Aloha POS and Shopify POS serve very different markets — but which is the right choice for your business?
I’ve spent weeks testing both systems, reading customer reviews, and digging through pricing, feature sets, and integrations to help ecommerce businesses choose the better fit.
If you’re looking to connect your online store with an in-person experience, one of these platforms has a clear edge.
Quick Verdict:
Shopify POS – Best overall for ecommerce brands expanding into in-person sales
Aloha POS – Best for restaurants and hospitality businesses, not built for ecommerce
In this review, I’ll break down exactly why Shopify POS is a better fit for most ecommerce businesses. We’ll compare the two across pricing, features, ease of use, integrations, and industry fit.
Quick Comparison: Aloha POS vs Shopify POS
Here’s a quick overview of how Aloha and Shopify POS stack up:
| Feature | Shopify POS | Aloha POS |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Ecommerce + Retail | Restaurants + Hospitality |
| Ecommerce Sync | Built-in | Not available |
| Offline Functionality | Available (Lite) | Strong |
| Hardware Setup | Plug-and-play | Requires dealer setup |
| Customer Management | Profiles, loyalty, CRM | Basic customer tracking |
| Pricing Transparency | Published online | Quote-based, through resellers |
| Integration Options | 8,000+ apps (Shopify App Store) | Limited, mostly restaurant-specific |
| Multi-Location Support | Included with POS Pro | Strong for franchises |
| Monthly Pricing (Software) | $0–$89 per location | $50–$150 per terminal |
| Hardware Cost | From $49 (mobile reader) | $1,000+ per terminal |
Best for Pricing: Shopify POS (More Transparent, More Flexible)
If you’re looking for clear, straightforward pricing, Shopify POS comes out on top.
Shopify’s POS Lite plan is included in all Shopify ecommerce subscriptions, while its POS Pro add-on costs $89/month per location.
This includes more advanced features like smart inventory, staff permissions, and omnichannel sales tools.
Shopify POS Pricing:
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Features |
|---|---|---|
| POS Lite | $0 (included) | Basic in-store checkout, hardware integration |
| POS Pro | $89/location | Inventory, staff roles, omnichannel, advanced reporting |
Hardware is affordable, too:
- Card Reader: $49
- POS Go (all-in-one handheld): $399
- Retail Kit (iPad, stand, barcode scanner): $600–$800
You can start selling in-person with minimal upfront investment, which is a huge plus for ecommerce businesses testing retail.
Aloha POS Pricing:
Aloha uses a quote-based pricing model, meaning you’ll need to speak to a certified NCR reseller. Pricing often varies based on hardware, licensing, and setup fees.
Estimates based on industry data:
- Software license: $50–$150/month per terminal
- Hardware setup: $1,000–$2,500 per terminal
- Maintenance contract: $300–$500/year
Aloha is more expensive upfront and has recurring support costs. It also lacks transparent pricing — something ecommerce businesses usually want to budget for.
The Winner: Shopify POS
Shopify POS is cheaper to get started with, offers a free Lite version, and gives you the freedom to scale as you grow.
Best for In-Store and Ecommerce Sales: Shopify POS
This is where Shopify POS really shines.
Shopify POS is designed for ecommerce brands expanding into physical spaces — whether you’re opening a permanent store or running pop-ups and markets. Everything syncs: orders, customers, inventory, and data.
Shopify’s Key Omnichannel Features:
- Unified cart: Customers can buy online, pick up in store
- Shared inventory across online and retail
- One customer profile for both channels
- Discounts and loyalty programs across both online and in-store
- Works with Tap to Pay on iPhone or dedicated POS hardware
If you already sell on Shopify.com, adding in-person sales is seamless. You don’t need to worry about reconciling inventory or migrating customer data.
In contrast, Aloha POS wasn’t built for ecommerce.
It doesn’t integrate directly with platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce. Any ecommerce features must be added through third-party tools — often requiring complex customizations.
Aloha does offer features like table layout management, tipping, and kitchen display system integrations — but these are only useful for restaurants.
The Winner: Shopify POS
If ecommerce is your main focus, Shopify POS offers true omnichannel selling. Aloha POS doesn’t support ecommerce without extra tools and manual workarounds.
Best for Sales Features: Shopify POS
Shopify POS has more robust retail and sales features built in.
Shopify POS Sales Tools:
- Smart inventory tracking and low stock alerts
- Staff permissions and role-based dashboards
- Product recommendations
- Email receipts and digital checkout
- QR code-based ordering and payments
- Gift cards, split payments, and returns handling
You can manage everything from a single backend that connects both ecommerce and retail.
Another area where Shopify stands out is its ability to apply dynamic discounts and automate in-store promotions. You can set up rules based on cart value, customer type, or product categories, which is particularly helpful during high-volume sales events or seasonal promotions.
These automation options help you reduce manual work and improve upsell opportunities.
Aloha POS Sales Tools:
- Table service and bar tabs
- Menu item modifiers
- Offline payments for high-volume environments
- Loyalty integrations (via NCR or third-party tools)
- Employee clock-in/out and shift tracking
Aloha excels at food service operations. But for product-based sales, it falls behind. It lacks ecommerce logic like variant management, bundled products, and checkout customization.
Its sales system is optimized around ticket-based transactions and menu flexibility — ideal for a restaurant, but difficult to adapt to physical product SKUs.
If your business relies on inventory movement, tracking sales by product type, or real-time purchase trends, Aloha’s reporting features won’t match what Shopify offers out of the box.
The Winner: Shopify POS
Shopify includes better tools for managing physical products, customer data, and real-world transactions.
Best for Setup and Ease of Use: Shopify POS
When I tested both systems, Shopify was significantly easier to set up.
With Shopify POS, you can:
- Order and install hardware yourself
- Start selling in minutes using POS Go or a mobile card reader
- Connect everything directly to your Shopify store
- Customize your POS settings directly in the Shopify dashboard
Everything is built around a self-service, user-friendly experience.
With Aloha POS, you’ll need:
- A certified reseller to set up the system
- Onsite installation and training
- A support contract for software updates and troubleshooting
It’s great for restaurants with dedicated IT teams or support staff — but not ideal for ecommerce stores that want speed and flexibility.
The system setup timeline alone is a deal-breaker for many ecommerce brands. While Shopify POS can be operational in a day (or even within hours), Aloha often takes days or weeks depending on the dealer’s availability and your configuration needs.
That kind of lead time doesn’t work well for online brands pivoting quickly into offline or in-person sales.
The Winner: Shopify POS
From sign-up to first sale, Shopify POS is much faster to get started with.
Best for Integrations and Customization: Shopify POS
Shopify POS connects to the massive Shopify App Store, with more than 8,000 integrations across marketing, loyalty, analytics, shipping, accounting, and more.
Popular options include:
- Klaviyo (email/SMS marketing)
- Gorgias (customer support)
- Stocky (inventory management)
- Smile.io (loyalty programs)
- ShipStation (order fulfillment)
Aloha POS supports restaurant-specific tools, like:
- Kitchen display systems
- Online ordering (via DoorDash, Uber Eats)
- Reservation systems
- POS-integrated loyalty (via Punchh)
However, Aloha integrations are limited outside foodservice. If you’re trying to connect your ecommerce stack (e.g., email marketing, CRM, analytics), it’s not the best fit.
What’s especially helpful with Shopify POS is that most integrations are plug-and-play. You don’t need to involve a developer or go through a reseller to add key features — you just install the app and start using it.
That kind of flexibility gives small teams a huge edge when scaling or testing new tools.
The Winner: Shopify POS
Shopify’s ecosystem is built for scale, with extensive integrations across the entire ecommerce toolchain.
Best for Business Type: Depends on What You Sell
Let’s break it down by business model:
| Business Type | Recommended POS | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion brand with Shopify site | Shopify POS | Native integration, retail tools, mobile checkout |
| Restaurant or café | Aloha POS | Strong offline support, restaurant-specific features |
| Pop-up shop | Shopify POS | Quick setup, tap-to-pay, flexible hardware |
| Franchise food chain | Aloha POS | Proven in fast food, strong multi-store capabilities |
| Subscription ecommerce brand | Shopify POS | CRM, loyalty, seamless Shopify backend |
There’s also a huge difference in how these systems support growth. Shopify POS gives ecommerce businesses the option to test physical selling without big upfront commitments.
You can start with one POS Go device at a market, then expand to full in-store setups later.
Aloha, on the other hand, assumes you’re committing to a long-term, on-site system — not ideal for agile or seasonal business models.
The Winner: Depends — but for product-based ecommerce? Shopify POS.
Final Verdict: Shopify POS Wins for Ecommerce
After testing both systems and looking at how they work in real-world ecommerce settings, the winner is clear.
Why Shopify POS is Better for Ecommerce Brands:
- Transparent pricing and scalable plans
- Built-in ecommerce sync and omnichannel tools
- Simple hardware setup, no reseller required
- Massive app ecosystem and marketing integrations
- Ideal for retail pop-ups, stores, and hybrid selling
Aloha POS Still Has a Place — Just Not for Ecommerce
If you’re running a restaurant, bar, or hospitality business, Aloha POS is reliable and well-known in that space.
But if ecommerce is even a small part of your business, Shopify POS will make life a lot easier.
The shift toward blended online and offline retail is accelerating — and Shopify POS is designed for exactly that. Aloha may still be the better tool for busy kitchens and fast-paced dining, but for every other kind of seller? Shopify POS makes more sense.
The Winner: Shopify POS – the best POS system for online-first brands
