Practical paths for operators and buyers — install, activate, choose a package, and understand offline-first POS on Linux and Windows.
Dedicated install root, first launch, and where your ledger lives.
Installer, portable zip, and a clean path for updates.
Request a key, verify online, choose Free / Solo / Enterprise, open the register.
Compare Free, Solo & Enterprise →
Printers, drawer kick, and branding that matches the till.
Longer answers for search intent — offline POS, platform setup, and the Free / Solo / Enterprise ladder.
Buyer guide
Cloud tabs freeze when the line drops. An offline-first register keeps the lunch rush moving — if the product is honest about what lives on the till versus what waits for the network.
Read guide →Operator guide
A calm Linux till starts with a dedicated install root — then first launch, activate, and a test print before the queue forms.
Read guide →Operator guide
Windows tills stay update-safe when MiniBook3 lives in its own folder — installer or portable — not a shared Programs root.
Read guide →
Buyer guide
Start Free. Upgrade when the counter asks for more — not when a trial clock forces you.
Read guide →Longer stories for day one and platform parity — same tokens and photography language as Features.
After install, the goal is simple: one clean sale that prints and closes. Everything else can wait.
Operators learn one product. Packaging differs; the register, shifts, and upgrade story do not.
Data, updates, and when the ladder makes sense — short reminders for busy operators.
The ledger is local. Back up the data directory before moving PCs or wiping disks — the cloud never replaces that folder on Free/Solo.
Signed channel releases for both platforms. Path-safe apply refuses to wipe a shared parent — that refusal is protection, not a bug.
Stay Free while the counter is simple. Move to Solo for credits, team, and exports. Choose Enterprise when tills must move as one.
Edge cases that break real shops — answered before they break yours.
No. MiniBook3 is offline-first. Network drops pause connected features; they do not freeze a sale already on the till. Free and Solo keep trading on the local ledger.
Use a dedicated MiniBook3 folder (installer/deb/install.sh or a portable folder you own). Do not unpack into a shared Programs or projects root that also holds other apps — updates only replace files inside a verified install.
Follow the OS on the desk. Packaging and printers differ; activation, shifts, catalog, and package names stay the same so staff train once.
Confirm the PC can reach api-minibook3.zolestio.com. Free shops can often open the register offline and retry activate later. Paid packages need a successful payment return before Solo/Enterprise entitlements stick — retry after the network recovers; do not re-pay blindly if the portal already shows success.
Verify the OS queue (CUPS or Windows spooler), paper width, and that the drawer cable is on the printer’s kick port. Run a test print from Devices. Branding richness follows the paid package — Free still prints a working receipt.
Restore the backed-up data directory for that OS. Reinstall the app, then point or restore into the expected path. Activation recognises the shop again when online; the ledger itself was always local.
Free and Solo are single-node stories for one desk. Enterprise is licensed per PoS node when the floor needs connected fleet behaviour. See Pricing for the honest ladder.
Marketing and licence APIs live on minibook3.zolestio.com and api-minibook3.zolestio.com. Linux and Windows POS builds target those hosts. Until your cutover checklist is green, do not assume legacy hosts still serve MiniBook3.
