I already have Yoco. Do I need a POS system?
29 October 2026 · 6 min read
If you have one shop, sell only in person, and your stock fits comfortably in Yoco's app, you probably don't need another POS system. Yoco's card machines come with free till software that tracks products, variants and stock levels. You start to need more when you also sell online and want the website and the shop to share one stock count, or when you sell on layby or let trade customers pay at month-end.
This article goes through what Yoco does well, where it stops, and what changes if you add a system like ours, Sirat Retail OS. You keep your Yoco machine either way.
What does Yoco already give you?
More than people expect. On Yoco's free Core plan, according to its pricing page (checked September 2026), you get:
- the Yoco POS software on the card machine and in the Yoco App
- Tap to Pay on iPhone, payment links and digital invoices
- fast payouts to any bank
- 24-hour customer service
The product catalogue lets you add variations such as size or colour, track stock by product or variant, and get an alert before an item runs out.
Two paid plans add more. Plus, at R249 a month, adds a loyalty programme, multi-location management and appointments. Pro, at R499 a month, adds free fast payouts, accounting integrations, table ordering and advanced staff permissions. Both also lower your card rate.
The hardware is cheap to own. A Khumo 2 card machine is R699 and the Khumo Print 2 is R1 499 on Yoco's card machine page. The Yoco Counter, a countertop till, is R2 999. No rental.
What does Yoco cost per sale?
Checked on Yoco's pricing page, September 2026, for local debit cards in person:
| Plan | Monthly fee | Up to R50 000 a month | R50 000 to R200 000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | R0 | 2.30% | 1.35% |
| Plus | R249 | 2.10% | 1.25% |
| Pro | R499 | 1.95% | 1.20% |
Credit cards cost a little more (2.30% on Core up to R50 000). Online payments through the Yoco Gateway are 2.95%. Above R200 000 a month, Yoco offers custom rates.
These are fair prices for a card machine. Nothing we sell replaces this fee: whoever processes the card charges for it.
When is Yoco on its own enough?
Honestly, often. Stay as you are if most of these are true:
- You have one shop, or a stall, salon or coffee counter.
- You don't sell online, and don't plan to this year.
- Customers pay in full at the counter, with no layby or month-end accounts.
- Your staff are people you trust with the whole business.
In that case, a separate POS subscription is money you don't need to spend. If you want loyalty points, Yoco Plus at R249 a month is cheaper than switching systems. We'd rather tell you that than sell you a till you'll resent.
Where does Yoco stop?
Yoco's stock tools are better than many shop owners realise. Its inventory article describes reorder points, tracking supplier orders from the POS, and moving stock between locations. The gaps are elsewhere.
You sell online as well
Yoco doesn't host an online store. Its Gateway takes card payments on a store you build elsewhere, on Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix or Shopstar. Yoco's own pages don't describe keeping the stock count on those stores in step with the stock on your card machine.
So the shop has one number for "blue school jersey, age 10" and the website has another. Someone updates them by hand, or the website sells a jersey that left the shop yesterday. That problem gets its own article: Can my shop tills and online store use the same stock?
You want your shop to market itself
Yoco Plus has a loyalty programme. Email and SMS campaigns to groups of customers, review requests after delivery and referral links usually mean more subscriptions on top, if the customer list lives in one place at all.
You sell on layby or on account
Holding stock for a layby customer, or letting a trade customer settle at month-end, needs a ledger that holds the stock and tracks what they owe. We couldn't find either on Yoco's pages, and it's the kind of thing a card machine's app isn't usually built for.
How does our till work alongside Yoco?
Our till is part of Sirat Retail OS, an online store and a point of sale on one stock count. It runs on a tablet, prints receipts, and does cash-ups and shift reports.
You keep your Yoco card machine. The cashier rings up the sale on our till, which takes the item off the shared stock count. For a card payment, they key the amount into the Yoco machine as they do now, and mark the sale as paid by card on the till. Yoco charges its usual fee. We add 0% to sales, in the shop or online.
What you'd gain over Yoco on its own:
- One stock count for shop and website. A sale in either place changes the same number.
- Suppliers and receiving stock, on every plan.
- Staff limited to their own branch, on Pro.
- Layby, store credit and accounts, on Pro.
- Email and SMS campaigns, loyalty points and referrals, on Growth and up.
The full list is on the features page.
What would it cost you?
Our prices, and Yoco's, side by side for a single shop that also wants to sell online:
| Yoco only | Yoco plus Sirat Retail OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Card machine | R699 to R1 499 once-off | same machine, keep it |
| Card fees in the shop | Yoco's rate | Yoco's rate, unchanged |
| Online store | not included, build and pay for it elsewhere | included |
| Setup | none | Once-off, quoted per store: design in your brand, store build, payments, domain, staff training |
| Monthly | R0 on Core | R400 on Starter for the online store (keep Yoco at the counter), or R1 500 on Pro to have our till on the same stock count |
| Added to each sale by us | n/a | 0% |
Yoco prices checked September 2026, as Yoco publishes them (excluding VAT); ours have nothing added. Our plans bill yearly at 10 months' fee. Growth is R900 a month and Pro is R1 500 a month. Our till comes with Pro, which includes one till; more tills are priced with you on an Enterprise plan.
If you don't need an online store, paying for a store setup is hard to justify, and Yoco Plus or Pro will likely serve you better. If you're already paying for a separate online store and someone spends Monday mornings fixing stock counts, the sum looks different. The full breakdown of till costs across providers is in How much does a POS system cost in South Africa?
A quick way to decide
Ask yourself three questions:
- Do I sell online, or will I within a year?
- Do I need layby, store credit or trade accounts?
- Am I paying for separate apps to email and reward my customers?
If every answer is no, keep Yoco and spend the money elsewhere. If one or more is yes, it's worth a conversation.
You can see how the store and till system fits your shop with a free estimate, or WhatsApp us on +27 73 453 8352. Tell us what you sell and whether you're online yet, and we'll tell you straight if Yoco alone is the better answer.