“Free POS for a cafe” sounds like a software question, but it is really a service-design question. Are you taking orders at a counter or managing tables? Do drinks need modifiers? Does the kitchen need a printed ticket or a screen? Will the card terminal be separate? Can someone on your team restore the system when a tablet, laptop, or network device fails?

Answer those questions before comparing logos. A separate terminal can simplify your options, but it also creates a payment handoff that staff must perform consistently.

Start with the simplest decision tree

Counter service, mostly cashPrioritize fast item search, modifiers, receipt printing, a cash-drawer routine, and a reliable end-of-day report.

Counter service, external card terminalConfirm who enters the amount, what proves approval, how the POS marks the order paid, and how terminal batches are reconciled.

Table service or open tabsTest tables, open tickets, edits, transfers, split payments, and the kitchen handoff before choosing a counter-focused setup.

Kitchen tickets or KDS requiredTest routing, printer failure, screen placement, reprints, and what happens when the local network is unavailable.

Mobile or tablet-first operationVerify the exact operating system and release. “Runs in a browser” and “supports every Android tablet or iPad” are not the same claim.

What “offline” should mean for a cafe

Offline operation is not one feature. It can mean that the order screen opens, local data remains available, receipts print, or reports can be viewed without internet. It does not automatically mean that an external card terminal can authorize payments or that sales will later synchronize to your own cloud.

Write down the expected behavior for an internet outage. Can staff take a cash order? Can they print a kitchen ticket? Where is the order stored? How do they record a card payment? When the connection returns, what is uploaded, by which system, and how do you prevent duplicates? If the answer is vague, the system is not ready for a busy service.

Separate card processing from POS software

An external terminal can be a sensible choice for a small cafe. It may let you keep the POS focused on menu and order work while the payment provider handles card authorization. But the two systems are separate sources of truth.

Enter the order and confirm the total in the POS.
Send or key the amount into the terminal according to your provider’s process.
Wait for the terminal’s approval or decline—not just a POS screen or printed order.
Record the tender in the POS using a consistent staff procedure.
At close, compare POS card totals with the terminal batch and investigate mismatches.

Ask the payment provider about offline authorization, settlement, refunds, duplicate attempts, and what happens if the terminal loses power after approval. Those are provider and processor behaviors; a POS cannot safely invent them.

Test scanners, printers, and hubs as one setup

A USB barcode scanner often behaves like a keyboard, but that does not prove that every POS screen will accept it as the workflow you want. Test the exact scanner, cable, hub, power supply, operating system, and application build together. For cup barcodes, also decide what the barcode represents: a drink sold, a menu item, a batch, or a reusable cup. A scan only becomes useful when the item model and report answer the question you care about.

Do the same with receipts and kitchen output. Test the printer path, paper, driver or ESC/POS configuration, kitchen routing, reprints, and what staff see when a printer is unplugged. A sale that is saved but never reaches the bar is still an operational failure.

Where FloCafe may fit—and where it may not

FloPOS is the broader ecosystem; FloCafe is its restaurant POS product. FloCafe is worth a controlled evaluation if you want open-source code, local SQLite data, restaurant order workflows, and freedom from a software license fee. The project documents desktop deployment and restaurant hardware workflows, including printing and kitchen display.

That is not a claim that FloCafe is a native Android or iPad app, that every USB scanner is compatible, or that it automatically syncs sales to a personal cloud. If those are hard requirements, verify them in the current release and repository before buying hardware or changing service. FloCafe may also be the wrong fit if you need a vendor-managed cloud, guaranteed payment integration in your market, or support coverage your team cannot provide.

What “free” still costs

No software license fee does not mean zero operating cost. Budget for the computer or tablet you actually support, printers and paper, a router or local network, backup storage, setup time, staff training, updates, payment processing, and someone who owns troubleshooting. A cheap system that nobody can restore is expensive during a Saturday rush.

Good enough to pilot. A small cafe should be able to run its top orders, modifiers, discounts, taxes, cash and external-terminal payments, receipts, kitchen routing, backups, and a restore rehearsal with real staff before committing.

A one-hour cafe trial

Load the real menu and the 20 orders you sell most.
Run takeaway and dine-in or open-ticket examples if both matter.
Test modifiers, an unavailable item, a discount, a tax rule, a refund, and a corrected order.
Run one cash sale and one external-terminal card sale, then reconcile them.
Disconnect the internet and repeat the core cash workflow.
Print a customer receipt and kitchen ticket; unplug the printer and test the fallback.
Scan with the exact barcode device, then back up and restore the data on another test device.

If staff cannot complete the trial without coaching, the problem is not solved by a lower monthly price.

Use the cafe POS guide for workflow questions, the installation guide for setup, and the self-hosted POS guide for ownership and recovery. Before live billing, review POS security and backups and verify your local tax and receipt obligations.

The best small-cafe POS is the one your counter can trust.