What a POS system actually costs in 2026.
10 vendors, year-1 TCO sourced. Hardware + software + processing all-in. 4 live-verified, 2 industry-reported (vendor page blocked), 4quote-only. Clover's 36-48 month hardware lease lock-in flagged explicitly. No affiliate revenue.
What you should expect year 1
By business size, all-in.
The full matrix
4 live-verified, 2 industry-reported, 4 quote-only.
| Vendor | Vertical | SW $/mo | Hardware | Processing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Block | both | $0-165 | $0-600 | 2.6% + $0.15 | live verified |
| Toast Toast Inc | restaurant | $0-165 | $800-2350 | 2.49% + $0.15 | industry reported |
| Clover Fiserv | both | $14.95-114.95 | $599-1799 | 2.6% + $0.1 | industry reported |
| Lightspeed Lightspeed Commerce | both | $89-289 | $800-2000 | 2.6% + $0.1 | live verified |
| Shopify POS Shopify | retail | $39-89 | $49-599 | 2.6% + $0.1 | live verified |
| TouchBistro TouchBistro | restaurant | $69-? | Quote | Quote | quote only |
| Revel (now Shift4 SkyTab) Shift4 | both | Quote | Quote | Quote | quote only |
| NCR Aloha (NCR Voyix) NCR Voyix | restaurant | Quote | Quote | Quote | quote only |
| Heartland Restaurant Global Payments | restaurant | Quote | Quote | Quote | quote only |
| SpotOn SpotOn | restaurant | $65-165 | $0-1800 | 1.99% + $0.25 | live verified |
Clover's 36-48 month hardware lease is the buyer trap
Multiple 2026 reviews flag Clover's aggressive sales process pushing 36-48 month hardware leases bundled with payment processing. Hidden fees ($100-$200/mo for batch processing, PCI compliance, monthly statement fees) are reported consistently across MerchantMaverick, Tech.co, and Korona reviews.
Practical guidance: read the full contract before signing. Compare against Square (no lock-in, transparent pricing) or Lightspeed (mid-market, no lease). The Clover headline software price is competitive but the multi-year hardware + processing lock-in changes the year-3 math materially.