Overview

The system brings checkout together with inventory, receivings, expenses, cash-up tasks, customer rewards, gift cards, and restaurant tables. Multiple users can work with permission controls, and multi-location support helps businesses managing more than one site. This range makes it a capable option for operators consolidating routine sales and stock work, provided they are prepared to run the underlying server.

Open Source Point of Sale is written in PHP and stores data in MySQL or MariaDB. The project supports multiple installation approaches, with methods described in its INSTALL.md guide. That flexibility is useful for teams with existing hosting or technical support, but it leaves installation and ongoing server responsibility with the business.

Key features

Sales, stock, and tax

Stock management covers items and kits, with an extensible list of attributes. A transaction-logging sale register is paired with quotations, invoices, and VAT, GST, customer, and multi-tier taxation. Businesses with varied catalogues or tax rules may value that coverage; they should still ensure their specific checkout and tax workflows fit.

Store operations and customer service

Receivings and expense logging help connect sales with routine store administration, while cash-up tools support end-of-shift work. Gift cards, rewards, and restaurant tables extend the system to customer loyalty and food-service operations. These functions give small teams more than a basic till, although the breadth also means administrators should plan how to configure permissions and workflows.

The system can print and email receipts, invoices, and quotations, and generate and print barcodes. Barcode scanning is supported, while hardware support is third-party; businesses should account for that distinction when choosing checkout equipment. MailChimp integration and SMS messaging are also listed, as are optional Google reCAPTCHA protection for the login page and GDPR readiness.

Users, reports, and security

Permission controls let businesses assign access across multiple users. Reports cover sales, orders, expenses, and inventory status, giving managers several views of day-to-day activity. The project supports security patches for versions 3.4.2 and later; older versions are outside that support range. Its security policy says vulnerability reports receive a response within 48 hours and confirmed issues are patched within a few days, depending on complexity.

Pricing

The Open Source Point of Sale plan is free. The free plan includes the software under MIT terms, so it fits businesses seeking to avoid a software subscription and able to handle self-hosting. The key condition is that the visible footer signature must remain on every page, which can limit its suitability when a fully branded interface matters.

There are no paid tiers or seat quotas in the plan facts. The practical costs to weigh are server operation, installation, and third-party hardware support. The published server requirements are PHP 8.2 to 8.4, MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.x, and Apache 2.4, so businesses should confirm their hosting environment meets those versions before adopting it.

Platforms

Open Source Point of Sale supports Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as web access and self-hosted deployment. This gives technically equipped operators several server environments to consider, while the PHP, database, and Apache requirements still constrain the setup.

Who it's for

This is a strong fit for independent retailers and restaurants that need inventory, transaction records, tax handling, and operational tools across locations, and have someone able to install and maintain a web server. It is less suitable for businesses that want a managed service, rely on vendor-supported hardware, or need to remove all product branding from customer-facing pages.

Pros and cons

Broad operational coverage: stock, receivings, expenses, cash-up, rewards, gift cards, and restaurant tables support more than checkout alone.
Multi-location and user controls: businesses can coordinate multiple sites and assign permissions across users.
No software fee: the free plan avoids a recurring product charge, though the business remains responsible for hosting and upkeep.
Server requirements to plan around: PHP, MySQL or MariaDB, and Apache versions need to match the supported environment.
Visible footer condition: the signature must stay on every page, a drawback for businesses that need complete branding control.
Third-party hardware support: operators should verify their equipment setup rather than assume hardware is covered directly.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, browse Retail POS Software or Point-of-Sale Software.

Loyverse is worth considering for teams that want Android, iOS, or web access and a freemium option with a 31 days sales history plan and a separate Unlimited sales history plan at 5.00 USD per month.
Posnic POS may suit businesses seeking a freemium option across self-hosted and desktop platforms; its desktop application source is published under AGPL-3.0-only.
eHopper is an alternative for teams considering Android, iOS, web, or Windows, with freemium access and monthly paid plans including Essential Plus at 14.99 USD per month and Freedom at 24.99 USD per month.
RetailPOS is another free, self-hosted and open-source option, with no monthly fees and an Apache 2.0 license.
GoFrugal Retail is a paid option for businesses considering Starter, Standard, or Professional plans with custom pricing.
PHP Point of Sale may be relevant to businesses considering a paid POS with a Shopify syncing app at 29.00 USD per month.
uniCenta oPOS offers a freemium option across desktop and web platforms, with a BASE subscription at 72.00 GBP per year.
Clover POS is a paid alternative with Android, iOS, and web support and a free trial.

Verdict

Choose Open Source Point of Sale if you want a no-fee system spanning inventory, sales, taxes, and store operations, and can take responsibility for its server. Its broad feature set and multi-location support make it especially useful to technically capable retailers and restaurants. Look elsewhere if you need a managed checkout environment, direct hardware support, or the freedom to remove the footer signature.

	ITS Circle POS	Open Source Point of Sale
Free plan		Yes
Paid from		Free
Platforms		Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows
Inventory management	Yes	Yes
Sales reporting	Yes
Free plan		Yes
Multi-location support		Yes
Barcode scanning		Yes
Hardware support		third-party
Customer loyalty		Yes
Staff management		Yes

ITS Circle POS vs Open Source Point of Sale

ITS Circle POS

Open Source Point of Sale