Free POS Software for Small Business: Complete Setup Guide (2026)
Free POS software for a small business costs nothing to run: Timeline POS is a free Windows 10/11 app with billing, stock, customers and reports, offline and with no subscription or card cut. Here is the five-step setup, what the free version does not do, and when to upgrade.
Free POS software for a small business is a point-of-sale app you install and use without a subscription. Timeline POS, from Timeline Digital, is one example: a free Windows 10 and 11 app for billing, stock, customers and sales reports that runs offline and keeps data on your own PC. Setting it up takes five steps.
You Do Not Need an Expensive POS System
Cloud POS subscriptions commonly cost $50 to $200 a month once add-ons and extra registers are counted, and much of that pays for multi-branch sync and remote dashboards that a single-location shop may never use. Our POS cost breakdown shows where that money goes.
Timeline POS is a free desktop POS for Windows. It covers billing, inventory, customer records and sales reports, with no subscription, no per-transaction fee, no product limits and no internet needed after the download.
What Timeline POS Includes
Timeline POS Dashboard
The dashboard shows today's sales, total orders, registered customers, product count, low-stock alerts and a 7-day revenue trend on one screen.
Core modules:
Billing: search by name, SKU or barcode, apply discounts, and close the sale for a walk-in or registered customer
Inventory: product catalogue with categories, cost and selling prices, stock levels and low-stock alerts
Customers: customer records with order history
Orders: a record of every sale
Reports: sales, product, customer and inventory reports, exportable to PDF or CSV
Step 1, Install and Configure
Download Timeline POS (version 1.0.7, about 164 MB) from the Timeline POS page and install it on a Windows 10 or 11 PC. The installer is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may ask you to confirm on first run: check the file came from timelinedigi.com, then choose More info and Run anyway.
Open Settings and enter your business name, phone, address, currency symbol, default tax rate (GST, VAT or sales tax), low-stock alert level and receipt footer message.
Step 2, Add Products
Product Catalogue in Timeline POS
Go to the Products module and add your inventory. Each product has a name, category, purchase price, selling price, and current stock. Add barcodes if your products are barcoded for faster checkout.
If you have a long product list, start with your fast sellers and add the rest during the first week, so billing can begin on day one.
Step 3, Start Billing
The billing screen is designed for speed. Search for a product by name or SKU, or scan its barcode. Add the quantity, apply any discount, select the customer, take payment and print the receipt. Card payments go through your own bank terminal or card reader, because the app does not process cards itself.
POS Billing Screen
Tax is applied at the default rate you set in Settings.
Step 4, Track Sales and Reports
At the end of each day, open Reports to see sales, product performance and inventory summaries. Every sale is already recorded, so there is no manual end-of-day tally, and you can export a report to PDF or CSV for your accountant.
Step 5, Back Up Your Data
Your data lives only on that PC, which is what keeps it private and offline. It also means a failed hard disk without a backup loses your sales history. Copy your data to a USB drive or a second computer every week, and keep a few dated copies.
What the Free Version Does Not Do
Need
Free Timeline POS
What to do instead
Several counters sharing one live database
Each installation runs separately with its own data
A custom networked POS
Branches or a cloud dashboard
Not included
A cloud or custom POS
Card processing
Not built in
Your own bank terminal or card reader
Mac, iPad or Android
Windows 10 and 11 only
A mobile or web POS
If you outgrow it, Timeline Digital builds custom POS software around your workflow, starting with a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules.
Yes. Timeline POS is a free POS for Windows 10 and 11 made by Timeline Digital. It covers billing, products and stock, customers, orders and sales reports, with no subscription, no per-transaction fee and no product limits. It runs offline and keeps data on your own PC, which suits a single-location shop.
How do I set up free POS software on my PC?
Download the Timeline POS installer (version 1.0.7, about 164 MB) from timelinedigi.com and install it on a Windows 10 or 11 PC. Open Settings to enter your business name, currency, default tax rate and receipt footer, add your products with prices and stock, then start billing by searching or scanning products. Back up the data weekly.
Does free POS software for Windows work offline?
Yes. Timeline POS needs the internet only for the download. Billing, stock updates, tax and sales reports all run locally on the PC, so checkout keeps working when the internet connection drops.
Why does Windows show a SmartScreen warning when I install Timeline POS?
The Timeline POS installer is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may show "Windows protected your PC" on first run. Confirm you downloaded the file from timelinedigi.com, then choose More info and Run anyway. The Timeline POS page lists the current version and SHA-256 checksum if you want to check the file first.
Does free POS software include inventory and tax tools?
In Timeline POS, yes, at no cost. Stock levels drop with every sale, low-stock items are flagged on the dashboard, and products carry categories, barcodes, cost price and selling price. Tax is applied at the default rate you set, and reports export to PDF or CSV.
What are the limits of free POS software like Timeline POS?
Timeline POS runs on one Windows PC per installation, with no cloud dashboard, no live sync between counters or branches, no Mac or mobile version, and no built-in card processing. A single-location shop rarely needs those; a business that does can move to a cloud POS or a custom build.
Describe what is slowing your team down. We will help you work out what to build, and how a free pilot lets you judge our work before the full project.
