It is a great experience to run a POS Systems for Small Businesses in India. You are your boss, you create something out of nothing and you relate to your community. However, it also comes with much work. You must keep up with sales, keep track of your stock, make payments and keep your customers happy. You can get the feeling that you have to be in ten places at once.
All that was needed in the old days was a simple cash register, or a galla, and a paper ledger. However, modern customers want to receive faster service, a wide range of payment methods such as UPI and cards, and a convenient experience. Here is where a new tool can turn everything around to you. It can be your most reliable worker, the one who works 24/7 and does not get tired.
It is a POS or point of sale system or point of purchase. It is not a billing machine. It is the new heart of business activities. This guide will take you through all that you need to know about POS systems in easy terms. We will assist you to get the right one in your shop, cafe or service business in India.
What is a POS System and Why Does Your POS Systems for Small Businesses Need One?
We will simplify it down to a very simple manner. A POS system is a hardware and software system that assists you to manage your business.
- The Hardware: This is the actual physical equipment. It may include a touchscreen display, a cash box, a credit card reader and a receipt printer. In the case of most modern systems, the hardware may even be as basic as an iPad or an Android tablet.
- The Software: This is the brain of the operation. It is the software that operates on your tablet or computer. It captures all your sales, keeps track of your products, stores your customer data and provides useful reports.
Also Read: virtual shopping assistants
So, why does your small business in India need one? Here are the main benefits:
- Easy Sales Tracking: A POS Systems for Small Businesses will automatically capture all the individual sales. You do not have to write it all down in a notebook anymore. You can know the precise amount of money you made at the end of the day, the things that sold the most, and even see your busiest times. This knowledge will enable you to be smarter in your decision-making.
- Intelligent Inventory Control: Have you ever been concerned about a shortage of a hot item? Or too much of something that is not selling? A POS system will keep track of your inventory. In case of selling something, the system automatically changes the number of stocks. It can even remind you when you are running out of something so that you can reorder it in time. This helps you to save on lost sales and money.
- Easy Tax Compliance (GST): GST can be a nightmare to any small business proprietor. This is much easier with a good POS system that is made to suit India. It also automatically calculates the right GST of each product and produces detailed reports. By the time you have to do your taxes, everything you need is all in place.
- Improved Customer Management: A POS system will enable you to remember your customers. You can make customer profiles so that you can save their names and contacts. You are able to monitor their purchases and their frequency of visits. This will enable you to provide them with special discounts or loyalty programs so that they feel special and will revisit the company.
What is the Best POS System for a Small Business?
This is the big question. The simple response is that the optimal system is one that is based on your business. Nevertheless, there are always those names that are on top of the list due to their quality and features. These are such international leaders as Square, Lightspeed, Clover, and Shopify, and such great Indian solutions as VasyERP and PetPooja.
The following are the main criteria to be taken into account:
- Cost: How much can you afford? Look at the complete cost. This covers the cost of the software (is it a monthly fee?), the hardware (do you have to purchase their machine?), and any cost of processing payments (what percentage they charge you per card or UPI transaction).
- Features: What do you want the system to do? A clothing store should not have the same characteristics as a small cafe. Write down your list of “needs to have” features such as inventory control, GST reporting, or online delivery application integration.
- Ease of Use: You and your employees must be in a position to use the system without difficulty. A complex system will make your checkout process time-consuming and annoying to all. Search for a system that has a simple and straightforward interface.
- Scalability: Your business will hopefully expand. Is your POS system going to expand with you? You should be able to add more products, more locations or more employees as your business grows with a good system.
- Integrations: Does the system integrate with other tools you use? To take an example; in case you are selling online, you will need a POS system that can integrate with your e-commerce site. You have a restaurant and you will want it to be integrated with Zomato or Swiggy.
10 Best POS Systems for Small Businesses in India (2025 Update)
The following is our list of the top 10 POS systems in the market today that can be used by Indian small businesses. We have added a combination of foreign giants and strong local competitors.
1. Square POS
Square is a name well-known in the POS industry and is known as a simple and clean-designed product. It began with enabling anybody with a smartphone to receive payments via cards and has expanded to an entire business ecosystem. Square is ideal with new and small business since the basic POS Systems for Small Businesses software is free to use. You are charged a fee on the transactions you process. The system is very user friendly and it performs well on iPads and Android tablets.
It is easy to use and does not seem as complex as other systems do, since it puts strong features in a simple interface. You can be running a small coffee stand, a hair styling salon or a boutique store, Square has all the tools necessary to start and expand your business without having to spend a large sum of money upfront.
Key Features:
- Sales and payment POS software that is free to use.
- Takes all major credit/debit cards and electronic wallets.
- Basic inventory control to monitor inventory.
- Customer relationship management (CRM) inbuilt to generate customer profiles.
- Service businesses can use appointment scheduling software (Square Appointments).
- The sales analytics and reports.
- Is able to build a free and easy online store using Square Online.
Best For: Startups, mobile, service providers (salons, tutors), small cafes, and pop-ups in retail locations.
Pricing: The primary POS software is free. You will pay a fixed amount of transaction processing. Hardware costs are separate.
Website: squareup.com
2. Shopify POS
Shopify is the monarch of e-commerce and its POS Systems for Small Businesses is a logical continuation of its strong online platform. Provided that you sell products online and in a brick-and-mortar store, Shopify POS is likely to be the best option you can make. It integrates your offline and online businesses. All your inventory, sales and customer data are synchronized.
When a customer purchases something on-line, the inventory in your physical store is updated automatically and vice-versa. This will avoid you selling the same item twice. The equipment is slick and contemporary, commonly an iPad, and software is user-friendly and simple to train employees. It simplifies the process of running a multi channel retail business.
Key Features:
- Smooth connectivity to a Shopify online store.
- Single store inventory of online and physical stores.
- Takes a variety of payment options.
- Strong customer profiles which monitor online and store purchases.
- Pick up online orders in stores.
- Mobile POS app will allow you to sell everywhere (at markets, events, etc.).
- Creative reporting to know your total business performance.
Best For: Retailers who have a brick-and-mortar store as well as an online store or any business intending to sell online.
Pricing: Shopify POS comes with all Shopify e-commerce plans, which begin at approximately ₹1994 a month. The more sophisticated retail options need the Shopify POS Pro plan.
Website: shopify.in/pos
3. Lightspeed POS
Lightspeed is an enterprise POS Systems for Small Businesses that is aimed at serious retail and restaurant companies. It is designed to suit business with a large or complex inventory. Lightspeed has the sophisticated features you require in case you have a clothing shop with different sizes and colors, or a restaurant with a comprehensive menu and ingredients tracking.
To retailers, it provides good purchase order management, supplier tracking and comprehensive inventory reports. In the case of restaurants, it has such features as customizable floor plans, tableside ordering, and kitchen display systems. It may be more complicated than such a system as Square, but this is its strength.
Key Features:
- Complex inventory control that supports product variations.
- In-built purchase order management to deal with suppliers.
- Clientele care and in-built loyalty schemes.
- In-depth sales, employee and inventory analytics and reporting.
- Retail (Lightspeed Retail) and Restaurants (Lightspeed Restaurant) versions.
- Integrates with a large number of other business applications.
Best For: Retail stores, restaurants and cafes with complicated inventory or menu requirements.
Pricing: Lightspeed is a high-quality product. Plans usually begin with approximately $69 a month, which is charged on an annual basis.
Website: lightspeedhq.com
4. Clover POS
Clover has a reputation of having sleek and multi-purpose hardware. Clover also has its own line of dedicated POS devices, whether small and handheld (Clover Go) or large and powerful (Clover Station), which makes it an all-in-one solution. The software is highly customizable and can be modified with Clover App Market apps.
It is possible to add particular functionalities that your business requires, be it a sophisticated loyalty program, an appointment booking tool, or a connection to your accounting software. This is an app-based solution, which means that the system can suit a wide range of businesses, including a small retail store and a fast food restaurant.
Key Features:
- Smooth, one-piece computers.
- An extensive App Store to add functionalities.
- Takes any forms of payment such as credit cards, debit cards, and NFC (contactless).
- Deals with inventory, orders and customer profiles.
- Employee management has the capability to monitor hours and performance.
- Cloud based system, therefore you can access your business data anywhere.
Best For: Small to medium-sized retail stores and restaurants looking to have an all-in-one hardware and software solution.
Pricing: The pricing is based on the hardware and software plan you adopt. It is usually sold by banks and merchant service providers in India.
Website: clover.com
5. Toast POS
Toast is a POS system that is fully committed to the food and beverage industry. It was created by people in the restaurant, to people in the restaurant and it shows. Each feature is designed to address an issue which restaurants, cafes and bars have to deal with on a daily basis. It provides online ordering, delivery systems, table side ordering using handheld devices, and kitchen display systems that simplify the communication between the front and back of the house.
The system is strong and stable and is meant to support the busy and hectic nature of a restaurant. Toast also offers in-depth menu performance analytics so you can see which menu items are most profitable and which are not selling. Toast must be on the list of your considerations in case you operate a food business.
Key Features:
- Constructed to serve restaurants, bars and cafes.
- Online delivery management system and online ordering.
- Ordering and payment at tables using handheld devices (Toast Go).
- Kitchen Display System (KDS) to manage orders better.
- Complex menu and ingredient level inventory management.
- Loyalty programs and email marketing to get customers back.
Best For: Any food and beverage establishment, whether a quick-service restaurant or a fine dining restaurant.
Pricing: Toast has a starter plan that is a pay-as-you-go plan. More complicated requirements have custom prices.
Website: pos.toasttab.com
6. Helcim
The primary aim of Helcim is to make payment processing cheaper and more transparent to the small business. Their most significant selling proposition is their pricing model. They do not charge a flat rate, but rather an Interchange Plus model of pricing, which in many cases leads to lower charges, particularly in cases where the business has a higher volume of sales. Although their core business is the processing of payments, they also provide a free built-in POS Systems for Small Businesses software which includes all the necessary features.
It allows you to handle your inventory, make a product catalog, monitor customers and send invoices. This plain and easy billing and invoicing software is targeted at business owners who desire a hassle free solution at reasonable prices. Helcim is certainly worth considering in case the card transaction fees are your biggest concern.
Key Features:
- Open and possibly reduced payment processing costs.
- Free point of sale software, which comes with a merchant account.
- Computers, tablets, and smartphones work.
- Stocking and tracking of customers.
- Electronic billing and a virtual terminal that can be used to receive payments via telephone.
- Easy accounting with QuickBooks.
Best For: Businesses that are cost conscious and would like to reduce their payment processing fees.
Pricing: No subscription charges on the software. You simply pay a fee on the processing of payments, which is according to their Interchange Plus model.
Website: helcim.com
7. PayPal Zettle
PayPal Zettle (previously iZettle) is a PayPal competitor to Square. It is an easy, mobile-first point of sale system, which is ideal in small businesses, market stalls, and service providers who need to move around all the time. The system is made extremely user-friendly and simple to install.
Sign up, receive their small card reader, and sell using the Zettle Go app on your smartphone or tablet. It includes the essentials better than others: you are able to handle a basic product list, handle sales, and accept a wide range of payments. Since it is a PayPal product, the money you make in sales is deposited in your PayPal account within a short time.
Key Features:
- Easy and user-friendly mobile application.
- Small and cheap card reader.
- Takes credit/debit cards and cashless payments.
- Simple product and inventory control.
- Sales to monitor your performance.
- Quickly access your money with your PayPal Business account.
Best for: Micro-businesses, street food vendors, artists, freelancers and fairs and events businesses.
Pricing: The POS Systems for Small Businesses app is free. Each payment you make is charged a flat-rate transaction fee.
Website: paypal.com/in/business/pos/zettle-card-reader
8. SumUp POS
SumUp is quite comparable to PayPal iZettle and Square. It specializes in offering a mobile, cheap, and easy-to-use POS Systems for Small Businesses. Their main product is a compact, one-on-one card reader that is connected to a free application on your smartphone. No monthly fees or any other hidden charges; you simply purchase the reader and pay a small, flat fee per transaction.
This renders it a very low risk choice to new companies who are uncertain of their sales volume. The application is simple and user-friendly, and you can add products in seconds, sort them into categories, and make sales. SumUp is an excellent beginner solution to anyone who desires to begin accepting card and UPI payments without any hassle or commitment.
Key Features:
- No subscription charges or contracts.
- Easy-to-use mobile POS Systems for Small Businesses app.
- Inexpensive and pocket-sized card readers.
- Basic product listing and sales monitoring.
- Produces rudimentary sales reports.
- Enables you to send electronic receipts to customers.
Best For: Sole proprietors, freelancers, hobbyists, and small businesses that require an easy payment system.
Pricing: No subscription software fee. You buy the card reader then pay a competitive flat-rate fee per transaction.
Website: sumup.in
9. VasyERP (India)
VasyERP is an Indian-based solution that is powerful and not just a basic POS solution. It is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that is tailored to the market of Indian retail and distribution. This implies that it does not only do billing but it also does your accounting, inventory, GST compliance, and even e-commerce and mobile apps all in a single software.
It is a great option when it comes to companies that have numerous stores and a complicated system of supply such as supermarkets, clothing stores, and electronics chains. VasyERP is familiar with the unique issues of the Indian market, providing such functions as built-in GST filing, the ability to use local payment systems, and the ability to handle complex pricing plans.
Key Features:
- One-on-one ERP system: POS, accounting, CRM, and inventory.
- In-built GST compliance and reporting.
- Operates various stores and warehouses using a single site.
- POS billing software uses barcode scanning to enable quick, accurate billing.
- Has its own built-in e-commerce site and mobile application.
- Cloud-based, and you can watch over your business.
Best For: Supermarkets, retail chains, wholesalers and distributors in India who are seeking a one-stop management tool.
Pricing: Pricing will be offered on a quote basis depending on the modules and features that your business will need.
Website: vasyerp.com
10. PetPooja (India)
PetPooja is a market leader in the Indian restaurant POS market, and rightly so. It is created on the ground level and with a profound knowledge of the way Indian restaurants work. The software is very rich in features and is relied on by more than 65,000 restaurants throughout the country. It manages all that a restaurant requires: billing, table management, a kitchen display system (KDS) and detailed menu management.
Its greatest advantage is that it is fully integrated into the entire Indian food ecosystem. It is also integrated with online ordering services such as Zomato and Swiggy, so any of your online orders will be displayed in your POS Systems for Small Businesses without any extra tablet. It also gives strong reports that allow you to control the food expenses and know your sales patterns.
Key Features:
- A smooth connection with Swiggy, Zomato, and other aggregators.
- Full restaurant control: billing, KDS, inventory and table control.
- Accepts any form of payment, such as UPI, wallets, and cards.
- Strong menu engineering and cost control reporting and analytics.
- Cloud based systems can be remotely accessed and controlled.
- Operates on various platforms, such as Windows, Android, and iOS.
Best For: Any kind of food and beverage enterprise in India, such as restaurants, cafes, cloud kitchens, bakeries.
Pricing: PetPooja has different types of subscription packages depending on the size and requirements of the restaurant.
Website: petpooja.com
Conclusion
The selection of POS systems to use in your small business is a giant. It is an investment that can totally transform the way you operate your day to day activities. It can save you paperwork, offer you some useful insights on your business and can assist you in offering a more pleasant experience to your customers.
Don’t rush the process. Consider your particular requirements. Are you a retailer and have to monitor thousands of items? Are you a cafe which has to handle online orders? Or are you a salon that requires a convenient way of making appointments?
The ideal POS Systems for Small Businesses is that which suits your business like a glove. This guide is where you can start. Browse the websites of the systems that appear to be a good fit, ask them to provide a demo, and select the partner that will assist you in expanding your business journey in India.
FAQs
Does a POS Systems require an internet connection?
The majority of the current POS Systems for Small Businesses are cloud-based and require the internet to coordinate information.
Do I have my own computer or tablet?
Yes, a lot of POS Systems, such as Square, Shopify POS, and PetPooja, are program-based and can be used on your current iPad, Android tablet, or computer. This will assist you in saving money on hardware expenditure.
Is the POS Systems for Small Businesses hard to establish?
The majority of the current POS Systems are user friendly. It is also generally easy to set up and you can be up and running within an hour or so.
How is a POS system different from a simple billing software?
Simple billing software simply generates bills. A point of sale system is an all-inclusive business management system. It does not only do billing but also helps you with your inventory, your customers.