Most "free POS software" searches turn up long feature-comparison tables. Feature lists don't tell you whether the app survives a Saturday rush at your actual counter. This is a shorter, more practical checklist.
Test it at counter speed, not demo speed
Every POS app looks fine typing slowly on a laptop in a quiet room. The real test is different:
- Barcode or quick-search billing — can you add an item and move to the next customer in a few seconds, the way a queue actually demands?
- Multiple payment splits — part cash, part UPI, on one bill, without it becoming a multi-screen process.
- Returns and edits — can you fix a wrong item on a bill that's already printed without voiding the whole sale?
Free shouldn't mean "free until it matters"
Check specifically whether the free plan caps the number of bills, products, or days of history you can see — some apps are free right up until the point your sales history or reports are what you actually need, then lock exactly that behind a paywall. Ask this before you've built two months of data in the app, not after.
Multi-branch and staff logins, if you'll need them
If you run more than one counter or want a staff member billing without seeing your full reports, check this exists in the free tier now — it's expensive to discover you need it only after you've already trained staff on an app that can't do it.
Where MyHisaab fits
MyHisaab is built for exactly this counter-speed test — GST auto-calculated per item, UPI QR on every invoice, stock that updates as you sell, multi-branch and staff logins included, and it works offline when the connection drops. Free during early access with every feature unlocked, and advance notice before anything changes.