What does Essence POS cost?
Every plan is listed in full on our pricing page, billed monthly or yearly. Plans differ by how many tills you need and which tools you get. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and no card is required to begin.
What payment methods can I take from my customers?
Cash is always available. You can also connect a payment gateway using your own merchant account — Paynow for mobile money and cards, or PayFast for cards — and take those payments through the till. Essence POS never holds your customers' card details.
Does it work without an internet connection?
Yes. The cashier app is offline-first, so you can keep ringing up sales, adjusting stock and serving customers straight through a network outage or a power cut. Everything syncs automatically once you are back online.
What is the stock list scanner?
Instead of typing your stock book into the system by hand, you photograph it — handwritten or printed — and the scanner reads each line into item names and quantities. You can try it free at essenceofsale.com/scan without creating an account.
Can I sell in more than one currency?
Yes. You can enable the currencies you actually trade in and set the rate for each. Product prices, purchase orders and reports all use those rates.
Can I manage multiple shops from one account?
Yes. You can add locations and warehouses as you grow and run all of them from a single admin dashboard, with products, prices and staff permissions kept in sync. How many tills you can run at once depends on your plan.
Can I get my data out again?
Yes. You can export your business data whenever you want it, and you keep that right for as long as your account is open. There is no lock-in and no charge to leave.
Can I cancel at any time?
Yes. You can cancel whenever you like and it takes effect at the end of the period you have already paid for. There is no long-term contract and no cancellation fee.
What hardware do I need to get started?
Any reasonably modern Android tablet or phone for the till, and any computer with a browser for the admin dashboard. An iOS version of the till is on the way. Most standard thermal printers and cash drawers are supported.
Is my business data secure?
Your data is encrypted in transit, access to production systems is tightly restricted, and backups run automatically. Inside the product, role-based permissions mean each staff member only sees what their role allows.
Are there any hidden fees?
No. The plan price covers the admin dashboard, the cashier app and ongoing updates. If you connect your own payment gateway, that provider charges its own transaction fees directly to you — we do not add anything on top.