NO SPONSORED RANKINGS. NO AFFILIATE BIAS.
The POS Advice Salespeople Won't Give You
We've researched 15+ POS systems so you don't waste 40 hours on demos. Real comparisons. Actual pricing. The stuff vendors hide until you're on a sales call.
Most POS "Reviews" Are Paid Ads in Disguise
Here's what happens: You Google "best restaurant POS." You find a listicle. The #1 pick happens to be whoever paid the most affiliate commission that month.
The pricing says "contact for quote"—because showing real numbers would reveal the markup. The comparison conveniently leaves out the 3-year contract, the proprietary hardware lock-in, the processing fees that add up to thousands.
We built Terminal Advisor because we got burned by this system ourselves. No affiliate rankings. No "request a demo" gates. Just the information you need to make a decision without talking to a single salesperson.
What We Actually Tell You
Not "starting at $0" marketing speak. The actual cost when you add the features you'll need, the hardware you'll buy, and the processing fees on $20k/month in sales.
The 2-year contracts. The proprietary hardware that can't switch providers. The "free" plans that lock you into higher processing rates. We surface what vendors bury in fine print.
Every POS has weaknesses. Square's offline mode is limited. Toast locks you to their processor. Clover pricing depends on your reseller. We tell you both sides.
POS Systems We've Analyzed
See all pricing →15 providers. 200+ hours of research. Pricing verified quarterly.
Clover
Flexible POS with premium hardware
Heartland
Payment processing and POS for restaurants and retail
Helcim
Honest payments with interchange-plus pricing
Lavu
iPad POS for restaurants, bars, and food service
Lightspeed
Advanced POS for retail and hospitality
PayPal Zettle
In-person payments from a name customers trust
Head-to-Head Comparisons
All 27 comparisons →Side-by-side breakdowns with real feature differences—not just spec sheets copied from marketing pages.
Both are sold through resellers. Both have great hardware. Here's how to actually compare them.
Clover has the best hardware. Lightspeed has the deepest features. Here's how to choose for your retail store.
Clover has better hardware. Square has better software. But there's a catch with Clover you need to know about.
Clover works for any business. Toast only does restaurants. If you're a restaurant, this decision matters.
Both offer transparent pricing. Helcim is simpler for in-person. Stripe is better for developers. Here's the breakdown.
Lightspeed has the best retail inventory management. Shopify has the best e-commerce. Which matters more for your store?
Find Your Industry Match
All industries →A coffee shop doesn't need the same POS as a full-service restaurant. We break down which features actually matter for your specific business.
Stop Wasting Time on Sales Demos
You don't need a 45-minute call to learn basic pricing. Get the information you need in 5 minutes, then talk to vendors with leverage.