Help for the problem at your counter
Choose what is happening in your shop today. Start a POS, move off a notebook, balance mobile money, get stock under control, run a restaurant, or sell electronics. We will point you to the first practical guide, not make you search through a list.
They are deliberately practical rather than promotional. Where a guide says what Stem does, it is set apart from the neutral advice, and where Stem is not the right answer, or is not finished, the guide says so plainly.
What is happening in your shop?
Pick the situation closest to yours. Each guide starts with the first thing you can do today.
I need to understand EFRIS
Separate tax settings from real URA submission before you rely on a POS vendor.
Read: EFRIS and POS software in Uganda: what to check
I want to start using a POS
Know what a POS must do at your counter before you pay for anything.
Read: How to choose a POS system in Uganda
I am still using a notebook
Move your active stock, customer debt and first sale without starting from zero.
Read: How to move your shop from a paper notebook to a POS
My mobile money does not balance
Record MTN and Airtel clearly, then check the day without counting backwards.
Read: How mobile money works with a POS in Uganda
I need a POS machine, printer or scanner
Buy the hardware your shop needs first, not an expensive terminal you may not need.
Read: What does a POS machine cost in Uganda?
I am losing stock or expiry
Find the loss earlier and make the shelf, the stock count and the money agree.
Read: How to stop losing money to expired stock
I run a restaurant
Work out what a plate truly costs before you set a price or change a menu.
Read: What does a plate of food actually cost you?
I sell phones or electronics
Check a delivery before a bad handset reaches the shelf or a customer receipt.
Read: How to check a phone is genuine in Uganda
More practical guides
Practical guide
EFRIS and POS software in Uganda: what to check
A vendor checklist that tells you whether a POS is configured for tax or is actually transmitting to URA.
Best for: Ugandan shop and restaurant owners comparing POS software or preparing for EFRIS.
7 min read · Read guide →
Checklist
How to check a phone is genuine in Uganda
A one-minute IMEI check and a safer way to handle a whole delivery.
Best for: Phone and electronics shops checking new stock before it reaches the shelf.
6 min read · Read guide →
Buyer's guide
How to choose a POS system in Uganda
Seven questions to take into every POS demonstration.
Best for: Shop owners comparing a POS before they pay for software or hardware.
7 min read · Read guide →
Practical guide
How to move your shop from a paper notebook to a POS
A practical path from the notebook you use today to a first sale on a till.
Best for: Shops moving from a paper notebook to their first POS.
6 min read · Read guide →
Practical guide
How mobile money works with a POS in Uganda
A cleaner way to record mobile money and close the day without guesswork.
Best for: Shop owners taking MTN or Airtel payments every day.
5 min read · Read guide →
Practical guide
How to stop losing money to expired stock
A repeatable way to find stock loss early and act before it becomes waste.
Best for: Shops losing money through hidden expiry or unclear stock counts.
7 min read · Read guide →
Buyer's guide
Do I need QuickBooks or a POS system?
A simple boundary between counter work and accounting work.
Best for: Owners deciding whether they need a till, accounting software, or both.
6 min read · Read guide →
Practical guide
What does a plate of food actually cost you?
A clear way to calculate a dish cost and keep it current.
Best for: Restaurant owners who need to know whether a plate is actually making money.
7 min read · Read guide →
Checklist
What records should a small shop keep?
A clear list of the records to keep and the reason each one matters.
Best for: Small-shop owners who want their daily records ready when they need them.
7 min read · Read guide →
Buyer's guide
What does a POS machine cost in Uganda?
A sensible buying order so you only pay for hardware your shop needs.
Best for: Owners pricing a till, printer, scanner, or a complete counter setup.
7 min read · Read guide →
Checklist
How to read a "best POS software in Uganda" list
A quick test for separating a useful comparison from a sales page.
Best for: Anyone reading a POS comparison or “best POS” list before buying.
7 min read · Read guide →
Who writes these guides?
They are written by Talemwa Solomon, who builds Stem from Kampala. The material comes from the unglamorous end of the work: sitting with shopkeepers whose network drops mid-queue, reconciling a mobile money statement against a day’s takings, and importing stock lists that were never meant to be databases. That is why the guides keep returning to offline behaviour, the credit book and reconciliation: those are the things that decide whether a till survives a real Ugandan trading day.
What these guides will not do
They will not tell you every POS is inadequate except this one. Several of the checks recommended here are ones other Ugandan systems answer well, and a few are ones Stem does not yet answer at all. EFRIS filing is the clearest example, and the buyer’s guide names Stem as not yet transmitting sales to URA rather than quietly leaving it off the list.
They also will not give you tax or legal advice. Where something is a matter of regulation, the guides link to the primary source (URA for tax and EFRIS, Bank of Uganda for payments) so you can check it against the authority rather than against us.
Frequently asked questions
›What is the best POS system for a small shop in Uganda?
There is no single best one. The right POS is the one that answers your shop’s specific constraints. For most Ugandan shops that means it keeps selling with no internet, records MTN and Airtel mobile money as their own payment types, tracks the customer credit book, and is billed monthly by mobile money rather than as an annual card-only licence. The buyer’s guide walks through the seven checks that separate them.
›Do I need internet to use a POS system in Uganda?
To register and sign in the first time, yes. After that it depends entirely on the software. An offline-first till keeps a full copy of the shop on the machine at the counter, so selling, receipts, barcode scanning and credit all keep working with no connection and sync when it returns. A cloud-only till stops when the network does, which is the single most important thing to establish before you buy.
›How much does a POS system cost in Uganda?
Stem starts at a free plan for one user, then USh 20,000, USh 55,000 or USh 100,000 a month depending on the features and number of staff, billed by MTN or Airtel mobile money. When comparing any POS, add up the software plan, per-device or per-user fees, hardware and support together. A till advertised as cheap that charges per device across three counters is not cheap.
›Are these guides only about Stem?
No. They are written to be useful whichever POS you end up choosing, and the checks they recommend are ones Stem does not always win. Where a guide states what Stem does, it is marked out separately from the neutral guidance so you can tell the difference, including where Stem falls short, such as EFRIS filing, which is still in development and does not yet transmit sales to URA.
Page updated 23 August 2026