DearPOS is an open-source POS system for small shops, cafés, and restaurants, built by Engindearing in Spokane. Its core pitch is to help merchants move away from dependence on closed-source POS software like Square, instead of “renting” software they never truly own at costs such as 2.6%. The page clearly states that, as of May 2026, the project is at v0.1, is still under active development, and is not yet production-ready.
Based on the captured text, DearPOS’s main capabilities include being open source, self-hostable, hardware-optional, and integrated with Stripe Terminal. It supports Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android phones, meaning merchants can start accepting payments with a phone they already have rather than buying a dedicated card reader upfront. For small businesses on limited budgets that want to reduce initial hardware spending, this is an attractive direction. However, the main text does not disclose details on core POS features such as inventory management, orders, staff permissions, reporting, tax rates, refunds, or offline mode. It also does not specify supported programming languages, frameworks, APIs, or SDKs.
The DearPOS text does not explain how the software is priced; it mainly emphasizes open source and dissatisfaction with Square’s fee model. If using Stripe Terminal in practice, Stripe payment processing fees may still apply, but the page does not provide specific rates. More importantly, the official page explicitly says “Not production-ready yet,” and currently only plans hands-on onboarding for the first 10 Spokane merchants. As such, it looks more like an early pilot project than a mature POS system ready for immediate large-scale deployment.
Its strengths are clear positioning, open-source transparency, self-hosting support, and a lower hardware barrier through Tap to Pay. The drawbacks are also obvious: it is at a very early version, lacks production readiness, has limited documentation and feature descriptions, and its support scope currently appears quite local. It is best suited to small retail or food-service merchants willing to participate in an early pilot and comfortable with some technical uncertainty. It is not suitable for stores that require stable daily operations, comprehensive support, and strong compliance assurances.
The main text does not mention access from China. The availability of Stripe Terminal and Tap to Pay in mainland China also needs to be verified separately, and payments plus local compliance may be the main obstacles. For deployment in China, businesses would typically need to consider alternative local ecosystems such as domestic acquiring, WeChat Pay, Alipay, invoicing, and tax systems.
⚠ This review is compiled from public sources and does not constitute a purchase recommendation. Verify all facts on the vendor's official site. Verify on dearpos.com official site.
dearpos.com is an United States Dev Tools provider. TG4G tracks its product information, an overall rating of 8.0/10, and a China-accessibility score of China direct-connect friendly. Click "Visit Official Site" to reach dearpos.com directly.