Overview

RetailPOS connects checkout to online retail operations, syncing inventory, orders, and customers with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, Sylius, Wix, PrestaShop, Squarespace, and Commercefull. That makes it a better fit for a retailer maintaining both a shop floor and an online catalog than for one looking only for a standalone till.

Its offline mode is useful when a network outage should not halt sales. Data is stored in SQLite, orders are queued, and syncing resumes automatically when connectivity returns. This resilience does not remove the need to manage a self-hosted deployment and keep it on a supported release.

Key features

Checkout, payments, and hardware

Barcode scanning, receipt printing, cash drawers, and terminal payments cover core retail checkout needs. Hardware can connect by USB, Bluetooth, camera, or network, but support is third-party, so retailers should verify compatibility with their actual equipment before rollout. Card payment options include Stripe Terminal, Stripe NFC tap-to-pay, Square, and Worldpay.

Card data is handled by the payment terminal SDK rather than RetailPOS itself. That is a useful boundary, not a substitute for checking PCI compliance requirements in the store's region before launch.

Inventory and reporting

Inventory syncs with the connected e-commerce platform and supports product variants, low-stock alerts, manual adjustments, and an audit trail. These tools can help keep shop-floor and online stock aligned while retaining a record of changes. Sales reports cover daily, weekly, and monthly summaries, payment breakdowns, and cashier rankings, with CSV export for further analysis.

Staff and registers

RetailPOS describes six login methods and role-based access for Admin, Manager, and Cashier. In server-and-client mode, registers connect over the local network and sync orders, inventory, and settings. That combination is relevant to stores with multiple tills, though it entails a deployment beyond a single isolated checkout.

Pricing

Free and open source: Free, with no monthly fees, under the Apache 2.0 license. The plan is self-hosted and includes the core POS, inventory, barcode scanning, and e-commerce sync without a recurring software charge. There is no free trial because the product is free. The trade-off is that retailers take on hosting and deployment; N17 offers integration, deployment, and custom development support, while bug reports, feature requests, and questions go through GitHub.

There are no published seat or transaction quotas to weigh against the plan, but support is not presented as a paid service tier. The practical limit to plan around is maintenance: version 2.0.x receives security updates, while versions below 2.0 are unsupported for security updates.

Platforms

RetailPOS supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, web, and self-hosted deployments. That range gives retailers options across mobile devices and desktop environments, with self-hosting central to the no-fee model.

Who it's for

Independent retailers and stores with multiple registers are the clearest fit, particularly those already using one of the supported e-commerce platforms or needing checkout to continue offline. Developers and agencies may also suit its self-hosted, open-source model. A retailer without time or help for deployment, hardware checks, and version maintenance should weigh that operational burden before choosing it.

Pros and cons

Pros: No monthly software fee and an Apache 2.0 license make ongoing licensing costs predictable.
Pros: Offline checkout with queued order syncing helps keep sales moving through connectivity interruptions.
Pros: E-commerce syncing, inventory controls, reporting, and multi-register support cover connected retail workflows.
Cons: Self-hosting and third-party hardware support put deployment and compatibility work on the retailer or its partner.
Cons: Security updates cover version 2.0.x, so older installations require an upgrade to remain supported.
Cons: Regional PCI compliance still needs review before accepting card payments.

Alternatives

Loyverse is worth considering for retailers who prefer a freemium POS with a free plan and trial; its POS plan has 31 days of sales history, while unlimited sales history costs 5.00 USD per month.

Open Source Point of Sale is another free, self-hosted option for shops willing to keep a footer signature visible on every page; RetailPOS instead emphasizes e-commerce syncing and offline operation.

Posnic POS is an alternative with a free Community Edition and a published AGPL-3.0-only desktop application source.

eHopper offers a freemium option and trial, with monthly Essential Plus and Freedom plans for readers comparing paid plans.

GoFrugal Retail is a paid alternative with a free trial and Starter, Standard, and Professional plans.

PHP Point of Sale is a paid alternative with a free trial; its Shopify syncing app costs 29.00 USD per month.

uniCenta oPOS offers a free plan and a BASE subscription at 72.00 GBP per year, charged yearly.

Clover POS is a paid option with a free trial and hardware-oriented plans, including a Mini POS system with an 8-inch screen on Starter.

For broader comparisons, see Retail POS Software and Point-of-Sale Software.

Verdict

RetailPOS is a compelling choice for independent shops and multi-register retailers that want e-commerce-linked inventory, offline checkout, and no monthly software fee. Its main advantage is keeping sales and stock connected even when connectivity drops. Look elsewhere if you need a managed setup or cannot take responsibility for hardware compatibility, self-hosting, and staying on a supported version.

	AIMsi POS	RetailPOS
Free plan		Yes
Free trial		No
Paid from		Free
Platforms	Windows	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows
Inventory management	Yes	Yes
Employee permissions	Yes
Hardware support	third_party	third-party
Sales reporting	Yes
Free plan		Yes
Barcode scanning		Yes
E-commerce sync		Yes
Staff management		Yes

AIMsi POS vs RetailPOS

AIMsi POS

RetailPOS