Primary-source comparison index
Open-source POS comparison for 2026
Compare five established source snapshots and three newer projects surfaced in the 2026 review. Every row names its official evidence and buyer checks; none is a feature-count ranking or declared winner.
Method and evidence boundary
Comparison sources reviewed 22 August 2026; public repository heads checked 23 August 2026. Current Posnic release metadata points to v1.6.1 and source commit 567a176b665bc9bbe4e14e72497b39e09bceda25. Reproduced Posnic evidence remains pinned to an archived evidence run and archived source snapshot. The other rows use the official source, release or documentation snapshot named in the row.
Project statements, source inspection, a controlled runtime result, a physical site test and an independent assessment are different evidence levels. No competitor was installed or scored by Posnic for this matrix.
The five core candidates remain stable for repeatable comparison. A separate watchlist records three newer projects surfaced by the current search review, including repository dates, exact source boundaries and disclosed maturity or security limits.
Need the terminology before comparing products? Read what a POS system is and how it works.
Five-product source and operating-model matrix
| Product and snapshot | Officially documented shape | Source and license boundary | Buyer must establish |
|---|---|---|---|
Posnic v1.6.1567a176b | Packaged Electron desktop application with a local API and MongoDB on the till; optional services are evaluated separately. | Public source under AGPL-3.0-only. Exact package names, sizes and SHA-256 values are published; current signing limits are disclosed. | Physical devices, full-shift outages, production recovery, payments, fiscal acceptance, security and support for the actual site. |
| Odoo POS 19.0 Documentation snapshot | Browser POS inside the wider Odoo application and database environment, with selected hosting, modules and hardware routes. | Odoo documents Community under LGPLv3, Enterprise under its separate license, and apps under their stated terms. | Exact edition, modules, hosting, database, devices, provider integrations, outage behavior, recovery and data exit. |
| OSPOS 3.4.1 Release tag | Web application using PHP, CodeIgniter 4 and MySQL or MariaDB, operated through the buyer's selected web/database stack. | The tagged license contains MIT terms with an important addition, including visible-footer and ownership conditions. | Production web/database hardening, topology failures, devices, payments, restore, updates and an accepted legal position. |
| uniCenta community 5.0 Public source route | Java POS whose project listing describes retail, restaurant, multi-terminal and several database choices. | Official FAQ says GPL3 and says the community release is behind the support-customer release; SourceForge identifies community 5.0 and points to 5.4.0 for support customers. | Exact edition/access route, source-to-installer match, Java/database support, devices, payments, recovery, updates and support scope. |
Floreant 2.0 branch6cf73ad8 | Restaurant-oriented Java/Maven POS; the current official site labels 2.0.1 as beta and describes a non-cloud deployment. | Pinned repository states MRPL 1.2, a modified MPL 1.1 with attribution; exact terms must be read in full. | Selected package maturity, database, restaurant workflow, hardware, outage behavior, payments, restore, updates and commercial add-on boundary. |
Newer open-source POS projects found in the 2026 review
These projects appeared in the current search and repository review, but their public repositories are newer than the core comparison set. They are listed for buyer discovery, not promoted into a ranking or treated as proven production substitutes.
| Project and evidence boundary | Officially documented shape | Public delivery and license | Buyer must establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| FloCafe 2.9.5 Public repository created | The tagged README documents an Electron restaurant POS with local SQLite, offline counter and kitchen operation, KDS, receipt printing and backup. | The official release lists Windows, macOS and Linux assets. Tagged source is MIT licensed. | Package provenance and signing, site printers and KDS, payments, tax, restore, updates, security and a complete representative shift. Posnic did not install it. |
Olgax POS 0.1.0 MVP8e5239b4; public repository created | The pinned README documents a self-hosted Next.js and PostgreSQL POS with browser-side PGLite, Docker/serverless routes and offline synchronization. | The pinned source labels itself v0.1 MVP and is MIT licensed. Posnic did not deploy or package it. | MVP maturity, hosting and authentication, offline conflict and recovery behavior, devices, payments, fiscal duties, backup, updates, security and support ownership. |
RetailPOS 0.5.32202b3ba; public repository created | The pinned README documents React Native, Expo, SQLite and Electron plus e-commerce platform integrations. | Pinned source is Apache-2.0 licensed. Its README describes Action-built installers and explicitly discloses plaintext PIN storage as a current gap. | Remediation of the disclosed PIN-storage gap, package provenance, real platform/payment/device integrations, offline sync, recovery, updates and support ownership. Posnic did not build it. |
Public repository activity snapshot
This reproducible GitHub-only check records one exact public default-branch head for seven projects already in the comparison. It does not sort by recency, stars or forks, and a newer commit is not evidence that a POS is safer, more mature, better supported or ready for a particular shop.
| Project and comparison group | Public default-branch head | Head subject and repository scope | Do not infer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posnic POS Core comparison | 178b4507main | Dark themes made the sale grid unusable, and the defaults changed again Posnic POS product repository. | Not a release, quality score, adoption measure, support result or proof of a buyer's workflow. |
| Odoo POS Core comparison | 5a12710b19.0 | [FIX] spreadsheet: update o_spreadsheet to latest version Wider Odoo application-platform repository; this head is not a POS-specific change. | Not an Odoo POS release, POS-specific activity result, quality score, adoption measure or proof of a buyer's workflow. |
| Open Source Point of Sale (OSPOS) Core comparison | 9ee530e4master | Hotfix: Fix CI3 database migration caused by regression (#4649) OSPOS product repository. | Not a release, quality score, adoption measure, support result or proof of a buyer's workflow. |
| Floreant POS Core comparison | 6cf73ad8floreantpos-2.0 | Update CHANGELOG.md for 2.0 Beta release Floreant POS product repository. | Not a release, inactivity finding, quality score, support result or proof of a buyer's workflow. |
| FloCafe Newer-project watchlist | f2ef6295main | feat: add validated offline merchant template import/export (#477) FloCafe product repository. | Not a release, maturity score, adoption measure, support result or proof of a buyer's workflow. |
| Olgax POS Newer-project watchlist | 8e5239b4main | Update Discord link in README Olgax POS product repository. | Not a release, maturity score, feature result, support result or proof of a buyer's workflow. |
| RetailPOS Newer-project watchlist | 2202b3bamain | docs: update README for Expo SDK 57, TypeScript 6 strict mode, and ESLint 10 RetailPOS product repository. | Not a release, maturity score, feature result, support result or proof of a buyer's workflow. |
Scope boundary. All seven repositories reported archived=false when checked, but that flag and a head timestamp do not establish maintenance quality. Odoo's row covers the wider Odoo platform repository and its captured head is not POS-specific.
uniCenta is absent only because the official source route used in this comparison is its source archive and SourceForge project, not an official GitHub repository. Exclusion is not an inactivity finding.
Download the dated source snapshot
The five-row CSV preserves each product name, snapshot, official operating shape, source or release URL, license boundary, review status and buyer verification work. It contains no feature score, winner or inferred competitor runtime result.
Read each source-based comparison
Each pair page keeps the competitor statement separate from Posnic evidence and from the buyer's required site result.
Freeze the exact candidate
Record version, edition, package, source commit, license, hosting and required modules. A moving project name cannot produce a reproducible decision.
Use one deployment profile
Give each product the same representative items, users, devices, payments, failures, recovery targets and data-exit requirements.
Keep blockers visible
Do not average away a failed mandatory license, device, payment, fiscal, restore, security or export control.
Primary sources behind the matrix
Posnic
v1.6.1 release and current release source tree define the current Posnic release boundary. Reproduced evidence remains pinned separately to archived evidence source.
Odoo POS
Odoo 19 POS documentation and Odoo 19 licenses define the stated application and edition boundary.
Open Source Point of Sale
OSPOS 3.4.1 release, its tagged README and tagged license preserve the release boundary.
uniCenta
Official source archive and official SourceForge project disclose the public community and support-customer release boundary.
Floreant POS
pinned official repository and current official product page define the source and current beta statement.
FloCafe
Release 2.9.5, its tagged README and tagged license define the watchlist boundary.
Olgax POS
Pinned v0.1 MVP source and its MIT license define the source-deployment boundary.
RetailPOS
Pinned 0.5.3 source and its Apache-2.0 license preserve both the project claims and disclosed PIN-storage gap for review.
Shared acceptance method
Twenty-four-test benchmark and research and correction policy explain how claims are separated from buyer evidence.
Comparison questions
Does this comparison name the best open-source POS?
No. It records five core source snapshots and a separate three-project watchlist. The right shortlist depends on the exact shop, deployment, equipment, payments, fiscal duties, recovery objectives, support ownership and data-exit requirements.
Why are source versions and documentation snapshots shown?
A moving project name is not a reproducible comparison. Version, commit, edition and access route determine which license, architecture, package and feature statements can be checked later.
Did Posnic install and benchmark all eight projects?
No. Competitor facts are attributed to official documentation, releases, websites or pinned public source. Posnic runtime evidence covers Posnic only. Each buyer must install selected builds and run the same acceptance pack.
Why are the three newer projects separated?
Their current public repositories were created between December 2025 and May 2026. Separation keeps discovery useful without treating repository claims, rapid release activity or source availability as proof of production maturity.
Is a public source archive the same as the latest supported release?
Not always. For example, uniCenta currently identifies public community 5.0 while its official project listing points to a newer support-customer release. Record both access and support boundaries before comparing versions.
What should block an open-source POS decision?
An unaccepted license, unknown package provenance, failed required hardware, unapproved payment or fiscal workflow, unrecoverable data, missing security ownership or unusable data exit should remain visible as a blocker rather than being hidden inside an average score.