Krystle Dodge
For retail stores, restaurants, and other small businesses that deal in cash and credit card transactions, a cash register is a critical piece of equipment.
You know you need one — but trying to figure out which one can leave your head spinning. It’s hard to compare costs when companies avoid transparent pricing, and looking over lists of features raises more questions than answers. Cash register manufacturers also discontinue touch screen models quicker than traditional electronic cash registers.
That’s why we analyzed the most promising touch screen cash registers currently on the market. We’ve identified the best cash registers for small businesses at every price point, from barely over $100 to well over $1,000.
BP’s Picks for Best Touch Screen Cash Register for Small Businesses
- Best Overall: Royal TS1200MW Touch Screen Cash Register with 12-Inch LCD Screen
- Best Two-Screen Cash Register: Square Register 0373
- Best iPad Cash Register System: ShopKeep Point of Sale System
- Best Upscale Touch Screen Cash Register for Small Business: Sam4s SAP-630 Android Cash Register Terminal
- Best Budget Touch Screen Cash Register: SILVER by AccuBANKER SCD10 Point of Sale Bundle
How to Choose the Best Cash Registers for Small Businesses
There’s a lot you need to think about before investing in the touch screen cash register that will serve as a permanent fixture in your business. Some of the most important factors you should consider include:
- Hardware: The parts, pieces, and accessories that make up your cash register system.
- Software: The programs and applications that allow your cash register to perform transactions, advanced reporting, and other functions.
- Price: The cost of not only the machine itself but also any hardware accessories or software subscriptions required to run your cash register to the full potential your business requires.
- Features: What if your cash register was more than a glorified calculator with an electronic cash drawer? What if you could use it to streamline business operations ranging from inventory management to employee management? For small business owners who want a cash register that goes beyond the basics, a point of sale (POS) system may fit the bill.
Availability, size, and portability may also influence your decision on a touch screen cash register, but these features shouldn’t be the deciding factors. Whether you prefer to deal with only major e-commerce sites like Amazon or a local office supply store like Staples where you can physically pick up your purchase, models that are less widely available may be out of the question, regardless of their quality.
Similarly, if your small business’s location only has limited space for a checkout counter, a sleek and compact touch screen cash register design may fit better than a larger machine.
Hardware in the Best Cash Registers for Small Businesses
Hardware refers to all of the physical components of the cash register system. Comparing hardware may mean looking at the size and quality of the touch screen display (if included).
Whether cash registers include components like a barcode scanner, receipt printer, credit card terminal, and cash drawer is also part of the equation. Even seemingly small details like the size of the cash drawer and whether the currency tray is removable can affect how well a cash register might perform for your business.
Software in the Best Cash Registers for Small Businesses
More advanced cash registers use software that allows for better payment processing and much more. A basic cash register may not offer much in the way of software at all, while more complex point of sale (POS) systems for small businesses may be simple and easy to use or full of mind-boggling features.
Generally, figuring out your software needs in a small business POS system means giving some thought to what you want your register to do. Are you hoping to integrate it into existing accounting software, like QuickBooks Pro? What about calculating a variety of different tax rates for different purposes?
Some small business owners want all the bells and whistles, while others are happier with a clean, intuitive interface that emphasizes only the features they really need.
How Much Do the Best Cash Register Systems for Small Businesses Cost?
How much will you spend on a touch screen cash register? There are good cash registers available at every price point, from a little more than $100 to well over $2,500. One thing you should know, though, is that you’re likely to pay more for a cash register with a touch screen LCD display than you would for an electronic cash register without a touch screen.
Most of the cash register POS systems on our list cost under $1,000. One particularly budget-friendly unit is available for under $150.
Small business owners should know, though, that the cost of buying the cash register itself usually isn’t the full cost of acquiring and operating a touch screen POS system.
Many cash register systems, even those sold as bundles, require you to purchase “accessories” that may seem like basic components of a register, including a credit card terminal, a bar code scanner, and even the cash drawer. Several units are made to work with a tablet that you must purchase separately.
There are often monthly costs for software or per-transaction costs, either to run software or to process credit card payments. Before you add a touch screen cash register to your shopping cart, make sure you know exactly what comes in the box, what subscriptions are required, and what limitations there are to adding on accessories.
Features: Electronic Cash Registers vs. Point of Sale (POS) Systems
When it comes to comparing features of touch screen cash registers, what you’re usually looking at is the difference between traditional cash registers that happen to use a touch screen display and full-fledged point of sale (POS) systems.
Officially, the term point of sale is sometimes used to refer generally to when and where a sales transaction takes place. Under that definition, all cash registers are used at the point of sale.
However, a point of sale system, or POS system, means something different. Point of sale systems are used to give small business owners greater and more streamlined control over their business operations.
Many POS systems for small businesses allow you to track and update your current inventory, prepare advanced sales reports that can direct your next business move, create and manage customer loyalty programs, and much more. Some POS systems even function as time clocks for employees, allowing small business owners to track shifts, attendance, and overtime and make sure staffing is on track.
For some companies, having a well-functioning POS system in place is invaluable. The data you glean allows you to better shape your business model and practices for growth by understanding what sells. Being able to control inventory, vendor orders, and reports all in one place streamlines the processes of running a company.
On the other hand, not every small business owner wants or needs a POS system — especially given the high cost and the more extensive technical knowledge needed to use this system to its full potential.
Identifying the features you want is the first step toward finding the best touch screen cash register for your small business.
Best Overall: Royal TS1200MW Touch Screen Cash Register with 12-Inch LCD Screen
One of the best cash registers on the market is the popular Royal TS1200MW Touch Screen Cash Register With 12-Inch LCD Screen. Royal is a brand known for quality cash registers, with both touch screen and non–touch screen models in its inventory. The TS1200MW is a favorite for both small retail businesses and restaurants, for good reason.
What Makes It the Best?
First of all, the full-color LCD display touch screen is easy to use and easy to see. At 12 inches, the screen itself is spacious enough that the machine’s overachieving capabilities don’t become overwhelming.
Small businesses aren’t always tiny mom-and-pop shops with an even tinier inventory, and even if yours is, you’re going to want a cash register that won’t hold you back as your business grows. The Royal TS1200MW fits the bill admirably and is able to contain up to 5,000 price lookups across 200 departments. The department names can be customized to fit the needs of your small business.
This cash register is equipped with the advanced capabilities to handle even your most complex tasks with ease. If you sell age-restricted items, the Age Verification feature walks your employees through the process of entering and verifying customer ages.
The ability to set multiple price levels makes it easy to manage discounts — whether happy hour promotions at a restaurant or clearance sales at a retail store — with precision. You can also store as many as four different tax rates and automatically compute taxes effortlessly.
For dining establishments, there’s a separate Restaurant Mode feature. Table tracking capabilities and other functionalities are sure to streamline your operations.
The Royal TS1200MW cash register prioritizes ease of use, with a streamlined menu and user prompts. This means you save time and hassle learning to use the machine, training employees, and dealing with errors and questions.
Unlike a surprising number of other touch screen cash register models on the market, this one includes both of the most essential components: the screen itself and the removable locking cash drawer. It also includes a receipt printer and one roll of thermal printer receipt paper to get you started.
The included Royal RegisterLink software sends your sales information directly to your accounting software with ease — just connect it to your PC with the built-in connection port.
At a price point under $1,000, the Royal TS1200MW touch screen cash register gives you a full-featured cash register and a lot of bang for your buck.
What’s Missing?
As much as there is to like about the Royal TS1200MW, no single cash register is perfect for every small business.
Perhaps the number-one problem with this popular machine is availability. Although it was previously listed on Amazon, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and other major retail sites, it’s now more difficult to find and may have to be purchased from online sites your business doesn’t already deal with on a regular basis.
The scarcity has also raised the price, with e-commerce sites that do have the item in stock increasing the list price to as much as $899 compared to its previous price point in the $600 range.
This cash register doesn’t come with a barcode scanner, and since most retail stores require one, you will probably have to spend the extra money to purchase this component.
Although the Royal TS12MW has a lot to offer, it’s still a traditional cash register, just one with a touch screen display. Feature-wise, it’s not quite as robust as a full-fledged point of sale (POS) system that provides in-depth insights that allow you to run your business more productively.
As the prices of basic POS systems drop, it may not cost you much more money than you’ll spend on the Royal TS1200MW model to invest in a POS system that does more for your business.
Best Two-Screen Cash Register: Square Register 0373
Is the touch screen for you or for your customers to use? With a dual-screen model like the Square Register 0373, there’s a designated display screen for both small business owners (or their employees) and their customers.
What Makes It the Best?
The double screens are the first thing you notice about the Square Register 0373. The main responsive display screen is 13.25 inches, and the detachable customer display screen measures 7 inches.
The dual screens of the Square Register 0373 cash register add transparency to the checkout process for your customers and convenience for you and your workers — no awkward flipping your screen around to share with the customer.
Further, in the age of COVID-19, having a touch screen you don’t have to share with the general public helps reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission. The customer display reads all kinds of cards, including magnetic stripe and chip cards, and processes contactless payments.
The Square Register 0373 is more than a mere cash register — it’s a full point of sale system. That means it doesn’t just process sales but instead allows you to handle tasks like tracking inventory, managing loyalty programs and customer profiles, and providing valuable analytics — including data in real-time — that help small business owners make better business decisions.
Square’s POS software integrates with other business tools, including QuickBooks Pro accounting software. It also includes e-Commerce tools to help your business thrive online as well as in a brick and mortar store.
Despite its sizable display screens, the Square Register 0373 won’t take up much space. It weighs just 3.9 pounds and is easy to set up, making it flexible enough for a small business that’s still growing.
At a list price of $799, the Square Register 0373 is a great value. You can appreciate the pricing even more when you consider that most POS systems charge monthly fees. Square’s POS software is included free with the register. You only pay a rate of 2.6% plus $0.10 when you process a transaction.
What’s Missing?
The biggest complaint about the Square Register 0373 is that it’s missing some pretty important components. Both the cash drawer and the receipt printer have to be purchased separately. Since these components aren’t really optional for most businesses to have, that means you’re going to have to shell out extra money right off the bat.
The Square cash register POS system only runs its own software, not third-party applications, and is designed to work with its own additional hardware, rather than components made by other companies. Some small business owners feel limited by having to stick with Square’s software and hardware, especially considering the cost of the company’s accessories (for example, $300 for a receipt printer).
The system’s reliance on Wi-Fi means it may not be suitable for use in a place where your internet connection is spotty.
Best iPad Cash Register System: ShopKeep Point of Sale Hardware System
If you already own a tablet, purchasing the actual touch screen part of your touch screen cash register may be redundant. There are plenty of iPad cash register systems that seamlessly integrate the tablet you already own into hardware and software components made to help small businesses thrive.
Our favorite is the ShopKeep Point of Sale System, which brings the full capabilities of a tiered POS system and the flexibility of a monthly payment with no long-term commitment required.
What Makes It the Best?
Unlike most cash registers and point of sale systems, ShopKeep’s POS was actually designed by a merchant, not a computer engineer. That means the focus is on the functionalities you actually need to run your business, not just on the technology that can be used to perform those capabilities.
Designed for merchants by merchants, ShopKeep is one of the best cash registers for small business needs because it offers flexibility and a range of functions that go far beyond ringing up sales and storing cash.
As a cash register, ShopKeep’s hardware covers all of the basics. The included credit card reader makes payment processing easy and convenient for magnetic stripe, chip, and contactless credit and debit cards. The ShopKeep POS system features an intuitive user interface for ringing up orders and sales while allowing for plenty of customization.
ShopKeep’s POS systems for small businesses allow you to do so much more. Use the BackOffice dashboard for inventory management, employee management and labor tracking, label printing, and invoicing. You can use ShopKeep’s functionality for face-to-face and online sales. Take care of business anytime, anywhere, with the ShopKeep Pocket mobile app.
One of the features that makes ShopKeep one of the best POS registers for small businesses is its customizability. The company offers three POS hardware kits, each tailored to different types of businesses: retail, restaurant, and quick service. You can also choose different styles of iPad enclosures to match your business’s vibe and hand pick the hardware components your company needs, like printers, barcode scanners, credit card processing readers, and more.
ShopKeep arranges its pricing structure per cash register into three basic plans billed monthly, starting at $49 per month. Each of these plans includes the register itself, a credit card terminal, the BackOffice POS software, and the mobile app. Since there’s no long-term contract required, there’s no risk. That makes ShopKeep a great option for new small business owners.
If you don’t want to shell out a lot of money on cash register equipment or get locked into a commitment lasting months or years, ShopKeep is for you.
What’s Missing?
Naturally, since this iPad cash register POS system is meant to work with your tablet, it doesn’t come with a screen.
If you don’t have a tablet already and aren’t planning to get one — or if you need your tablet for too many other purposes to confine it to a cash register system during business hours — then you’ll be disappointed to find that you have to provide your own touch screen.
You can’t just add a ShopKeep register unit to your cart, hit check out, and be done with it. ShopKeep makes you request a custom quote and work with a specialist to move forward with the purchase. For small business owners pressed for time, jumping through these hoops to compare quotes and buy the register can be frustrating.
Best Upscale Touch Screen Cash Register for Small Businesses: Sam4s SAP-630 Android Cash Register Terminal
If you’re willing to spend a little more for a touch screen cash register that does a lot more, take a look at the Sam4s SAP-630 Android Cash Register Terminal. Sam4s is one of the best-known brands in cash registers, but unlike competitors like Casio and Sharp, the company offers an extensive line of touch screen cash registers as well as traditional cash registers.
What Makes It the Best?
Generally, you can’t go wrong with any of the touch screen POS systems in the Sam4s lineup. These high-end touch screen cash register units offer name recognition and an array of features that justify the premium price point.
What’s unique about the Sam4s SAP-630 POS system is that it combines the best of an old-fashioned traditional cash register and a cutting-edge POS system with advanced features. The result is a versatile solution for both retail stores and restaurants that easily ranks among the best cash registers for small businesses.
Use either the traditional cash register keyboard or the intuitive touch screen display powered by Android Marshmallow, a choice that appeals equally to the tech-savvy and tech novices.
Hardware-wise, this one has a lot to offer. The touch screen itself is a 9.7-inch LED LCD display. A built-in 3-inch thermal printer effortlessly prints receipts without having to hook up any additional accessories. The locking cash drawer is large enough for five separate bill slots, so you won’t feel cramped managing your money. There’s also an integrated card reader perfect for credit card processing and a rear display for your customers’ viewing ease.
Although the register is fully functional without it, you can choose to buy an optional tablet that integrates flawlessly with the Sam4s SAP-630 POS system. You can use this tablet to more easily take inventory or incorporate new merchandise into your inventory. This tablet can even serve as a backup register for ringing up sales during high-volume rushes.
The advanced features you’ll find in this Sam4s POS include sales analytics functions that provide real-time, up-to-the-minute sales reporting. SD card reader utilities allow you to save and load old reports and easily manage firmware updates.
You don’t need an internet connection to run sales, which is great if your Wi-Fi isn’t the most reliable. You can also choose to avoid the expensive monthly subscription costs of most POS systems by buying the POS software outright.
What’s Missing?
The price is the biggest drawback of the Sam4s line of touch screen cash register terminals. List prices for touch screen cash registers from Sam4s are in the $1,000 to over $2,500 range, and you should expect to pay $1,400 or more for a single SAP-630 cash register unit.
Given that this model costs up to twice as much as most cash registers on this list — and more than ten times the most affordable budget touch screen cash register system — it’s likely to be out of the budget of many small business owners.
Although you might think that, for a price point well over $1,000, this bundle would be all-inclusive. However, there’s no barcode scanner. Unless it’s really feasible to load all of your inventory into the electronic cash register’s keyboard shortcuts, the reality is that you’ll likely need to spend a bit more to fill in the gaps in this bundle.
Best Budget Touch Screen Cash Register: SILVER by AccuBANKER SCD10 Point of Sale Bundle
If you’re on a budget but you don’t want the burden of a monthly payment hanging over your head, the SILVER Touch Screen Cash Register by AccuBANKER SCD10 POS Bundle is a great value.
What Makes It the Best?
With a list price of just $130 on Amazon, this POS cash register bundle is affordable for virtually any small business owner. For the price point, the hardware is surprisingly sturdy and well made.
This budget buy is all about the basics. For storing cash and making change, you get a locking cash drawer with a removable currency tray. The sturdy tablet stand can swivel 180 degrees to share the screen with customers. Since it works with five different iPad models, it doesn’t matter if you can’t afford to spring for the latest and greatest tablet on the market.
What’s Missing?
The one thing missing from the SILVER by AccuBANKER SCD10 POS Bundle is, arguably, the most important part of a touch screen cash register: the touch screen. You need to supply the tablet, which admittedly raises the overall cost of this option.
Although that’s true of iPad cash register systems like the ShopKeep Point of Sale system, too, the categorization of this system as a “bundle” could more easily trick small business owners into expecting the tablet to be included.
In terms of functionality, you get what you pay for with this budget cash register. There aren’t any bells and whistles or POS features that make you a more efficient manager, just the basic hardware. While these basics are generally well-constructed, some users find that the four-bill cash drawer on this model is a little too cramped for their liking.
Conclusion
Until you start looking at the options, it’s easy to assume that a cash register is a cash register. In reality, even touch screen cash register options differ dramatically in their hardware components, software applications, features, and price points.
When you envision using your touch screen cash register, what features stick out the most to you: a dual-screen setup, mobile app reporting, inventory management capabilities, or something else entirely?
With a little self-exploration on your end and our ranking of the best touch screen cash registers for small businesses as your guide, it’s easy to figure out what you’re looking for in a cash register and get started making your business dreams a reality.
