5 Best Cash Registers for Small Businesses

Having cash registers in your business is always a good idea, even for small businesses such as restaurants, retail stores or convenience stores. It can be difficult to choose the right type and brand with all the options available in today’s market. But we found five great choices that have been tried-and-tested time after time for their reliability and ease of use.

A cash register is a machine that combines a safe cash box, a sophisticated calculating machine, and a receipt printer into one device. Many are compatible with credit card terminals and barcode scanners, and some even include inventory and point-of-sale (POS) software.

The following are the top cash registers for small businesses:

• Square: Best option for individuals, startups, and small businesses looking for a point-of-sale system.
• The PCR-T280 Casio: Best low-cost portable cash register on the market.
• SR-C4500 Casio: Best for huge product lists and cloud reporting.
• XE-A207 Sharp: Best for businesses who wish to link their registration data to QuickBooks.
• Lightspeed: Ideal for high-volume businesses and restaurants with several locations.

When it comes to choosing a cash register, small company owners have two options. You may choose between a register-based system and registers that employ point-of-sale (POS) software. Cash registers are ideal for companies that want a simple system to tally sales, process client payments, generate receipts, and keep cash. POS systems can handle all of this, as well as provide a full array of company management capabilities, some of which are quite inexpensive.

Square: Small Business’s Best Overall POS Cash Register

Square

Pros

• Cloud-based software that is free
• Hardware that is both affordable and available on a payment plan
• It has more functions than a standard cash register.
• Payment processing is built-in, allowing for a quick and easy setup.

Cons

• Cash drawer must be purchased separately.
• You won’t be able to search around for better rates since payment processing is built-in.

Pricing

• $169 for a square stand, or $16 every month for a year. iPad stand and card reader (iPad sold separately).
• $799 or $39 for 24 months with Square Register (Fully integrated POS register with touch-screen monitor, customer-facing display, and card processing terminal).
• $299 or $27 per month for 12 months with Square Terminal (All-in-one portable credit card machine with POS software and receipt printer built-in).
• Processing fees: 2.6 percent + 10 cents every chip, tap, and swipe transaction, or 3.5 percent + 15 cents for manually keyed-in transactions.

Because it provides a comprehensive array of sales, payment, inventory, and company management capabilities for free, we suggest Square as the finest POS-driven cash register for small companies. It also provides you with a number of low-cost registration possibilities. You can process sales and administer your whole company from your smartphone or tablet, unlike conventional cash registers. Alternatively, you may utilize one or more countertop registers to handle any in-store sales.

Square is an all-in-one solution that incorporates credit card processing, software, and cash register POS hardware into a one system. Unlike the other registers on our list, Square’s POS register does not allow you to compare merchant account providers. Square, on the other hand, caters to small businesses with straightforward flat-rate pricing and no setup or monthly account costs.

The Square Terminal is a portable POS cash register that has built-in point-of-sale software, credit card processing, and receipt printing.

Square Register is Square’s all-in-one hardware that includes a customer display as well as credit card processing.

The Square Stand comes with an iPad mount as well as a linked payment processing machine for contactless and chip payments.

Through the USB hardware hub on your Square Stand, you may connect a cash register, printer, and barcode scanner.

Features

• Sales and checkout: Touch-screen and barcode input are supported, as well as accepting credit cards and contactless payments, recording cash and checks, adding discounts and coupons, opening tabs, splitting payments, adding tips, and seeing real-time sales data.
• Square POS may be installed on many smartphones and tablets to process transactions on the sales floor, at tables, at events, or at the curb.
• Taxes and reporting: Taxes are calculated automatically according to preset regulations.
• Interconnectivity: Without an internet or cellphone connection, keep track of sales and process credit card payments. On every device, you may connect an infinite number of registers and retail locations. Real-time data synchronization and reporting are available with cloud-based technologies.
• Receipts: Use a receipt printer or send digital receipts through email or SMS, which contain options for gathering consumer feedback.
• Shop comprehensive product listings, add goods to sales, automate inventory changes, and sync inventory with an online store using inventory management.
• Employee management: Unlimited staff logins and commission tracking by employee. There are many options for adding payroll processing to your business.
• Customer management: Save contact information for customers and keep track of sales by customer.

PCR-T280 Casio: The Best Low-Cost, Portable Cash Register

PCR-T280 Casio

Pros

• Cost-effective and transportable
• Cash drawer and receipt printer built-in
• Reputation for dependable performance
• Cash register system that is simple and easy to use.

Cons

• Payment processing using credit card is not integrated.
• There is no internet or cellphone service.
• There is no data management for customers.
• There are no tab or tip functions.

Pricing

If you just need a simple cash register to complete payments wherever you sell, the PCR-T280 Casio electronic cash register offers a good set of sales features for under $100. Plus, it weighs in at 11 pounds for portability. Available on Amazon and through most office and retail supply companies, this compact Casio cash register has a proven track record of reliable performance for temporary market sellers and small retailers alike.

Unlike the build-your-own cash registers from the POS systems on our list, you won’t need to buy a separate cash drawer or receipt printer with this all-in-one cash register. However, you’ll need to install a standalone terminal from your merchant account provider to accept credit cards. There is no connection for an integrated credit card terminal on this model.

The PCR-T280 Casio is an affordable thermal cash register with built-in customer display and high-speed printer.

Additional features include thousands of pricing lookups and simple tax programming in this entry-level cash register.

With extra programming from third-party suppliers, you may add a second drawer.

There are five primary department keys that you may use to keep track of your main product categories.

Features

• Sales and checkout: With a handy change tray on top, sales and checkout are quick and uncomplicated. The back customer display displays the total, coupons, and discounts may be manually input. Cash and check payments should be recorded, and transactions should be separated. Returns and exchanges should be handled manually.
• Taxes and reporting: There are four tax rates that may be established in advance.
• No internet connection is needed in offline mode.
• Up to 1,200 goods and prices may be entered, albeit there are no stock monitoring tools.
• Employees: Eight user logins; sales are tracked per user.

This cash register is a basic unit that’s designed to add items and calculate sales, add taxes, complete and record cash and check payments, print receipts, track user logins, and print daily sales totals. If you need a compact, portable cash register that does this, the PCR-T280 Casio delivers. Compared to the full set of options that more advanced cash registers on our list provide, and especially the POS options, this cash register is bare-bones. But what it does, it does well.

SR-C4500 Casio: Best Cash Register for Large Product List Businesses

SR-C4500 Casio

Pros

• Cloud reporting and Wi-Fi technologies (Android and iOS compatible)
• There are up to 7,000 products/PLUs and 200 divisions to choose from.
• You may keep track of up to 50 guest checks.
• Mode of instruction

Cons

• There are no price options to mix and combine.
• There is no bottle deposit.

Pricing

• SR-C4500 Casio: $479
• $199 for a barcode scanner
• $207 for a laser barcode scanner
• $495 for a credit card terminal that works with the PAX S300 integrated EMV terminal. Processing fees are determined by the kind of merchant account you have.

The SR-C4500 Casio offers a big step up in functionality from the bare-bones PCR-T280 covered above. Ringing in at just under $500, the SR-C4500 is a fair jump in price, but for that, you gain many added capabilities. Most notably, the SR-C4500 stores up to 7,000 item prices, compared to the PCR-T280’s 1,200, making it ideal for shops with large product lists.

It also has an integrated barcode scanner and credit card terminal, a spill-resistant keyboard with customizable fast buttons, commission tracking for up to 50 users, and visitor check tracking for hospitality organizations.

The SR-C4500 Casio is sold as an all-in-one cash register unit that includes a connected cash drawer and two built-in receipt printers. It also has two ports for connecting a barcode scanner (sold separately) and a credit card terminal, which you typically get through your credit card processing service.

Features

• Sales and checkout: A flat programmable keyboard with 72 keys allows for quick transactions. To scan and record up to 3,000 pre-programmed objects, connect a serial scanner. Save up to 50 detailed visitor checks (for restaurants and hospitality enterprises), print thermal or journal receipts, manage refunds, and verify age for prohibited items such as alcohol.
• Set up to four tax rates, as well as reporting. When you start daily closing operations, you can see sales activity, sales by employee, and hourly sales, and you can save reports automatically. To read and store sales reports, save them to an SD card in CSV format or use Casio’s Connect ECR+ free mobile app.
• Internet access is not needed to operate the cash register, but it is essential to process credit card transactions and connect to the mobile reporting app. There are no choices for multi-register or multi-location configurations.
• Casio Mobile App: Install the Casio ECR+ app on your smartphone and connect it with your cash register via Bluetooth. Allows you to view your cash register records stored in Casio’s cloud database from anywhere.
• Inventory management: Up to 7,000 goods may be programmed, including condiments and hash items.
• Employees: Add up to 50 clerks, track commissions, and run a mode of instruction.

This type is a low-cost cash register with a lot of functions for small companies (though the compatible card terminal can be pricey). In terms of checkout efficiency, internet connection, accessory integrations, stored products, staff commissions, and even food service features, it outperforms the basic Casio register. However, when compared to the POS-driven cash registers on our list, it lacks considerably more comprehensive inventory monitoring and general company management functions.

Overall, the SR-C4500 Casio is a great middle-ground between the entry-level cash register models and a full POS software system. It has a large product database and options for mobile app reporting—but still in a traditional cash register hardware setup.

XE-A207 Sharp: Best Cash Register With QuickBooks Integration

XE-A207 Sharp

Pros

• Payment processing that is integrated
• Up to 2,500 items are available

Cons

• There is no connection to a barcode scanner.
• There are no pre-programmed discount codes.
• There is no need to enter client information.

Pricing

In terms of features and price, the XE-A207 Sharp falls between the two Casio registers discussed in this guide. However, it delivers something that these, and many other budget-friendly cash registers on the market don’t—a link to your QuickBooks Pro software. With this, you can directly import your sales data into QuickBooks to streamline your bookkeeping and use QuickBooks to manage business tasks such as inventory tracking, purchase orders, and business reporting.

It’s important to note that most POS-based cash registers also support QuickBooks imports and integrations. For example, Square and Lightspeed both have a direct QuickBooks integration. Since a QuickBooks data download isn’t common in a budget-friendly cash register for small businesses, the XE-A207 Sharp stands out.

Sharp’s XE-A207, like the Casio devices on our list, combines a secure cash drawer and receipt printer into a single item. Although this cash register lacks a barcode scanner, it does link to a credit card terminal provided by your merchant services provider, allowing you to completely incorporate credit and debit card payments into your normal checkout process.

The XE-A207 Sharp features advanced sales reporting and seamless integration with QuickBooks® Pro.

Barcode scanning is supported, and an SD card slot is included for programming, backup, and recording.

The XE-A207 Sharp features 99 pre-programmed departments and sales tracking for 25 clerk stations.

A 3.7-inch LCD operator and one-line customer displays are also included in this variant.

Features

• Integrated credit card terminal, huge clerk screen, and customer display for sales and checkout. Discounts and coupons must be manually entered; however, there is a fast return option. Keep track of all cash and check payments. Receipts may be printed using the built-in thermal printer.
• Taxes and reporting: There are four tax rates that may be established in advance.
• There is no need for an internet connection to utilize the cash register. A link would very certainly be required for an integrated credit card terminal.
• Inventory management: Enter Up to 2,500 items are available and prices; however, there’s no stock tracking.
• Employees: 25 user logins; sales are tracked by department. There are no commission features built-in.

The Sharp register surpasses the basic Casio out of the gate since it links to a credit card terminal to incorporate payments into your checkout. The Casio has no terminal connections. It also has a bigger product list than the cheap model, with 2,500 goods saved, but it falls short of the Casio, which has 7,000.

The Sharp, like the Casios, lacks the power of POS-driven registers, which come with a variety of inventory, customer, employee, and company management capabilities built-in. Its QuickBooks data transmission using the PC Link program, on the other hand, helps to bridge the distance. This allows you to store transaction data in a QuickBooks-friendly format on an SD card. You may also handle inventory, buying, accounts payable, customers, and employees from there. This method isn’t nearly as efficient as a full-fledged POS system, but it’s a decent compromise.

Lightspeed: The Best POS Cash Register for Retailers and Restaurants with Multiple Locations

Lightspeed

Pros

• Advanced inventory and reporting features.
• Multiple registers and locations may be linked together.
• A cloud-based system that syncs data in real-time

Cons

• Only for firms in the retail, specialized, and restaurant sectors.

Pricing

• Monthly POS software prices for retail enterprises range from $69 to $229, plus $29 for extra registers. Restaurant software starts at $59 plus $34 for extra registers, with add-ons available.
• Payment processing: With Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed comes with built-in credit card processing. For swipe, chip, and tap payments, the rate is 2.6 percent + 10 cents, and for manually keyed-in payments, the rate is 2.6 percent + 30 cents. There are savings available for large orders.

The Lightspeed POS-based cash register provides a full set of multi-store administration features, including inventory, buying, staffing, and company management duties that can be shared across many locations—it even integrates internet transactions. Lightspeed, as a POS-based register system, allows you to set up several registers in one or multiple locations and link all data to one centralized, cloud-based software system.

Traditional cash registers on this list lack the ability to link numerous registers or locations. If you run a high-volume shop or have many locations, you’ll need something more durable and networkable. Lightspeed is one of the better solutions for companies of that size, and it provides excellent value for the money.

Lightspeed can connect to card terminals, bar code scanners, and other devices from any laptop, desktop, or mobile device.

You can use Bluetooth to link your terminal display to your cash register, barcode scanner, and printer wirelessly.

A desktop hardware kit with all the necessary attachments is also available.

Both USB and Bluetooth scanners are supported by Lightspeed.

Features

• Sales and checkout: Barcode scanning, entry, and touch-screen or computer-controlled checkout screens. For floor and tableside sales, install the Lightspeed mobile POS app on several iPhones, iPads, and Android tablets. Create discount codes and coupons that may be redeemed by entering a code or scanning a barcode. Handle open restaurant sales tickets and tabs. Customer information and transaction history are saved for convenient retrieval. Receipts may be printed or sent through email or SMS.
• Taxes and reporting: Taxes are calculated automatically according to preset regulations. Very sophisticated and customizable real-time analytics for sales and inventory.
• Lightspeed features an “offline mode” that allows it to continue running even if the internet connection is lost.
• Inventory management: Keep thorough inventory lists, add goods to sales, automate inventory changes, monitor components and ingredients, and sync inventory across different locations and an online business. Lightspeed also offers granular ingredient-level stock monitoring, product variations and special orders management, and advanced inventory reporting.
• Employees: Create multiple logins with various authorization settings for each employee and monitor sales by employee.

Lightspeed’s POS-driven cash registers, like Square’s, provide considerably more sales and operational functions than traditional cash registers. Lightspeed, like Square, allows you to customize a cash register solution to match your specific requirements, but it has more register possibilities than Square’s iPad-based system. A cash register may be built around an iPad tablet, a Mac or PC computer, or Android tablets and iPhones can be used as mobile registers. All of them are linked to Lightspeed’s crowning feature: sophisticated inventory management.

The ability to manage stock counts, pricing choices, and customer data in real-time is one of the main reasons small companies pick a POS system over a traditional register. Lightspeed excels in this area. It features excellent inventory management capabilities as well as a powerful buy order system. Lightspeed’s fully integrated technology eliminates the need for daily updates on inventory spreadsheets and sales notebooks for merchants managing huge inventories and various suppliers. You can also keep track of inventory across many shop locations, in backroom or warehouse storage, and more.

Conclusion

Many merchants and small companies are switching to POS-driven cash registers because they allow consumers to browse and purchase in more ways and locations.

Standard registers are less costly than hand-tallying sales using a calculator and make the checkout process quicker and more precise. However, they have no connection to mobile devices, internet sales platforms, or even other registers inside the business. A POS cash register for small companies is the greatest choice for getting a thorough hold on your checkout activities, company operations, and customer-focused sales and marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a cash register for my small business?

A: A cash register is a device that calculates and keeps track of the amount of money in a business account. So, you would need one to run your small business if you’re tracking receipts or making changes on hand-to-hand transactions.