Key Takeaways:
- Businesses can reduce expenses associated with buying or licensing commercial POS software. It is designed to be scalable, and it accommodates all business types.
- Businesses can modify and enhance the software’s functions by accessing the source code, ensuring a customized and efficient point-of-sale experience.
- Popular free and open source POS software includes RetailCloud, WandaPOS, ProffittCenter, Loyverse POS, Odoo, Unicenta, and more.
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.
Looking for POS Software? Check out SoftwareSuggest’s list of the best POS Software solutions.
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.
Due to its intrinsic value, businesses should choose Free and Open Source Point of Sale (POS) software. By eliminating licensing fees, it offers cost savings and allows for customization to meet specific needs. Since there is a large development community, it is constantly updated and maintained. Its promotion of innovation, security, and transparency ensures long-term viability.
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 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.
Our selection of these Free and Open Source Point of Sale (POS) Software is based on thorough research and analysis. We have listed these softwares based on usability and satisfaction score that include features, ease of use, customer support, ratings, and number of reviews from SoftwareSuggest. Our goal is to help businesses select the right softwares that can help them optimize their business processes.
14 Best Open-Source POS Software
| Software Name | Pricing | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Starting from $20/month | Cloud-based POS solution available for free on Android devices, Unlimited transactions | |
| Free open source | In-built database, Available in 15 languages | |
| Free POS system | Windows compatible, Provides free customer care support | |
| $5 per employee/month | Includes free tools for managing retail businesses, Inventory management for low stock alarm also stock tracking | |
| Enterprise version charges $20 per user/ month | Allows credit card payments and invoicing, Restaurant management, order processing & table selection | Annual billing starting from $78 | Supports multiple database options, Includes the stock maintenance facility |
| Starts at $50 as a one-time payment per user | Accepts coupons and gift cards, Handles payment in different combinations from cash to different types of cards | |
| Starts at $30/month | Inventory management, Contact management | |
| Charges $99/month (if billed annually) | Cash Management, User Account Management | |
| One-time payment of $1 for a few additional features | Barcode scanning, Provides customer support | |
| Charges $30/branch | Provides excellent insights by analyzing your sales data, Tracks and maintains records of your customer’s information | |
| Free and open source POS software | Can produce professional receipts that contain your business logo, custom text, and QR code | |
| Available for free online | Supports loyalty programs, Java 18 supported | |
| Charge $100-$200 as a one-time payment | Can create multiple accounts, Supports multiple printers |
1. RetailCloud
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.
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
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.
- The tool offers real-time data and analytics support
- The platform has excellent in-app chat support
- The tool centralizes retail operations
- The tool has a comparatively thin data security
- It does not work on Apple devices
Interesting read: 20 Essential POS Features for Retail Businesses
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.
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
Pricing:
Wanda POS is a completely free open source POS software available online.
- The tool makes things systematic and easy to handle
- It allows seamless integration capabilities
- The platform has a user-friendly interface
- The software has a steep learning curve for beginners
- It doesn’t have regular updates on the software
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.
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
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.
- It allows free updates and requires no payments
- The software is easy to set up
- It is an intuitive software
- It can only be installed on a Windows desktop
- The tool only has the fundamental features
4. Loyverse POS
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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.
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
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.
- The app offers excellent customer service
- It has an intuitive built-in loyalty program
- The tool has excellent features in its free version
- The tool cannot be integrated with other systems
- There are multiple features, but the functionality is limited
5. Odoo
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 software. You can download this open source POS software for Windows, Ubuntu, and RPM.
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
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.
- The tool is simple to set up and integrate
- It has an incredible software design
- The software has an ethical framework and is easy to deploy
- The customer support service is average
- It lacks automated migration tools
6. Unicenta
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.
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
Pricing:
Unicenta offers a free trial version after which it provides you two payment options for annual billing starting from $78.
- The platform and its features are easy-to-use
- It has a lot of functions compared to some paid POS software
- The software runs on most of the devices
- The tool has troubleshooting issues
- It might need a little technical prowess to navigate
7. Floreant POS
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.
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
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.
- The software is easy to set up and use
- It is a stable system that doesn’t crash often
- The platform provides back-offer operation manager
- The advanced options are hard to configure
- It does not integrate with other systems
8. eHopper
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.
Features:
- Inventory management
- Contact management
- It splits the payments and provides email support.
- Employee management
- Delivery management
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.
- The tool syncs real-time information fast
- It is easy to use and keeps your transactions organized
- The software is constantly evolving
- It avoids charging merchant fees to the business owner
- You need to purchase a premium version to use all its features
9. Vend POS
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.
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
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
- It offers good loyalty programs
- The tool has multi-store capabilities
- The software has an intuitive interface
- It lacks third-party app integration
- Products take a while to sync as it is cloud-based
10. KeyHut
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.
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
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.
- The tool helps cater to customers faster
- It offers simplified password management capabilities
- The platform does not use much RAM
- The programing language might be challenging to help configure
- The software does not work with a mouse but only a keyboard
11. Imonggo
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.
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
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.
- The tool offers robust inventory management features
- It provides seamless third-party integrations
- The tool has an intuitive interface and is easy to navigate
- The software doesn’t have any phone support
- It has limited payment processing options
12. WallacePOS
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.
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
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.
- The software has a user-friendly interface
- The customization of features is simple
- The software offers cross-platform compatibility
- There are glitches if too much data is uploaded
- It is challenging to retrieve the sales invoice information
13. Chromis POS
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.
Features:
- Supports loyalty programs
- Java 18 supported
- Supports an extensive range of hardware
- Built-in reporting analytics
- Supports USB printers
- Barcode scanning easily accessible
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.
- The software has simple and clean codes
- The platform offers an excellent support forum
- It offers flexibility to use all the features
- The card payment system is not supported in all countries
- The platform crashes at times after recent updates
14. Pangea POS
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.
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
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.
- It is easy to send multiple reports through emails
- The software offers seamless integration capabilities
- It is easy to create vouchers and save them
- There are charges for the support tools
- Slow response time from customer service
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:
- Billing, invoice, and order processing
- Sales channel monitoring and reporting
- Inventory and stock management
- Built-in payment processing
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Employee management
- Loyalty programs and gift cards
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 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.
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?
Frequently Asked Questions
Examine the features and functionalities of the POS software to find the best open source option. If you believe that the POS has all the modules you need, go with that POS.
The first and most important reason you need a free POS system is that it allows your firm to accept customer payments and track sales. Besides that, it also assists you with various other tasks such as inventory management, customer relationship management, and so on.
Some of the major disadvantages of open source point of sale software include a steep learning curve, difficulty in installation, compatibility issues, and poor support.
The 5 POS hardware components are a monitor, a receipt printer, a cash drawer, a mouse, and a keyboard. Together with the POS, these pieces of hardware form a complete POS system.
Priya is a seasoned writer with expertise in the SaaS industry. With over five years of experience in the field, she deeply understands the requirement of this specific industry, its techniques, and tools. Her articles, whitepapers, and blog posts are known for their clarity, practicality, and actionable insights. Priya also possesses in-depth knowledge of SEO and content marketing, which enables her to develop effective strategies to increase website traffic and improve brand visibility.
