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Shopify POS

Features
Ease of use
Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
Market presence
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Pricing from
$5 per month
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
User corporate size
Small
Medium
Large
User industry
  1. Real estate and property management
  2. Retail and wholesale
  3. Education and training

What is Shopify POS

Shopify POS is a retail point-of-sale application that connects in-store selling with a Shopify online store, inventory, and customer data. It is used by retailers that want a single platform for checkout, returns/exchanges, and basic store operations across physical and digital channels. The product runs on supported mobile devices and integrates with Shopify Payments and third-party payment providers depending on region. It differentiates through tight coupling with the Shopify commerce platform and its app ecosystem for extensions such as loyalty, clienteling, and order management.

pros

Unified online and store data

Shopify POS shares products, inventory, and customer profiles with the Shopify admin, reducing duplicate setup across channels. Store staff can access order history and customer information to support returns, exchanges, and assisted selling. This consolidation can simplify operations compared with using separate POS and ecommerce systems. It also supports omnichannel workflows such as buying online and fulfilling or returning in store, subject to configuration and plan.

Broad integrations via app ecosystem

The Shopify App Store provides integrations for functions commonly adjacent to POS, such as loyalty, marketing, clienteling, and shipping. Retailers can extend the POS experience without custom development by selecting apps that fit their workflows. This can be useful when requirements change or when adding new sales channels. Integration depth and quality vary by app vendor, but the ecosystem is large and actively maintained.

Payments and hardware options

Shopify POS supports card-present payments through Shopify Payments in supported countries and can also work with other payment providers depending on region. It supports common retail hardware setups (e.g., card readers, receipt printers, cash drawers) through Shopify’s hardware program and compatible devices. This helps standardize checkout across locations for small and mid-sized retailers. Hardware availability and supported configurations depend on country and device requirements.

cons

Advanced retail features gated

Some multi-location and advanced retail capabilities (e.g., more complex staff permissions, reporting depth, and certain omnichannel workflows) depend on Shopify plan level and POS subscription tier. This can increase total cost as a retailer scales stores or needs more operational controls. Organizations should map required features to specific plan entitlements before rollout. Feature availability can also vary by country.

Not a full ERP replacement

Shopify POS focuses on selling and core retail operations rather than full ERP capabilities such as manufacturing, deep procurement, or industry-specific textile workflows. Retailers needing complex merchandising, allocation, or multi-entity accounting often require additional systems or integrations. This can add integration and data-governance work. The product fits best when Shopify is the commerce hub rather than the entire back office.

Customization and reporting limits

Checkout and operational workflows are configurable but can be constrained compared with highly customizable enterprise POS platforms. Reporting covers common retail metrics, but more specialized analytics often require exports, third-party apps, or a BI stack. Retailers with strict reporting definitions or complex attribution needs may need additional tooling. Customizations that rely on apps can introduce vendor dependency and ongoing maintenance.

Plan & Pricing

Plan Price Key features & notes
Starter $5 per month Casual in-person selling features; 1 POS login; limited online store; card rates starting at 5%+30¢ online, 5% in person. Promotional offer: Try Shopify free for 3 days then get 3 months for $1/month. (Shopify POS app is free to install but requires a Shopify plan).
Retail $89 per month For selling at retail stores; 1 POS Pro location included; unlimited POS logins; limited online store; card rates starting at 2.9%+30¢ online, 2.6%+10¢ in person.
Basic (Sell everywhere) $39 per month Full-featured online store; unlimited POS logins; card rates starting at 2.9%+30¢ online, 2.6%+10¢ in person; POS Pro available as an add-on (+ $89/month per POS location).
Grow (Sell everywhere) $105 per month Up to 5 staff accounts; unlimited POS logins; card rates starting at 2.7%+30¢ online, 2.5%+10¢ in person; POS Pro add-on + $89/month per POS location.
Advanced (Sell everywhere) $399 per month Up to 15 staff accounts; unlimited POS logins; card rates starting at 2.5%+30¢ online, 2.4%+10¢ in person; POS Pro add-on + $89/month per POS location.
Shopify POS Pro (add-on) $89 per month per location Adds advanced in-person retail features (staff permissions, in-app retail analytics, exchanges, advanced inventory workflows). Billed per activated location; monthly or annual billing available; some Retail/Plus plans include POS Pro locations as noted.

Notes: Pricing shown is from Shopify's official POS pricing page and Help Center; card rates and included POS Pro details are per-shopify.com documentation. Promotional trial: Shopify advertises "Try Shopify free for 3 days then get 3 months for $1/month."

Seller details

Shopify Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
2006
Public
https://www.shopify.com/
https://x.com/Shopify
https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopify/

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