Free POS for bars. Tabs that never crash.
A free POS for bars and pubs with open tabs by seat, comp and spillage tracking, and happy hour pricing windows, with no card cut.
v2.0.0 · 96 MB · Bring your own card reader
In 60 seconds
Is a free bar POS really free?
Yes, this one is. Timeline Restaurants POS costs $0 a month with every bar feature included: open tabs by seat, comps, spillage tracking, and happy hour pricing windows. There is no card cut because it does not process payments, so you keep your existing reader and your bank rate.
If you run a small bar, your tabs need to stay open through a six hour shift without crashing. Your bartender should not need a tutorial. Your manager wants to see comps and spillage before opening tomorrow.
Cloud bar POS dies every time the wifi blinks. This one runs from a local file.
No trial clock, no feature lockout, no upsell to a paid tier. The Windows download above is the full product.
A shift, end to end
- Tap a bar seat, B1, B2, B3, to open a tab.
- Add drinks, Draft, Wine by glass, Cocktails, Spirits.
- Run a card pre-auth before the night gets long. Hold the card on file.
- Pour a comp on the house? Mark it. Reports, Voids and Discounts, shows it tomorrow.
- Spillage? Same flag. The manager sees it in the EOD.
- Happy hour 5 to 7? Set a Promo with a time window. Prices apply only then.
- Receipt printer drops a slip with the tip line. Patron writes the tip, you settle.
How do you run happy hour pricing windows?
Time bound promos that flip on and off.
Set a Promo with a date and time window, for example Monday and Thursday from 5pm to 7pm, and pick the items it covers. The POS switches discounted prices on and off automatically, so drafts can drop 30 percent while cocktails stay full price, and the receipt shows a Happy Hour line.
Pricing window
Set Mon and Thu, 5pm to 7pm, in the Promo settings. The POS reverts to regular pricing after.
Drink specific
Apply 30 percent off Drafts only, full price on Cocktails. It is a per item promo.
Receipts
The receipt header shows a Happy Hour line so the patron sees the discount applied.
Tabs and splits
How does a bar POS handle tabs and split bills?
A bar POS opens a tab against a seat, B1, B2, B3, and holds it for the whole shift. Rounds get added as they pour, and at close the check can be split in the order screen. Because every order writes to a local file, tabs survive a Wi-Fi drop at 1am.
A tab is just an open order pinned to a seat. Tap B2, add two drafts, walk away to pour for someone else, then come back to the same tab an hour later. Nothing settles until you settle it, and reopening a tab happens right in the order screen, not in a manager menu.
For split bills, hold, split, and merge all live in that same screen. A six drink tab can become two checks at close, one paid by card and one in cash, and both land in the same end of day totals. Comps and spillage marked during the night show up next to those totals in Reports.
The late night case is the reason this design exists. At 1:30am a cloud POS with a blinking router strands every open tab behind a loading spinner. Here each round is written to the local database on the bar PC the moment it is rung up, so tabs stay open and settle with the internet down. The same engine powers our full free restaurant POS system, with tables, kitchen tickets, and recipe inventory included.
Bar math
$25k a month, 75 percent on card.
| POS | Software | Card cut | Total / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline Restaurants POS$0 pick | $0 | ~1.5% | ~$281 |
| TouchBistro | $69+ | ~2.5% | ~$538 |
| Toast Bar | $69+ | ~2.49% + 15c | ~$535 |
| Square for Restaurants | $0 to $60 | 2.6% + 15c | ~$525 |
~$250/month difference vs TouchBistro is ~$3,000 a year. On a tight bar margin, that pays for kit.
Bar questions
Can I keep tabs open?+
Yes. Tap a bar seat, build the tab, tap away. Come back any time during the shift to add or close it. Reopening happens in the order screen.
Does it support card pre-auth?+
Card processing happens on your reader, not the POS. If your reader supports pre-auth, Stripe Terminal or most bank terminals, you run the pre-auth there and settle later. The POS records the final amount.
How do I track comps and spillage?+
Comps log as a 100 percent discount. Spillage logs as a void. Both show in Reports, Voids and Discounts, at end of shift.
Will it print an age prompt receipt?+
Add a custom line to the receipt template, such as 21 plus confirmed by bartender, done in Settings, Receipt. The bartender still checks ID before pouring.
Can I run a happy hour pricing window?+
Yes. Set a Promo with a date and time window, Mon and Thu, 5 to 7pm, 30 percent off drafts. It switches on and off automatically.
Can I split one tab into separate checks?+
Yes. Hold, split, and merge are built into the order screen. Split a tab into two or three checks when the group settles, take a different payment on each, and every check rolls into the same shift totals in Reports.
Open the bar tonight, no $69 bill.
Free Windows POS, built for bars.