Choose Shopify POS if…
Pick Shopify POS if you already sell online with Shopify, or plan to, and want one catalogue, one set of orders and a large app ecosystem across web and shop.
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Shopify POS alternative for small Caribbean shops
Shopify POS is a strong choice if you sell online and in a shop and want one back office for both. It is also priced and designed for businesses with an online store, and its built-in payments are not available in most of the Caribbean. This page compares it with Shopkeepa, a pre-launch app for the simple, single-counter shop.
The short answer
Choose Shopkeepa if…
Pick Shopkeepa when it launches if you run a physical shop, do not sell online, and want selling, stock and reminders in one simple app without paying for e-commerce features you will not use.
Side by side
| Shopkeepa | Shopify POS | |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | Not set yet. Shopkeepa is pre-launch. | Shopify plans from US$39/month (Basic), US$105 (Grow) and US$399 (Advanced) on monthly billing. POS Pro adds US$89/month per location. |
| Hardware | None required. Phone, tablet or computer, optional scanners. Receipts on screen, printed or shared as a link. | Software runs on phone or tablet. Shopify sells card readers and POS hardware. Its in-person card readers work with Shopify Payments. |
| Works in Jamaica and the Caribbean | Built for Caribbean shops, with Jamaica first. | Shopify's list of Shopify Payments countries does not include Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana. You would need a third-party payment provider. |
| Local currency and GCT/VAT | Currency and sales tax (GCT or VAT) are shop settings with a taxable flag per product. | Not verified for Caribbean tax settings. Check Shopify's tax help for your country. |
| Card and wallet payments | Recorded only: cash, card, bank transfer, local wallets, other. Shopkeepa does not process payments. | Shopify Payments only in listed countries. Elsewhere, third-party providers. |
| Inventory depth | Stock as a ledger of movements, Stock In, rapid count. No variants, no multi-store. | Counts, purchase orders and low-stock alerts are in POS Pro. Multi-location supported. |
| Low-stock reminders and restock list | Per-product minimum, one reminder on crossing, restock list with suggested order quantity. | Low-stock alerts are part of POS Pro inventory management. |
| Staff permissions | Owner and cashier. Cashiers cannot see cost, profit or settings. | Staff roles and permissions are in POS Pro. Basic plan has limited staff access to POS. |
| Offline | Built with unreliable connections in mind. | We did not find a published offline selling claim. Check Shopify's help before relying on it. |
| Setup | Quick add or CSV/Excel import with a preview. | Create a store, then add products. Shopify offers migration apps. |
| Available today | No. Early access list only. | Yes. |
Shopkeepa is in development. Its column describes the planned first release.
What Shopify POS is built for
Shopify began as an online store builder, and its point of sale extends that. Every plan includes a cloud back office, multi-location support and built-in payments where Shopify Payments is available. The pricing page describes it as a way to unify in-store and online selling. If that describes your business, you are its target customer.
A mini-mart or hardware store with no online shop is a different case. You pay a monthly plan whether or not you use the online side, and the stock tools a shop cares about sit in a paid add-on.
Plan costs and what POS Pro adds
Shopify's pricing page lists plans at US$39, US$105 and US$399 per month on monthly billing, with an offer of US$1 per month for the first three months. Every plan includes casual in-person selling, with limited staff access on the entry plan. POS Pro costs US$89 per month for each location and adds unlimited staff, staff roles and permissions, inventory management with counts, purchase orders and low-stock alerts, and retail reports.
That means a single shop wanting staff permissions and stock alerts is looking at roughly US$128 per month on the entry plan plus POS Pro, before payment fees and hardware. Those are US dollar list prices from Shopify's site and may differ by region or change. Shopkeepa has no price yet, but stock tools and cashier permissions are in the first release for every shop, not a paid tier.
Payments in the Caribbean
Shopify's built-in payments, Shopify Payments, are limited to the countries on its supported list. As of 6 October 2026 that list covers countries such as the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Mexico and most of Europe. Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are not on it. Shopify says that if your country is not listed you need a third-party payment provider.
Shopify's compliance page adds that in-person Shopify Payments require your store country and currency to match your physical shop location and payout bank currency. In practice a Jamaican shop would sell with a third-party provider or record payments taken on a bank terminal. Shopkeepa works the second way: it records the payment type, such as cash, card or bank transfer, but does not process payments.
Where Shopify POS is the better choice
- You sell online and in store. One catalogue and one set of orders across both is Shopify's core strength. Shopkeepa has no e-commerce.
- You need multiple locations or a growing team. Shopify supports many locations and unlimited staff on POS Pro.
- You want a big app ecosystem. Accounting, shipping, marketing and custom apps are available. Shopkeepa has no such ecosystem yet.
- You need rich customer profiles and loyalty. Shopkeepa's first release has no customer accounts.
- You are based in a Shopify Payments country and want card readers that work with the same system.
Switching from Shopify POS
Export your product list from Shopify as a CSV file, remove the online-only columns such as images, descriptions and SEO fields, and keep name, price, quantity, cost, category and barcode. Import the result into Shopkeepa with CSV or Excel import. A preview shows what will be saved and warns about duplicates. Shopify products with variants become separate products in Shopkeepa, because its first release has no variants. Then do a rapid stock count to confirm your opening numbers.
Common questions
Does Shopify POS work in Jamaica?
Shopify Payments is not available in Jamaica according to Shopify's supported countries page, so card payments need a third-party provider. Whether the rest of the software suits your shop depends on whether you want an online store as well. Check Shopify's help before you subscribe.
Is Shopify POS good for a small corner shop?
It can work, but it is priced and designed for businesses that also sell online. For a single physical shop with no website, a simpler tool may fit better.
Can I use Shopkeepa with a Shopify store?
No. Shopkeepa does not sync with online stores. It is a point of sale and stock app for a physical shop.
Does Shopkeepa take card payments?
No. It records payment types but does not process payments. Use your bank terminal or payment provider and record the sale.
How much will Shopkeepa cost compared with Shopify?
Pricing has not been set. Join the early access list and you will hear before anything is charged.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked on 6 October 2026. Rules, rates and products change, so confirm anything important with the source.
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