Hong Kong POS Comparison 2026: Payment Eligibility Before Price
Shortlist Odoo, Shopify, Loyverse, iCHEF and Eats365 with payment, language and total-cost checks; understand why Square acquiring does not fit Hong Kong.
Applicability
Hong Kong SME decision guide. Regional quotes, merchant approval, bank/account support, language coverage and deployment must be confirmed for your own requirements.
Research method
Official documentation research checked on 21 October 2026; worked figures are fictional planning examples. No new Odoo product tests, customer results or vendor support tests.
For a Hong Kong shop, verify that the merchant account and payment method work locally before comparing POS subscriptions. Odoo, Shopify, Loyverse, iCHEF and Eats365 are different starting points; Square card acquiring is not a Hong Kong option under its published country list.
Contents
- A focused shortlist
- Card acquiring is different from recording payment
- Traditional Chinese is not Cantonese support
- Cost a shop rather than a headline licence
- Require a refund and settlement demonstration
- Choose the next step
A focused shortlist
| Candidate | When to investigate | Main unresolved purchasing question |
|---|---|---|
| Odoo | Stock, sales and accounting need shared records | Edition, backend licences, deployment, terminal and merchant approval |
| Shopify POS | Your online shop already uses Shopify | POS tier and location costs; separate Hong Kong card terminal |
| Loyverse | A small shop needs a basic till and stock records | Paid staff/inventory/history add-ons and local payment arrangement |
| iCHEF | Restaurant workflow is the main requirement | Written Hong Kong hardware, support and payment bundle |
| Eats365 | Restaurant needs ordering and kitchen extensions | Which core and optional modules are included in the quote |
iCHEF's Hong Kong offering and Eats365's Hong Kong modules establish local restaurant product routes, not a verified cheapest plan or support SLA. This is a focused shortlist rather than an exhaustive market survey.
Card acquiring is different from recording payment
Square's official supported-country list excludes Hong Kong and requires processing in the account's country. Accepting a Hong Kong-issued card at an overseas Square merchant does not let a Hong Kong shop acquire payments through Square.
Shopify's Hong Kong guidance requires an external terminal and third-party processor for in-person card payments. Its separate POS local-payment documentation lists conditional Hong Kong wallet availability. Do not translate either statement into “all Shopify Payments work at the till”. Check the specific account, retail currency, activation settings and method.
Odoo 19's release notes name QFPay for Hong Kong POS. That is a documented connector, not approval for every merchant, terminal or payment method. For Octopus, FPS, PayMe, AlipayHK or cards, request the provider, supported device, integration mode, settlement account and refund process in writing. Recording “paid by FPS” manually is not automatic payment confirmation.
Traditional Chinese is not Cantonese support
Loyverse explicitly lists Traditional Chinese for its POS app. Back Office and receipt language settings are separate. Its pricing page separates free core tools from optional paid add-ons and associated live chat; it does not establish a Cantonese helpdesk.
For every shortlisted product, ask staff to read the actual till, refund, kitchen and receipt screens. Obtain support language, hours, channel and on-site charges separately. Odoo has official Traditional Chinese translation resources, but installed-module coverage still needs checking.
Cost a shop rather than a headline licence
Use a quote worksheet with subscription term, regular renewal price, locations/registers/users, hardware ownership, setup, training, payment rates, refund fees and optional modules. Odoo's plan FAQ distinguishes backend users and portal users and excludes Odoo.sh hosting from the subscription price. Do not assume every cashier or every shop is charged identically across products.
The current pricing page also lists a distinct Light User licence with restricted capabilities. Eligibility depends on the user or employee record and permitted tasks, and Odoo directs buyers to an advisor for a tailored quote. Ask the supplier to classify each role and quote each licence tier separately; do not price all staff as full users or assume all staff qualify for Light User access. Confirm which terms apply to your Odoo 19 deployment and contract.
Fictional planning example, not a vendor quote: two tills at HK$4,000 each, setup HK$3,000, software HK$500/month and support HK$200/month produce a fixed first-year budget of 2 × 4,000 + 3,000 + 12 × (500 + 200) = HK$19,400. At HK$100,000 monthly card turnover and an assumed 2% processing fee, add HK$24,000/year. The combined illustrative total is HK$43,400, before refunds, replacements or other fees. Replace every assumption with a supplier quote.
Require a refund and settlement demonstration
For a hypothetical HK$500 sale with a HK$100 refund, ask the supplier to demonstrate the original payment, stock reversal, refund authority and the HK$400 net sales record. Then reconcile the processor's settlement after its actual fees. A sales report matching HK$400 does not alone prove the bank received the correct amount.
A restaurant should add split bills, kitchen routing and a voided item; a retailer should add a product variant and stock transfer. These are suggested acceptance scenarios, not tests APAA has performed here.
Choose the next step
For a basic till, investigate Loyverse before committing to a larger ERP. For restaurant operations, compare the exact iCHEF and Eats365 bundles. For an existing Shopify merchant, assess POS within the existing catalogue while checking payment boundaries. For integrated back-office operations, shortlist Odoo alongside alternatives. Read the ERP readiness guide before expanding the project.
APAA is an independent consultancy offering Odoo services, so we have a commercial interest in Odoo implementations. That does not make Odoo the right answer for every business. Contact APAA if you need help assessing suitability. Implementation services start at HK$8,000 and rescue services at HK$2,000, with scope and quotation confirmed first. These are service fees; subscriptions, hosting, hardware and third-party fees are separate. The free preliminary assessment covers needs, problems, version and suitability. System login, configuration inspection, changes and repairs require a quotation and customer agreement first. Rescue enquiries receive a response within one working day; repair timing is confirmed after diagnosis.
Choose the situation that matches your next step; you can still be comparing platforms.
The selector below uses one question with four situations to guide your next step.
Choose the one situation that fits you to view a service or request an initial assessment.
Sources
- Square accepted cards and supported countries
Card acquiring countries exclude Hong Kong; seller must process in account country
Source checked
- Loyverse language settings
Traditional Chinese explicitly listed for POS app; Back Office and receipt settings separate
Source checked
- Loyverse pricing
Free core POS, optional paid add-ons and paid-add-on live chat; no Cantonese support guarantee
Source checked
- Shopify Payments Hong Kong payment methods
Hong Kong in-person card processing requires external terminal and third-party processor
Source checked
- Shopify POS local payment methods
Eligible Hong Kong POS Alipay/WeChat Pay methods have account, currency and activation conditions; not universal card-reader availability
Source checked
- iCHEF Hong Kong
Hong Kong F&B POS offering and demo enquiry; no universal price, local payment or support SLA verified
Source checked
- Eats365 Hong Kong
Hong Kong restaurant POS and optional ordering/kitchen modules; specific bundle requires quote
Source checked
- Odoo 19 release notes
Customer-document sections, annual-statement composite report, Knowledge audit reports, AI and Hong Kong QFPay entry; no deployment or merchant approval tested
Source checked
- Odoo pricing and plan FAQ
One App Free dependencies, Standard/Custom, paying users (including current employee-record clause) versus portal users, Light User restricted capabilities and tailored-quote eligibility, first-year discount conditions and hosting exclusions; no Hong Kong price quotation obtained
Source checked
- Odoo official translation policy
Traditional Chinese translation project exists; does not establish complete translation or Cantonese support
Source checked