In addition to covering the basics like handling sales, inventory, and customer relationships from a single platform, vape shop point-of-sale (POS) systems need to support high-risk payment processors, offer tools to manage age-restricted products, and allow for sale restrictions when necessary.
The best POS systems for vape shops are:
- Lightspeed Retail: Best overall vape shop POS
- KORONA POS: Best for multi-store management
- Square for Retail: Best free
- Clover: Best for connecting an existing merchant account
- POS Nation: Best for perishable goods tracking
- Shopify: Best for online sales
All of these systems include cash tracking; customizable permissions and access for employees; and customer management tools (email marketing, loyalty, and databases).
I’ve been researching, testing, and writing about retail topics—and point-of-sale systems in particular—for the past two years. I’ve evaluated dozens of systems designed for inventory management, ecommerce, and brick-and-mortar sales for various industries.
For this guide, I evaluated vape shop POS systems using data points like age verification tools, multichannel features, loyalty programs, and more. I also adhered to the Fit Small Business Editorial Policy.
Retail Staff Writer at FitSmallBusiness
Best POS for Vape Shop Compared
Lightspeed Retail: Best Overall Vape Shop POS System
Pros
- Extensive and granular inventory management tools
- Age and quantity restriction regulations
- Rich reporting features
- Multiple options for payment gateways and processors
- RACS-compliant
Cons
- Relatively high price point; no free plan
- Limited offline mode (no offline card payment processing)
- Extra monthly fee if you use a third-party payment processor
Overview
Who should use it:
Lightspeed Retail is our recommended vape shop POS system for growing businesses that handle complex or large volumes of inventory. It is also an excellent choice for sellers looking for ways to sell in-store and online seamlessly.
Why we like it:
This cloud-based POS software is known for its robust inventory management features and detailed reporting features. Lightspeed Retail also includes an ecommerce integration with built-in age verification solutions, plus a wide variety of add-ons. As for payment processing, you can opt to use the built-in processor Lightspeed Payments, or go with third-party options including PayPal, Square, SumUp, and Worldpay, for a fee.
The lack of offline card processing and extra fees for using a third-party payment processor cost it a few points in our evaluation. The POS is also fairly expensive; businesses that want a cheaper (or free) option can go for Square for Retail instead.
- Monthly pricing
- Basic: $109
- Core: $179
- Plus: $289
- Annual pricing
- Basic: $89
- Core: $149
- Plus: $239
- Lightspeed Payments processing rates:
- Card-present: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Card-not-present: 2.6% + 30 cents
Lightspeed Retail lets you create up to 50 custom matrix attribute sets. A vape shop could use a 3-attribute matrix for size, strength, and percentage. (Source: Lightspeed)
- Customized selling restrictions: Lightspeed Retail is currently beta-testing register rules features that enforce limitations for the sale of high-risk products. The POS allows users to prevent bulk purchases by setting quantity limits and performing age verification during transactions using ID-scanning technology.
- Wide selection of integrations and add-ons: Lightspeed Retail offers significant integration tools that vape shop owners will find useful. Its long list includes high-risk-business-friendly payment processors and age-verification solutions for its ecommerce platform. These industry-specific integrations allow vape shop owners to sell online while staying compliant with legislation requirements.
- Inventory management features: Vape shop owners can create custom matrix sets, build product variants, acquire items in bulk, submit purchase orders, and track sales. Combining Lightspeed’s inventory and reporting tools can also help with loss prevention by letting you spot anomalies or inconsistencies.
- RACS compliance: Lightspeed Retail has built-in RACS compliance, meaning that the system automatically requires ID scanning to verify the buyer’s age. This ensures that you avoid selling restricted products to underage buyers and selling excessive amounts of restricted products to any buyer.
KORONA POS: Best for Multistore Management
Pros
- Built-in age verification tools (ID scanning)
- Built-in ecommerce integration available (WooCommerce)
- Complete CRM plus direct loyalty integration with bLoyal
- Automated ordering and vendor management
Cons
- Gated, limited integrations
- Lacks inventory management in base plan
- No customer management in base plan
- Not RACS-compliant
Overview
Who should use it:
KORONA POS works best for high-risk retailers, ticketing businesses, and retail-focused food and beverage operations. It also has good tools for managing multiple store locations and ecommerce selling.
Why we like it:
KORONA POS is a cloud-based software that offers competitive subscription pricing, works with high-risk payment processors, and provides complete multilocation management features and ecommerce tools for vape shops—starting at only $59/month.
The software includes several useful built-in tools, such as age verification and ecommerce integration. The unlimited free trial is a major plus point. KORONA POS could have done better with its number and variety of integrations, as well as having staff and inventory management in the base plan. It is also not RACS-compliant.
POS software:
- Core: $59
- Customizable dashboard
- Basic reporting
- Ecommerce
- Retail: $69
- Inventory management
- Customer management
- Supplier interface integration
- Plus: +$20 per terminal
- Store ranking
- KPIs
- Advanced reporting
Additional modules and functions are available for up to +$50 per month.
Processing rates: KORONA POS is processor agnostic, meaning you’ll need to choose your own payment processor—and your rates will vary depending on your choice. KORONA POS can integrate with almost every popular merchant service account via either PAX or Dejavoo.
The software has an easy-to-use checkout function with an intuitive interface and customizable workflows. (Source: KORONA POS)
- Integrated payment options: KORONA POS does not have its own payment processing system. Instead, it partners with popular merchant service providers, which allows users with high-risk businesses to get the best transaction rates.
- Age verification function: KORONA offers a built-in age and ID verification functionality for both in-store and online checkout. The system prompts the user to enter the customer’s birth date or provide a valid ID. Otherwise, the age-restricted products will be removed from the receipt.
- Complete CRM and built-in point-based loyalty program: KORONA allows you to engage your customers through short message service (SMS), email, and branded applications. It also comes with a point-based loyalty program and lets you build your customer database to help you track customers and process their special orders.
- Flexible multistore management: At $89 a month, KORONA’s Plus POS subscription provides multistore management tools to consolidate data and reports in real time. You can manage inventory, conduct inventory counts, award loyalty points, track sales, and monitor employee performance for all locations from a single platform.
- Retail loss prevention: Set customizable security features to minimize retail loss and permissions to limit access to back office tools, where bad actors can do harmful things like alter prices and tamper with returns processes. Add authorization tools to prevent impromptu discounts, price changes, and no-sales tenders.
- Inventory management: KORONA’s mobile inventory app allows you to manage inventory on the go. It also supports adding inventory using a barcode scanner and inventory movement tracking with automated counting that generates a daily count list on demand. You can also set automatic reordering, track shipment, and manage your vendor list.
Square for Retail: Best Free Vape Shop POS
Pros
- Free POS system and ecommerce site builder
- Affordable hardware with financing options
- Scale integrations for selling by weight (Bluetooth or USB connection)
- Great POS mobile app and offline mode
Cons
- Square built-in payment processing only
- Higher transaction fees for stores that sell CBD products, including vapes
- Pop-up reminders only for age verification
- Limited support hours, especially for free subscription users
Overview
Who should use it:
New or small vape shops needing a free or affordable POS option, or those wanting to expand into ecommerce without investing too many resources, will do well with Square for Retail.
Why we like it:
Square for Retail is easily the most affordable of all the industry-leading POS software we have for this evaluation. Starting with a free plan, it offers a suite of sales and inventory management tools that can handle variants and sales by weight easily, the ability to manage an unlimited number of products and transactions, and a built-in online shop. Businesses that process ticket sales or want a built-in age-verification tool will want to go with KORONA POS, Clover, or POS Nation instead.
Vape shop owners will have to register their accounts under the Square CBD Program, which carries higher fees compared to other transactions done via Square. There is also no age verification for online sales (besides simple reminder pop-ups), and the POS isn’t RACS-compliant.
POS software:
- Free: $0
- Plus: $89
- Premium: Custom quote (available if you process more than $250K per year)
Processing rates for CBD program:
- Online: 3.8% + 30 cents
- In-person: 3.5% + 10 cents
- Manually keyed-in: 4.4% + 15 cents
Square for Retail’s inventory management tool includes variant tracking, stock counting, and other nuanced inventory control features. Multiple devices can connect to a single central dashboard. (Source: Square)
- Centralized dashboard: Managing a vape shop can be easier done from a single platform. Once you’ve installed the appropriate Square add-on tools, the dashboard also allows you to send out invoices, engage with customers, and manage employees and inventory.
- CRM: Square’s CRM uses a tool called Customer Directory, where business owners can view customer data, such as their contact details and how they normally transact with the business. Customers can provide feedback through their digital receipts and start a private conversation with your business.
- Cash tracking: Square can be used to accept and track cash and payments, such as checks and gift cards, from any Square device like a tablet, smartphone, or terminal. It’s also possible to split tender, so customers can opt to use different payment types for a single transaction.
- Loss prevention: Square uses machine learning, analytics, and algorithm adjustment in order to detect and defend against new trends in fraud. Square’s free Risk Manager lets you create a Block List for suspicious cards, email addresses, and IP addresses. You can even create your own rules and alerts that control whether your POS accepts a payment or not. Learn more about Square’s Risk Manager tool and its key features.
Clover: Best for Vape Shops With Existing Merchant Accounts
Pros
- Highly customizable configurations
- Can be programmed for third-party payment processor
- Built-in RACS-compliant age verification feature on POS
Cons
- Inconsistent pricing and contract terms; dependent on reseller
- Advanced inventory management and scale integration not available in base plan
- Age verification tools only for in-person sales; not ecommerce
- Cannot reprogram payment processor after initial set-up
Overview
Who should use it:
Clover is well-suited for vape shops that want to choose their own payment processor, need built-in loyalty programs and age verification, or prefer flexible and customizable registers.
Why we like it:
Clover POS is a cloud-based, all-in-one POS provider that allows users to keep their existing merchant accounts. Clover includes all the tools you need as you grow, making it one of the most scalable POS solutions available. It has a wide range of easy-to-use tools, ease of use, and general features.
While Fiserv is Clover’s default payment processor, third-party resellers can reprogram the system upon sign-up to work with your preferred payment processing solution. This is a useful feature for vape shops that need to find a payment processor compatible with regulated industries or high-risk businesses, or simply for shops that want to find the lowest available processing rates.
Clover pricing is a little different than the other options on our list, as the plan you sign up for not only determines your features, but also the hardware and software you will have access to. It also depends on the industry your business is part of. Here is the pricing for retail stores such as vape shops:
POS software:
- Starter: $60/mo for 36 months; or $799 + $14.95/mo
- Includes Clover Mini countertop POS
- Standard: $135/mo for 36 months; or $1,799 + $49.95/mo
- Includes Station Duo terminal with customer display
- Advanced: $190/mo for 36 months; or $2,398 + $69.90/mo
- Includes Station Duo terminal and Clover Flex handheld POS
Processing rates:
- Card-present:
- Starter: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Standard and Advanced: 2.3% + 10 cents
- Manually keyed-in: 3.5% + 10 (all plans)
Clover’s checkout register is customizable with hotkeys and shortcuts for better process flow. It is also available on a variety of proprietary Clover devices. (Source: Clover POS)
- Clover register: The Clover register is customizable and easy to use, with search functions and weighing scale integrations to process sales faster. It allows you to accept swipe, dip, or tap payments as well as contactless payments like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo. The POS also includes a RACS-compliant age verification tool—a crucial feature for vape shops.
- Inventory management: Clover’s tools provide a way for you to keep tabs on your stock and prevent losses due to theft or deception—though keep in mind that you’ll need to pay more if you want advanced inventory management.
- Programmable payment processor: Fiserv is the default payment processor for Clover accounts, but the system allows you to reprogram this during the initial setup. This flexibility is a significant boon for businesses in regulated industries such as vape shops—allowing them to find payment processors that accept high-risk merchants. Note that with Clover, you cannot reprogram your payment processor after you complete the initial system setup, so be sure to choose wisely early on.
- Loyalty programs: Every Clover account comes with Clover’s point-based program, where you can assign points to different products and use these to reward your customers for shopping. Using Clover Promos, you can also advertise promos on social media or via email or text messaging. Clover also has a customer-facing loyalty app where you can add your business and its loyalty program. Customers can download the Clover app and manage their points.
Looking for a high-risk payment processor to use with Clover? PaymentCloud is a merchant account provider designed for high-risk vendors like vape shops. It also integrates with all payment gateways, so your business won’t miss a beat even while you’re migrating to another gateway. Read our PaymentCloud review.
POS Nation: Best for Perishable Goods Tracking
Pros
- Software + hardware plans without long-term contracts
- Weight scale integration
- ID scanner for automatic age verification
- Perishables management and inventory variants
Cons
- Higher subscriptions can get pricey
- Gated customer support based on subscription plans
- Cloud backup and ecommerce are purchased as an add-on
Overview
Who should use it:
POS Nation is primarily a POS system for convenience, liquor, and grocery stores. However, because of its built-in tools for age verification and perishables tracking, it is also a viable solution for vape shops.
Why we like it:
POS Nation’s strong points include a simple payment scheme with no long-term contracts, good hardware integration and options, hardware bundled into its subscription plans, and industry-specific tools for running a vape shop. The system is also locally installed with a cloud backup that makes for a great offline solution when necessary.
POS software (hardware included in plans):
All plans include POS software and customer support, plus a two-year hardware warranty. You will need to agree to a POS Nation Processing Agreement.
- Starter: $69
- Growth: $99
- Premium: $149
Processing rates: In-house payment processing is available via POS Nation Merchant Services. You can also choose third-party processor options including Mercury, Swipely, Worldpay, Heartland, and Sterling Payment Technologies. POS Nation currently does not disclose processing rates on its website.
The built-in age verification function prompts cashiers to enter orscan the customer’s ID manually. (Source: POS Nation)
- Custom-build plan: POS Nation offers a custom-build plan that guides you in choosing your own payment processor and preferred features (based on your business type), without committing to a long-term contract.
- Specialized inventory management tools: The system supports perishable inventory tracking, case-break inventory, mix-and-match pricing, and kit building for vape shops. You can also integrate scales to allow for selling by weight options.
- Loss prevention: POS Nation’s inventory tracking features help with loss prevention, fraud, and other malicious actions. New employees have limited access and will need manager approval to perform purchase cancellations or returns. You can also add notes whenever logging a return or a loss. Blind counts for cash drawers are available as well.
- Age validation: The tool includes ID scanner software and hardware to scan driver’s licenses or other IDs. You can also set the age validation requirements per product from the back end using POS Nation’s advanced item configuration tools.
Shopify: Best for Online Sales
Pros
- Best-in-class omnichannel features and ecommerce platform
- Hundreds of additional POS/ecommerce features and integrations (Shopify App Store)
- Competitive POS price ($89/mo for POS Pro)
Cons
- Limited features in POS Lite plan
- Lacks offline payment processing for credit and debit cards
- Age verification tools only available for online sales for add-on fee; not RACS-compliant
Overview
Who should use it:
Shopify POS works best for businesses that want a strong online presence or ecommerce store, or that want to sell via social media.
Why we like it:
Shopify is a household name for ecommerce merchants, though it has removed vape shop products from its list of restricted products. As long as selling vape shop products is legal in your location, Shopify will let you sell on the platform. Adding online age verification tools, however, starts at about $5 per month.
POS tools include expanded fulfillment methods, such as buy online, pick-up in-store (BOPIS), and delivery, making it ideal for online vape shops with storefronts for distributing and accepting returned products. However, you will need to purchase the POS Pro software to unlock the full set of tools. Also, offline functionality for Shopify is limited, and the per-transaction fee for using a third-party payment processor can be expensive.
POS software:
- POS Lite: $5
- Limited logins
- Simple customer profiles
- POS Pro: $89
- Unlimited logins
- Employee permissions
- Loyalty insights
- Employee management
- Omnichannel selling
Processing rates:
- 2.4% + 30 cents to 2.9% + 30 cents
Shopify comes with free POS software with a customizable interface and easy-to-use checkout functionality. (Source: Shopify)
- Website builder: Shopify comes with stylish mobile-ready themes, both free and paid. It includes a content management system (CMS) and blogging platform to help maximize your marketing and sales efforts. Both the website builder and the content editor are user-friendly, and users need little to no coding skills to start building their online store.
- Omnichannel selling: Shopify allows you to receive orders online and accept payments, returns, or exchanges in-store. It also lets your buyers use online customer carts to complete their purchases or add shipping details for purchases that were made in-store.
- Smart inventory management: Shopify’s inventory library lets you curate products and set different variants. Automated real-time product tracking and low-stock notifications are available. Shopify Pro users get access to the Stocky app, with additional features such as inventory analysis, demand forecasting, and sale item suggestion tools.
- Loss prevention: To enhance loss prevention, Shopify lets you set staff permissions in order to limit access to various parts of the system as needed. The POS includes a “sensitive permissions” setting for viewing or editing private store data, such as customer information and billing payment methods or invoices.
- Age verification tools: Shopify does include age-verification tools, but only as paid add-ons, and only for online sales. You’ll have many options to choose from, starting at about $5 per month.
- High-risk payment processing: Businesses in high-risk industries such as CBD and THC should note that such products are not compatible with Shopify Payments (the POS’ integrated payment processor). Fortunately, users can choose from among many third-party integration options, giving you more flexibility in finding a processor that accepts high-risk products.
How to Choose a Vape Shop POS
While all POS systems have standout tools—such as transaction processing, inventory management, CRM, reporting, and staff management—you’ll need special tools if you’re running a shop that sells restricted products such as liquor and vape. Follow these steps to pick the best POS option for your vape shop.
Step 1: Consider Software & Processing Pricing
First things first: even a great POS system won’t do you any good if you can’t afford it, so research the different pricing plans for the software you have in mind. Most POS systems offer month-to-month pricing, and many (but not all) will not require you to sign a long-term contract, so you have many options here.
Even if you have no budget at all for a POS system, free options such as Square for Retail do exist. Once you get some sales in the bag and have increased profits, you’ll be able to afford plan upgrades or even a whole new POS system.
Apart from software pricing, consider payment processing fees. Many providers list their rates online; for others, you may need to call for a custom quote. If you’re selling vape products, note also that processing rates may change for sales of restricted products, so make sure to check for increased rates for tobacco and vape sales.
Step 2: Examine General POS Tools
To run any business effectively, you’ll need a base set of POS features including cash tracking, barcode scanning, a loyalty program, and employee and inventory management. Different POS systems specialize in different tools—for example, some might be better than others for managing multilocation inventory and variants, while others might have excellent built-in loyalty features.
While general tools aren’t the only thing you need when selling vape products, these features form the backbone of your POS system, and you won’t be able to effectively run your vape business (or any business) without them. Choose a system that includes at least basic versions of all these functions, ideally available in the base subscriptions.
Step 3: Check Vape Shop-specific Features
Last but not least, you’ll need to check what vape shop-specific features exist for the POS systems you have in mind. In particular, you’ll want to look for age-verification features—the more advanced, the better. Some POS systems offer nothing more than age-verification pop-up reminders during transactions, while other systems allow for ID scanning.
You’ll also want variant and perishables tracking for your inventory, to help keep tabs on different vape flavors and expiration dates. Ecommerce tools, while not strictly necessary, will be helpful as they offer an additional sales channel and more convenience for your customers. Some systems have these tools built in, and others will require integrations.
Finally, consider whether your system is RACS-compliant. Compliant systems will include safeguards such as mandatory ID scanning and transaction limits, to minimize your risk and ensure you don’t break any laws, even by accident. Strictly speaking, you don’t need a RACS-compliant system to sell vape products, but it makes the entire process go more smoothly and helps ensure you don’t do anything illegal.
How We Evaluated Vape Shop POS Systems
We compared more than a dozen POS systems based on price, general POS tools, vape-specific POS features such as age and quantity sales restrictions, and RACS compliance. We also asked our retail experts to weigh in with their personal knowledge of each software.
Based on our evaluation criteria, Lightspeed Retail is the best vape shop POS. The software received the highest overall score in our grading system for vape shop software (4.64 out of 5). Our vape shop POS evaluation resulted in rankings that are also in line with what we would recommend personally based on our experience testing different software and working with small businesses that use POS systems every day.
Click through the tabs below for a more detailed breakdown of our evaluation criteria:
20%
Pricing & Payment Processing
20% of Overall Score
We first looked at each software’s pricing plans for options under $75 monthly and affordable hardware plans because small vape shops usually operate on a budget. Then, we checked if those plans include unlimited transaction processing and whether they offer volume discounts.
20% of Overall Score
Retail shops require an efficient method for managing sales and inventory. We looked at POS systems that not only allow users to accept different modes of payment but also manage employees, loyalty programs, and inventory. This includes barcode scanning, bulk updating, and variant tracking of inventory as well as custom permission and logins for employees.
30% of Overall Score
Vape shops require functions that help manage sales and comply with FDA regulations for selling vape products. We gave premium points for RACS-compliant systems and providers with built-in ID verification functions. We also evaluated each software’s product variants and modifiers’ capabilities for tracking things like different flavors or strengths of the same product. Finally, we awarded high marks for systems that offer vape shop-friendly integrated payment processing options.
15% of Overall Score
Retail businesses like vape shops that sell both in-store and online require round-the-clock support and a user-friendly interface. We gave premium points for cloud-based solutions and those offering 24/7 customer support. We also gave additional points for systems that can work offline and are compatible with both iOS and Android devices as these features ensure efficient and seamless operation for busy vape shops.
15% of Overall Score
Finally, we considered any standout features of each individual system and whether the software and hardware options offer a good overall value for their price. We also judged each system’s popularity to help ensure safety and security. We also awarded points based on personal experience interacting with the software and the company’s customer support.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Click through the sections below to learn more details about how to sell vape products, and what tools a vape shop POS needs.
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products are also known as vapes, e-cigarettes, e-liquids, and e-juice.
Yes, all electronic nicotine delivery systems, including those made by JUUL, are required by law to have FDA authorization before they become legal to sell.
Retail Access Control Standards (RACS) are a set of guidelines created by JUUL Labs to enforce age restrictions for JUUL products at the point of sale. A RACS-certified POS system:
- Requires the scanning of a valid government ID for age verification
- Limits the number of products per transaction to one device and four JUULpod packs
- Integrates sales transactions to prevent manual override by sales staff
Lightspeed and Clover are the RACS-compliant providers on our list.
Not all POS systems are RACS-compliant, but this does not technically prevent a merchant from opening a vape shop business. However, having a RACS-compliant POS helps vape shop owners obtain the proper licenses to operate legally much easier.
Bottom Line
While we had other top contenders that showed potential in terms of vape shop-specific features, we wanted to ensure that our top vape shop POS systems offer the best value for features every retailer needs. For example, Square for Retail is the best choice for vape shop sellers working on a limited budget. KORONA POS is great for managing multiple locations, while Shopify is the best match for online sellers.
However, we find Lightspeed Retail the best overall vape shop POS system. It has unparalleled inventory management features, rich reporting tools, and can be fitted with age verification features for use in vape shops. Visit Lightspeed now for a free trial.
