What free POS plans leave out, and how to price your month
A free POS plan means the software line is zero. Card fees, hardware and the add-ons you end up needing are still on the bill. Below are the limits of three real free offers, the break-even math for upgrading, and a worked month for a small shop, all from pricing pages checked on October 9, 2026. FreePOS USA is operated by VoVi, whose own plans are paid; we say where they fit at the end.
Free software is not a free month
On Square Free, every in-person card sale costs 2.6% + 15¢. A shop taking US$15,000 a month in cards over 600 sales pays US$480 in card fees with a US$0 software bill. That US$480 is the real monthly cost of the free plan, before hardware.
Card fees are usually the biggest line for a shop that takes mostly cards. So when you compare a free plan with a paid one, compare the whole month, not the software line.
Where free plans stop
Loyverse is free to use, but the free tier keeps only the last 31 days of sales analytics. Unlimited history is US$7 a month per store, employee management is US$5 a month per employee, and advanced inventory with purchase orders and transfers is US$25 a month per store.
Square Free does not include the kitchen display app; on Plus it costs US$30 a month per device. Toast’s Starter Kit starts at US$0 a month for one location with up to two terminals, and its Pay-as-You-Go option uses an all-in-one platform rate that the pricing page does not publish. Ask for that rate before you count the plan as free.
When a paid plan pays for itself
Square Plus costs US$49 a month and cuts the in-person rate from 2.6% to 2.5%. That 0.1-point cut saves US$1 per US$1,000 of card sales, so Plus breaks even at US$49,000 a month in person. Below that, Free is cheaper unless you need a Plus feature.
Online is different. Square charges 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus for online orders and invoices. A 0.4-point cut pays back US$49 at US$12,250 a month in online sales. A shop with a busy web store can reach that long before its counter does.
A worked month for a small shop
Assumptions: one US gift shop, US$15,000 a month in in-person card sales over 600 sales, three employees who need their own logins and time tracking, and a need for more than 31 days of sales history. Loyverse and VoVi do not process cards, so their card line depends on your processor’s quote; we leave it as a blank to fill, not a zero.
The cheapest software line is not automatically the cheapest month. Square Free has a known all-in number. For Loyverse or VoVi, add your processor’s fees to the software line before you compare.
| Option | Software and add-ons | Card fees |
|---|---|---|
| Square Free | US$0 | US$480 (2.6% + 15¢) |
| Square Plus | US$49 | US$465 (2.5% + 15¢) |
| Loyverse with history and employee add-ons | US$22 (7 + 3 × 5) | Your processor’s quote |
| VoVi Pro (staff time tracking) | US$39 | Your processor’s quote |
Count the hardware once, then spread it
Free software still needs something to run on. Square lists its contactless and chip reader at US$59 and Terminal at US$299. Loyverse says it runs on a phone or tablet you already own. With VoVi and Loyverse you also need a card terminal from your processor, so ask whether it is bought, rented or included.
To compare fairly, divide one-time hardware by the months you expect to keep it. A US$299 terminal kept for 36 months adds about US$8.31 a month. Add receipt printers, scanners and cash drawers the same way.
Where VoVi fits
VoVi is not free software. Light is US$25 and Pro is US$39 per location per month, before tax, and yearly billing gives you 12 months for the price of 10. You can try Pro for 30 days with no card, one trial per business. In the US, VoVi has announced Pro for US$0 with VoVi Payments as coming soon; you can join the list on its pricing page.
If a free plan covers your day, use it. If you find yourself adding per-employee and per-store add-ons, price VoVi’s flat plan next to them with the same card fees and the same hardware.
Sources & verification
Provider details can change. Confirm your written quote and local requirements before signing.
- Square pricing: plans and KDS app fee (checked October 9, 2026)
- Square fees by plan and payment type (checked October 9, 2026)
- Square hardware prices (checked October 9, 2026)
- Loyverse pricing: free tools and paid add-ons (checked October 9, 2026)
- Toast US pricing: Starter Kit and Pay-as-You-Go (checked October 9, 2026)
- VoVi pricing: Light and Pro plans (checked October 9, 2026)