ERPNext and tablet POS registers (Airレジ, スマレジ): what is the difference

For a small shop, “should we use an ERP?” is often really “is an iPad register enough?”. This article compares two POS register apps in Japan, Airレジ and スマレジ, with ERPNext, based on the official pages of Airレジ, スマレジ and ERPNext viewed on 2026-11-12. Prices may change after that date; open the sources at the end to check.

M&C ERP is built on ERPNext, so we are not a neutral party; every figure here has a source you can check.

Two kinds of tool, two scopes

• A tablet POS register handles the counter: selling, printing receipts and part of stock management.
• ERPNext is an ERP: purchasing, stock, sales and accounting recorded in one system, including a Point of Sale module.

The two do not exclude each other. What matters is knowing which work your shop does outside the register, in spreadsheets or on paper.

Cost (official pages, viewed 2026-11-12)

Airレジ: the cost page says the initial fee, monthly fee and support before and after starting are 0 yen, with the note 「一部、有料機能がございます」 (some features are paid). You buy the devices yourself; the page gives market reference prices (noted on the page as of 2026-07-02): iPad from 74,800円（税込）, desktop receipt printer from 46,310円（税込）, cash drawer from 9,020円（税込）.

スマレジ: monthly, tax included (税込), per store:

ERPNext: the ERPNext pricing page calls it “free and open-source” and says the cost has “two components - Hosting and Implementation”. The article “The real cost of an open-source ERP” in this knowledge base lists them.

Stock and multiple stores

• スマレジ: the page says every plan, including the free one, offers simple stock management; 「小売店向け在庫管理」 (retail stock management) is only in リテールビジネス; multi-store management starts from プレミアム. The two functions 「店舗間移動機能」 (transfers between stores) and 「発注・入荷・出荷機能(小売一般)」 (ordering, receiving and shipping) sit under 「小売店向け在庫管理」, so they belong to the リテールビジネス plan.
• Airレジ: the page lists stock management, stocktaking, barcode receiving and out-of-stock notifications.
• ERPNext: the official documentation covers purchase orders, purchase receipts, multiple warehouses (warehouses can sit under a group warehouse) and a stock ledger report for viewing the history of stock transactions; the documentation describes the Point of Sale module as one that “integrates retail transactions with Inventory and Accounting”.

Devices

• Airレジ runs on an iPad or iPhone.
• スマレジ says it needs an iOS device such as an iPad and does not support Android.
• ERPNext is built on Frappe, which Frappe’s page calls a “web framework”; the ERPNext page says “All modules can be managed from a handheld or phone”; in the M&C ERP demo the same screens work in a phone browser too.

Which one your shop needs

• If the main work is selling at the counter and knowing how much is left, a POS register app may be enough.
• If ordering from suppliers, reconciling stock with the books, or managing stock in several places takes many hours each month, that is the part an ERP handles.
• The article “When not to use ERPNext yet” in this knowledge base lists more signs that switching can wait.

Information about M&C ERP for small shops in Japan is in preparation. If you would like to hear about it, register through the inquiry form on this site.