The short answer
- You sell online and in a store: Shopify. One product list and one inventory count for both. Basic is $49 a month ($37 if you pay yearly) and in-person cards cost 2.6%.
- Store only, small, and you want the lowest fixed cost: Square. The Free plan is $0 a month and cards cost a flat 2.5% in person.
- Big catalogue, several staff, or more than one register: Lightspeed Retail. 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.
Visit Shopify or read our Shopify breakdown first.
Retail POS options side by side
- Shopify POSVisit Shopify POS
Flat, by plan
- In person
- 2.6%
- Online
- 2.8% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $49 · Basic plan
- Contract
- Monthly or yearly billing
- LightspeedVisit Lightspeed
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.6% + 10¢
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- $139 · Retail Basic plan
- Contract
- Not published
- SquareVisit Square
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.5%
- Online
- 2.8% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $0 · Free plan
- Contract
- Month to month
- MonerisVisit Moneris
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.65% + 10¢
- Online
- 2.85% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $39.95 · Terminal rental + software fee
- Contract
- Not published
Prices checked Oct 19, 2026 on each provider's own pricing page (how we check).
| POS | Software price per month | Debit (Interac, in person) |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Basic $49 ($37 yearly), Grow $132 ($99 yearly), Advanced $517 ($389 yearly). 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.
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 or its contract terms. 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 doesn’t publish hardware prices on its Canadian hardware page. Ask for a full quote.
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.