14 Free and Open-Source Point of Sale (POS) Software

Point Of Sale (POS) software is required to handle the transactions happening in your company, which processes the money. POS software also provides an e-store that manages the inventory and has many more features.

Till now, many retailers have been spending a considerable amount of money on the premium retailing software. But, there are many advanced yet freemium POS software for small businesses having extraordinary features that are enough to manage Mega stores.

If you didn’t know that there are many open source POS software available in the market, then we bring you a list of 14 best free or open source software in this blog. 

But, before we jump on it, let us have some brief knowledge around POS software.

What is open source POS software?

Open source point of sale software is a type of POS software that is released along with its source code, allowing anyone and for any purpose to use, modify, or distribute it. Although open source POS is owned by its creators, it is available for other “contributors” to reproduce, modify, and redistribute.

Also, keep in mind that although all open source POS software is free software, there are exceptions.

What are the key characteristics of the best free POS system?

Below listed are some of the key characteristics or features of the best free POS software:

These features work together to create a complete open source POS system that can fulfill all of your POS-related needs. In other words, be sure the POS system you select has all of these features.

What are the benefits of an open source POS system?

The following are the eight major advantages of an open source POS system:

• It is free to use
• There is no vendor lock-in
• No license is required
• Easy customization
• Low administrative expenses
• Rapid bug elimination
• Highly secure
• Shared maintenance costs

Thanks to all of these advantages, open source point of sale systems are widely popular among SMBs and startups.

What is the purpose of the best free POS system?

POS software is basically software that helps you perform efficient financial transactions through a cash register, computer, or even an iPad. Having said this, the software keeps a record of the purchases done and communicates with the inventory levels to keep things in equilibrium.

An excellent, open source POS software will help you speed up the checkout process of customers during peak hours to help generate more sales. It provides customer transaction data in real-time, automates your inventory management, and provides an accurate sales history that can be integrated with other systems.

In short, it helps you simplify staff management.

14 Best Open-Source POS Software

1. RetailCloud

RetailCloud is perfect for small retailers for their retail management solution. Apart from the necessary basic features like handling POS operations and monitoring inventory levels, one can analyze store performance and run loyalty programs with RetailCloud. Their enterprise version is available at $60/month, while its open source version is a cloud-based and free-to-use application.

RetailCloud Features:

• Cloud-based POS solution available for free on Android devices
• Unlimited transactions
• Can store unlimited items
• Unlimited technical support
• Multiple Users can access the software
• Integrates with MailChimp and CRM
• Signature Capture & EMV-Ready Payment Acceptance
• E-commerce integration

What are the Pros of RetailCloud?

• Customizing functions
• In-app chat support
• Easy-to-use for a non-technical employee

What are the Cons of RetailCloud?

• Thin data security
• Doesn’t work on Apple devices
• May not showcase currency of all countries
• Doesn’t have a hybrid data storage

RetailCloud Pricing:

Although it has a free version available online, it charges in four different ways if you want a customized POS model starting from $20/month. Also, it offers a free trial.

Also, Read: 20 Must-Have Point of Sale (POS) Software Features to Know

2. Wanda POS

Wanda POS is a free and open-source POS software that is platform-independent and dynamic. It runs on Windows (Vista, 7, 8), Linux, and Mac OS. Downloading this free POS software synchronizes the information of customers and products from POS to any ERP application like iDempiere.

Wanda POS Features:

• In-built database
• Available in 15 languages
• Flexible to use in any setup like restaurants, cafeterias, bars, and bookshops
• Customizable sales screen with excellent resolution
• Provides security to each user from admin to manager, clerk, customers, etc.
• It is hosted on the cloud, including the external terminal support and internal payment gateway
• It generates high-quality reports every week

What are the Pros of Wanda POS?

• Makes things systematic and easy to handle
• User-friendly interface

What are Cons of Wanda POS?

• Doesn’t have regular updates on the software

Wanda POS Pricing:

Wanda POS is a completely free open source POS software available online.

3. ProffittCenter

ProffittCenter works as a cash register, which runs discounts and takes money for small retailers like The Key Hut. It is the best option for having all the functionalities for beginners to start with because of its fantastic user interface and simplicity. ProffittCenter is a free windows point of sale software download.

ProffittCenter Features:

• Windows compatible
• Provides free customer care support
• Works on every currency
• Keeps backup of your database without spending a single penny
• User-friendly interface and stunning design
• Provides responsive support every week through email or phone

What are Pros of ProffittCenter?

• Free updates and no payments ever 
• Easy to set up
• Intuitive software

What are Cons of ProffittCenter?

• Can only be installed on a Windows desktop
• Has only fundamental features

ProffittCenter Pricing:

Proffittcenter is a free POS system that can be downloaded online. However, if you do not have the right hardware then they charge for installing hardware pieces of equipment only.

4. Loyverse POS

Loyverse is one of the best free point of sale software intended for use on any IOS or Android devices. Loyverse POS makes it easy for you to manage the inventory, visualize the sales analytics, and retain, acquire, and even manage your customers. With the help of this post software, you can also get information regarding the average yearly spend. Loyverse is 100% free pos software for small stores, shops, and salons. Also, Loyverse offers 24/7 live chat support.

Loyverse POS Features:

• It fits right on your stores of any kind (Café, Bar, Bike Shop, Bakery, Computer Shop, etc.)
• Includes free tools for managing retail businesses
• Inventory management for low stock alarm also stock tracking
• Mobile registers are used for sending e-receipts to your customers from tablets and smartphones
• Includes the sales analytics, and produces daily analytics reports for business growth
• Consists of the two-way channel for communication
• Consists of an employee management scheme that defines the permissions and roles of your employees

What are the Pros of Loyverse POS?

• Excellent customer service
• Intuitive built-in loyalty program
• Has enough features in its free version

What are the Cons of Loyverse POS?

• Cannot be integrated with other systems
• Features are a ton, but the functionality of them is limited
• Need to have an internet connection to run the software

Loyverse POS Pricing

Loyverse is a completely free POS system. However, it charges for any add-on features you want such as employee management and inventory management at $5 per employee/month and $25 per store/month respectively in the software. It also provides a 14-day trial version.

5. Odoo

Managing a retail shop is not easy. Handling your sales, stock, accounting, and the shop should be fast and straightforward. Odoo is an open source POS solution as it makes managing easier with fully integrated accounting software, Invoicing and billing software, GST software and inventory management modules. You can download this open source POS software for Windows, Ubuntu, and RPM.

Odoo Features:

• The straightforward interface to serve multiple customers at the same time
• Barcode scanner for price discounts and recognizes the customer loyalty card
• Allows credit card payments and invoicing
• Restaurant management, order processing & table selection 
• Multiple printers connection, order sending & refund handling
• Warranty tracking follows customer claims & delivery schedule
• Allows customization for sales strategies and promotions

What are the Pros of Odoo?

• Easy to set up and all the modules are easy to integrate
• Incredible software design
• Ethical framework and easy to deploy

What are the Cons of Odoo?

• Not excellent customer support service
• Customizing features is difficult
• Lack of any technical and fundamental documentations
• Lacks automated migration tools

Odoo Pricing:

Odoo POS has a community edition which is completely free. However, its enterprise version charges $20 per user/ month in annual billing while in monthly billing, it charges $25 per user/month.

6. Unicenta

Unicenta is redefining open source POS software for retailers of any size. You can download this open source point of sale software for bars, restaurants, and shops. In short, ideal for hospitality businesses and even retailers. It gives you the freedom to choose a database host from either its cloud-based application, self-hosted or on-premise applications.

Unicenta Features:

• Supports multiple database options
• Includes the stock maintenance facility
• Comes with a weight scale support for CAS-PDII and Mettler
• Can add new pop-up customers within the sale and reprint the last receipt
• Can be set up on any of your devices
• Inventory Management, Report Generation, Customer Relationship Management and Employee Management Services
• Generates detailed reports of customer transactions

What are the Pros of Unicenta?

• Easy-to-use
• Has a lot of functions that some of paid POS software don’t even offer
• Runs on most of the devices

What are the Cons of Unicenta?

• Difficult troubleshooting sometimes
• Might need a little technical prowess to navigate
• Customization is chargeable

Unicenta Pricing:

Unicenta offers a free trial version after which it provides you two payment options for annual billing starting from $78.

7. Floreant POS

Floreant POS is another one of the most popular and free point of sale system for retailers and business people who are in hospitality. Floreant POS supports commercial and third-party plugins to make itself convenient to use. It is supported in Windows, Mac, Linux and Java-based tablets, and PC.

The cloud compatibility of this software makes it the best choice for retailers. It integrates the standard features of an industry with itself.

Floreant POS Features:

• It can run on any platform and has been tested on Linux, Windows, and Mac
• Has a client-server architecture powered by Java, Apache Derby/ Java DB, JavaPOS API, etc.
• Accepts coupons and gift cards
• Handles payment in different combinations from cash to different types of cards
• Kitchen automation and order management
• Front-of-house managerial functions
• Multi-printer support

What are the Pros of Floreant POS?

• No-fuss to set up and easy to use
• Stable system doesn’t crash often
• Can train employees easily
• Allows mobile POS
• Provides back-offer operation manager

What are the Cons of Floreant POS?

• Advanced options might be hard to configure
• Bugs may be found while using the software
• Doesn’t integrate with other systems

Floreant POS Pricing:

Floreant POS is open source POS software, a free version as well as a user-pay model. It starts at $50 as a one-time payment per user. There is also a trial version option to check out premium features.

8. eHopper

eHopper is a free POS software application that was created to help small business owners to satisfy their business needs. The free version of this software provides all the necessary functionalities to a small business. But there are some premium functionalities charged at $29 per month for seamless integration of loyalty apps. eHopper provides its own hardware to purchase, but the software can be used on your devices without paying any rent.

eHopper Features:

• Inventory management
• Contact management
• It splits the payments and provides email support.
• Employee management
• Delivery management

What are the Pros of eHopper?

• Syncs real-time information really fast
• Easy to use and keeps your transactions organized
• Software is constantly evolving

What are the Cons of eHopper?

• Misses a few necessary features
• Avoids charging merchant fees to the business owner
• Have to purchase a premium version to use all its features

eHopper Pricing:

eHopper POS has a free version with access to limited features. But it’s subscription starts at $30/month depending upon the kind of features you require for your business.

9. Vend POS

This is a cloud-based POS system that helps to track the inventory, save products, and much more. Vend POS is the perfect POS solution for retail stores of any business types from fashion boutiques to coffee shops, bike shops, sports and outdoors, health and beauty, home and lifestyle, and so on. Operates wholly based on the cloud to make functioning easy for its users.

Vend POS Features:

• E-commerce integration
• Provides the functionality to generate receipts
• Customize the receipt with the logo and website name
• Cash Management
• User Account Management
• Performs multiple payment gateway options
• Generates the performance reports, inventory reports, products and sales reports, and end of the day reports
• 24/7 global support

What are the Pros of Vend POS?

• Good loyalty program
• Multi-store capabilities
• Intuitive interface
• Good reporting structure

What are the Cons of Vend POS?

• Lack of third-party app integration
• Slows down if the load is too much
• Products take a while to sync since it is cloud-based

Vend POS Pricing:

Vend has a free version for the community which charges $99/month (if billed annually) to access a handful of more features than its open version. You’ll need to request a quote to get its enterprise-level POS version which might start from $150/month.

10. KeyHut

KeyHut is a cash register for small retail businesses or shops at a startup level. It can run on your personal PC, thus making it easy to use. KeyHut open source POS software works well with the printer or any cash register and also accepts the barcode scanners. It performs heavy-duty jobs efficiently, which helps boost sales, especially during rush hours. 

KeyHut Features:

• Converts your computer into a cash register using its Cash Register Tool
• Includes a ticket selling software
• Barcode scanning
• Provides customer support
• You can add up to 26,000 different items in the database
• Ordering automation
• Inventory management

What are the Pros of KeyHut?

• Can help cater to customers faster
• Doesn’t use much RAM
• Gives a retro feeling to transactions

What are the Cons of KeyHut?

• The programing language might be challenging to help configure
• Takes practice to learn
• Cannot use a mouse, can only work with a keyboard 

KeyHut Pricing:

Its free version is enough to get your business going. But it also has a ridiculous amount of one-time payment of $1 for a few additional features.

11. Imonggo

Imonggo is a popular open source POS software, which is best suited for small- to- mid-range retail businesses. Its free version supports a single user with a single-store setup, and the premium version costs $30 per month per branch. 

Furthermore, the interface is clean and straightforward, which makes it quite easy to use. It can cater to a wide range of retail industries, including clothing stores, kiosks, boutiques, bookstores, and more. 

Imonggo Features:

• Generate barcodes using Dymo LabelWriter or a regular printer
• Set different pricing schemes for every branch of your store
• Provides excellent insights by analyzing your sales data
• Tracks and maintains records of your customer’s information
• Customizing reward program

What are the Pros of Imonggo?

• Functioning and straightforward user interface
• Functions offline as well

What are Cons of Imonggo?

• Doesn’t have any phone support
• Limited integrating options
• Limited payment processing options

Imonggo Pricing:

Imonggo’s pricing is based on the number of products you can store in its POS software. For the first 1000 products, the POS is free of charge. For unlimited products of even 1001 products, it charges $30/branch.

12. WallacePOS

WallacePOS is another best open source POS software for small- and- medium-sized enterprises. The system is well-praised for its clean and easy-to-use interface.

What’s more, its rich dashboard offers extensive functionalities, including exporting data, generating reports, and more. It is also compatible with standard POS hardware, such as a barcode scanner and receipt printer.  

WallacePOS Features:

• Compatible with all major operating systems and browsers, such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc. 
• Can produce professional receipts that contain your business logo, custom text, and QR code
• Supports Tyro Integrated Eftpos terminals, only the hosted version though
• Allows you to export data easily and analyze it for deeper insights
• Enables you to make sales even without an internet connection

What are the Pros of WallacePOS?

• Based on web-app
• Customization of features is easy

What are the Cons of WallacePOS?

• Glitches if too much data is uploaded
• Challenging to retrieve any sales invoice information

WallacePOS Pricing:

It doesn’t mention any pricing on its website which makes it a completely free and open source POS software. But, if you think this POS software suits your business then it has the option of donating any amount on its website to help them develop better versions of Wallace POS.

13. Chromis POS

Chromis is a feature-rich POS software that supports multi-terminal modes making it efficient to install on any operating system device. Its scripting language is excellent to allow easy customization of features by the users. It comes with a kitchen screen display to track live orders and a CSV import that can help produce product lists.

Chromis POS Features:

• Supports loyalty programs
• Java 18 supported
• Supports an extensive range of hardware
• Built-in reporting analytics
• Supports USB printers
• Barcode scanning easily accessible

What are the Pros of Chromis POS?

• Easy to go through the documentation
• Clean code to understand
• Excellent support forum
• Flexible to use all the features

What are the Cons of Chromis POS?

• Card payment system may not support all countries
• Crashes at times after recent updates

Chromis POS Pricing:

The pricing for Chromis open source POS software has not been provided which means it is available for free online. However, it also doesn’t have a free trial which means once installed, you got to explore it out yourself.

14. Pangea POS

Pangea POS is one of the only open source POS software that may be designed to work with touchscreens and has three versions depending on the business- restaurants, retail management, and spa. With the help of its paid and free versions, you can easily centralize your different outlets. It makes managing back-office operations and reports analysis convenient resulting in informed decisions.

Pangea POS Features:

• Can create multiple accounts
• Supports multiple printers
• Create different skins to match with your brand
• Customizing category and product buttons to differentiate
• Multiple payment gateways and accepts different currencies

What are the Pros of Pangea POS?

• Easy to send multiple reports through emails
• Easy to create vouchers and save them

What are the Cons of Pangea POS?

• Support tools are chargeable
• Customer support takes time to reply regarding any software updates and bug fixes

Pangea POS Pricing:

Pangea POS doesn’t charge for its software version but if you need an installation remotely on your devices then they charge $100-$200 as a one-time payment.

Conclusion

Choosing the best open source POS software for your business is indeed a tough job. After all, who would not like any hiccups during the transaction of money? Hence, before going with any particular POS software from any vendors, ask for a trial period to find out yourself whether it suits all your needs or not.

Have you come across any of these 14 open source POS software? Let us know your experience below in the comment section.

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