How we score POS systems
Rubric v1, published Sep 27, 2026 · See the ranking
We score each POS system on its entry plan (the cheapest plan that takes card payments, a free plan included): the in-person card rate, the monthly software fee for one location, the cheapest card reader it sells, the contract, and what the plan includes. using only what the company publishes on its own website. Every score is worked out by the formula shown for its criterion, and every fact behind it links to the page it came from, with the date we read it.
A fact the company does not publish counts as absent. We have not used these products ourselves; when we do, the method will say so and the rubric version will change.
The criteria
| Criterion | Weight | What a 10 and a 0 look like |
|---|---|---|
| Card rate | 30% | What a $30 in-person card sale costs at the entry plan's published rate (percentage plus any fixed fee). 10 at $0.85 or less, 0 at $1.30 or more, straight line between; 0 if not published. |
| Monthly software fee | 25% | The entry plan's monthly software fee for one location at the regular price, annual prepay included. 10 at $0, 0 at $100 or more, straight line between; 0 if not published. |
| Contract | 15% | 10 if the entry plan is month to month with no early termination fee; 5 if there is a contract but no termination fee is stated; 0 if there is a termination fee, or the terms are not published. |
| Cheapest card reader | 15% | The price of the cheapest card reader the company sells (a free reader scores 10). 10 at $0, 0 at $300 or more, straight line between; 0 if not published. |
| Included on the entry plan | 15% | Which of five the entry plan includes: inventory tracking, an online store or online ordering, offline payments, a customer directory or loyalty, and employee timecards. 2 points each. |
The overall score is 10 × the sum of weight × criterion score, from 0 to 100, shown as 0-10 with one decimal.
Version history
- v1, published Sep 27, 2026: Card rate 30%, Monthly software fee 25%, Contract 15%, Cheapest card reader 15%, Included on the entry plan 15%