Ranked
Best POS Systems in South Africa (2026)
Five till systems compared on what they cost to buy and to keep: hardware, the monthly licence, what it counts and the stock it holds. Read at each company.
Some links here are referral links, and where a provider gives our readers a better price than its own site, that is the price you get by using one. It costs you nothing extra, and every option here is judged on the same test either way.
A card machine takes the payment. A point of sale system runs the shop: what you sell, what's left on the shelf, who sold it and what the day came to. Most South African owners start looking for one when the stock stops adding up, or when the queue at the counter gets long enough to cost them customers.
The thing almost nobody tells you first is that the till price isn't the price. Yoco Counter is R2 999 and the software is free. iK POS is R7 499 and then R660 every month before VAT, which is R23 760 over three years. Same shop, same counter, very different money. So in this article I'll put both numbers next to each other for all five systems, and tell you which one fits the way your business actually runs.
How I picked them
I haven't run a month of trading on all five of these, so there are no scores out of ten here. What I did do is read every company's own pricing page and write down the four numbers that decide this purchase for a small business.
What the hardware costs once
The till, the printer, the scanner. It's the number everyone compares, and it's the smaller half of what you'll pay.
What the software costs every month
R0 at Yoco and Loyverse, R660 at iKhokha, R720 and up at TallOrder. Over three years this is usually the bigger number, so it's the one I ranked on.
What the licence counts
One till or one shop? iKhokha's Business package covers one POS. TallOrder charges per device on its single licence and per location on the bigger packages. Add another machine and the monthly can double.
How much stock it holds
iKhokha states the ceiling: 3 000 retail products or 300 dishes on Business, 15 000 or 1 500 on Pro. Yoco, TallOrder and Loyverse state none, so a shop with thousands of lines should get the limit confirmed in writing before paying.
What I didn't rank on is how nice a screen looks in a photo. Six systems are missing from this list for one reason: I couldn't find a price on their own site to check.
One more thing before the table. Watch the VAT. iKhokha and TallOrder both quote their monthly fees before VAT, so R660 is really R759 off your bank account, and R720 is R828. Yoco doesn't say either way on its plans, which is its own kind of answer. I've written each one the way the company writes it, so you're comparing what you'll actually be shown.
The five, side by side
Read the first two columns together. A cheap till with a licence behind it costs more by the second year than a more expensive one with nothing to pay.
What each system costs to buy and to keep, from each company's own pricing page.
POS systems in South Africa, compared
| Hardware | Monthly | Licence covers | Stock limit | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoco Counter | R2 999 | R0, or R249 for Plus | Your account | Not stated | See it |
| Yoco Khumo Print 2 | R1 499 | R0, or R249 for Plus | Your account | Not stated | See it |
| iK POS | R7 499 | R660 ex VAT | One till | 3 000 products | See it |
| TallOrder | Quoted | R720 ex VAT | One device | Not stated | See it |
| Loyverse | Use your own | R0, add-ons in dollars | Per store or staff member | Not stated | See it |
From yoco.com, ikhokha.com, tallorderpos.com and loyverse.com. Yoco Counter and iK POS are both shown at a reduced price on their own pages, from R4 999 and R9 999.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
Three years of software costs R0 at Yoco and Loyverse, R23 760 before VAT at iKhokha, and R25 920 before VAT on a single TallOrder licence.
Which is why the till price decides far less than it looks like it does.
1. Yoco Counter - the one most small shops should start with
At R2 999 you get the till and the card machine in one box, and the software doesn't cost you anything a month. Counter is a tablet-sized screen with a Neo Touch card machine included, and you can add Yoco's own printer and barcode scanner when you need them. You order it online, it arrives in about three business days, and there's no contract to sign.
One thing to plan for: Counter connects by Wi-Fi. There's backup power in the unit, so the till itself survives a power cut, but your router doesn't, and when the router drops the counter goes quiet. Yoco's handhelds carry a SIM that hops between networks. Counter doesn't, so budget a small backup for the router with it.
1Best for most small shops
Yoco Counter
Accepts
- Tap, chip & swipe
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- SASSA
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay
From yoco.com, checked 24 Sep 2026
Why it's first
Yoco Counter is the only full till here that costs nothing a month, and the card machine is in the price.
- MonthlyR0, or R249 for Plus, R499 for Pro
- IncludedNeo Touch card machine, tablet screen
- Add-onsYoco printer, Yoco barcode scanner
- ConnectionWi-Fi, with backup power in the unit
- Suitsa shop, café or takeaway with one counter and a Wi-Fi line
- Check firstthat your router has backup power, or the counter goes quiet with it
What you get with the extra Yoco discount
- R100 off your card machine, which Yoco takes off when you sign up through our link
And everything Yoco gives everyone
- Sign up in 5 minutes, and it works with the bank account you already have
- Paid out in 1 to 2 business days into that same account
- A 1-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Checked 24 Sep 2026
you'll go to www.yoco.com's sign-up page with your extra R100 discount applied
What Yoco works withRead 2 Oct 2026
-
Accounting
Needs the Plus plan, R249 a month
- XeroConnected
- SageConnected
- QuickBooksConnected
- StubConnected
-
Online store
Yoco's ecommerce plugin
- ShopifyConnected
- WooCommerceConnected
- ShopstarConnected
- WixConnected
Best for: a single counter that wants everything working on day one, without a monthly fee eating into a thin month. If you want your sales landing in Xero or Sage by themselves, that's Yoco's Plus plan at R249 a month, and the panel in the card above shows what it connects to.
2. Yoco Khumo Print 2 - a till you can carry
R1 499, with the printer built into it and a SIM that moves between networks when one is weak. It's the same free Yoco software as Counter, on a device that fits in an apron pocket and runs about 18 hours on a charge. For a market stall, a food truck or taking orders at the table, that combination is hard to beat at the price.
What you give up is screen and scanning. There's no barcode scanner option on the handhelds, so a shop ringing up a hundred barcoded lines a day will be happier with Counter. If you don't need the slip printed, the Khumo 2 does the same job for R699.
2Best away from the counter
Yoco Khumo Print 2
Accepts
- Tap, chip & swipe
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- SASSA
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay
From yoco.com, checked 24 Sep 2026
Why it's here
A R1 499 handheld till with a built-in printer, an 18-hour battery and a SIM that switches networks.
- MonthlyR0, or R249 for Plus
- PrinterBuilt in
- BatteryUp to 18 hours
- ConnectionMulti-network SIM
- Suitsmarkets, food trucks, deliveries and table-side orders
- Check firstthat you can live without barcode scanning, which the handhelds don't do
What you get with the extra Yoco discount
- R100 off your card machine, which Yoco takes off when you sign up through our link
And everything Yoco gives everyone
- Sign up in 5 minutes, and it works with the bank account you already have
- Paid out in 1 to 2 business days into that same account
- A 1-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Checked 24 Sep 2026
you'll go to www.yoco.com's sign-up page with your extra R100 discount applied
Best for: anyone who sells standing up. It's also the cheapest way into Yoco's POS software if you want to try running stock through a till before you spend R2 999 on a counter setup.
3. iK POS - the deepest shop tools, at a real monthly
iKhokha's till is R7 499 with a printer in it, and then R660 a month before VAT. That R660 is the Business package: one till, up to 3 000 retail products or 300 restaurant dishes, stock checks, loyalty, promotions, staff management, payroll calculations, and the restaurant extras like dish modifiers and a table layout. The Pro package at R960 a month before VAT gives you two licences, 15 000 products or 1 500 dishes, and butchery management.
The software is Poster, licensed by iKhokha rather than written by it, and that's stated in the package itself. It matters for two reasons: the feature list is Poster's roadmap, and if you ever leave iKhokha's payments, the licence is part of what you're leaving. You also don't buy this one in a shopping cart. You talk to a consultant, book a free demo, and they set it up with you.
3Deepest stock and staff tools
iK POS
Why it's here
iK POS carries stock ceilings, staff management and restaurant tools that the free systems don't, on a Poster licence.
- MonthlyR660 ex VAT, or R960 for Pro
- Licence coversOne till (two on Pro)
- Holds3 000 products or 300 dishes (15 000 / 1 500 on Pro)
- Built inPrinter, 3G and 4G SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Suitsa shop or restaurant that needs stock, staff and table tools in one place
- Check firstthe price of a second licence, and what happens to it if you leave iKhokha
What iKhokha gives everyone
- Unlimited digital invoices, free, from the iK Invoice tool
- Same-day payouts, twice a day, on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card for sole traders, at R2.50 each
Checked 24 Sep 2026
you'll go to www.ikhokha.com
Best for: a business where the stock and the staff are the problem, not the queue. Over three years it's R7 499 and R23 760 of licences before VAT, so go in knowing that and make the features earn it.
4. TallOrder - keep the card machine you already have
TallOrder sells the software on its own, which is the point of it. A single licence is R720 a month before VAT per device, the two-till Starter Pack is R1 230 a month per location, and TallOrder Complete is R3 500 a month per location. Setup, installation and training are quoted rather than priced, so get those figures in writing before you put TallOrder next to anything else; they can move the first year by more than the licence does.
What you're paying for is the ability to keep what you've got. TallOrder lists Yoco, FNB, Ecentric and 2D Transact among the card machines it works with, plus Sage and Xero for the books and Shopify and WooCommerce online. If you run a lodge or a restaurant and your card machine is fine but your till isn't, this is the lane that doesn't make you replace both.
Card machines TallOrder works withRead 2 Oct 2026
-
Card machines
Keep the machine you have
- YocoConnected
- FNBConnected
- EcentricConnected
- 2D TransactConnected
Best for: a business whose payments are sorted and whose paperwork isn't. If your card machine works and only the till is holding you back, changing one without the other is the cheaper move, even when the monthly looks higher than Yoco's.
5. Loyverse - free, on a tablet you already own
Loyverse costs nothing and does more than free software has any business doing. Selling, stock tracking with low-stock alerts, a loyalty programme, a kitchen display, a customer display and multiple stores are all on the free plan. It runs on a phone or tablet you already have, which is why it suits a spaza counter or a stall better than anything else here.
Two things to know. Sales reports only go back 31 days unless you pay, and the paid add-ons are priced in dollars: $5R83 a month per store for full sales history, $5R83 a month per employee for staff management, $25R416 a month per store for purchase orders and deeper stock. On a card, that lands in rands at whatever the exchange rate is that day. And Loyverse is a till app, not a payment company, so you still need a card machine beside it. Yoco lists Loyverse as one of the systems it connects to.
Free, until the add-ons are in dollars
Loyverse's free plan covers selling, stock, loyalty and a kitchen display. Full sales history is $5R83 a month per store, staff management $5R83 a month per employee, and purchase orders with deeper stock $25R416 a month per store. A shop with three staff wanting history and staff tools is paying about $20R333 a month on a card, at whatever the rand does that week.
Best for: the smallest counters, and anyone who wants to learn what a till changes before spending money on one. Start free, and if the dollar add-ons start adding up, that's the moment to price a Yoco or iKhokha setup properly.
What three years actually costs
Take one shop with one counter and run it for three years. Yoco Counter costs R2 999 and nothing after that, or R11 963 if you keep the Plus plan for the whole three years. iK POS costs R7 499 plus R23 760 of licences before VAT, which is R31 259 before VAT is added to the monthly part.
That gap isn't an argument against iKhokha. It's the question you should make it answer: does what iK POS does for your stock, your staff and your tables earn R660 every month? For a butchery or a restaurant with a kitchen and six staff, it very well might. For a shop with one person behind the counter and 200 lines, it probably doesn't.
Before you buy
Count your lines
Write down roughly how many different products you sell. iKhokha's Business package stops at 3 000 retail products or 300 dishes, and a shop that keeps adding lines reaches a ceiling like that without noticing.
Decide how many machines you'll need in a year
Get the price of the second one before you buy the first. TallOrder's extra licences run R605 to R720 a month, and iKhokha's Pro package exists because the Business one covers a single machine.
Work out what happens when the power goes
A handheld with its own SIM and battery keeps selling for up to 18 hours. A counter on Wi-Fi needs the router up, so price a small backup for the router at the same time.
Find out who you phone on a Saturday
And whose software it is. iKhokha's packages include a Poster licence, so the till is iKhokha's and the platform is Poster's. Get the support number and the hours in writing before you pay.
Get the export in writing
You load every product and price by hand once. Before you commit, get it in writing that you can export that list, and in which format, so a move later costs you a morning and not a week.
Settle those five and the choice usually makes itself.
Add the VAT before you compare monthlies
iKhokha's R660 and TallOrder's R720 are quoted before VAT, so what leaves your account is R759 and R828. Yoco's R249 and R499 plans carry no VAT note on its POS page. Compare like with like, or the cheaper-looking licence wins an argument it shouldn't.
The bottom line
Start with what the counter actually needs to do. If it's one shop, one till and a queue to move, Yoco Counter at R2 999 with nothing monthly is the easiest money in this list to justify. If you sell standing up, the Khumo Print 2 at R1 499 does the same job in your hand.
If stock and staff are what's hurting, iK POS gives you the deepest tools here, and you pay R660 a month before VAT for them. If your card machine is fine and your till isn't, TallOrder lets you change one without the other. And if money's tight, Loyverse is free and good, and you can move later with your product list in hand.
Still between two? Answer the four questions below for your own counter, and it'll point you at the kind of setup that fits rather than at a brand.
Four questions
Which kind of till setup fits your shop?
Answer for the way you sell now. This points at a kind of setup, not a brand.
1Where does the selling happen?
2How much do you need to track?
3What's at your counter now?
4What can the shop carry every month?
Before you answer
A countertop till with no monthly, for most small shops
It's the setup that costs once and keeps working, and it covers a single counter properly.
The trade-off: it won't go to the market with you, and the deep stock tools sit on paid systems.
Built from the four numbers at the top of this article, not from our opinion of the brands. It names a kind of setup; which company you buy it from is the next decision, and the sections above have the figures.
Questions people ask about POS systems
What is the best POS system in South Africa?
For most small shops, Yoco Counter: R2 999 once, with the card machine included and no monthly fee for the software.For deeper stock and staff tools, iKhokha's iK POS at R7 499 plus R660 a month before VAT. Prices read at each company's own site on 2 October 2026.
How much does a POS system cost in South Africa?
Hardware runs from R699 for a handheld to R7 499 for a full till.The monthly licence is the bigger number over time: R0 at Yoco and Loyverse, R660 before VAT at iKhokha, and R720 before VAT per device at TallOrder.
Is there a free POS system in South Africa?
Yes. Loyverse is free on your own phone or tablet, including stock, loyalty and a kitchen display, with paid add-ons priced in dollars.Yoco's POS software is also free on every Yoco device, with Plus at R249 a month and Pro at R499 for extras like accounting integrations.
Can I use a POS system with my current card machine?
Sometimes. TallOrder lists Yoco, FNB, Ecentric and 2D Transact among the card machines it works with, and Yoco connects to POS software including Lightspeed, Loyverse and TallOrder.Check both companies' integration lists before you buy either side.
How many products can a POS system hold?
iKhokha states the limits: 3 000 retail products or 300 dishes on the Business package, 15 000 or 1 500 on Pro.Yoco, TallOrder and Loyverse state no ceiling on their pricing pages, so a shop carrying thousands of lines should get the limit confirmed in writing before paying.
Does a POS system work during a power cut?
That depends on the device rather than the brand.A handheld with its own SIM and battery, like Yoco's Khumo range at up to 18 hours, keeps taking payments. Anything that depends on your Wi-Fi stops when the router does, so price a small backup for the router as part of the setup.
