Best POS systems in the UAE (2026), compared

Key takeaways

• Seven POS systems come up again and again when UAE business owners compare: inyad, Foodics, Sapaad, Lightspeed, Odoo, Petpooja and Loyverse.
• They do not aim at the same businesses: some are built for restaurants and cafés only, others for shops, others for both.
• The most visible difference is transparency: some publish prices in dirhams, some in US dollars, some only on quote.
• Check five points before you sign: the device it needs, selling offline, card payments linked to the till, a support team you can reach in the UAE, and what it publishes about VAT tax invoices and UAE e-invoicing.
• Ask to see the system running with your own products, at your busiest hour, before you commit.

How we compared

inyad is one of the seven POS systems in this comparison. To keep it fair, we only used what each company publishes itself, on its website or in its app store listing, checked on 29 October 2026. When something is not published, we say so rather than guess. Offers change often: check them with the company before you choose.

Each system is looked at on the same criteria:

• Price transparency: prices published or not, in which currency, with or without a free plan or a trial, and with what commitment.
• Device: does it run on a phone, tablet or computer you already own, or does it need specific hardware?
• Offline mode: can you keep selling when the internet cuts?
• Card payments: is the card terminal linked to the till, and with which provider in the UAE?
• Support in the UAE: a local team you can call, that sets up the counter with you.
• Trade fit: restaurants (tables, kitchen), retail (barcodes, stock, variants), several branches.
• VAT tax invoices and UAE e-invoicing: what the company publishes about UAE VAT invoices, and whether it says it connects to the UAE e-invoicing network through an accredited service provider.

The best POS system is still the one that fits your business.

Prices: who publishes what?

Price is often the first question, and the answer is not always online. Here is what each company shows, at the time of writing.

• A free plan, with prices on its UAE pricing page: inyad.
• Prices published in dirhams (AED): Foodics (three plans, billed annually, hardware quoted separately) and Petpooja (a starting price per outlet, billed annually, with no lock-in contract).
• Prices published in US dollars: Odoo (one app free, then a price per user; setup by a partner is charged separately) and Loyverse (a free POS, with paid add-ons).
• On quote only: Sapaad, which also offers a free trial, and Lightspeed, which publishes no UAE price: in the UAE, the price comes from a local partner.

A published price does not tell the whole story: always ask what is included (setup, training, hardware, updates) and how long you commit for.

Compare a POS system on what the company publishes, not on what the sales pitch promises.

The seven POS systems, one by one

inyad

For whom: shops, groceries, cafés, restaurants and salons, from a single counter to several locations across the UAE.

• A free plan, with prices on the UAE pricing page, in dirhams (AED).
• Runs on standard Android and Windows devices: the phone, tablet or laptop you already own. Professional hardware is available when you want a full counter, with a one-year warranty.
• Sells and prints receipts offline, then syncs on its own when the line comes back.
• Cash, card, QR code and credit sales on the same POS.
• Stock that moves with each sale, a PIN for each cashier, and each till's takings on your phone.
• inyad Invoicing connects to the UAE e-invoicing network through an accredited service provider.
• Set up on your counter with you, catalogue loaded, cashiers trained, and support by phone and chat seven days a week, in your language.

Foodics

For whom: restaurants and cafés of all types, from one branch to several. A restaurant software company based in Riyadh, with a UAE toll-free support line.

• Cloud POS and restaurant management, with the cashier app on iPad.
• Prices published in dirhams, three plans billed annually, hardware quoted separately.
• Tables, kitchen display, waiter app, kiosk, delivery platform orders and multi-branch management.
• Card payments through Foodics Pay, which it offers in the UAE in partnership with Network International, on a PAX terminal.
• A partnership with the UAE Ministry of Economy, announced in 2022, gives food and beverage small businesses rates on its products through the Entrepreneurial Nation platform.
• Website in English and Arabic.

Good to know: selling offline is not published on its own pages. No free plan or trial is published, and retail is not mentioned. Nothing is published about UAE VAT tax invoices or UAE e-invoicing.

Sapaad

For whom: restaurants, cafés and chains. A Singapore-based company with an office and a support line in Dubai.

• Works in any web browser and on Android and iOS devices, with no proprietary hardware required. It also offers its own all-in-one terminal.
• The Android and iPad apps switch to offline mode when the internet drops, and orders sync automatically.
• Integrates with regional and global payment gateways.
• Kitchen display, kiosk, customer display, delivery and multi-outlet management, plus a module for mall sales reporting.
• App in English and Arabic, with multilingual menus and invoices.

Good to know: prices are on quote only, and the length of the free trial is not published. Nothing is published about UAE VAT tax invoices or UAE e-invoicing.

Lightspeed

For whom: restaurants, cafés and bars with Lightspeed Restaurant, and retail shops with Lightspeed Retail, two separate products, from one location to several. A Canadian company.

• Both POS apps run on iPad.
• The restaurant version keeps working offline and syncs when the connection returns.
• Lightspeed Retail offers a free trial (length not published).

Good to know: Lightspeed has no UAE website, office or price. In the UAE it is sold and set up by local partners, who quote the price. Neither app is offered in Arabic. Its card payments in the UAE are not published, and nothing is published about UAE VAT tax invoices or UAE e-invoicing.

Odoo

For whom: businesses that want the POS inside a complete management system (stock, purchasing, accounting), in retail or restaurants, up to several companies. A Belgian company with its regional headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa in Dubai South, and partners across the UAE.

• Runs in a web browser, on any device.
• One app free with unlimited users, then a price per user, in US dollars.
• Odoo says its POS keeps working offline for basic features such as taking orders, while invoices and stock sync once the connection returns.
• Retail (barcodes, variants, inventory) and restaurants (floor plans, kitchen).
• A UAE setup with 5% VAT and reverse charge, and invoices in English, Arabic or both.

Good to know: setup goes through a partner, whose fees are not published. Odoo's own support is by email in English, French, Spanish and Dutch; local help comes from partners. No UAE card terminal is named, and UAE e-invoicing is not published on its UAE setup page.

Petpooja

For whom: restaurants, cafés and cloud kitchens, from one outlet to a chain. An Indian company with an office in Dubai and UAE sales and support lines.

• A starting price published in dirhams, per outlet and per year, billed annually, with no lock-in contract. Setup, VAT configuration and training are included.
• Android POS terminals and tablets, supplied through partners.
• Works offline, according to its Dubai billing page.
• Invoices described as "VAT-ready and FTA-audit-ready".
• Waiter app, kitchen display, QR menu, and orders from Talabat, Deliveroo, Careem and Noon.
• Support in English, Arabic, Malayalam and Hindi, with on-site support for urgent issues.

Good to know: there is a free demo but no published trial. An Arabic POS screen and card payment integrations are not published, and neither is UAE e-invoicing.

Loyverse

For whom: small shops, cafés and restaurants that want to start without paying. An international company.

• A free POS on your own Android or iOS phone or tablet, with paid add-ons in US dollars, each with a 14-day free trial.
• Sells offline, with limits: no refunds and no card terminal until the connection returns.
• Barcodes, variants, stock, kitchen display and several stores.
• POS app in around 40 languages, including Arabic, with the receipt language set per store.

Good to know: no presence in the UAE and online help only. Loyverse is not a card payment processor and lists no payment partner in the Middle East, so card payments go through a separate terminal. Nothing is published about UAE VAT tax invoices or UAE e-invoicing.

Which POS system for your business?

Café, cafeteria or restaurant

Look for table plans, a kitchen display and delivery platform orders on the same POS. All seven cover restaurants. Foodics and Sapaad focus on food and beverage, Lightspeed sells a separate restaurant product, and Petpooja is built for restaurants as well.

Shop, grocery or supermarket

You need barcodes, stock that drops with every sale and product variants. If you sell to other businesses, check what the system publishes about VAT tax invoices and e-invoicing. inyad, Lightspeed (with its retail product), Odoo and Loyverse cover retail.

Salon or beauty centre

The POS has to work with appointments and client records. Among the seven, inyad publishes a version for beauty and appointments.

Several branches

You need one catalogue and one set of prices, stock transfers and reports that add every branch together. All the systems in this comparison handle several locations, at different plan levels: ask which plan includes it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best POS system in the UAE?

There is not one. A restaurant will look for table plans and a kitchen display, a grocery for barcodes and stock, a business selling to other companies for VAT invoices and e-invoicing. Start from how you sell, then compare published prices, the device needed, offline mode and support in the UAE.

Is there a free POS system in the UAE?

Yes. inyad has a free plan, Odoo one free app and Loyverse a free POS with paid add-ons. Sapaad and Lightspeed Retail offer free trials. Check what the free plan includes and what becomes paid as you grow.

Do I need to buy the brand's own device?

Not always. inyad, Sapaad, Odoo and Loyverse run on common devices: Android, Windows, iOS or a web browser, depending on the system. Foodics and Lightspeed run on iPad, and Petpooja on Android terminals and tablets supplied through its partners.

Are these POS systems ready for UAE e-invoicing?

At the time of writing, inyad Invoicing connects to the UAE e-invoicing network through an accredited service provider. None of the other companies compared publishes that it is an accredited service provider or names a UAE e-invoicing connection; Petpooja describes its invoices as VAT-ready and FTA-audit-ready, and Odoo publishes a UAE VAT setup with invoices in English, Arabic or both. On the official timeline at the time of writing, businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more choose a provider by 30 October 2026 and go live on 1 January 2027; others choose one by 31 March 2027 and go live on 1 July 2027. Businesses that sell only to consumers are not required to comply until a later date set by the Minister. Check your own dates with the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) or your accountant.