Best POS System for Grocery Stores in 2024

Why I chose IT Retail

IT Retail is my top overall choice for grocery store POS systems. Among all the providers I considered, IT Retail offers the most comprehensive native grocery POS features, such as expiration date tracking, mix-and-match discounting, mobile shelf-labeling, and seamless handling of age-restricted purchases. Not only does it offer unlimited licensing for its basic plan, IT Retail also provides one of the cheapest upfront costs for an all-in-one basic grocery setup. Note, however, that hardware upgrades and on-premise setup can be expensive and may require a long-term contract, but that is not unusual.

Made by and created for grocers in 1994, IT Retail is the first Windows-based grocery POS software on the market, making the system easy to use and integrate seamlessly with various business solutions such as accounting tools. Today its software is powered by POS Nation (also included in our list), offering very similar services. However, I find IT Retail’s pricing plan and upgradeable features offer an overall better value for grocery stores. For example, IT Retail comes with a house account feature, or the ability to support B2B customers (included in the basic pre-built plan).  

Overall, IT Retail provides the best combination of value for money and scalability. I highly recommend it for grocery store owners looking to build a complete POS system with all the available bells and whistles, and still be able to control their upfront and ongoing costs.  

Upfront cost: Affordable; Upgrade cost: Can be expensive; Ease of use: Excellent; Support: 24/7

Why I chose POS Nation

Launched in 2001, POS Nation is an all-in-one provider of software, hardware, and payments for a variety of niche retailers, including grocery stores and supermarkets. Its recent acquisitions include Bottle POS (for liquor sales) and GrazeCart (for butchers). POS Nation also powers IT Retail’s suite of grocery POS software, which already gives you an idea of why I included this provider on my list.  

While IT Retail scored better, I like how POS Nation offers convenient tools such as discounts, built-in age verification, and mobile back office management in its basic plan. I also like the dual pricing mode, which allows grocers to offer discounts to customers who pay in cash.

With its ability to handle unlimited SKUs and users, access to more POS features (as POS Nation continues to acquire similar software), and robust marketing functionalities, everything points to POS Nation as an ideal choice for larger grocery stores. So, I’m a little disappointed that it doesn’t support house accounts for B2B customers and does not have any ecommerce integrations. That said, grocery stores with the space (and budget) to diversify with liquor, meat, and deli sections, and more should consider POS Nation.

Upfront cost: Affordable; Upgrade cost: Can be expensive; Ease of use: Excellent; Support: 24/7

Why I chose NRS POS

I chose NRS POS primarily for its ability to scale its hardware and software products with independent grocery retailers in mind. It also helped that NRS is very transparent with its pricing plans, making its range of services very clear. Its basic POS software starts at $19.95 per month and comes with three user profiles, vendor management, remote management, complete pricebook and inventory management, and 24/7 customer support. You get the entire suite of services, including professional business tools, ecommerce, and loyalty programs, at $49.95 per month. 

National Retail Solutions (NRS) is a one-stop-shop for retailers, providing everything from complete POS systems and payment processing service to small business lending and an online marketplace for retail inventory and store supplies. Its flagship POS software, NRS POS, was designed to manage retail stores of all sizes. This is why it’s not a surprise that NRS POS software features can easily keep up with what IT Retail and POS Nation have to offer. 

So why did it not score better in our rankings? While NRS POS starts with a very affordable monthly plan, hardware is purchased separately outright. Meanwhile, both IT Retail and POS Nation include a basic hardware setup at $49 per month. I like how NRS comes with a free app to run their customer-facing ads, but it would have been better to have other key features like offline payment processing and age restriction tools available first. That said, the cost of upgrading software and hardware with NRS is still very competitive, and merchants have the freedom to choose their payment processor, making this provider a sound choice for growing businesses. 

Upfront cost: Average; Upgrade cost: Average; Ease of use: Excellent; Support: 24/7

Why I chose Square for Retail

Square is one of two providers on this list with software not explicitly designed for grocery stores. That said, Square does have the basics covered: FIFO inventory management, low-stock alerts, expiration date tracking (via integration), vendor management, scanner and scale integrations, and EBT payment processing. 

Not to mention, Square is incredibly easy and low-cost to set up. So, small and single-lane grocers will find Square ideal. Square also comes with a free website builder and ready integration with local delivery apps for groceries that sell online.

Probably one of the most popular POS systems on the market today, Square started in 2009 as an affordable and easy-to-use mobile payment service. Since then, Square has diversified its services with industry-specific POS software and hardware solutions while still ensuring the same easy set-up that Square is known for. This is why businesses that choose to set up a grocery store using Square will have a wide range of native and third-party integrations available to build around its basic features. 

However, if you plan to quickly scale your grocery store, you will likely be better off with IT Retail, which offers better inventory control, or POS Nation, which supports cash discounting to manage transaction costs. 

Upfront cost: Affordable; Upgrade cost: Average; Ease of use: Excellent; Support: Extended business hours

Why I chose Loyverse

Most merchants associate Loyverse with restaurants, but I have always considered Loyverse to be a better option for food-based retailers. While Loyverse does not offer grocery-specific POS software, its advanced inventory management tools include FIFO inventory and built-in expiration date tracking, which you can only get with Square via integration. Loyverse even provides built-in vendor management, stock transfers, inventory count management, and modifiers that you can use to track bottle deposits. What makes it stand out the most, however, is its ability to work with a variety of hardware and payment processors.

Launched in 2014, Loyverse (Loyalty Universe) develops app-based POS software for retail and restaurants, though they do have merchant clients using the software for salons and other professional services. There are not many reviews, but real-life users gave Loyverse an average of 4.7 out of 5 on popular third-party review sites. 

Like Square, Loyverse is easy to use and does not require an expensive on-premise setup. However, Loyverse gives you more flexibility in how you build your POS system. Loyverse is compatible with both iOS and Android operating software (though you will need to purchase your POS hardware from third-party vendors) and seamlessly integrates with PayPal Zettle, WorldPay, and SumUp for North American merchants, plus other local processors in 170+ countries. If you like Square for its ease of use and setup but want more flexible hardware and payment processor options, then Loyverse is a great alternative.

Upfront cost: Affordable; Upgrade cost: Average; Ease of use: Excellent; Support: 24/7