A Shopify POS alternative for shops without an online store.
Shopify POS is excellent when your shop and your Shopify website share one stock list. If you do not sell online, POS2026 gives you the till and the back office in a browser, without a Shopify plan, per-location POS Pro fees or an extra charge for using your own card provider.
POS2026 is a Shopify POS alternative for shops that sell in person and do not need an online store. Shopify POS needs a Shopify plan, charges extra per location for POS Pro, and adds a transaction fee of 0.2% to 2% if you use a payment provider other than Shopify's. POS2026 is a browser-based subscription that takes no fee on your sales, and you keep your card provider.
The POS2026 team wrote this page, so we have a stake in the answer. Shopify POS is a strong product, and if you already run a Shopify store it is hard to beat for keeping online and in-store stock together. This page is for the other case: a shop that trades over the counter and is wondering whether it needs Shopify at all.
Shopify details were checked on 5 November 2026. UK prices come from Shopify's UK pricing page and its UK POS pricing page. Shopify's US pricing page would not show US prices to us, so US figures come from Shopify's own blog (23 April 2026). Check current prices with Shopify before you decide.
Side by side
POS2026 and Shopify POS compared.
What each one costs and expects of you if you sell in person.
POS2026
Shopify POS
Built around
The shop counter and the back office: stock, suppliers, customer credit and profit.
A Shopify online store, with one inventory and customer view across online and in-store sales.
Software cost
A single POS2026 subscription via Stripe, free to try first, with plan prices visible in the app.
A Shopify plan, which includes the POS app. UK Basic is £25 a month, or £19 a month billed yearly; US Basic is $39 a month (Shopify blog).
Advanced in-store features
Checkout, stock, purchases, customer credit and profit tools in the app; multi-branch on the plans that include it.
POS Pro costs extra per location: £69 a month billed yearly in the UK, or $89 a month in the US (Shopify blog).
Card payments
Not a card processor. Use any provider and record how each customer paid.
Shopify Payments in person from 1.7% on UK Basic, or 2.6% + 10¢ on US Basic (Shopify blog).
Using another payment provider
No fee from POS2026 on your sales.
An extra transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced or 0.2% on Plus.
Hardware
Works in the browser of a computer, laptop, tablet or phone. A scanner and receipt printer are optional extras.
A smartphone or tablet plus a Shopify card reader. Shopify sells readers, stands, scanners, cash drawers and printers.
Billing terms
Cancelling in your subscription settings stops the next renewal; access lasts until the paid period ends.
Basic and Grow billed monthly or yearly; Advanced on a 1- or 3-year term; Plus on a 3-year term (UK).
Online store
None. POS2026 does not connect to Shopify or any online store.
Included, with storefront translation. Showing prices in local currencies requires Shopify Payments.
Shopify information checked on 5 November 2026. UK figures are from shopify.com/uk/pricing and shopify.com/uk/pos/pricing. US figures are from Shopify's blog post on POS system costs (23 April 2026), because the US pricing page did not show US prices to us. Shopify and Shopify POS are trademarks of their owner. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Shopify.
01 · Where Shopify POS is strong
When Shopify POS may suit you better.
If you sell online through Shopify, Shopify POS is the natural till. A sale in the shop and an order on the website draw from the same inventory, and a customer has one record wherever they buy. The POS app comes with every Shopify plan, and POS Pro adds advanced retail features for busier shops.
Shopify also has a large app ecosystem and a cheap way to start: in the UK, three days free and then £1 a month for three months. If online sales are part of your plans, even a small part, that combination is hard to match, and POS2026 does not offer an online store.
02 · Where POS2026 differs
When POS2026 is the better fit.
Plenty of shops have no intention of selling online: a convenience store, a hardware shop, a trader with a regular market pitch. For them, a Shopify plan pays for a platform built around an online store they will not use, and POS Pro adds a monthly cost for each location. POS2026 starts from the counter instead.
No fee for your own provider
POS2026 takes nothing from your sales, whichever card provider you use. You pay only your provider's own charges.
Suppliers and purchases
Record supplier orders in Purchase. Deliveries add to stock and update what you owe that supplier.
Customers who pay later
Account customers and their balances sit on the Due List, with deadlines and reminders.
Profit, not just sales
Loss/Profit combines product costs, selling prices and expenses into the figure you actually keep.
Languages and currencies
Run the app in more than 47 languages and set the currencies you trade in.
03 · Switching
Moving from Shopify POS to POS2026.
Moving the shop counter away from Shopify POS? Our guide to switching POS systems covers product lists, balances and staff training.
If you have a Shopify store, decide first whether you still need it. POS2026 does not sync with Shopify, so running both would mean keeping two stock counts by hand. If the website is quiet or already closed, moving the shop to POS2026 is straightforward.
Check your billing term too, since Advanced and Plus run on fixed terms. Then start the POS2026 free trial, add your best sellers with their barcodes and prices, enter your opening stock and run both systems side by side for a few days. Arrange a card machine from the provider you prefer before you stop using Shopify Payments.
Questions
Common questions.
Straight answers for shop owners, based on what POS2026 actually does.
Is Shopify POS free?
The POS app is included with every Shopify plan, but you need a Shopify plan to use it. In the UK, Basic is £25 a month, or £19 a month billed yearly. POS Pro costs extra per location, and card payments carry fees.
Can I use Shopify POS without an online store?
Shopify POS runs on a Shopify plan, and Shopify plans are built around an online store. If you only sell in person, you would be paying for a platform designed for online selling. A POS built for the counter, such as POS2026, may fit better. Retailers who want ecommerce without Shopify could also look at our Lightspeed comparison.
How much does Shopify POS cost for multiple locations?
POS Pro is charged per location: £69 a month billed yearly in the UK, and $89 a month in the US according to Shopify's blog. That is on top of the Shopify plan itself.
What is the Shopify third-party transaction fee?
If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. Using Shopify Payments avoids it, but ties your card processing to Shopify.
Does POS2026 integrate with Shopify?
No. POS2026 does not connect to Shopify or any other online store. It is built for selling in person. For a wider view of the market, see our guide to the best POS system for small business.
Is this comparison independent?
No. It is written by POS2026. We used Shopify's own pages and blog for every figure and linked them, but please confirm current prices with Shopify.
