Shopify Quick Sale vs Shopify POS: which should you use
Updated · 6 min read
By Invenire Studios, makers of Countermade
The short answer
Quick Sale is a checkout inside the Shopify app on your phone. It takes Tap to Pay where it’s available, a payment link or cash, with no POS app or hardware. Shopify POS is the full counter system: staff PINs and roles, cash sessions, printed receipts and, on POS Pro, held carts and drafts. Use Quick Sale for simple sales away from the counter, and POS for every sale at it.
What is Shopify Quick Sale and where do you find it?
Quick Sale sits in the main menu of the Shopify app on your phone, not in the Shopify POS app. You add products or a custom amount and collect by payment link or cash, plus Tap to Pay where it’s available. Since March 23, 2026, it works in every country where Shopify operates.
To ring one up:
- In the Shopify app on your phone, open the menu and tap Quick Sale.
- Use the Inventory menu to choose the location you’re selling from. It decides which stock is updated and which tax rates apply.
- Tap Add product, or scan a barcode with your phone’s camera. For a one-off charge, tap Custom amount, enter a name and price, then tap Add.
- Tap Collect and choose how the customer pays: Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android where it’s available, a payment link, or cash.
Quick Sale is built for simple, fast sales, so tax, for example, is switched on or off for the whole sale, not per item.
What does Shopify POS do that Quick Sale doesn’t?
Shopify POS is built for the counter. Staff sign in with PINs and roles, cash is counted in register sessions, stock is counted and received, and receipts print on a supported printer. On POS Pro, sales can also be held as recent carts or saved as drafts, and staff can be credited with a sale.
As of October 2026, from Shopify’s help center and shopify.com:
| Job | Quick Sale (Shopify app) | Shopify POS |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | The Shopify app on your phone; no POS app or hardware | The Shopify POS app; connect POS hardware such as a receipt printer if you use one |
| Taking payment | Tap to Pay (where available), a payment link, or cash with change due | Card reader, Tap to Pay, cash or gift card; split or partial payments; Mark unpaid to collect later |
| One-off charges | Custom amount | Add custom sale, with the Add custom sales permission (POS custom sale guide) |
| Customer on the order | Only after payment, by sending an email or SMS receipt | Add customer to the cart before checkout |
| Discounts | Amount or percentage off the whole sale; automatic discounts don’t apply | Custom discounts on line items or the whole cart; POS Pro adds automatic discounts |
| Hold a sale to finish later | No drafts; an unpaid link waits under Pending links | POS Pro: recent carts (deleted after 24 hours by default) and Create draft order |
| Stock and inventory | Sells from the location chosen in Inventory; no out-of-stock warning while you build the sale (a payment link does check stock) | Inventory counts, adjustments, receiving and transfers |
| Staff | Quick Sale permission in the staff role | PINs and POS roles; POS Pro adds retail staff permissions and credits staff on a sale |
| Cash | Cash with change due; no register sessions | Register sessions with float, counts and reconciliation |
| Receipts | Email or SMS; content can’t be customized | Print, email or text; reprint any order, return or exchange |
| Refunds, returns and exchanges | Refunds; no return once an item is refunded, no refund to gift card or store credit | Refunds and returns; POS Pro adds exchanges and order cancellations |
In-person selling comes with every paid Shopify plan. POS Pro is an add-on for any plan, with a monthly fee per location shown on Shopify’s POS pricing page. For what each POS plan allows, see POS Lite vs Pro for counter orders.
Do you need Shopify POS, or is Quick Sale enough?
Quick Sale is enough when every sale is simple and none happens at a counter: a market stall, a pop-up or an event. Once you run a counter, with staff on PINs, a cash drawer or orders to hold, you need Shopify POS.
If a sale goes over the Tap to Pay limit or a card won’t tap, the customer scans the payment link QR code instead.
For example, a ceramicist at a weekend market can scan pieces in, take Tap to Pay for most sales, and show the payment link QR code when a large bowl goes over the limit.
To send a one-off amount as a link, see a payment link for a custom amount.
When should a sale go through Shopify POS instead?
Run every counter sale through Shopify POS, so held carts and the cash count cover all of them. That matters most when you know the customer before they pay, need to hold the order, want a staff member credited, or must balance the cash at close. Several of these need POS Pro.
| Counter job | Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| Customer known before they pay | Shopify POS | Add customer to the cart |
| Order to hold and finish later | Shopify POS Pro | A recent cart or a draft order |
| Staff member should get the credit | Shopify POS Pro | Add staff to the sale |
| Cash balanced at close | Shopify POS | Register sessions |
| Phone order taken at the counter | Shopify POS Pro | Send cart, or a draft sent with Email to customer |
For held orders, see draft orders in POS and recent carts vs draft orders. For credit, see crediting sales to staff in POS.
Can Quick Sale and Shopify POS both send a payment link?
Yes. Quick Sale makes a link or QR code when you tap Collect, then Payment link, and Shopify POS Pro emails the customer a cart (Send cart) or a saved draft. A Quick Sale link and a Send cart email both take the customer to Shopify’s checkout to pay, so use whichever tool you built the sale in.
From Quick Sale:
- Tap Collect, then Payment link. A QR code appears for the customer to scan.
- To send it instead, tap Share link for a social app or SMS, or tap Copy link.
- Tap Done to keep the sale in Pending links. When the customer pays, it moves to Paid.
You can add shipping, or leave it blank so the customer enters an address and picks a rate at checkout. If an item is out of stock, Quick Sale shows “Payment link unavailable” and makes no link.
From Shopify POS Pro: tap the cart’s menu, then Send cart, or tap Create draft order and send the draft with Email to customer.
Shopify payment links explained covers what each link creates, and Shopify POS payment link options covers every route from the POS cart, including how Shopify credits each one. Shopify POS also has its own Pay by link option; Shopify POS Pay by link explained sorts out the names.
Can you use Quick Sale and Shopify POS in the same store?
One store can run both: Quick Sale lives in the Shopify app, and Shopify POS is its own sales channel and app. Give staff the split in the table above: counter sales in POS, and Quick Sale for sales away from the counter.
Quick Sale orders you ship are fulfilled from Orders in the Shopify admin, like an online order.
Where does Pay Link fit if your phone orders start at the POS counter?
Send cart already emails the customer the POS cart to pay online. Pay Link, from Countermade, makes a payment link from the cart staff built in Shopify POS. Before anything goes out, staff see the total up front, with a note when checkout will add shipping, and they can see whether the link has been paid.
A double tap makes one payment link, not two. The customer pays on Shopify’s own secure checkout, so staff never see or type card details. Pay Link needs Shopify POS Pro. Because checkout can add shipping, turn on local pickup at the store so the customer can choose it.
For how Pay Link compares with payment-link apps and Quick Sale, see Pay Link vs Checkout Links vs Quick Sale, or read about Pay Link.
Next step
Pay Link isn’t on the Shopify App Store yet. Get early access and we’ll email you when it’s ready to try.
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Common questions
Is Shopify Quick Sale the same as Shopify POS?
Does Shopify Quick Sale work in my country?
Why does Quick Sale say “Payment link unavailable”?
Can I save a Quick Sale and finish it later?
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