Free POS equipment: what you already have and what not to buy

By Amir Egel · Reviewed by Amir Egel · 2026-10-30 · How we write

Before you order a printer, drawer or terminal: what you really need to start on KupaLi's free plan, what you can add later and what this plan doesn't have.

Free POS doesn't require buying equipment: the free plan runs in the browser, on the computer, tablet or phone you already have. A dedicated screen, printer and card terminal aren't needed to start. A receipt printer, drawer and barcode scanner are optional add-ons, and card payments keep going through your external terminal and are recorded manually in the POS.

A note on the source: we are the site for this plan, so the facts here come from our own home page about KupaLi. This is not an independent review, and if you decide to buy equipment, check the model against the supported hardware list before you pay.

Free POS equipment: what you really need to start

According to the free plan's home page, the POS works in the browser on the computer, tablet or phone you already have, and you don't need a screen, printer or card terminal to start. The practical meaning is simple: before you order anything, open the POS on the device sitting in your bag or drawer and make a test sale.

The common mistake when opening a business is buying a full bundle on the day you decide, and only later finding out the old tablet is enough, or that a printer isn't really needed for your kind of customers. A market stall selling vegetables doesn't need the same equipment as a clothing shop on a shopping street.

So the order is: first a test sale, then a list of what got in the way, and only then buying. If everything worked on your existing device, you saved money.

Printer, drawer and scanner: when they're worth it

According to the same page, the POS supports Epson and Star receipt printers, a cash drawer connected to the printer and any barcode scanner that works as a keyboard. The full list is on the supported hardware page linked from the site's FAQ. Check your model there before you pay, not after.

When does each one pay off?

• Printer: when customers ask for a paper receipt with every sale, for example in a shop with a line. At a stall with few customers a day, you can start without one.
• Drawer: it connects to the printer, so there's no point in one without a printer. It's worth it when cash changes hands constantly and you want one fixed place for the money.
• Scanner: when you have many small products with barcodes. In a shop with twenty products, typing or tapping works fine.

A simple test for a scanner you already have at home: open a text document and scan a barcode. If the digits appear on the screen, the scanner works as a keyboard, and that's exactly what you need.

Cards without an integrated terminal: what to do at the counter

This is the part to understand before day one. The free plan has no integrated terminal and no card-processing connection, and card payments are recorded manually against your external terminal, as explained in the site's FAQ. Fees and agreements are also with your card processor and are not part of the plan.

In practice, when a customer pays by card you do two things: run the card on your terminal and record the sale in the POS as a card payment. A good habit is to do both steps back to back, before the next customer reaches the counter.

At the end of the day, compare the total on the terminal with the card total in the POS. A small gap usually means one sale was recorded twice or not at all, and it's easy to find when you check that evening, not at the end of the month.

To see how this looks on day one, read your first sale on Free POS, which also covers a card payment worth practicing in advance.

What to do when the internet drops

In a mall shop or a covered market, reception isn't always stable. Offline mode is included on every plan, including the free one, so you can keep selling without internet.

Get to know offline mode in advance. Before opening day, check that it works on your specific device: disconnect the network, make a sale and reconnect. If you only discover this in the middle of a holiday-eve rush, it's too late.

Equipment check before opening day

You can go through this list in half an hour, a day or two before opening:

• One test sale on every device you'll work with.
• One printed receipt, if you have a printer, and a check that the Hebrew text is legible.
• Opening the drawer from the POS.
• Scanning three products with barcodes.
• One card sale recorded in the POS and checked against the terminal.
• Disconnecting the internet and making one sale in offline mode.

The screen language can be Hebrew, English, French, Russian or Arabic, and receipts are issued in Hebrew. This helps when the person at the POS prefers to work in another language.

Signup itself takes a business name, email, password and a code sent to your email, with no credit card and no business registration number. Your status with the Israel Tax Authority, and what applies to you before you issue a receipt to your first customer, is a question for your accountant.

When equipment means an upgrade

Equipment doesn't force an upgrade, but the way you work does. The plan is for one branch and one user, with up to 300 receipts a month. The moment another employee needs to stand at the POS, you need a second user, and that's a paid plan. The details for a business with employees are in the article on employees and one user.

As for the limit: the article on the 300 receipts shows how to count it for your business. In short, the first month you go over it, you only get a notice.

Upgrade prices, according to the home page: Register at ₪79 or Smart POS at ₪119 per branch per month, plus VAT. The upgrade happens in the same system, and products, sales and history stay.

This is a general explanation only. Plan details and rules change, so verify them with your accountant and the official publications of the Israel Tax Authority.

In short

• Start on the device you already have and add equipment only after a test sale.
• Printer, drawer and scanner are optional. Check the model on the supported hardware list before you buy.
• Card payments go through the external terminal and are recorded manually in the POS, so compare them at the end of the day.
• Test offline mode in advance, not in the middle of a rush.
• A second employee at the POS means an upgrade, not more equipment.

Sources

• Free POS by KupaLi: home page and FAQ

This content is published on a site run by KupaLi. General professional information does not replace advice suited to your business.