Restaurant owners and retail business operators are exploring innovative payment solutions that go beyond traditional POS systems in 2025. Chase POS has served many businesses well with its mobile app and card reader system, but the rapidly evolving payment landscape offers compelling alternatives. Modern businesses need systems that handle everything from contactless payments to integrated online ordering and sophisticated inventory management. This comprehensive review examines the top alternatives to Chase POS, highlighting their unique features, pricing structures, and potential advantages for different types of businesses.
Chase POS operates as a mobile point-of-sale solution offered by Chase Bank, allowing businesses to accept payments through a smartphone app paired with an optional card reader. The system provides essential features like payment processing, product catalog management, transaction reporting, and the ability to handle tips, taxes, and discounts. For Chase banking customers, it offers the advantage of same-day deposits and integration with other Chase business services, making it particularly attractive for businesses already using Chase for their banking needs.
However, Chase POS may not be the ideal solution for every business type or size. Some merchants find limitations in its inventory management capabilities, while others seek more robust e-commerce integration or specialized industry features. Additionally, businesses without Chase banking relationships might benefit from alternatives that offer more competitive pricing or broader feature sets without requiring a specific banking relationship.
When evaluating Chase POS alternatives, businesses should consider factors such as transaction fees, monthly subscription costs, hardware requirements, inventory management capabilities, e-commerce integration, and industry-specific features. The right choice ultimately depends on business model, transaction volume, growth plans, and whether specialized functionality beyond basic payment processing is needed.
Square has established itself as one of the most popular payment processing solutions for small businesses. Unlike Chase POS, Square offers a mobile app and card reader but expands significantly on functionality with a robust ecosystem of business management tools. Square’s free POS software includes inventory management, customer database, employee management, and detailed analytics that many businesses find more comprehensive than traditional banking-based POS systems.
What sets Square apart is its versatility across business types and sizes, from food trucks to retail boutiques. Square provides tailored solutions with industry-specific features and offers a free e-commerce platform, allowing businesses to sell online with integrated inventory and reporting across channels. This omnichannel capability makes it particularly valuable for businesses looking to expand beyond in-person sales without managing multiple systems.
For businesses that process lower volumes but need comprehensive features, Square presents an attractive alternative to Chase POS, particularly if e-commerce integration is part of their strategy.
Clover offers a more hardware-focused approach than Chase POS, with a range of purpose-built POS terminals and accessories designed for different business environments. What distinguishes Clover is its App Market, allowing businesses to customize their POS system with specialized applications for appointment scheduling, employee management, loyalty programs, and more. This level of customization goes well beyond what most traditional POS systems offer.
Clover’s flexibility extends to its hardware options, from the portable Clover Go (similar to Chase’s card reader) to the full-featured Clover Station for high-volume merchants. This scalability makes it suitable for growing businesses that need their payment system to evolve with them. Clover also offers robust inventory management, customer relationship tools, and detailed reporting capabilities that many businesses find superior to simpler mobile POS solutions.
Pricing for Clover varies depending on the hardware selected and the payment processor, with monthly software fees typically ranging from $14.95 to $94.95 depending on the plan, plus transaction fees. While Clover is owned by Fiserv, it’s available through numerous merchant service providers, giving businesses flexibility in choosing their payment processing partner. This flexibility in provider choice is a significant advantage for businesses that want to negotiate better processing rates.
For restaurant owners seeking to optimize their phone operations alongside payment processing, Loman AI represents a revolutionary approach to AI for restaurants. This 24/7 AI phone agent specifically handles restaurant operations like phone orders, reservations, menu questions, and catering requests while seamlessly integrating with POS systems including Square, Toast, and Clover. Unlike traditional POS systems that focus solely on payment processing, Loman addresses the critical problem that 43% of restaurant calls go unanswered and 63% of customers hang up when put on hold.
Loman’s AI technology is trained on restaurant menus, policies, and customer preferences to ensure accuracy in order-taking and customer service. The system reduces missed calls, shortens wait times, and actually improves sales through intelligent upselling capabilities. Built-in analytics and real-time insights provide restaurant owners with better decision-making tools than most standalone POS systems offer. With fast setup that can be live in under a day, Loman scales efficiently for single locations, multi-unit operations, or franchise systems.
While Loman specializes in restaurant phone operations rather than direct payment processing, it positions itself as a complementary solution to existing POS systems, addressing operational efficiency that traditional payment processors like Chase POS cannot match.
While Chase POS focuses primarily on in-person transactions, Stripe has built its reputation as the premier payment solution for online businesses. However, with Stripe Terminal, it now offers in-person payment capabilities that make it a comprehensive alternative to Chase POS for businesses with significant online operations. Stripe’s developer-friendly approach sets it apart from traditional POS systems.
Stripe excels in developer-friendly features, offering extensive customization options and robust APIs that allow businesses to create tailored payment experiences. For companies with technical resources, this flexibility enables seamless integration with existing business systems, website platforms, and mobile applications. Stripe also supports global payments in over 135 currencies, making it ideal for businesses with international customers.
Pricing for Stripe is straightforward at 2.9% + 30¢ for online transactions and 2.7% + 5¢ for in-person payments through Stripe Terminal. Stripe offers additional services like Stripe Billing for subscription management, Stripe Connect for marketplace payments, and Stripe Atlas for business formation. For businesses prioritizing online sales or needing customizable payment flows, Stripe offers advantages that Chase POS cannot match.
Helcim stands out from Chase POS with its interchange-plus pricing model, which can result in significant savings for businesses processing higher transaction volumes. Unlike flat-rate processors, Helcim charges the actual interchange fee (set by card networks) plus a small markup, resulting in more transparent and often lower costs, especially as businesses grow. This pricing transparency is particularly valuable for established businesses that process substantial monthly volumes.
What makes Helcim particularly compelling is its volume discount structure, which automatically reduces rates as processing volume increases without requiring contract negotiations or plan upgrades. Helcim offers a comprehensive suite of features including inventory management, customer management, invoicing, and a virtual terminal, all with no monthly fee. The system also provides a full-featured online store, recurring billing capabilities, and customer portal access at no additional charge.
For businesses processing over $25,000 monthly, Helcim’s transparent pricing model typically results in substantial savings compared to flat-rate providers like Chase POS and Square.
For food service businesses, Toast offers specialized features that general-purpose systems like Chase POS lack. Built specifically for restaurants, cafes, and bars, Toast combines point-of-sale functionality with comprehensive restaurant management tools including table management, kitchen display systems, online ordering, delivery management, and inventory specifically designed for food service.
Toast’s hardware is purpose-built for restaurant environments, with spill-resistant terminals, kitchen displays, and handheld devices for tableside ordering and payment. Its integrated online ordering system allows restaurants to avoid third-party delivery app fees while maintaining direct customer relationships. Toast also offers powerful reporting on food costs, menu performance, and labor management that general POS systems cannot provide.
Pricing starts with a free plan (with higher transaction fees) and scales up to premium packages with advanced features. While Toast requires a commitment to its ecosystem, the specialized nature of its offering provides significant advantages for food service businesses. For restaurants finding Chase POS too general-purpose, Toast offers functionality specifically designed for their industry’s unique challenges.
PayPal has evolved beyond its origins as an online payment service to offer comprehensive in-person payment solutions that compete with Chase POS. With its PayPal Zettle card reader and app, businesses can accept in-person payments with the backing of one of the most recognized names in the payment industry. This brand recognition often translates to increased customer trust and confidence.
A key advantage of PayPal is its near-universal recognition and trust among consumers. Additionally, PayPal offers multiple payment options including traditional credit/debit cards, PayPal accounts, Venmo, and buy-now-pay-later options through PayPal Credit. This flexibility can help businesses increase sales by accommodating customer preferences for various payment methods.
PayPal’s pricing structure includes a 2.29% + 9¢ fee for in-person transactions and 3.49% + 49¢ for keyed transactions. While slightly higher than some competitors, many businesses find the brand recognition and consumer trust worth the premium. PayPal also offers immediate access to funds through the PayPal account, rather than waiting for bank deposits. For businesses seeking a recognized payment brand and flexibility across online and offline channels, PayPal provides a compelling alternative to Chase POS.
SumUp offers a simplified approach compared to Chase POS, focusing on essential payment processing with minimal complexity. This makes it particularly suitable for very small businesses, occasional sellers, or those just starting out who want straightforward payment acceptance without elaborate features or commitments. SumUp’s approach prioritizes ease of use over advanced functionality.
What distinguishes SumUp is its low barrier to entry with a single, affordable card reader starting around $35 and no monthly fees or minimum processing requirements. The SumUp app provides basic business management features including simple inventory tracking, sales reporting, and digital receipts. Transaction fees are competitive at 2.75% for in-person payments.
SumUp also offers a virtual terminal for phone payments and an online payment solution for e-commerce. While it doesn’t match the extensive feature set of more comprehensive alternatives, its simplicity and affordability make it attractive for businesses that prioritize ease of use and low upfront costs. SumUp also accepts international cards without additional fees, making it suitable for businesses serving international customers.
For businesses that sell both online and in-person, Shopify POS offers unparalleled integration between e-commerce and physical retail. Unlike Chase POS, which focuses primarily on in-person transactions, Shopify POS creates a unified system where inventory, customers, and reporting are synchronized across all sales channels. This omnichannel approach eliminates the complexity of managing separate systems.
Shopify POS is part of the broader Shopify e-commerce platform, allowing businesses to manage their entire operation from one dashboard. This includes product management, inventory tracking across locations, customer profiles, and comprehensive reporting. For retailers with both an online store and physical presence, this integration eliminates double-entry and provides a consistent customer experience.
Pricing for Shopify POS depends on the Shopify plan, starting at $29/month for the basic plan plus transaction fees, which decrease with higher-tier plans. For retailers who need sophisticated inventory management and omnichannel capabilities, Shopify POS offers significant advantages over more basic systems like Chase POS. The unified approach to online and offline sales makes it particularly valuable for businesses focused on creating a seamless customer experience across channels.
Selecting the right Chase POS alternative requires careful consideration of specific business needs and operational requirements. Start by identifying priorities: Is cost the primary concern, or do you need specialized industry features. How important is e-commerce integration, and will you be scaling rapidly in the near future. These fundamental questions will help narrow down the most suitable alternatives.
Consider transaction volume and typical sale amounts when evaluating pricing structures. Flat-rate pricing (like Square) is often better for low-volume businesses with smaller average transactions, while interchange-plus models (like Helcim) typically benefit higher-volume operations. Also assess hardware requirements - whether you need mobile flexibility, countertop terminals, or specialized equipment for your industry.
Integration capabilities with existing business systems such as accounting software, e-commerce platforms, or inventory management should not be overlooked. Many providers offer free trials or demos, allowing you to test systems before committing. Consider future growth - the right system should be able to scale with your business and adapt to changing needs without requiring a complete overhaul. By carefully evaluating these factors and matching them to the strengths of each Chase POS alternative, businesses can select a payment solution that not only meets current needs but supports long-term success and growth objectives.
For restaurants specifically, consider implementing Loman AI alongside your chosen POS system to handle phone operations, capture missed revenue, and improve customer service efficiency. This combination approach ensures comprehensive coverage of both payment processing and operational optimization for maximum business performance.
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