Square for Retail vs QuickBooks POS (GoPayment)

Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of The 11 Best POS Systems for Retail. Last verified June 17, 2026.

The short answer

Square for Retail ranks higher on Top 11 (#3 vs #10) for Retail store owners choosing a point-of-sale system. The top choice for new retailers due to its powerful free plan and simple setup.

At a glance

Square for RetailQuickBooks POS (GoPayment)
Top 11 rank#3 / The 11 Best POS Systems for Retail#10 / The 11 Best POS Systems for Retail
Score (out of 9.4)8.87.4
Best forBest for small businessesBest for QuickBooks users
Pricing$ ($0 to $60/mo)$ ($0/mo)
HQSan Francisco, USAMountain View, USA
Founded20091983

Square for Retail

The top choice for new retailers due to its powerful free plan and simple setup.

squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/retail

See full entry in The 11 Best POS Systems for Retail

QuickBooks POS (GoPayment)

The default choice for businesses already using QuickBooks.

quickbooks.intuit.com/payments/pos/

See full entry in The 11 Best POS Systems for Retail

Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.