The short answer: choose a POS by matching it to how your business actually works — the products you sell, whether you track stock, how many branches you have, and what you need it to connect to. The best POS for a small business is usually one that also handles inventory and accounting, so you’re not stitching separate tools together.
Start with your requirements, not features
Before comparing products, write down what you need: Do you track inventory? Sell in more than one location? Need barcodes, variants (size/colour), or customer credit? Do you want it on a phone, tablet or terminal? A clear list stops you paying for features you’ll never use — or missing one you can’t live without.
The checklist
- Inventory built in — does a sale update stock automatically?
- Accounting connection — does it record sales to your books, or is that a separate job?
- Multi-branch — can it handle more than one location and report on each?
- Works offline — can you still sell during an internet drop?
- Hardware you already have — does it run on an Android phone/tablet and your printer?
- Roles & permissions — can cashiers be limited to what they need?
- Clear pricing — no surprise per-transaction or add-on fees.
Questions worth asking before you commit
- What happens to my data if I stop paying?
- How hard is it to add a second branch later?
- Does it show real profit, using item cost — not just sales totals?
- What support do I get when something breaks mid-sale?
Mistakes to avoid
The most common one is buying a POS that only rings up sales, then bolting on separate inventory and accounting tools — which means double entry and numbers that never quite match. If you expect to grow, choose a POS that’s part of a complete system from the start. RushFlow is exactly that: POS, inventory and accounting in one, with an Android cashier app and per-branch reporting. Try the live demo or compare plans.
New to POS? Start with what is a POS system and how does it work?