How Much Does a POS System Cost in 2026? Hardware, Software and Card Fees

A POS system costs three things: a software plan, a card reader or all-in-one terminal, and card processing. As of October 27, 2026, four of the five systems we could read show no monthly software fee, all-in-one terminals cost $199 to $349 to buy, and fixed in-person rates run from 2.29% + 9¢ to 2.6% + 15¢. At $20,000 a month in card sales, three full totals run from $509.39 to $605.65 a month.

FinanceRadar data: of the three POS systems whose full monthly running cost we could compute on October 27, 2026 (out of the seven we cover), the median at $20,000 a month in card sales is $577.10, and the spread from the lowest ($509.39) to the highest ($605.65) is $96.26. The rates and hardware prices each provider we track publishes are in our payment processing fee dataset, each row with its own read date (CSV).

This page covers what you pay, not which system fits your shop. For a ranking by fit, see the best POS systems, and for the wider business context, see small business.

Table 1: entry plans, hardware and in-person rates, read October 27, 2026 on each vendor's own US pages. Billing is monthly unless stated.

Sources, read October 27, 2026: Square's plan prices, fee page and hardware; Clover's retail pricing and promotion; PayPal's POS pricing and business fees; Helcim's pricing and fee disclosure; SumUp's pricing and shop.

We could not verify US prices for Toast or Lightspeed on October 27, 2026, so neither carries a figure in this page's calculations. Toast sells restaurant POS (Toast pricing). Lightspeed sells retail and restaurant POS with hardware quoted on request (Lightspeed retail pricing). Each product page has the full detail: Square POS, Clover POS, Toast POS, Lightspeed POS, Helcim POS, PayPal Point of Sale and SumUp POS.

What does POS hardware cost?

All-in-one terminal hardware is the one-time cost that drives the first year. PayPal's Terminal is the cheapest all-in-one terminal we read, followed by SumUp's Terminal at $249 and Square's Terminal at $299. Clover's Basic system and Helcim's Smart Terminal are the dearest of the five all-in-one options we could price, and Helcim's price excludes shipping. A card reader without a screen costs less: $54 for SumUp Plus, $59 for Square's Reader, $79 for PayPal's standard reader, and Helcim's Card Reader at $199 plus shipping. PayPal's page also lists $29 for a first reader for a new business, which buyers should read as an offer, not a list price.

Several vendors also sell hardware on payments. Clover sells its Basic system at $16 a month for 36 months, Square's Terminal at $27 a month for 12 months and Helcim's Smart Terminal at $32 a month for one year. Those monthly amounts add up to more than the price to buy, as the hidden costs section shows below.

What do POS software plans cost?

Software is the smallest layer for most single-location shops. Square's Free plan has no monthly fee, while its Plus plan costs $49 per location a month and Premium costs $149 per location a month. SumUp's Standard plan has no monthly fee, and its step-up plans, POS Plus and SumUp POS (from $99 a month), sit above it. Helcim's pricing page lists no software, minimum or statement fees, and PayPal's POS page lists no monthly or setup fee.

Per-location pricing grows with the shop count. Three Square Plus locations pay $147 a month in software before a single card is charged. Clover's Standard system pairs $1,899 of hardware with a monthly software plan of $84.95, so its software is a real monthly cost, not a one-time fee.

What does card processing add?

Card processing is the largest monthly layer at the volume we model. Square's Free plan charges 2.6% + 15¢ in person. Clover's Basic charges 2.6% + 10¢ for a card tapped, swiped or inserted, and 3.5% + 10¢ for a card typed in. SumUp matches Clover's Basic in person and charges 3.5% + 15¢ online or by manual entry. PayPal charges 2.29% + 9¢ card-present and 3.49% + 9¢ for a manually entered card. A flat rate like these already includes the interchange, which the card's issuing bank receives.

Helcim works differently. Its tier-one in-person markup is 0.40% + 8¢, and interchange is added on top. Visa's CPS/Retail debit rate is 0.80% + $0.15 for cards from exempt (smaller) banks and 0.05% + $0.21 for regulated (large) banks, plus $0.01 for some issuers, under Visa's US interchange schedule (rates effective October 24, 2026). Other debit categories, such as restaurants, small tickets and supermarkets, carry different rates. Helcim's total therefore depends on the card mix, which is why its figures sit outside the calculation below. For more on processor-only pricing, see the best credit card processing options, Square Payments, Clover Payments, Helcim Payments and PayPal Payments.

What does a POS system cost each month?

The worked example assumes $20,000 a month in card sales at a $35 average ticket. That is 571 sales a month, rounded from 20,000 divided by 35 (571.4). Each system is priced on its entry plan that takes in-person payments, billed monthly, with the hardware at its cash price.

The formula is plain: monthly running cost = software plan + (in-person rate × monthly card sales) + (fixed fee × 571). First-year cost = all-in-one terminal bought outright + 12 × monthly running cost. For Square's Free plan, the percentage fee is 2.6% of $20,000, which is $520, and the per-sale fee is 15¢ × 571, which is $85.65. Adding $520 and $85.65 gives $605.65 a month, with no software fee.

Table 2: worked example at the volume above, read October 27, 2026. "None" means no software fee on the entry plan. "Not printed" means the vendor prints no price for that plan.

Helcim's row shows its markup only, and Clover's software price is not printed, so both stay out of the median and the spread. Toast and Lightspeed have no figure in this table. Two higher-tier options flip at higher volume. Square's Plus plan costs $29 a month more than Free at this volume, because its plan fee outweighs the 0.1-point rate cut, so Plus only wins above $49,000 a month in in-person sales. On monthly running cost alone, before the $1,550 higher hardware price, Clover's Standard system costs $602.05 a month at this volume. If Basic's Starter plan is free, that is more than Basic, and Standard only wins above about $28,300 a month in in-person sales. Including hardware, and again if Starter is free, the first-year flip is about $71,400 a month, where V is monthly in-person card sales: 1,550 + 12 × (84.95 − 0.003 V) = 0 gives V ≈ $71,400. Any Starter fee lowers both flip points.

Hidden costs

Financing costs more than the price to buy. Clover's Basic at $16 a month for 36 months totals $576, which is $227 above its price to buy. Square's Terminal at $27 a month for 12 months totals $324, and its Register at $44 a month for 24 months totals $1,056 against $899. Helcim's Smart Terminal at $32 a month for a year totals $384, before shipping.

Instant payouts and extras add up too. PayPal charges 1.5% of an instant transfer with a $0.50 minimum, so a $1,000 transfer costs $15. Clover's Rapid Deposit charges 1.75%, or $17.50 on $1,000. Helcim charges $7 a month for optional 4G mobile data, which is $84 a year if you add it. Each extra PayPal reader costs $79 after the first.

Disputes cost money in two different ways. PayPal charges $20 per chargeback. Helcim charges $15 per chargeback and refunds it if the merchant wins. Contracts vary as well: Square says it has no locked-in contracts, SumUp says it has no long-term commitments and Helcim lists no termination fees. Clover's online-only $450 statement credit on Station, Mini or Flex is for new Clover merchants who have not had a Clover account or processed with First Data Merchant Solutions, and it is subject to credit approval, which must come by January 31, 2027. The merchant must also submit a batch of $25 or more within 30 days of approval, process $10,000 or more in card transactions in the first four billing cycles, and sign a three-year contract. The offer expires December 31, 2026.

How to pay less

Buy the all-in-one terminal outright when you can. Clover's Basic totals $576 over 36 monthly payments, so paying up front saves $227.

Stay on the entry software plan until the volume justifies the step up. Square's Plus plan adds $49 a month, and it only comes out ahead once in-person sales pass $49,000 a month. If Basic's Starter plan is free, Clover's Standard system needs about $28,300 a month to beat Basic on monthly running cost alone, and about $71,400 a month once its $1,550 higher hardware price is counted.

Compare in-person rates, not headline rates. Among the four fixed-rate systems in Table 1, PayPal's 2.29% + 9¢ is the lowest, and at the worked-example volume it costs $96.26 a month less than Square's Free plan. Keyed-in sales cost more on every system we read: Square's manual-entry rate of 3.5% + 15¢ adds $180 a month at the worked-example volume over its 2.6% + 15¢ in-person rate, so take card-present payments where you can.

Helcim's markup falls as volume rises. It steps down from 0.35% + 7¢ in tier two to 0.15% + 6¢ in tier five, measured on a three-month average, so a shop that grows into a higher tier pays less per sale on the markup.

How we compared

We read the US pricing, hardware and fee pages of Square, Clover, Helcim, PayPal Point of Sale and SumUp on October 27, 2026, on each vendor's own site, and we read Visa's US interchange schedule for rates effective October 24, 2026. We could not verify US prices for Toast or Lightspeed that day, so they carry no figure. "Not disclosed" means the documents we read do not state an item, which is not the same as free. Every total uses the entry plan that takes in-person payments, billed monthly, with hardware at its cash price. Nothing was tested hands-on.

This is general information, not personalized financial advice. FinanceRadar may earn a commission from some links; it never affects rankings (how we make money). For the same kind of fine print on bank accounts, see our study of bank account fees.

FAQ

How much does a POS system cost per month?

As of October 27, 2026, four of the five systems we could read show no monthly software fee on their entry plans, and Clover's software price is not printed. At the worked-example volume, the three systems with a full total have a median running cost of $577.10 a month, with the spread shown in the table above.

How much does an all-in-one POS terminal cost?

Among the five all-in-one options we could price, PayPal's Terminal is the cheapest to buy. Clover's Basic and Helcim's Smart Terminal cost the most, and Helcim's price excludes shipping.

Do POS software plans always cost money?

No. Square's Free plan and SumUp's Standard plan have no monthly fee, and Helcim's pricing page lists no software fees. Square's Plus and Premium plans and SumUp's POS Plus add a monthly fee on top of the card rate.

Is financing a POS terminal cheaper than paying up front?

No, not on the prices we read. Clover's Basic totals $576 over 36 months and Square's Terminal totals $324 over 12 months, and both totals are more than the cash prices.

Which POS system has the lowest in-person card rate?

Among the four fixed-rate systems in Table 1, PayPal's 2.29% + 9¢ card-present rate is the lowest as of October 27, 2026. Helcim's 0.40% + 8¢ markup is lower still, but interchange is added on top, so it cannot be compared directly.

Do POS systems lock you into a contract?

Square, SumUp and Helcim publish no long-term contract on their pricing pages. Clover's $450 statement credit on Station, Mini or Flex requires a three-year contract, so that offer carries a commitment.

Which system fits your shop is on the best POS systems page.

Cite this: FinanceRadar, "How Much Does a POS System Cost in 2026? Hardware, Software and Card Fees", October 2026.