A POS with no hardware lease
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 · by the RetailPOS team
“No hardware lease” is binary — either your terminal is financed and locked, or it's yours. RetailPOS runs on hardware you own. Here's the match, and the trade-off.
The lease you’re avoiding
The mainstream POS model bundles a terminal into a multi-year lease. Clover, for example, is commonly quoted at $0–80/month software plus a ~$60–90/month hardware lease over 36 months, with card processing locked to Fiserv/First Data. Over three years that's roughly $2,160–3,240 for equipment — and you own nothing at the end.
RetailPOS doesn't lease hardware at all. There's no financed terminal, no early-termination fee, and no processor lock: you bring your own Stripe and negotiate your own rate.
What hardware you actually need
A working RetailPOS till is deliberately simple and off-the-shelf:
- An iPad (or compatible tablet) — the register.
- A Stripe Reader — to take cards, into your own Stripe account.
- Optional: a receipt printer, cash drawer and barcode scanner — standard models you buy once.
All of it is yours. Add a lane by buying another iPad; there's no per-terminal lease line multiplying as you grow.
The honest trade-off
“No lease” doesn't mean “no cost” — you still buy the iPad and reader up front. For most shops that's a few hundred dollars once versus thousands leased over three years, but it's an upfront outlay rather than a monthly line.
And it's iPad- and Stripe-oriented. If you specifically want a ruggedised, spill-proof all-in-one terminal or dedicated kitchen-display hardware, that's where first-party systems like Toast or Clover lead — RetailPOS runs on consumer tablets, not purpose-built hardware.
Frequently asked
- Does RetailPOS lease or sell hardware?
- Neither — you bring your own. An iPad and a Stripe Reader you buy and own run the till; there's no lease and no RetailPOS-supplied terminal.
- Is buying my own hardware cheaper than leasing?
- Usually, over the life of a typical 36-month lease. You pay a few hundred dollars once for an iPad and reader instead of ~$60–90/month for three years — but it is an upfront cost rather than spread out.
- Can I use my existing iPad and printer?
- Generally yes. RetailPOS runs on standard tablets, and common receipt printers, cash drawers and scanners work. A Stripe Reader is what you add for card payments.
- What if I need rugged, restaurant-grade hardware?
- That's the honest gap — RetailPOS runs on consumer tablets, not spill-proof terminals or dedicated kitchen screens. If ruggedised first-party hardware is essential, systems like Toast are stronger there.
Open your shop in 30 seconds.
No card. Free until your first 100 sales. No cut of your sales; keep your hardware.