The Shopify POS app turns an iOS or Android device into a point of sale, letting a Shopify store sell in person and online from one system. It runs on the same backend as the online store, so inventory, orders, and customer profiles stay in sync across both channels in real time. For any brand already on Shopify that wants to add in-person sales — a shop, a pop-up, a market stall — it removes the need to run a separate POS and reconcile the two later.

Platforms and compatibility

The app is available for both iOS and Android, so most existing tablets and phones can run it. It works with a range of hardware — card readers, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and cash drawers — though Shopify restricts support to approved devices. For a device-by-device breakdown, see the Shopify POS hardware review.

What the app does

The core value is a single system spanning in-person and online sales. The main capabilities:

Sales and reporting — process checkout, accept major cards and digital wallets, and see sales, orders, and best-sellers in built-in reports.
Inventory management — stock syncs with the online store after every sale, with low-stock alerts, purchase orders, and counts from the same catalog.
Customer profiles — in-person and online purchases build one customer history, with notes, lifetime spend, and order history available at checkout.
Omnichannel selling — options like local pickup, delivery, ship-to-home, and emailed carts let a customer start in store and finish online, or the reverse.
Integrated payments — Shopify Payments handles card processing in-app, so in-person and online earnings sit in one place.

Pricing: Lite vs. Pro

The app comes in two tiers:

POS Lite is included free with every Shopify plan. It covers the essentials — taking payments, tracking inventory, managing customers and orders, gift cards, returns, and exchanges — and suits pop-ups, markets, and low-volume retail.
POS Pro costs $89 per location per month (or $79 if billed annually) and adds advanced retail features: staff roles and permissions, sales attribution, cash tracking, exchanges, local pickup and delivery, advanced inventory, and detailed in-store analytics. A 14-day free trial is available.

The practical dividing line: Lite is enough for occasional or single-location selling, while Pro earns its cost for stores where in-person retail is a primary channel or spans multiple locations.

Setting it up

Installation is quick: in the Shopify admin, go to Settings > Apps and sales channels, find the Shopify POS app in the App Store, and add it. The main configuration step is setting up Shopify Payments so the app can process card transactions. A full Shopify POS setup walkthrough covers the process end to end.

Real-world notes

The app is generally well-reviewed for an interface staff pick up quickly — the configurable smart grid puts frequent products and actions on the home screen. The most common complaint in user reviews is hardware-related rather than software: card readers occasionally enter a tamper-protection state (sometimes called the "red light of doom") that requires a reset or replacement. Connectivity also matters, since card processing needs internet; see Shopify POS offline mode for what still works during an outage.

On privacy, the app handles customer and payment data under Shopify's privacy practices; the data it collects can include location, contact information, identifiers, and usage data, as disclosed in the app store listing.

Frequently asked questions

Does Shopify have a POS app?

Yes. The Shopify POS app is available for iOS and Android and syncs with the online store, so orders and inventory stay consistent across in-person and online sales.

Is Shopify POS different from Shopify?

They are parts of the same system with different jobs. The Shopify admin is where a merchant manages products, inventory, and account settings across all channels; the POS app handles the in-person, customer-facing side — checkout, transactions, and retail settings.

How do I add the Shopify POS app?

In the Shopify admin, open Settings > Apps and sales channels, go to the Shopify App Store, search for Shopify POS, and add it.

Do you have to pay for Shopify POS?

POS Lite is included free with every Shopify plan. POS Pro adds advanced retail features for $89 per location per month, or $79 per month billed annually.

The bottom line

For a store already on Shopify, the POS app is the most direct way to add in-person sales without running a second system: one catalog, one customer record, one set of reports across online and offline. Lite covers occasional and single-location selling at no cost, and Pro is worth its price once retail becomes a core channel. The main things to plan for are approved hardware and a reliable connection at the point of sale.

If you would like help setting up Shopify POS for your store, get in touch.