Free point-of-sale software: the real cost
Free point-of-sale software exists, and it is not a scam. The useful question is not the advertised price: it is what it will cost you the day the shop grows, the network drops, or the device breaks.
What “free” means
Free point-of-sale software comes in three forms: a capped free plan (limited number of products or sales), a time-limited trial version, or a tool funded by something other than the subscription. None of them is dishonest — but each moves the cost somewhere.
The right question is therefore not “is it free?” but “what am I paying instead?” — in data-entry time, in the absence of a backup, in non-existent support, or in data you will not be able to get back.
When free is enough
Let's be fair: free can be enough. If you sell a few items, alone at the counter, with no stock to track and no customer to remind, a free tool does the job. Paying a subscription would then make no sense.
Free becomes insufficient as soon as two of these conditions appear: several sellers, stock to track, customer credit, frequent network outages, or a shop that cannot afford to lose a sale.
The 5 criteria to check before choosing a free tool
Ask these five questions before you commit. They take five minutes and save you from starting over in six months.
- 1. Does it work offline? Does it ring up sales when the network drops, or does it stop?
- 2. Where is my data? On the device, in the cloud, or both?
- 3. Can I get it back? Is there an export of products, customers and sales?
- 4. Who answers when something breaks? Support, a forum, or no one?
- 5. Is there a cap? What happens at the 51st product or the 1,000th sale?
And MerchantHQ?
MerchantHQ is not free : plans start at $15 per month. What the subscription covers are precisely the criteria above: offline mode, automatic cloud backup, reachable support, and data that follows you from one tablet to another.
If your shop is small enough that free is enough, take the free one. Otherwise, the plans and comparison detail what is included, and the point-of-sale software page explains how it works overall.
Frequently asked questions
Does free point-of-sale software really exist?
Yes. Several vendors offer a free plan or a trial version, and it is a legitimate option for a very small shop: one seller, few products, no stock to track. The real question is not “is it free”, it is “does it hold up when things get complicated”.
Why do free point-of-sale tools struggle offline?
Many free versions work only “in the cloud”: without a connection, checkout stops. Yet it is precisely when the network drops that you need to ring up sales. Offline mode is often reserved for paid plans.
What happens if I want to change tools later?
Ask before you start: can you export your products, your customers and your history? A tool you cannot get your data out of holds you back. It is the most common hidden cost of “free”.
Does MerchantHQ offer a free plan?
No. Plans start at $15 per month. This is not an argument against free: it is simply the model. What the subscription covers are the features free tools most often lack — offline mode, cloud backup and support.
Go further
- Running your till without Internet — What to prepare before you open, what keeps working during the day, and how to lose nothing when the network comes back.
- Tablet point of sale: the hardware — An Android tablet is enough to run a till. Here is what really matters when choosing.
- Spotting and clearing dead stock — A product that no longer sells takes up space and locks up money. How to spot it and what to do with it.