2026 POS Hardware Lock-In Index

Yes — Run Lightspeed on your own iPad (iOS 16.6+) or buy hardware individually à la carte.

Buy outright — Hardware sold individually from Lightspeed store OR third-party suppliers. No mandatory bundle.

Portable — Your iPad keeps working with any other iPad-POS app after you cancel — Square, Shopify, Toast Now, Clover Go all run on the same iPad.

60% of MSRP at ~2yr — iPad itself holds 50–70% of MSRP at 2 years; card readers are commodity.

eBay/Marketplace observed Apr 2026: Card readers $40–$120 used; iPad retains separately

Yes — Install Shopify POS app on any iPad (iOS 16+) or Android tablet (Android 9+); card reader required.

Buy outright — Hardware sold à la carte ($49 Tap & Chip Reader → $499 POS Go). No mandatory bundle, no lease commitment.

Partial — Card reader is locked to Shopify Payments — you cannot use Shopify hardware with another processor. But your iPad/Android device is fully portable.

30% of MSRP at ~2yr — POS Go appears on eBay in the $150–$250 range used (~30–50% of $499 MSRP).

eBay/Marketplace observed Apr 2026: POS Go $150–$250; Tap & Chip $20–$35

Partial — Square Stand + your own iPad works, but Square Terminal and Register are proprietary all-in-ones — no BYOH.

Buy outright — Hardware bought outright on Square's store, Amazon, or Best Buy. No lease commitment. No multi-year contract.

Brick — Square hardware ONLY works on Square's payment platform. After account closure or voluntary cancel, the device is locked — Square confirms it "won't support hardware from other manufacturers" and "you can't bring a Square reader to a new processor."

60% of MSRP at ~2yr — Square Terminal resells $268–$299 on eBay (90–100% of MSRP) — but ONLY useful to a buyer who plans to use Square as their processor. Outside Square, the device is dead silicon.

eBay/Marketplace observed Apr 2026: Terminal $268–$299; Register $400–$650; Reader $5–$25

No — Toast POS software runs ONLY on Toast-branded Android hardware. iPads and third-party Android tablets are not supported for the main terminal.

Lease w/ buyout — Toast "Pay as you get paid" 180-day lease takes 1.75% of card sales until lease is paid; alternative is upfront purchase. Bundles typically include a 2-year service commitment.

Brick — Toast hardware is locked to Toast's proprietary platform. Cannot be used with Square, Clover, or any other POS after cancellation. Watch the bundle agreement for early-termination clauses on the financing side.

25% of MSRP at ~2yr — Toast Flex TT200/TT203 listings observed on eBay April 2026 — used units sell, but only as parts/accessories or to operators who plan to sign with Toast (the device must be re-provisioned by Toast support). Sold listings cluster $200–$400 vs $1,099+ original (~25% of MSRP).

eBay/Marketplace observed Apr 2026: Flex TT200/TT203 $200–$400; Toast Go $80–$150; KDS monitor $150–$300

No — Clover software runs ONLY on Clover-branded hardware. No iPads, Android tablets, or third-party terminals supported. Any reseller-sold Clover device is also typically tied to that specific reseller / ISO.

Mandatory bundle — Hardware purchased upfront ($349–$1,899) AND tied to the specific Fiserv reseller / ISO that sold it. Buying a "used Clover" outside the original reseller chain is publicly documented as failing — devices show up "untested" on eBay because they cannot be re-provisioned without the original merchant account credentials.

Brick — Each Clover device is permanently tied to the original merchant account. Without those credentials the device will not activate. Reseller transfer typically blocked even within the Fiserv network.

5% of MSRP at ~2yr — eBay Clover listings overwhelmingly sold "as-is" or "for parts" because they cannot be reactivated. Effective resale value approaches zero for any owner who didn't maintain the original merchant account.

eBay/Marketplace observed Apr 2026: Mini $50–$200 "as-is/parts only"; Station $100–$350 "as-is"; Flex $40–$150 "untested"