Free POS Software for Cell Phone Stores: 7 Pros & Cons

Free is always better, right? 

Not always — especially when it comes to free POS software for cell phone stores. 

While a free solution might work for a brand-new business in the short term, the downsides often outweigh the benefits. 

To help you understand whether a free POS system is the right fit for your cell phone retail or repair business, we’ve put together an overview of modern POS systems, along with the pros and cons of using a free system.

What Does a Cell Phone POS System Do?

What is a cell phone store POS system, and is there a difference between POS software and a POS system? 

The short answer is that POS software is generally designed only to make sales and process payments, while a POS system is designed to handle payments and manage your store operations. 

While they’re sometimes used interchangeably, free solutions tend to be less fully featured than their paid counterparts. 

If you’re unfamiliar with what a modern POS system can do, here are the main benefits:

• Integrated inventory tracking: POS software tracks your serialized inventory, parts, and general retail items, updating inventory levels in real time whenever a sale is made.
• Customer loyalty and promotions: Modern POS systems include features to boost sales and increase customer retention like customizable loyalty programs and discounts.
• Reports and analytics: Track your store’s financial performance and understand customer trends, peak hours, and more using data analytics tools.
• Repair management: Track device and customer information, assign parts and technicians, send communications, and more using repair ticketing software.

While these advanced features may seem intimidating, many of them are essential for staying competitive and boosting profits.

Free POS Software for Cell Phone Stores — Pros

If you’ve never used a POS system to manage your business, free POS software can be a cost-effective starting point. 

Here are the top three benefits of using free POS software at your cell phone store.

1. Lower Costs

The best part of using a free POS system is that it’s free! Well, sort of. 

If you don’t need to track inventory, manage employees, or put together sales reports, a free system is a good choice to process payments.

Free POS software requires no monthly costs and doesn’t lock you into long-term contracts. Assuming you have compatible payment processing hardware, you may not have to invest in any new hardware at all. 

This frees up money that you can invest into marketing your cell phone business, store design, essential repair tools, and more.

2. Basic Functions for New Stores

Having a POS system is always better than having no POS system, even if it lacks some helpful store management features.

If your shop is transitioning from manual processes and spreadsheets, a free POS system can introduce you to the basic functions without a major investment. This will help you decide what features you want in a paid POS solution.

Because free systems tend to be less advanced, they’re also easy to learn for new employees and staff, even those who are less technically experienced.

3. Can Accept Modern Payments

While not unique to free software, a POS system allows you to process credit cards, debit cards, and contactless payments. This is important for cell phone stores that want to provide a seamless and convenient customer experience.

Not every free system will support all payment types, but most of them will accept the most popular methods — assuming you have compatible payment hardware.

Related Read: The Ultimate Guide to Payment Processing

Free POS Software For Cell Phone Stores — Cons

Free software always looks good on paper, but the reality isn’t always so nice. Sometimes, a “free” POS system can cost you more in the long run.

Here are the major drawbacks of using free POS software in your cell phone store or repair business.

1. Not As Secure

If you’re dealing with high-value items and storing sensitive customer information, data security is a must. 

Unfortunately, many free systems only provide the most basic data and payment encryption.

Free POS software also tends to lack the tools you need to prevent shrinkage and theft, including:

• Employee access controls
• Shrinkage reports
• Security system integration
• Inventory visibility

Not having these features makes it harder to build trust with customers and keep your store safe.

2. Limited Features

Perhaps the biggest drawback of using free POS software for your cell phone store is the lack of features. The only thing free software solutions can do is process payments — not manage inventory, repairs, or other aspects of your business.

A free cell phone store POS software won’t have:

• Inventory management for parts, serialized, and general inventory
• Repair ticketing software and repair management
• Resale and used inventory support
• Sales and inventory reports
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Flexible discounting and promotions
• Customer loyalty programs

If you need or want these features in the future, many of them are only available as paid add-ons.

3. No Free Technical Support

What do you do when something isn’t working with your POS system? 

With a paid solution, you can call technical support and have someone help get you back up and running. With a free system, you might be on your own. 

Most free cell phone POS software has limited technical support or none at all. This can mean losing business every time there’s a software glitch or service outage.

Unfortunately, even if a technical problem isn’t your fault, your customers may lose patience with your business if you can’t resolve it quickly.

4. Hidden Costs

Free POS providers may not charge a monthly subscription cost — but they are still out to make money. 

Much like flying a budget airline, that cheap ticket might not look as appealing when you’re confronted with added fees for luggage, seat selection, and everything else.

The most common costs associated with free POS systems are:

• Higher processing fees: Free POS software tends to charge higher payment processing fees than paid providers, who are more willing to negotiate. They may also limit the number of transactions you can process.
• Hardware: To use free POS software, you will likely need to buy compatible hardware (which may not work with other systems if you decide to change later).
• Paid support: If something goes wrong, fixing it may cost extra — as some free providers charge for tech support. 
• Feature add-ons: If you adopt a free system and find you need more features, you’ll have to start paying a monthly fee to get them. These can quickly add up as your business gets bigger and more complex.
• Updates: The benefit of software on a monthly subscription is that you get the latest features and security updates automatically. A free provider may charge for upgrades.

These costs may start small but can quickly snowball, sometimes costing more than a paid system in the end. 

CellSmart POS: A Cost-Effective and Feature-Rich Solution

When it comes to POS technology, there’s no such thing as a free solution. The dollars you save on free POS software will inevitably be lost in inefficient inventory management, inferior customer experiences, and hidden costs.

Your best bet for running a successful and competitive cell phone retail or repair business is a fully-featured POS system like CellSmart POS.

CellSmart POS is an industry-specific solution that gives cell phone retail and repair businesses the tools they need to improve profitability, cut overhead costs, and effectively manage their business.

With built-in repair ticketing software, advanced inventory management, IMEI tracking, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and more, CellSmart POS provides a comprehensive solution at a fraction of the cost.

Schedule a customized demo today to see how CellSmart POS can transform the way you do business.