Industry-Specific POS Pricing Compared: 8 Systems Ranked for 2026

Ask eight point of sale vendors what a register costs and you get eight different kinds of answer. Industry-specific POS pricing is where most of the real money hides, because the monthly software fee is rarely what decides your annual cost. Processing rates, per terminal stacking, hardware financing, and whether you may shop for your own merchant account matter far more. This ranks eight systems on what they actually publish, using rates read off each vendor’s own pricing page in August 2026.

One rule worth adopting before you talk to any salesperson: if a vendor will not put its processing rate in writing on a public page, assume the rate is the product.

Quick Comparison

System	Software per month	Processing rate published	Bring your own processor
KORONA POS	$59 / $79 / $99 per terminal	Not applicable	Yes, no agreement ever
Loyverse	$0 core, add ons $5 to $25	Not applicable	Yes, fully agnostic
Square	$0 / $49 / $149 per location	Yes, 2.6% plus 15c in person	No
Shopify POS	$39 to $399, plus $89 per Pro location	Yes, 2.6% plus 10c in person	Allowed, with a 0.6% to 2% surcharge
Lightspeed Retail	$89 / $149 / $289	Yes, 2.6% plus 10c	Allowed, with a monthly fee
Clover	$0 to $129.85, priced by vertical	Yes, 2.3% to 2.6% plus 10c	No
Toast	$0 / $69 / custom	No	No
SpotOn	$0 or $55 per station	No	No

1. KORONA POS

KORONA POS takes the top spot for one structural reason: it separates the software you rent from the payment processing you buy. Its published tiers are Core at $59 per month, Retail at $79, and Plus at $99, each priced per terminal rather than per location, with no upfront costs or setup fees and month to month terms.

Why KORONA leads on pricing transparency

You keep your processor, permanently. KORONA describes itself as credit card processing agnostic and states plainly that it requires no credit card processing agreements, ever. You negotiate your own rate and renegotiate it when volume grows. Every other paid system in this comparison either locks processing or charges you for leaving.
Industry fit is priced as modules, not as a vertical markup. The same three tiers apply to a liquor store, a bakery, and a museum. Vertical needs are added on top: Food at $10 per terminal, Invoicing at $10, Franchise at $30 per franchise, Ticketing at $50 per gate. You pay for the capability you use rather than a package assembled around your category.
Genuine vertical range. Retail from dispensaries and wineries to hardware and thrift stores, quick service, and ticketing for museums and amusement parks. Few systems in this price band span all three.
An unlimited free trial, no credit card required, so you can test against your own inventory first.

Trade off: Because KORONA does not process payments, it cannot quote a blended rate. Shopping for a processor is more control and more work. Hardware is not sold as a fixed bundle.

Comparing quotes and want to understand how industry-specific POS pricing actually breaks down? Start with the published tiers rather than a sales call.

2. Loyverse

Loyverse gives away core point of sale and inventory software, then charges per store for add ons: unlimited sales history at $5 per month, employee management at $25, advanced inventory at $25. Like KORONA it is not a processor, integrating SumUp, Zettle, and Tyro instead.

Strengths: Free entry point, fully processor agnostic, no contract.

Watch for: Depth. It suits a single cafe or small shop, not multi store inventory or franchising.

3. Square

Square publishes everything, which is rare: $0, $49, or $149 per location, with in person processing at 2.6%, 2.5%, and 2.4% plus 15 cents by tier. Keyed transactions are 3.5% plus 15 cents on every plan.

Strengths: The clearest published rate card in the category, fast setup, no contract.

Watch for: Processing is Square only, and restaurant extras add up, with kitchen displays and kiosk billed per device.

4. Shopify POS

Shopify prices from $39 to $399 per month, plus $2,300 for Plus on a one or three year term, with POS Pro at $89 per location. Card present runs 2.6% down to 2.4% plus 10 cents.

Strengths: The strongest choice if ecommerce is your centre of gravity, one catalogue across both channels.

Watch for: An outside processor carries a published surcharge of 2%, 1%, or 0.6% by plan. The real number is the plan price plus $89 per location.

5. Lightspeed Retail

Lightspeed lists Basic at $89, Core at $149, and Plus at $289, with Lightspeed Payments card present at 2.6% plus 10 cents. Inventory depth is why mid market retailers choose it.

Strengths: Serious inventory and supplier tooling, published card present rate.

Watch for: Lightspeed’s own support documentation states that merchants using non Lightspeed payment solutions are charged a monthly third party processing fee, and the amount is not published. Bringing your own processor is permitted but penalised.

6. Clover

Clover is the clearest case of pricing genuinely varying by industry, with separate published tables for retail, restaurant, and professional services. Software runs from $0 on Starter to $84.95, $104.90, or $129.85 on vertical Growth plans, with card present processing from 2.3% to 2.6% plus 10 cents.

Strengths: Wide hardware range, vertical packages, strong bank and reseller distribution.

Watch for: Hardware is financed across 36 months and the current hardware promotion states it requires a three year contract. Software fees stack per device in roughly $20 increments.

7. Toast

Toast publishes a $0 Starter Kit, point of sale from $69 per month, and custom pricing above that. It is built for restaurants and the hardware matches.

Strengths: Purpose built restaurant workflows, strong hardware, financing available.

Watch for: Processing rates are not published at all. Toast’s payments page says only that its team will create a rate for you. Its merchant agreement renews automatically for successive one year periods unless either party gives 30 days notice.

8. SpotOn

SpotOn offers All In at $0 per station with hardware included, or Essentials at $55 per station, with a Build Your Own tier by demo only.

Strengths: Hardware prices are published and Essentials is month to month.

Watch for: SpotOn states the $0 plan means paying for hardware and software over time through a higher processing rate, with a monthly minimum and a two year term. The rate is not published.

How to Compare Quotes Honestly

Convert every quote to an annual figure covering software, per terminal charges, hardware or financing, and processing on your real volume.
Ask whether you may use an outside processor and what leaving costs. That answer separates these eight more sharply than the monthly fee does.
Get the contract term and renewal mechanism in writing, not the sales summary of it.

Conclusion

Industry-specific POS pricing rewards whoever reads the second page of the quote. Square publishes the most and Clover prices most explicitly by vertical, while Toast and SpotOn keep the number that matters off the page entirely. KORONA POS earns the top spot by making the two costs independent: a flat published per terminal fee with industry modules on top, and no processing agreement to sign, so the rate you negotiate stays yours to renegotiate. For an operator planning to grow, that structure compounds in your favour.