Overpriced, slow, and not designed for real retail use We have been using Shopify for over 8 years, and switched to Shopify POS Pro 6 months ago for our gallery in Sitges after more than 2.5 years using Square, which worked flawlessly: fast, intuitive, and perfectly adapted to retail operations. The decision to move to Shopify POS was driven by the need to centralize inventory and connect in-store and online sales. On paper, it made sense. In reality, the experience has been consistently frustrating. ⸻ 1. Pricing is completely disconnected from value Shopify offers its core e-commerce platform starting at around €29/month, yet charges €79/month per location for POS Pro just to unlock basic retail features. The standard POS version is simply not usable in a professional context: no proper sales reporting no breakdown by payment method (cash vs card) no staff attribution These are not advanced features. They are the minimum expected in any POS system. ⸻ 2. Slow and inefficient user experience The app feels sluggish in daily use: slow navigation between screens delays when switching between products, cart, and checkout lack of fluidity during busy store moments In retail, speed is critical. This directly impacts customer experience. ⸻ 3. Sales data is not usable in real time sales statistics take a long time to update no reliable real-time view of performance difficult to reconcile daily revenue With Square, everything was instant and clear. Here, it feels delayed and unreliable. ⸻ 4. Reporting limitations (especially without POS Pro) impossible to properly track total revenue in the free version no clear breakdown by payment method confusing tax-inclusive vs tax-exclusive reporting For a physical store, this is a major issue. ⸻ 5. Inventory management from POS is unnecessarily complex Adjusting stock directly from the POS is: not intuitive too many steps not designed for quick retail operations This should be simple and fast. It is neither. ⸻ 6. Missing basic usability features Despite being available on mobile devices: no biometric login (fingerprint / Face ID) for staff no fast user switching for sellers This makes daily use slower and less secure than it should be. ⸻ 7. Not a true retail product Shopify POS feels like an add-on to an e-commerce platform, not a tool built for real-world retail. After years with Square, the difference is clear: Square is fast, retail-first, and reliable Shopify POS is slower, restricted, and overpriced ⸻ When opening our second gallery, we naturally considered rolling out POS Pro there as well. At €79 per month per location for this level of functionality, the answer was a clear no. After 8 years using Shopify, this is particularly disappointing. We adopted Shopify POS to simplify operations, but it is adding friction instead. If this does not improve significantly, it will push us to reconsider our entire reliance on Shopify, including for e-commerce. We value well-designed, fairly priced tools and do not appreciate feeling locked into an ecosystem where essential functionality is either missing or unreasonably priced.

The POS app is very unstable. It keeps disconnecting from Shopify card reader and Shopify tested printer. It also requires admin sign in every couple of days. Card reader sometimes cannot b connected at all. Android Tap to Pay in this app is not working on one of our devices, even though the device supports it and meets every requirement needed (and used to work previously). Talking with Shopify support is endless.

Since the latest update, the POS app no longer shows the number of items in the cart on tablets. This small detail is actually a critical part of preventing checkout errors for staff, especially during busy periods. This change feels like it shipped without real-world UX testing in a retail environment. If it was intentional, it’s a serious design mistake. If it was accidental, it highlights a lack of QA before release. I strongly recommend restoring this functionality as soon as possible and improving UX testing before future updates. This regression directly impacts checkout accuracy and day-to-day store operations.

We discovered that this app had an active paid subscription on our account despite never being used in our operations. We do not run a POS or retail billing system, so the app had no relevance for our business. When we contacted the support team after identifying the charges, we were informed that a refund would not be provided. This experience highlights a lack of proactive communication and flexibility, especially for businesses that have not derived any value from the product.

Really horrible in term of reporting and session management. They keep removing features. From the REST API, we could have gotten the Device ID information for POS order but they have since removed it from the GraphQL API. Then we had access to the session data in the shopify admin and yet again, this feature was removed. We basically have little help in tracking orders at the POS. Shopify has done little to nothing to support its customers in this regards and frankly seems to be pushing them away to use third party apps.

Absolutely trash. App lags every time you try to login, doesn't find most of my inventory in search and just at the worst time when you have s customer in front of you and maybe more waiting you get flustered and fuck everything up Shopify, this is not fit for purpose sort it or ditch it

Customer service has been extremely disappointing. This app was installed in the PRO version by a developer who has since had their access revoked. We are a production kitchen and do not operate a POS or retail checkout, so this app has never been required or used. Despite this, I’ve only recently discovered that we’ve been paying for the subscription for years. The team can clearly see there has been no usage at all, yet they have refused any form of refund, hiding behind policy rather than exercising discretion. As a small business ourselves, we regularly offer gestures of goodwill to customers when mistakes happen, even when policies technically allow us not to. It’s disappointing to see none of that same understanding or flexibility extended here, especially given the clear lack of use and circumstances surrounding the installation. Very disappointing experience overall.

The update that happened in Spring 2024 made it so slow to process orders. You have to click 9-10 times to get the most basic sale done. Im looking for a better option now

You can have over Millions in sales and over 5 Years.But they can suddenly hold your entire companies payments. Without a good reason. im absolutely shocked they think that any small to medium business would stand for such practice. I immediately switched back to my old POS Also doesn't work on Desktop/Laptop needs to be NEW apple Ipad ( old ones will lag ) . And of course you need to buy theirs ecosystem products otherwise all other products have compatibility issues... shop is great for your website but they CLEARLY missed the mark here.

I came here to read recent reviews because we are still struggling with syncing between our in-store square system and our Shopify website and I keep HOPING Shopify POS systems have improved. By the reviews I read, obviously not. We've tried Shopify POS TWICE and both times it was unreliable. No peripherals - barcode scanner, credit card machine - would remain connected to the iPad so we would have to jump through hoops, WITH CUSTOMERS WAITING IN LINE to reconnect them. Customer support sent us 3 pages of instructions which were insane & STILL didn't fix the problem. HOW CAN SHOPIFY INVENT THE BEST RETAIL SOFTWARE SYSTEM/WEBSITE BUT CAN'T DO POS WORTH A DAMN? So incredibly frustrating.