrepancies in the bill later on. You can also take advantage of this customer-facing display by adding a tipping prompt for the customer.

The restaurant management tools also offer complete start-to-end support. The process starts with order management, which has the best-in-class interface that’ll make your team’s life so much easier.

It lets you replicate your restaurant’s floor plan, and then you can place the pending orders on their respective tables so the server knows where to go. It also helps you quickly filter through in-person and online orders so your team can prioritize accordingly.

Although it has a fully functional iOS app available on the App Store, for Android devices, it only has a KDS (Kitchen Display System) app on the Google Play Store.

Revel Systems offers unique solutions for online orders for those who don’t want to rely on third-party apps like Doordash. You can sign up for Revel System’s native online ordering solutions, such as Online Ordering XT and Delivery XT, where you get to control the entire process.

Or you can connect to Driver XT – a tool powered by Doordash where you can outsource delivery to other drivers while keeping everything else in-house.

10. Loyverse — Offers a Free-Forever POS, Kitchen Display, and Customer Display

Loyverse is the only completely free POS software on the list and has almost everything a small business needs. You only have to pay for the add-ons if you want extra features.

You can manage multiple stores under one account, and you can accept both cash and card payments. You can also track your transactions just like Shopify so that you can stop your team from making mistakes or manipulating the numbers without you knowing.

For each of these transactions, you can also generate receipts and have them printed or sent over to the customer via email.

What we loved the most about Loyverse is its Weighted Barcode tool. Scanning these barcodes brings up the pre-recorded weight of the item. If you’re selling items by weight, you, hence, won’t need an extra scale to do the calculation.

Other necessary POS tools, such as a kitchen display, dashboard, and customer display, are also available under separate yet free Loyverse software.

Now, let’s talk about the add-ons – why might you need one? If you want unlimited sales reports, i.e., reports from years ago, when you first started using Loyverse, all that you’ll have to do is pay an extra $5 per store. These reports will usually come in handy for research purposes.

You can check patterns in profits and losses, identify best-selling products or best-performing salesmen, and use them to create growth strategies that’ll skyrocket your revenue.

You can also manage your employees for an extra $5/month/employee. This covers managing their access rights to the system, timecards, and tracking sales made by individual team members.

Last but not least, Loyverse has dedicated apps for both Android and iOS devices. Just make sure you have the required versions of iOS 12.0 or higher and Android 5.0 or higher, and you’re good to go.

What to Look for in a Mobile Point of Sale System

Whether you’re a small retailer, a pop-up shop, or a restaurant owner, selecting the right mPOS system is crucial to streamline operations, enhance customer service, and drive growth. Let’s look into the key factors to consider when choosing an mPOS for your business.

Compare Features

Once you’ve identified your business needs, you can assess various mPOS systems by considering their features. Here are some key features to evaluate:

• Cloud Features: Look for mPOS systems with cloud capabilities to automatically store your data in the cloud, safeguarding against data loss.
• Offline Mode: A system with offline mode enables transaction processing even in the absence of a Wi-Fi connection or when the connection is unsecured.
• Multiple Payment Options: Consider mPOS systems that support a range of payment types, including card transactions, contactless payments, and even cash handling.
• Inventory Management: Opt for systems equipped with inventory management features that track inventory levels in real-time with each customer purchase.
• Customer Metrics: Seek mPOS systems that offer customer metrics, allowing you to monitor purchase frequency and value, providing valuable insights for profit optimization.
• Gift Card Management: Evaluate systems that facilitate both physical and virtual gift card and coupon processing, simplifying gift card and promotional operations for your business.

Simplicity 

Make a list of the essential features your business needs, whether in-depth analytics, instant digital receipt printing, or the ability to offer rewards to loyal customers.

Your team members must find the chosen mobile POS system’s interface intuitive for both usage and troubleshooting. Everyone has their own idea of what’s user-friendly when it comes to a handheld POS system, so ensure it matches your team’s preferences.

Affordability

Affordability is key when looking into the best POS systems, whether for mobile use or overall. Beyond the software subscription costs, it’s important to account for the expenses associated with the necessary hardware.

Look for a system that fits your budget and offers a transparent pricing structure. And, consider the costs of mobile devices, such as tablets or smartphones, and peripherals like receipt printers, barcode scanners, or cash drawers.

Remember that some providers offer hardware bundles that can be more cost-effective than purchasing items individually. Moreover, assess additional costs, such as setup fees, transaction fees, and support charges.

Integrations

Integration ensures that all aspects of your business work cohesively, reducing manual data entry, streamlining processes, and providing a comprehensive overview of your operations.

It also allows for the future scalability of your business, enabling you to adapt and expand while maintaining a well-integrated and efficient mPOS system.

PCI Compliance

PCI compliance ensures the system meets the security standards to protect sensitive customer payment data.

Your mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) solution must comply with industry standards to ensure protection against potential security breaches and data theft, which may result in legal and financial consequences.

Look for mPOS providers prioritizing PCI compliance and regularly updating their systems to meet the latest security requirements, providing a secure environment for your business and your customers.

Service Provider

When choosing a wireless POS system, remember it’s not just about the product – you’re also entering a business relationship with the company behind it. To assess potential POS providers, ask some important questions:

• Financial Stability: Is the company financially stable, or could it face financial issues in the near future? You’ll want a reliable partner who won’t go out of business soon.
• Primary Focus: Is POS their primary business focus? Companies dedicated to POS often have more expertise and a greater commitment to their products.
• Industry Experience: Does the company have experience serving businesses in your industry? This demonstrates whether they understand the unique needs of businesses like yours.
• Provider or Reseller: Are they the actual provider or a reseller? Providers offer better merchant support, quality, and expertise than resellers.
• Customer Feedback: Check for reviews and feedback about the company, its services, and its products to understand its reputation in the industry.

We’ve tested these solutions, evaluating their interface, performance, and overall efficiency. Our assessments are further supported by insights from third-party reviews, guaranteeing a comprehensive overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each mPOS system.

Our years of experience in the tech industry ensure we provide you with well-informed and reliable recommendations, considering the ever-evolving landscape of mobile point-of-sale solutions.

Can I Use My Mobile Device as a POS?

However, you need a card reader to accept credit card and mobile payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

It’s important to have a stable internet connection to ensure seamless transactions. Many mobile POS solutions also come with various business management tools.

These tools allow you to sync with your physical or online store inventory and efficiently collect customer data and other information. This can help you streamline your operations and provide a better customer experience.

Our Other POS Guides and Resources

This guide provides you with everything you need to find the best mobile POS solution for your use case, but here are some other resources from our network with more information on the best POS systems:

• The Best POS System
• The Best POS System for Restaurants
• The Best POS Systems for Bars
• A Full Clover POS Review

Conclusion — What is the Best Mobile POS System to Use in 2023?

We’ve made an effort to make our guide to the best mobile POS systems comprehensive, so you’re able to find a solution on our list that’ll suit your business, whether you’re looking for a reliable handheld point-of-sale device for your restaurant, food truck, or a retail business like a liquor store or pet shop.

Based on our research, though, Square is a dependable pick for whatever you’re looking for. It comes with an Item Modifier, which makes taking orders easy. Plus, its custom grids make checkout and upselling a breeze. You can also offer automated discounts on specific category items.

The best part? Square offers a free-forever plan with unlimited product listing, which is ideal if you’re just starting out. Try it out risk-free today.

Portable POS FAQs