5 Best Alternatives to Square POS Canada

Businesses need a dependable, effective, and economical Point of Sale (POS) system in today’s competitive market. A well-known and extensively used platform, Square POS Canada provides its users with several capabilities to manage payments, customer information, inventory, and sales statistics.

However, several substitute POS systems offer similar or better features and advantages. According to a recent Capterra poll, Square POS is ranked third in Canada, with Ari POS Canada as its primary competitor, followed by Clover POS and many other businesses.

To assist companies in determining which option best suits their needs, we will examine the 5 top alternatives to Square POS Canada in this article.

What are the Top 5 Alternatives to Square POS Canada?

1) ARI POS

Retail organizations may more efficiently handle their transactions, inventory, customer data, and other operations thanks to Ari POS Canada, a complete Point of Sale (POS) software solution. This robust POS System in Canada provides essential features and cutting-edge functionality to improve business operations and boost profitability.

Key Characteristics:

Inventory Management: Ari POS Canada offers special inventory control capabilities, including barcode scanning, low-stock warnings, and the capacity to control stock levels across numerous stores or locations.

Payment Processing: Apple Pay, Google Wallet, debit and credit cards, cash, and other mobile wallet services are all supported by the software when processing payments of different kinds.

Customization: ARI POS enables companies to personalize their point-of-sale (POS) experience, including establishing employee permissions, employing specialized menus, and developing hardware connectors.

Analytics and Reporting: The platform offers analytical tools for tracking sales and monitoring key business KPIs, including shop performance, best-selling products, and consumer behavior.

Customer Management: Ari POS Canada provides robust customer management features, such as a customizable loyalty program, customer data tracking, and guest checkout options.

Offline Capability: ARI POS enables companies to function without an internet connection, preventing loss of sales and facilitating offline transactions. The program processes Payments immediately as soon as an internet connection is established.

Employee Management: The program offers several options for controlling employees’ time clocks, payrolls, and special permissions.

Customer Personalization: Ari POS Canada offers highly personalized customer experiences, enabling businesses to preserve customer information and preferences, improve data analysis, raise customer retention rates, and offer unique experiences that foster customer loyalty.

Pricing and Support Services

• The base subscription for ARI POS costs $49 per month per terminal, and new customers can try it out for free for 15 days.
• For an extra cost, the program also includes add-ons, including an e-commerce connection, comprehensive reporting, and credit card payment gateway choices.
• Customer support services include a 24/7 hotline, email support, online tutorials and videos, and integration support with other software solutions.

2) Clover POS Canada

The all-in-one point-of-sale system Clover POS offers many features and functions to simplify and improve business operations.

Clover POS Canada offers many essential features specifically created for the retail, hospitality, and restaurant industries to increase the effectiveness and simplicity of company transactions.

Key Characteristics:

Payment Processing: Clover POS supports a variety of payment methods, including credit and debit cards, mobile wallet services, Apple Pay, and Android Pay.

Customization: The program lets businesses alter their menus, buttons, and user interfaces. Users can also assign particular jobs, set up employee rights, and define security parameters.

Inventory Management: Clover POS has an intuitive user interface and inventory management tools to enhance stock control, tracking, and alerts. These tools ensure restocking warnings are received on time to prevent running out of salable goods.

Reporting and Analytics: The software tracks metrics for every transaction, store performance, consumer behavior, and employee performance, enabling business owners to optimize their operations and keep an eye on performance.

POS Hardware Integration: Clover POS provides hardware integration, including barcode scanners, receipt printers, and custom hardware that fits business operations requirements.

Pricing and Support Services

• To accommodate your company’s demands, Clover POS offers numerous price options. Your company can make smaller payments every month under a pay monthly membership arrangement, which can be canceled at any moment.
• The subscription arrangement may be terminated in the event of a buyout or upgrade, allowing you to switch to a newer model of the same device as your company’s needs evolve. The remaining balance on the subscription agreement must be paid if you keep the equipment.
• In addition, Clover POS offers its users a variety of support services, including phone help, email support, online resources, and integration support for appropriate business-use hardware and software solutions. Additionally, Clover POS regularly upgrades the platform’s software to ensure its stability and security.

3) Toast POS

A point-of-sale (POS) software created especially for restaurants is called Toast POS Canada. It offers a comprehensive solution that aids restaurant operators in streamlining their operations, boosting productivity, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Restaurants of many sizes and styles can use the program, including quick-service, fine-dining, and enterprise-level restaurants. The Canadian division of Toast, Inc., with its corporate headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, is called Toast POS Canada.

Key Characteristics:

The extensive POS software Toast POS Canada offers a variety of features and capabilities, such as:

Streamlining Orders: Order processing is simplified by the software, which enables employees to accept orders, confirm orders, update, add, or delete goods, and process payments all in one place.

Customizable Menu: Create and update menus, arrange things by category, personalize categories, and include photos for individual items with the program.

Tableside Ordering: The Tableside function enables waitstaff to accept orders more quickly and accurately using a portable device.

Labor Management: This tool makes handling breaks, overtime, and labor schedules simple while ensuring that your restaurant is properly staffed.

Inventory Management: The program enables restaurant operators to keep track of their stock in real-time, reducing waste and raising profits.

Reporting: The program creates thorough reports that offer insightful information on sales, labor expenses, inventory utilization, and more. This information may assist restaurant managers in making wiser decisions.

Loyalty Programs: The software enables restaurant operators to build and administer loyalty programs that let patrons accrue points and incentives.

Pricing and Support Services

• Toast POS Canada provides three alternative price options for restaurants with various demands and sizes. For those who want to start with a simplified POS, the Starter plan, which has a monthly price of CA$120, is ideal.
• For businesses who wish to grow their operations and package their POS with handhelds and KDS, the Essentials plan, which has a monthly starting price of CA$175, is appropriate.
• Toast POS Canada also provides bespoke pricing options for customers searching for something catered to their needs. The number of devices and the desired features will determine the precise cost of the bespoke plan.
• Each package comes with a cloud-based point-of-sale system, sophisticated real-time reporting, payment processing, hardware setup, installation, go-live support, and possible add-ons like gift cards, integrations, and more hardware.
• By phone or email, Toast POS Canada provides customer service around-the-clock. They also offer an online knowledge base, tutorial videos, and documentation for their clients’ convenience.

4) QuickBooks POS Canada

A cloud-based, integrated point-of-sale system called QuickBooks POS Canada is intended to assist retail enterprises in streamlining their sales process, managing inventory, and organizing customer data.

One of its primary advantages is simplifying transactions, allowing employees to receive orders, confirm them, and update or delete goods while processing payments in a single location.

Key Characteristics:

This platform offers a variety of features and capabilities, such as:

Streamlined Orders: Order processing is streamlined thanks to QuickBooks POS Canada, which enables staff members to accept orders, confirm orders, update orders by adding or removing goods, and process payments all in one place. This makes it simple to keep track of transactions.

Real-time Inventory Tracking: By keeping inventory current in real-time, the software makes it simpler for firms to determine which goods are selling rapidly and when to refill.

Customizable Reports: QuickBooks POS Canada gives companies the ability to build bespoke reports based on particular criteria, including sales by product, customer, or time, making it simpler to make wise business decisions.

Easy Payment Processing: The program provides several payment processing choices, such as credit and debit cards, cash, and gift cards, making it simple for consumers to pay as they like.

Pricing and Support Services

• QuickBooks’ accounting software has four pricing tiers: EasyStart, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. Each package offers a unique selection of small business-friendly features and functionality.
• EasyStart includes fundamental accounting tools, including receipt management, sales tax administration, and monitoring of income and expenses. Time monitoring, bill and payment administration, and multi-user access (for up to 3 users) are additional capabilities included with Essentials. Plus provides multi-user access (for up to 5 people), comprehensive inventory management, budgeting, project profitability tracking, and more.
• Advanced offers the most complete accounting functions, including strong reporting tools. EasyStart costs $24 per month, while Advanced costs $140.
• To ensure they have all the assistance they need to make the most of the system, users may access the phone, email, and chat support, an online community forum, self-help manuals, and thorough, frequently asked questions documentation.

5) Shopify POS Canada

Shopify POS Canada aims to assist businesses in streamlining their sales and transaction operations. It is an expansion of the Shopify platform and was created especially for Canadian companies.

Key Characteristics

This feature provides an online store builder with unlimited bandwidth and products: The ability to create an online store from scratch while offering limitless bandwidth and the capacity to list an endless number of items.

Abandoned Cart Recovery: Sending automated emails to clients who leave their shopping carts empty before making a purchase allows users to make up for missed sales and income.

Discount Codes: Users can make discount codes that they may use to sell their items at a lower cost to consumers.

Zero-cost SSL Certificate: A secure connection between a website and a visitor’s browser is ensured by an SSL certificate. To secure users’ and their client’s data, the Basic plan offers a free SSL certificate.

Pricing and Support Services

• The monthly cost for Shopify’s Basic plan is CAD 38. Additionally, the first three months are available to consumers for just $1 per month. For the Basic plan, the credit card charges are 2.9% + 30 CAD online and 2.7% + 0 CAD in-person.
• Shopify offers its clients live chat, email, and phone assistance around-the-clock. This guarantees that users will always get the support they need for any problems they could run across.

Final Words:

In a rapidly evolving Canadian market, businesses seeking alternatives to Square POS Canada have a variety of options to choose from.

Whether it’s the comprehensive features of Ari POS, the versatility of Clover POS Canada, the industry-specific solutions of Toast POS Canada, the integration capabilities of QuickBooks POS Canada, or the seamless e-commerce integration of Shopify POS Canada, each alternative brings its strengths.

By carefully assessing their key features, pricing structures, and support services, businesses can find the perfect POS System in Canada to drive their success.