The short answer
- Our pick: Square. The Free plan is $0 a month, it sends low-stock alerts, and cards cost a flat 2.5% in person. It’s the lowest cost at every sales level we price, from about $50 a month at $2,000 in card sales to $3,750 at $150,000.
- You also sell online: Shopify. One product list and one inventory count for both. Basic is $49 a month ($37 or $44 if you pay yearly, depending on the price Shopify shows you) and in-person cards cost 2.6%, more than our pick at the counter.
- Big catalogue, several staff, or more than one register: Lightspeed Retail, for deeper inventory tools. Plans are $139, $239 or $399 a month, and cards cost 2.6% + 10¢.
- You want a terminal from a big Canadian name: Moneris Go Retail POS, from $10 a month plus $34.95 to rent each terminal, with cards at 2.65% + 10¢ and an agreement that runs 3 years.
Visit Square, or read our Shopify breakdown if you also sell online.
Get told when these prices change
Providers change fees with little notice. We email you what changed when a price here does, and nothing else.
Retail POS options side by side
We may earn a fee if you sign up with some providers in this table. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend.
- SquareVisit Square
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.5%
- Online
- 2.8% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $0 · Free plan
- Contract
- Month to month
- Shopify POSVisit Shopify POS
Flat, by plan
- In person
- 2.6%
- Online
- 2.8% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $49 · Basic plan
- Contract
- Monthly or yearly billing
- MonerisVisit Moneris
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.65% + 10¢
- Online
- 2.85% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $39.95 · Terminal rental + software fee
- Contract
- 3 years, then 6-month renewals (45 days notice)
- LightspeedVisit Lightspeed
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.6% + 10¢
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- $139 · Retail Basic plan
- Contract
- Fixed term; early exit fee covers the rest of the term
Prices checked Oct 22, 2026 on each provider's own pricing page (how we check).Order: providers we can price in full come first, lowest first-year cost for a business taking $10,000 a month across 400 in-person payments; the rest follow alphabetically. Payout never affects the order.
We may earn a fee if you sign up with some providers in this table. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend.
| POS | Software price per month | Debit (Interac, in person) |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Basic $49, Grow $132, Advanced $517 a month. Billed yearly: $37 / $99 / $389 or $44 / $120 / $465 a month, depending on the price Shopify shows you. POS Pro adds $119 per location, billed yearly. | 15¢ |
| Lightspeed Retail | Basic $139 ($119 yearly), Core $239 ($199 yearly), Plus $399 ($329 yearly) | Not published |
| Square | Free $0. Plus from $35. Premium custom. | 0.75% + 7¢ |
| Moneris Go Retail POS | From $10, plus $34.95 per terminal rental | 12¢ |
Sources: Shopify, Shopify POS, Lightspeed, Square, Moneris, Moneris rates.
Our pick for a retail shop, by monthly card sales
-
For a retail shop under $5,000 a month, a retail shop at $5,000 to $25,000 a month, a retail shop at $25,000 to $100,000 a month or a retail shop over $100,000 a month · must have Inventory tracking
Our pick
- a retail shop under $5,000 a month: $50 a month
- a retail shop at $5,000 to $25,000 a month: $250 a month
- a retail shop at $25,000 to $100,000 a month: $1,250 a month
- a retail shop over $100,000 a month: $3,750 a month
Lowest cost, and it has inventory tracking.
Why not the others?
Left out: Stripe, Clearly Payments, Merchant-Accounts.ca (card processing only, no POS software of its own); TouchBistro (a restaurant-only POS).
Can't confirm here (a must-have or the full price isn't published): Moneris, Helcim, Clover, Global Payments, Chase.
How we picked
A month of card fees plus the monthly fee at $2,000 in 100 card payments; $10,000 in 200 card payments; $50,000 in 1,000 card payments; $150,000 in 3,000 card payments, all in person, from each provider's published rates. Providers whose price depends on interchange, a hardware bundle or a quote have no full price here. Our pick is the lowest cost option that has every must-have; within 10% of it, no contract, faster payouts and longer support hours win. Payment from a provider never changes it. How we pick
Who each one is for, and who should skip it
Shopify. For stores that sell online and in person. In-person card rates drop as you move up: 2.6% on Basic, 2.5% on Grow, 2.4% on Advanced. Shopify recommends POS Pro for stores with “a lot of foot traffic, multiple tiers of staff, or a large inventory catalog.” Skip it if you have no online store. And note that using a processor other than Shopify Payments adds 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
Lightspeed Retail. For established independent stores that need more inventory and reporting tools. Lightspeed describes Retail Basic as “designed for essential day-to-day needs for independent retailers,” with one register included. Skip it if you’re just starting. Basic is $1,668 a year on monthly billing before any card fees. Lightspeed also says “additional service fees may apply depending on the nature of the business.”
Square. For small shops, pop-ups and market sellers. No monthly fee on the Free plan, month to month, and hardware you can buy outright: a $69 reader, a $249 Stand or a $999 Register on Square’s Canadian site. Skip it if you sell big-ticket items that people pay for by debit. A $60 debit sale costs about 52¢ at Square, versus 12¢ at Moneris or 15¢ at Shopify.
Moneris. For stores that want a flat rate with a low debit price and next-day deposits with BMO and RBC. Cards cost 2.65% + 10¢ in person. Skip it if you don’t want to rent hardware. Moneris lists terminal rental at $34.95 a month and doesn’t publish a purchase price, and its merchant agreement runs 3 years. One more thing to know: Moneris announced in August 2026 that Francisco Partners has agreed to buy it from BMO and RBC (Moneris announcement).
What one month really costs: an example
Say your store does $15,000 a month in credit card sales across 300 payments. Here’s the estimate at published rates, with one register and the cheapest listed plan:
| POS | Card fees | Software and rental | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square (Free plan) | $375 | $0 | $375 |
| Shopify (Basic) | $390 | $49 | $439 |
| Moneris Go Retail POS | $427.50 | $49.95 | $477.45 |
| Lightspeed (Retail Basic, monthly) | $420 | $139 | $559 |
This is our estimate. It assumes every payment is a domestic credit card at the in-person rate, and leaves out debit, hardware purchases and add-ons. For Moneris we added its $10 POS plan, $34.95 terminal rental and $5 Moneris Go software fee. Moneris doesn’t say how often the $5 is billed, so we counted it monthly. Your real numbers depend on your card mix. Put yours into the fee calculator.
The catch: fees to ask about before you sign
- Chargebacks. Shopify charges $15 CAD. Lightspeed charges $15 (currency not stated). Moneris charges $25. Square doesn’t publish a chargeback fee on its Canadian page.
- Online Amex and foreign cards on Shopify. Online Amex costs 3.5% + 30¢ on Basic, and so do online international cards.
- Currency on Lightspeed. Lightspeed’s retail pricing page showed CAD only with Canada picked in its region selector. Confirm the currency when you sign up.
- Hardware. Shopify’s Canadian hardware store lists a WisePad 3 reader at $69 and a POS Terminal at $459, with a ”$” sign only. Price the full setup you need.
Store only? Compare Square, Lightspeed and Moneris. Running a cafe or restaurant instead? See restaurant POS systems, or go back to all POS systems.
Common questions
What is the best POS system for a small retail store in Canada?
If you sell online as well as in the store, Shopify keeps both in one system from $49 a month. If you only sell in person and want the lowest fixed cost, Square's Free plan is $0 a month with a flat 2.5% card rate. Lightspeed Retail, from $139 a month, suits stores that need deeper inventory tools.
How much does a retail POS system cost per month?
At published prices: Square $0 (Free) or from $35 (Plus), Moneris Go Retail POS from $10 plus $34.95 per terminal, Shopify Basic $49, and Lightspeed Retail $139, $239 or $399. Shopify's POS Pro adds $119 a month per location, billed yearly. Card fees come on top of every one of these.
Do I need Shopify POS Pro?
Not always. Shopify Basic includes POS Lite. Shopify says it recommends POS Pro for "businesses that have a lot of foot traffic, multiple tiers of staff, or a large inventory catalog." POS Pro costs $119 a month per location, billed yearly, so a one-person shop should try POS Lite first and upgrade only when it runs out.
Which retail POS is cheapest for debit payments?
Of the four retail POS systems on this page, Moneris is lowest at a flat 12¢ per Interac payment in person. Shopify charges 15¢ on its Basic, Grow and Advanced plans. Square charges 0.75% + 7¢, which is 52¢ on a $60 sale. Lightspeed doesn't publish its Interac rate, so ask before you sign.