Vape sales are blowing up. The industry was valued at over $45 billion in 2025 — and it’s expected to keep growing. So, if you plan to open a vape shop or get into vape sales, now’s the time.
There’s only one snag. Regulations and rules around vapes and e-cigarettes are constantly evolving. Are you in a state where vapes have a special tax rate? Is vape tax calculated by percentage of the price or per ounce?
Then, there are more practical problems. How do you track which vape flavors are selling best? How do you keep your inventory up to date with the latest from your vendors?
Many POS systems built for general retail aren’t designed to deal with these types of challenges. That’s why, if you’re serious about capitalizing on this trend, you need a vape shop point of sale (POS) system.
In this article, we’ll explore:
Let’s get into it.
A POS system is a combination of hardware and software that helps you manage your business. A vape shop POS combines these capabilities with high-risk business support and industry-specific features for security, compliance, and inventory.
Most, if not all, POS systems (even those not built for tobacco and nicotine retail) should be able to:
These features are table stakes. But if you sell tobacco and nicotine products, you also want the following industry-specific features.
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Consolidated inventory | Sell vape cartridges individually, in a case, or in a four-pack. Consolidate multiple manufacturer UPCs into a single item entry for easier sales and tracking. |
| Modern age verification | Automatically prompt cashiers to check ID for any age-restricted items and speed up checkout by scanning IDs using compatible 2D barcode scanners. |
| Tax rate management | Set the correct tax rate for different product types and locations so items are always rung up correctly. |
| Compliance reporting | Keep comprehensive transaction and inventory records to comply with state and federal tobacco laws. |
| High-risk processing | Work with a high-risk payment processor to accept credit cards and other digital payment methods. |
| Employee access | Ensure your staff only have access to the systems they need to do their jobs and require a manager override for any high-risk processes. |
| Security integrations | Connect footage from register-level webcams to individual transactions for better compliance auditing and fraud prevention. |
| Multilocation management | Get a consolidated view of inventory while managing different tax rates and promotions for different locations. |
You should also be on the lookout for added-value features like customer loyalty, inventory auto ranking, customer-facing screens, easy promotional pricing setup, and AI-powered invoice scanning.
Systems built for general retail tend to be flashier and run cheaper than industry-specific solutions. In terms of features, they probably have about 90% of the functionality of a vape shop POS.
So, why spend more money on the last 10%?
Vape and nicotine product inventory is complex. At best, you have to do a lot of manual workarounds to keep track of stock levels and collect the correct taxes for your accountant. At worst, you risk fines for noncompliance with local authorities.
We’ve even talked with smoke shops that worked with a POS provider for months (or years) before being dropped unexpectedly. Unless a POS provider explicitly says they work with vape and tobacco vendors, they can choose to stop support at any time.
Working with specialized POS providers is more dependable and comes with tobacco-specific features that keep your store in compliance and reduce your workload.
Now that you have a general idea of what to look for, here’s our list of top providers. While we’d love to say Cigars POS is the best fit for every vape shop, that simply wouldn’t be true.
Before you commit to a provider, take some time to:
Without further ado, here’s our list of top vape shop POS providers.
We’ve put our solution at the top of the list because we only work with vape shops, smoke shops, cigar lounges, and other tobacco and nicotine businesses. While many other options on this list offer vape-specific features, we understand the real world challenges of vape retail.
Standout features:
Pricing: We offer a variety of flexible pricing tiers based on your needs, with our most basic plan starting at $59/month. We also offer individual hardware for select upgrades or hardware bundles.
KORONA is a powerful POS system that caters to multiple types of retailers, including high-risk businesses like tobacco and liquor shops. They’re also one of the only providers on this list to explicitly support dispensaries, making them an ideal fit if your vape shop includes THC sales.
Standout features:
Pricing: KORONA’s retail plan starts at $79/month with optional paid add-ons for functions like vendor integrations, franchise features, and advanced stock management.
Based in Canada, Lightspeed’s POS systems are used around the world to support a wide variety of large-scale retail operations. While not the most inexpensive entry on this list, their solutions are highly customizable and scalable, making them ideal for large chains and rapidly growing franchises.
Standout features:
Pricing: Lightspeed’s Core Plan (which includes many required features for vape retail) starts at $149/month.
FTx is another POS provider that specifically caters to high-risk businesses like bars, clubs, liquor stores, and tobacco shops. FTx is a reliable choice, especially if you’re willing to pay more for their automated functions.
Standout features:
Pricing: FTx currently does not list specific pricing, but you can contact them for a custom quote.
There are many valid options out there for vape shop POS systems, and choosing the right one is a big decision.
Don’t rush. Over half of U.S. businesses regret a software purchase because they didn’t trust their gut or do enough research. You’ll use your POS system every day for almost every aspect of your business — take your time and choose right the first time.
When you’re ready to get an in-depth look at vape shop POS systems, give us a call. Cigars POS is designed exclusively for tobacco and nicotine retail, and we’ve got the features and extensive experience that help small businesses find success.
Schedule a customized demo today to see how a POS system built for vape shops can keep your business compliant and thriving.