Picking the right POS for your pet store isn’t just about ringing up sales. It’s about keeping your business running smoothly from front to back. If you’re looking at Franpos and eTailPet, you’re already thinking like a pro, pet-specific systems offer way more than basic retail POS software.
Both Franpos and eTailPet are made for pet stores but approach things a little differently. eTailPet started in 2018 and was picked up by Quilt Software in 2022. Franpos, founded in 2012, is built in the cloud, aiming to help modern pet retailers grow, especially if you’ve got multiple locations to juggle. Plus, it’s got some handy features like payroll built right in.
Let’s dive in and take a close look at what each system offers, so you can decide which is the best fit for your shop.
Why Choosing Your POS System Matters
Your POS system doesn’t just ring up sales; it runs the show. Everything depends on it: you know what’s in stock, you keep your team efficient, and you make life easier for your customers. If the system is clunky or old, your whole business slows down.
Here’s what a good POS really does for you:
- You always know what’s in stock, no nasty surprises or missed sales because you suddenly run out.
- Your staff stops wasting hours re-entering data for payroll or time tracking, so you get more done.
- Customers breeze through checkout, book appointments in a flash, and use those loyalty rewards.
- You see all the real numbers: what’s selling, what’s not, who’s buying, and why.
- If you want to go from one store to ten, you don’t need to scramble for a new system.
Let’s be real, you’re up against Chewy, Amazon, and the big boys like PetSmart. Your POS needs to make you nimble, not trip you up with outdated tech or messy workflows.
The reality is, small retailers spend about 8–12 hours a week just shuffling through admin work, according to the National Small Business Association. With a modern POS, you cut that time in half. You automate inventory, payroll, and reporting, and suddenly your day opens up.
Comparing POS Features
Franpos
- Cloud-based works from anywhere with WiFi
- Keeps going even if your internet drops
- Let’s customers pay however they want – split payments, cards, cash, gift cards
- Handles returns and exchanges, tracks every detail
- Customer accounts with full purchase history
- Quick keys for instant checkout
- Barcode scanning and label printing so you’re not punching in numbers
- Let’s you combine products and services in one sale – retail plus grooming? Easy.
- Tracks employee hours right in the system
- Customizable receipts with your logo and message
eTailPet
- Cloud-based system
- Standard POS sales processing
- Manages customer database
- Custom receipts
- Basic sales reports
- Gift card support
- Email receipts to customers
Inventory Management
Franpos
- Syncs inventory in real time across all stores
- Sets automatic reorder points and creates purchase orders for you
- Tracks vendors, keeps their order history, and marks preferred suppliers
- Handles transfers between stores, with approval and tracking
- Manages lots for product recalls and expiration dates
- Matrix inventory makes handling size and color variants a breeze
- Customizable low stock alerts for each product
- RFID support for super-fast physical inventory counts (coming Q3 2026)
- Reports on inventory valuation using FIFO, LIFO, or weighted average
eTailPet
- Over 160,000 pet products already loaded, quick start for new stores
- Purchase order management
- Vendor tracking
- Basic store-to-store transfers
- Expiration date tracking
- Standard inventory reporting
Multi-Location & Franchise Capabilities
Franpos
- Centralized inventory for every store in your chain
- Reporting that goes from big-picture company-wide down to individual store details
- Financial dashboards that keep owners and managers in the loop
- User permissions tailored to each location and role for tighter security
- Inter-store transfers with approval and tracking, so nothing slips through the cracks
- Franchise setup: each shop runs independently, but corporate can keep an eye on everything and pull combined data
eTailPet
- Basic support for multiple locations
- Some reporting is combined, but nothing fancy
- Not as strong if you’re managing a big franchise (10+ stores)
- A lot of manual work to get simple tasks done between stores
Grooming & Service Booking
Franpos
- A color-coded appointment calendar (easy to see what’s booked and for what)
- An online portal, so customers can book any time, even at midnight
- Automatic reminders with SMS and email (cuts no-shows by almost a third)
- Service packages and memberships for those customers who book regular grooming
- Groomer commissions and performance tracked right in the system
- Photo uploads before and after, straight from a phone or tablet
- Detailed pet profiles — breed, temperament, special notes, you name it
- Waitlist tools fill up canceled slots quickly
- Multi-groomer schedules, keeping conflicts out of the mix
eTailPet
- Appointment calendar
- Simple notifications for customers
- Service tracking
- Basic grooming performance reports
Integrated Payroll & HR Tools
Franpos
- Since February 2026, Franpos has built payroll right into the POS. No need to hop between Gusto, ADP, Paychex, or whatever else.
- Employee time syncs automatically from the POS clock
- Payroll runs inside Franpos — no exporting, no second system
- Taxes filed at every level, handled start to finish
- Electronic onboarding (W-4s, I-9s, direct deposit all covered)
- Unlimited payroll runs with zero per-run fees
- Pricing: $49/month per store, $8 per employee, no setup costs, and no hidden run fees
eTailPet
- eTailPet doesn’t do payroll natively.
- You must pick a third-party provider (think Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks Payroll)
- Manually export hours from eTailPet
- Re-enter those hours in your payroll tool
- Juggle separate logins and billing
- Match up payroll records with your POS by hand
Payment Processing & Fees
Franpos
- Competitive rates (just ask sales for a custom quote)
- EMV chip, contactless, Apple Pay all supported
- Gift cards with balance tracking
- Split payment options (customers can pay with a mix of methods)
- Next-day funding
eTailPet
- Supports several processors (rates depend on your choice)
- Normal payment terminal support
- Gift card support
Customer Support & Reliability
Franpos
- Always available — 24/7 by phone, email, or chat
- Dedicated specialist gets you set up when you start
- Unlimited staff training, both live and recorded
- Under 30 minutes to respond to urgent issues, usually less than 2 hours for everything else
- Loads of resources: knowledge base, videos, community forum
- Regular check-ins for Enterprise customers
eTailPet
- Email support during business hours (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm ET)
- Setup help when you start
- Initial training during onboarding
- Response time varies; some users say it’s slowed since the 2022 acquisition
- Help center with guides
Integration Ecosystem (Astro Loyalty, Accounting, & More)
Franpos: You get Astro Loyalty built right in, so customers can earn Frequent Feeder rewards whether they’re shopping online or in the store. Google Calendar syncs grooming appointments both ways, and you can use Stripe or Square for payment processing if you don’t want to stick with the standard options. Plus, developers will appreciate the REST API for creating custom connections.
eTailPet: Also integrates natively with Astro Loyalty, and they work closely together. You get QuickBooks for accounting too, but honestly, the platform doesn’t offer as many third-party integrations as Franpos does.
Conclusion
Choosing the right POS system isn’t just about features; it’s about how your business operates every single day. Both Franpos and eTailPet are built for pet retailers, but they’re designed for very different stages of growth.
If you’re running a single-location store and need a straightforward setup, eTailPet can get the job done.
But if you’re thinking bigger, i.e. multiple locations, tighter operations, less manual work, and better visibility across your business, you need a system that’s built to scale with you.
That’s where the difference really shows.
At the end of the day, your POS shouldn’t just help you run your store. It should help you grow it.
If you’re exploring POS systems for your business, the best way to understand the difference is to see it firsthand.
