Best iPad POS Systems 2023

Finding the right iPad POS system for your business will allow you to not only easily process sales, but also access stock reports, get financial insight and generally keep an eye on your business no matter where you are. They’re also ideal for businesses with mobile staff like restaurants, allowing them to take orders and process payments at the customer’s table.

However, with so many iPad POS systems to choose from, it can be hard to work out which one is the right fit for your business. Well, we’ve put the hours in, selected and reviewed the top 10 iPad POS systems. Let’s get started!

Our Top Pick for the Best iPad POS System 2023: Lightspeed

Following a detailed analysis of the top iPad POS systems, we found Lightspeed to have the best combination of functionality, features, customer support, and value for money.

The 10 Best iPad POS Systems for 2023

Our research found that the top 10 best iPad POS systems are:

1. Lightspeed:Best Retail iPad POS Overall
2. Toast: Perfect Restaurant iPad POS System
3. TouchBistro: Top Pick for Creating a Seamless User Experience 
4. Square: Must-have for Growing Your Brand
5. MYR: Ideal for Quick-service Restaurants 
6. Revel: Best Cafe iPad POS System for Flexible Payments
7. Vend: Popular for Customer-facing Displays
8. Epos Now: Superb Real-time Inventory Management 
9. Talech: Automated Email Updates On Orders 
10. Zettle: Offers Customizable Systems

The Top iPad POS Software 2023 Reviewed 

Surely, you need more information about our top 10 picks — we got you covered! Here’s everything you need to know about the best POS systems for iPad to make the right choice, including features, pricing, pros and cons:

1. Lightspeed: Best Restaurant iPad POS System Overall

Lightspeed will help you simplify and streamline complex business processes and operations, allowing you to focus on expanding your company. Bringing all major business activities on one platform also helps you free up a lot of time from your schedule.

With products like Quick Keys and fast lookup, Lightspeed helps you complete the checkouts quickly and keep the line moving. What’s more, you can also customize the entire checkout experience for your users by collecting personal information and sales notes. 

Another benefit of using Lightspeed’s iPad POS system is that it offers several payment options — from cards and online payments to modern contactless solutions, you’ll be equipped for whichever way your customer chooses to pay. 

In the backend, Lightspeed also helps you manage your inventory better and prevent you running out of stock. Anytime your stock is low, Lightspeed will send an automated alert. 

It’ll also give you all the information you need about your employee’s performance. Along with regular business reports, Lightspeed also provides staff performance reports where you can identify the top performers and who might need a little extra help and training to rise to the next level.

Moreover, Lightspeed is also the best iPad POS for small businesses.

Best Features

• Automated alerts on inventory storage 
• Customizable fields, buttons, and reports 
• Customized report views show only what you need to see
• Multiple payment solutions for faster and more flexible transactions 
• Multi-store reporting sends you data from all your store locations in real time

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Best overall iPad POS system	1. Automated inventory alerts 2. Customizable fields  3. Multiple payment options	2005	Available on request

Pricing 

Lightspeed plans are divided into two categories:

Restaurant

• Essentials: $39/month (menu manager, mobile access, takeout)
• Plus: $119/month (reporting, integrated payment, inventory management)
• Pro: $289/month (advanced insights add-on, advanced inventory add-on, table mode)
• Enterprise: Custom (loyalty, 24/7 support, dedicated account manager)

Retail

• Lean: $69/month (1 register, one-on-one onboarding, integrated payment)
• Standard: $119/month( 24/7 support, additional free training, dedicated account manager)
• Advanced: $199/month (1 register, omnichannel loyalty, accounting assistance)
• Enterprise: Custom (eCommerce integration, advanced reporting, 24/7 customer service)

Pros 

• Custom report view
• Enables faster checkouts
• Helps keep your customers happy
• Helps you manage multiple stores

Cons

• Not suitable for large enterprises 

2. Toast: Perfect Retail iPad POS for Beginners

Toast is a simple POS system for iPad programmed for restaurants and other food businesses. The biggest benefit of using its POS system is that it’s super easy — even for beginners — and offers a wide range of services, depending on the type and size of your store.

No matter if you have a fine dining restaurant or a small pizzeria, Toast knows what your needs are and meets them accordingly. 

One of the best things about Toast is that it offers iPad POS along with a central POS system. The handheld device is spill-proof, dust-proof, durable, and comes with 24-hour battery life. 

Another benefit of using Toast is its contactless delivery feature. It not only speeds up the entire process but also significantly reduces your operational costs, allowing you to get through more covers and increase revenues. 

Best Features 

• Multiple handheld POS system options
• Simplifies onboarding and training of new employees
• Helps you set up automated marketing campaigns 
• Helps you deliver your online orders on time, even during peak hours 
• Payroll runs in less than 30 minutes with direct bank deposits, printed checks, and pay card
• Portable POS system for iPad

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Beginners	1. Handheld POS 2. Simplifies onboarding  3. Automated marketing campaigns	2011	Starts free; paid plan at $165/month

Pricing 

Here are the plans offered by Toast:

• Starter Kit: $0 (cloud-based, hardware configuration with one terminal, engagement tools like email marketing and gift cards)
• Essentials: $165/month (custom hardware configuration, online ordering and delivery, fraud monitoring)
• Custom: Custom pricing (menu management, automatic upgrades, analytics, multiple add-ons)
• Restaurant Basics Package (only for new restaurants): $110/month (Flat rate, table management, menu management) 

Pros

• Free demo available
• Durable handheld devices 
• Pay-as-you-go plan available
• Reduces your operational costs 

Cons

• Only designed for the food industry 

3. TouchBistro: Top Pick for Creating a Seamless User Experience

If you’re looking for a tool to help you deliver an outstanding user experience and run your business more efficiently, TouchBistro is a great pick. It’s specifically designed for restaurants and food outlets, and knows exactly what these businesses need in a POS system. 

One of the best things about TouchBistro is how it lets you accept payments even in offline mode — a sluggish internet connection doesn’t mean your customers have to wait. 

Along with keeping your customers happy, TouchBistro also takes care of your backend business needs. For starters, it simplifies inventory management and reduces food waste with accurate reporting. 

Best Features

• Gives you real-time access to your labor cost data
• Lets your staff clock in and out with just a few taps
• Tableside ordering with a handheld device to drive up efficiency 
• Lets you automatically email your daily sales reports to key members 
• Inventory updates are carried out automatically across your current menu

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Creating a seamless user experience	1. Staff management  2. Enables tableside ordering 3. Automated inventory updates	2010	Starting at $69/month

Pricing 

The basic POS system comes in at $69 per month. Apart from that, there are several add-ons to choose from:

• Online ordering: Starting at $50/month 
• Loyalty: Starting at $99/month 
• Marketing: Starting at $99/month 
• Gift Cards: Starting at $25/month 
• Reservations: Starting at $229/month 

Pros

• Free quick demo
• Simplifies tax season
• Optimizes your labor costs 
• Drives up your profit margins 

Cons

• The mobile app is pretty slow

4. Square: Must-have for Growing Your Brand

Trusted by millions of brands, Square is the perfect POS system provider to grow your brand both in-store and online with a seamless customer experience and easy payments. Its iPad POS system comes with a built-in card reader to facilitate faster transactions.

Best Features

• Contactless payments in a tap
• Compatible with both 10.2″ and 10.5″ iPads
• Customer-driven checkout for faster payments 
• Built-in card readers with guiding LED lights

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Growing your brand quickly	1. Contactless payments  2. Customer-driven checkouts 3. Built-in card readers	2009	Starts free; paid plan starts at $60/month

Pricing 

Here are the plans offered by Square::

• Free (online ordering, unlimited locations, unlimited countertop devices)
• Plus: $60/month (unlimited handheld device, 24/7 support, unlimited Square KDS devices)
• Premium: Custom pricing only for businesses making $250,000 or more a year.

Note: The iPad is available at $149.

Pros

• Intuitive 
• Easy to set up
• Free demo for new users 
• Speeds up your transactions

Cons

• Could add more tutorials for beginners 

5. MYR: Ideal for Quick-service Restaurants

MYR is designed for quick-service restaurants. Users can either choose to manage a single restaurant or a franchise — the plan can be customized accordingly. Its iPad POS system for ice cream shops and other retail food outlets allows you to take orders and fire them straight to the kitchen display with a click. What’s more, your customers can pay directly from their table with MYR POS. 

Best Features 

• Helps you manage customer orders better 
• Lets you manage your menu for the day
• Can be connected to a kitchen display for real-time order updates 
• Connects with food delivery apps like Ubereats and SkipTheDishes

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Quick-service restaurants	1. Helps you manage customer orders  2. Simplifies menu management  3. Connects with food delivery apps	2016	Starting at $80/month

Pricing 

Here are the plans offered by MYR:

• Single Location: $80/month (3 cash registers, 3 kitchen displays, line-busting apps, punch clock)
• Multiple Location/Franchise: Custom pricing (Franchise panel, advanced menu management, automated royalties)

Pros

• Quick reporting 
• Integrated kitchen display
• Advanced menu management 
• Caters to both small restaurants and franchises 

Cons

• The interface could be more visible and responsive 

6. Revel: Best Cafe iPad POS System for Flexible Payments

Revel was one of the first companies to introduce iPad POS systems in the market, making them the most experienced iPad POS system provider. From managing your entire inventory to supervising your team, Revel helps you do it all. Also, to offer your customers a better experience, Revel gives you the functionality to easily split bills, hold bar tabs, and offer flexible payment options. 

Best Features 

• Multiple payment options
• Tracks your item stock in real-time
• Crafts insights from your daily performance 
• Helps you identify your best-selling items 
• Bar iPad POS system

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Flexible payments	1. Multiple payment options  2. Real-time stock tracking  3. Daily insights	2010	Starting at $99/month

Pricing 

Here are the plans offered by Revel:

• POS Software Cost: Starting at $99/month (intuitive POS, inventory management, staff management)
• Processing: Flat Fee (accepts all cards, EMV compatible, Apple Pay ready)
• Implementation: $674 (software onboarding, menu consultation, hardware installation)

Pros

• Protects your data
• Customizable technology 
• Simplifies team management 
• Good resources for beginners

Cons

• The customer support team isn’t very responsive

7. Vend: Popular for Customer-facing Displays

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use POS system for your business, try Vend. With over 20,000 customer locations, its iPad POS connects with multiple apps to expand its functionality. The iPad camera also doubles up as a barcode scanner, helping you accelerate billing and checkouts. 

Best Features

• Loyalty program for your customers 
• Integrated customer-facing display to take user details
• Quick keys to keep the popular products on the top
• Automatically adds discounts wherever needed

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Customer-facing displays	1. Loyalty programs for your customers  2. Quick keys for product search  3. Integrated customer-facing display	2010	Starting at $99/month

Pricing 

Here are the plans offered by Vend:

• Lean: $99/month (Retail POS, 1 register, integrated payments)
• Standard: $149/month (Accounting app integration, API access, 24/7 customer support)
• Advanced: $229/month (Advanced reporting, loyalty programs, eCommerce integration)
• Enterprise: Custom (Dedicated account manager, premium API access, custom onboarding)

Pros 

• Multiple plans 
• Free trial and demo
• Integrated payment options 
• API access in some expensive plans 

Cons

• Limited integration options

8. Epos Now: Superb Real-time Inventory Management

Epos Now is a comprehensive POS system where you’ll get everything you need in one complete package at a $0 upfront fee. It’s one of the few platforms that helps you train and onboard your employees, even on the most basic plan. 

On top of that, you also get essential POS features like omnichannel presence, online delivery, business insights, real-time reporting, and countless integrations.

Best Features 

• Multiple types of POS systems are available
• Real-time inventory management 
• Can connect to over 100 business apps 
• Powerful and instant reporting on your performance
• Food truck POS system for iPad  

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Real-time inventory tracking	1. Diverse device types  2. Integrates with 100+ apps  3. Powerful reporting	2009	Starts free; custom pricing is available

Pricing

The basic POS hardware pack is available for free, and the services you choose for the POS system will come at a custom price. Tablet systems are available at $599, and handheld systems come with custom pricing options. 

Pros

• Quick discovery call
• Remote account access
• A comprehensive set of solutions 
• One-on-one onboarding support 

Cons

• Most advanced features are only available as add-ons

9. Talech: Automated Email Updates On Orders

Talech is a popular POS service among restaurants, retail stores, and small businesses. With just a few taps, you can view your orders and sales numbers and manage your inventory. Open to restaurants, retail, and other services, it’s one of the most affordable POS service providers.

Best Features

• Lets you split shared items to simplify the checkout
• Assign individual QR codes to each table
• Enables tracking and approving voids during the order process 
• Automated email updates to your customers when their orders are ready
• Helps you set the table and seating positions to keep everything streamlined

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Automated email updates	1. Individual table QR codes 2. Flexible payments  3. Table and seating management	2012	Starts free; paid plan starts at $29/month

Pricing

Here are the plans offered by Talech:

• Mobile: No software fee (basic order management, menu management, tax support)
• Starter: $29/month (Multi-level user access, customer management, inventory tracking)
• Standard: $69/month (Automatic discounts, store credit, kitchen printing)
• Premium: $99/month (Gift cards, split and merge order, table management)

Pros 

• Web orders
• Integrated gift cards
• Automatically adds taxes and service charges to the bill
• Automated order updates to your customers 

Cons

• Does not work with credit cards

10. Zettle: Offers Customizable Systems

Getting started with Zettle is a breeze, even for beginners. It offers fully customizable POS systems for your business. Designed to be simple, it hardly takes a few minutes to set it up. You can also switch between multiple user accounts and complete transactions within a few seconds. 

Best Features

• Simplifies managing your inventory 
• Easy to understand real-time reporting
• Provides instant product and sales report 
• Offers secure checkouts for all payment types

Best For	Top Benefit	Founded In	Pricing
Customizable displays	1. Real-time reporting  2. Instant sales report 3. Secure checkouts	2010	Starts free; custom pricing is available

Pricing 

Zettle offers a free plan under the name “Zettle Go” with features like payment processing, sales reports, gift cards, refund management, and staff management. 

Along with that, it also charges transaction fees

• Card transactions: 1.75% 
• Invoice transactions: 2.5% 
• Payment link transactions: 2.5% 
• PayPal QR code transactions: 1.75%

For custom pricing, you can reach out to the team. 

Pros 

• Customizable plans
• Quick discovery call
• Minimum transaction fees
• Phone support on weekdays 

Cons

• No extra add-on available 

Best iPad POS Systems 2023: Compared 

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of the best iPad POS systems to help you zero in on the best one for your needs:

What is an iPad POS System?

An iPad point-of-sale system, also known as POS software, is software designed specifically for an iPad. Retail operations use iPad POS software for the attractive design and customer-friendly interface, along with low setup and maintenance costs. 

Things required to start operations using an iPad POS system are a POS application and a credit card reader. The POS application is used to manage bill payments and also keeps a tab on sales and can easily be downloaded on the Apple store online. The card reader is usually connected to the POS system using Bluetooth. 

Benefits of Having iPad POS Software

There are many benefits to having iPad POS software, such as:

Low Cost of iPad POS software

An iPad POS system is relatively cheap compared to other POS systems, thereby offering businesses huge savings. While a standard on-premise POS system can cost around $5,000 – $7,000 per terminal, switching to an iPad POS system means a nominal investment of around $800 – $1,000 for almost all the hardware required for carrying out business transactions.

Easy To Use

While using an electronic cash register and an on-premise POS system can be quite tedious and complex, using an iPad POS system is much easier, thanks to the modern interface, which is quite customer-friendly and is, therefore, much more usable. Modern technology like touchscreens enables retailers to operate quickly without error and receive payments instantly. This, in turn, over time, leads to enhanced customer loyalty and brand promotion.

Cloud-Based iPad POS System

There are many added features in the iPad POS system as a result of it being cloud-based — managed security, free updates of the software so that you can use the current version of it, remote access to the POS system with the help of any internet connection, and integrations with other applications and platforms to help truly integrate your business with a single POS system.

Better Customer Experience

Businesses can hugely benefit from an iPad POS system due to enhanced customer experience and the many additional features, which include email receipts that are received by the customer instantly, instant checkout, faster signups, simple tipping procedures, and more.

How to Choose an iPad POS Provider

There are many great iPad POS systems that provide not only amazing customized configurations but also great customer support. These systems come equipped with numerous features that are quite impressive and cater to enhancing your business. To select an iPad POS system, you need to look for certain features in them. These include:

Cloud-based POS Software

You must always invest in POS software that’s cloud-based, as it’ll allow you to access your sales reports, run reports, pay bills, and access other documents from a remote location without having to log into your office computer. Cloud-based software is upgraded regularly, and there are usually no additional charges for that. 

The System Must Grow With The Business

With the increase in the size of your business, you’ll have to add more and more integrations and checkout stations, which is only possible if the POS software allows that to happen. Thus, it’s best to go for software that allows such upgrades without having to move to another system.

The Software Must Work With Other Hardware

If you possess POS equipment, then you must select a POS software that can pair well with third-party hardware so that your equipment does not go to waste. A lot of POS systems are not compatible with other equipment and only work with specially programmed ones. 

How Much Do iPad POS Systems Cost?

Most iPad POS systems cost around $3,000 to $10,000, including both hardware and software. There’s also free POS software available for iPad, which can be downloaded for free and used along with the already purchased hardware. Note that the cost of the POS software will ultimately depend on the features you want and the provider you’re going with.

Conclusion: What is the Best iPad POS System?

The best iPad POS system for you is one that fits your needs and budget the best. That said, our recommendation is Lightspeed — which came out on top after a detailed analysis of the top 10 contenders. 

Lightspeed offers multiple payment options, alerts for inventory replenishment, employee data, custom pricing options, and more.

Read more:

• Ways Your POS Software can Improve Your Customer Service
• Making the Switch to Cloud-Based POS Software

FAQs