7 Top-Rated Restaurant POS Software
Running a restaurant is more than just serving food and receiving payments. As a restaurant owner, you have to enhance customer experience and employee satisfaction. With restaurant POS software, you can automate tasks across multiple restaurants.
This may sound exciting, but selecting the right tool can be confusing. In this article, we’ve highlighted the seven top-rated restaurant POS software options, in alphabetical order, based on verified software reviews. Read more.
While most restaurant POS systems listed in this article offer similar features, it is worth noting that they cater to two industries—”restaurants” and “restaurants and retail.” While the former only caters to cafes, bars, and other types of restaurants, the latter serves the retail industry as well.
1. Arryved
Serving multiple businesses in the restaurant industry, Arryved allows you to update the menu items, and it automatically syncs the update on all your ordering methods—tablets, QR codes, or mobile app. The tool lets you track orders in real time, enabling you to identify the most ordered menu items. It also supports employee management as you can calculate tips, track employee work hours, and manage their roles within the system. But a unique offering of this restaurant point-of-sale system is its guest engagement functionality. This includes multiple reward programs and contactless ordering that aims at enhancing guests’ experience.
Product features of interest*:
Online ordering: Allows you to set up an online store to sell food and beverages. You can use this type of ordering system for on-premise orders as well as to-go and home delivery orders.
Inventory management: Tracks the availability of ingredients, supplies, and other products used in restaurant operations. It gives you a real-time view of your inventory levels so you can create necessary purchase orders.
QR code ordering: Enables customers to place their orders using a QR code scanner placed at their tables or at the restaurant’s counter. It ensures a smooth contactless experience by eliminating the need for physical menus.
Customer support options: Knowledge base, email, phone calls.
Who should consider Arryved?
If you’re a restaurant owner who has just started their business and you want to offer more than just food to your customers, you can consider Arryved to keep them engaged. This tool has multiple guest engagement features that allow you to offer a positive customer experience. One such feature is customizable rewards programs that allows you to design a reward system that fits your brand and track the number of times customers have redeemed their rewards via Arryved’s portal.
*Analysis accurate as of May 2023
Starting price: $129.99 per month
2. CAKE POS
CAKE POS caters to both the retail and restaurant industries, similar to Loyverse POS. Its unique “tableside ordering capability” allows the servers to take orders right at the customers’ tables on a tablet POS integrated with the whole POS system. The tool also provides common POS features such as online ordering, contactless payments, and menu management that help you ensure smooth restaurant operations.
Product features of interest*:
Reporting: Gives real-time insights into restaurant performance metrics, including sales, taxes, and payroll. You can convert the reports into CSV or PDF formats and download them or send them directly to your emails.
Menu management: Lets you customize menu items and categories and automatically syncs the changes across all devices or restaurant locations for consistency.
Reservation management: Enables you to accept online reservations and gives you a real-time view of table status to manage the waitlist. This helps reduce no-shows and allows you to seat parties quickly.
Customer support options: Knowledge base, chat, phone call.
Who should consider CAKE POS?
If your servers are constantly running between tables and the POS system to create orders, you can consider investing in CAKE POS. Leveraging its tableside ordering via mobile POS, your serves can create orders on the tablet alongside the customer tables. This will reduce potential errors in orders and simplify your servers’ job.
*Analysis accurate as of May 2023
Starting price: $69 per month
Pro tip
Check the availability of data security features such as data encryption, user access controls, and compliance with security standards. This will ensure all the data related to restaurant sales, employees, and customers is safe from unauthorized access.
3. Lavu POS
Lavu POS is another tool that serves multiple types of restaurants, including bars, coffee shops, pizza houses, and food trucks. This restaurant POS system supports self-ordering kiosks, which allow customers to create their own orders. As a differentiating factor, Lavu POS offers a cash discount program, which allows customers to get additional discounts on cash payments.
Product features of interest*:
Invoice management: Manages invoices digitally by offering invoice storage for easy access. It also provides invoices’ real-time analysis and gives insights into purchase volumes.
PCI compliant: Adheres to standards set by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) to ensure secure handling and processing of credit card transactions. These regulations include using strong passwords and updated POS systems, providing employee training, and installing firewalls.
Integrations: Integrates with restaurant scheduling, data analytics, inventory tracking, and customer relationship management solutions to enhance the functionality of the POS system.
Customer support options: Knowledge base, email, phone calls.
Who should consider Lavu POS?
Lavu POS can benefit restaurant owners trying to save card processing fees. You can leverage the tool’s cash discount program to offer additional discounts on customers’ total bills. This way, the guest, as well as you, save as they get to pay less, and you don’t have to pay any card processing fees. As this program acts as a perk for the guests, it may convert them into repeat customers.
*Analysis accurate as of May 2023
Starting price: $59 per month
4. Loyverse POS
Loyverse POS serves the restaurants and retail industry, helping you manage sales, inventory, and employees. It is a free restaurant POS system, making it an affordable option with features that can help you with order management and payment processing. However, employee management and advanced inventory features are available as paid add-ons. It also maintains a customer base by storing important data, such as customer address and purchase history.
Product features of interest*:
Multiple payment methods: Supports cash and card payments, allowing you to offer your customers multiple options to make purchase payments.
Cash management: Tracks cash transactions and helps manage cash flow, monitor cash register, and reconcile cash amounts. This feature gives restaurant owners insights into metrics such as cash inflows and outflows, cash shortages, and individual cashier performance.
Customer display: Displays order information to the customer on a separate screen while their order is being processed. This allows customers to review their final orders, helping restaurant staff to prevent errors.
Customer support options: Video tutorials, guides, and chat.
Who should consider Loyverse POS?
Small restaurant owners with a limited budget can benefit from this POS system as it is free to use. You don’t have to pay anything to get access to POS features, such as order management, loyalty program, inventory management, and sales analytics.
*Analysis accurate as of May 2023
Starting price: Free
Pro tip
Assess the restaurant POS system you are considering for the availability of data visualization option. This feature will help convert your reports into charts, graphs, and tables, making it easier to read the reports.
5. PayPal Zettle
Unlike other restaurant POS systems listed, PayPal Zettle is a mobile-only POS application that maintains its free-to-use claim for all features. It enables restaurant and retail store owners to sell products and accept payments via their mobile devices or tablet. A card reader can be purchased separately that connects to your device via Bluetooth, allowing you to process card transactions.
Product features of interest*:
Payment links: Allows you to send payment links to customers so they can pay you remotely. This feature can help you ensure faster payments on delivery orders.
Product library: Lets you bulk import your products into the POS app, add images and descriptions, and group them by category.
Ecommerce integration: Enables you to integrate the tool into an online store so that you can set up a webshop and display your product images with descriptions.
Customer support options: FAQs, guides, email, phone calls.
Who should consider PayPal Zettle?
PayPal Zettle can help small restaurant owners and food truck owners to save money by eliminating the need to invest in POS hardware. This app will allow you to manage orders, track inventory, get paid, and access reports on your mobile device or tablet.
*Analysis accurate as of May 2023
Starting price: Free
6. Square Point of Sale
Square Point of Sale also serves retail as well as restaurants. You can use this tool to view, manage, and sync on-premise, online, or delivery orders across all POS devices. It has a kitchen display system that you can use to display each order and add timers to keep an eye on prep time. As an additional feature, Square POS has floor management capabilities that allow you to keep tabs on tables, create customized floor plan layouts, and smoothly run restaurant closing steps.
Product features of interest*:
Tip pooling: Track and collect the tips collected by each employee and calculate distribution based on predefined rules or percentages.
Kitchen management: Improve kitchen efficiency by tracking prep time, routing orders to the correct table, and managing inventory to ensure operational efficiency.
Shift scheduling: Create shift schedules for your employees and manage their time-off requests. Also, allow your employees to trade shifts when required.
Customer support options: Knowledge base, video tutorials, chat, community support, and phone calls.
Who should consider Square Point of Sale?
Square Point of Sale’s floor management feature may help small restaurant owners with compact spaces to create an efficient floor plan. The tool offers a drag-and-drop interface wherein you can add differently-sized tables and move them across the floor to find the best setting. You can also change the shapes of the tables so that they mirror your physical layout, allowing you to better judge your plan’s feasibility.
*Analysis accurate as of May 2023
Starting price: $60 per month
Pro tip
Select a tool that has automatic tip calculation capability. Such a tool will display suggested tip amounts to customers at the time of card payment based on predefined percentages.
7. TastyIgniter
Unlike every other tool listed, TastyIgniter is an open source restaurant POS system with features such as online ordering, menu management, and multiple payment methods. The source code of this software is free to download under the terms of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) License. This tool lets you manage the operations of restaurants at multiple locations.
Product features of interest*:
Discount system: Create and run custom discount programs to increase sales outside peak hours or during holidays.
Customer review system: Gather reviews from customers on your food and services. You can showcase customer feedback through marketing campaigns.
Dispatch integration: Store and manage the contracts of third-party drivers and delivery partners for easy access.
Customer support options: Knowledge base, discussion forum, and FAQs.
Who should consider TastyIgniter?
TastyIgniter can be beneficial for all those restaurant owners who want to have a personalized POS system. You can tailor the source code of this system to modify the colors, images, and logos so that the tool becomes an extension of your brand.
*Analysis accurate as of May 2023
Starting price: Free
How much does restaurant POS software cost?
A restaurant POS system can cost as low as $59 per month, all the way up to $100+ per month, depending on various factors—features, number of devices and locations, infrastructure requirements, business size, and type, training availability, deployment options, and integrations. Most restaurant POS solutions typically include the following pricing plans based on the number of users:
Free trial: No-cost trial plans starting from 30 days, give access to either all or limited features of the solution. This is ideal for restaurant owners who are switching to a new POS system, as they can test the solution before investing.
Free version: Free software plans offer basic features and limited premium feature access; ideal for small businesses or individuals who are just beginning to use a restaurant POS system and have a limited budget.
Entry-level: Starts at $59 per month and offers limited features; good option for small restaurants who need basic features, such as online payments, menu management, and inventory tracking.
Mid-tier: Mid-range pricing for restaurant POS software ranges from $66 to $87 per month and offers advanced features, such as loyalty programs, team management, and QR code ordering. This plan can be suitable for small chain restaurants that have outgrown basic POS needs but still don’t require advanced-level features.
High-end: Advanced plans support multiple devices and locations and offer advanced reporting capabilities, kitchen display, and third-party integrations. This is appropriate for big chain restaurants.
Hidden costs associated with restaurant POS software
In addition to the software license, there may be extra costs for a restaurant POS system. These include hardware expenses (tablets, card readers, printers), integration fees for connecting with other software, support, and training fees, and payment processing fees per transaction.
To avoid surprises, review pricing structures, inquire about hidden costs, and consider your business' needs before choosing a restaurant POS system provider.
Frequently asked questions when selecting restaurant POS software
Before you finalize a restaurant POS solution for your business, consider questioning your restaurant POS system provider to get answers to these common questions.
What are the gift card options of the tool?
Gift cards help generate upfront revenue, encourage customer loyalty, and drive repeat visits. They can attract customers through referrals and serve as marketing tools in promotions and campaigns. Having a gift card reporting feature that gives insights into the card sales and redeemed data is a plus.
Can the system handle a high volume of transactions during peak hours?
The restaurant POS system you choose should be fast and reliable so you can manage high sales volume during peak hours. The system shouldn’t slow down or crash and should handle simultaneous transactions quickly to help you ensure faster service.
What are the employee support and training options?
It’s important that your staff is familiar with the interface of the top restaurant POS you choose so that they are able to take orders and process transactions easily. To ensure smooth operations, check whether the vendor provides in-person employee training. Access to help documentation, guides, and video tutorials can also help.
Survey methodology
To be considered for this list, products had to:
Feature in Software Advice FrontRunners report 2023 for restaurant POS software. We selected the top seven products with the highest ratings to include in this article.
Include order management, payment processing, and sales reports as core features.
Meet our restaurant POS software market definition: “Restaurant POS software offers point of sale solutions specifically for the restaurant and bar industries. This type of software provides ordering, billing, reporting, accounting, table tracking, and receipt printing capabilities for restaurants and bars.”
*Our research team identified these features from vendor websites (as of May 31, 2023) based on their analysis of what users find valuable in or expect from restaurant POS software. This list is not exhaustive. For additional features, refer to the vendor's website.
We select and rank products based on an objective methodology developed by our research team. While some vendors may pay us when they receive web traffic or leads, this has no influence on our methodology.
Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Software Advice’s Restaurant POS software directory. The pricing range excludes freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in the Software Advice directory that offer them.