NCR Counterpoint API
NCR Counterpoint's REST API is an on-prem Windows service installed at each merchant site, documented on GitHub. Getting in means an authorized reseller, a paid per-merchant CP API registration, and Basic auth with an APIKey header. No webhooks; integrators poll or read SQL Server.
Frequently asked questions
NCR Counterpoint scores D+ on the API Report Card. NCR Counterpoint's REST API is an on-prem Windows service installed at each merchant site, documented on GitHub. Getting in means an authorized reseller, a paid per-merchant CP API registration, and Basic auth with an APIKey header. No webhooks; integrators poll or read SQL Server.
Without a usable official API, teams fall back on manual exports, file drops, or one-off vendor integrations. The other option is an unofficial API layer like Supergood that automates the authenticated web app directly.
NCR Counterpoint (CPSQL) is NCR Voyix's specialty retail POS and inventory management platform, built on Microsoft SQL Server and deployed primarily on-prem (Windows) at the store level with optional cloud back-office and ecommerce integrations.
POS / Specialty Retail - target market is independent and small-chain specialty retailers in verticals where SKU depth and inventory control matter more than transaction volume: garden centers and nurseries, wine/beer/spirits shops, museum and zoo gift shops, sporting goods, pet supply, apparel and gift boutiques, hardware, and specialty food. Store staff use Counterpoint for ringing transactions on Windows POS terminals, taking tendered payments through NCR Secure Pay, looking up items and customer history, processing layaways/special orders/gift cards, receiving POs and transferring stock, and printing tags/labels.
Well established in specialty retail (estimated 35,000+ active locations historically), and a default recommendation in garden center, wine shop, and museum store verticals.
Yes - Counterpoint is the merchant's system of record for SKU-level inventory, pricing, purchase orders, customer history and loyalty, gift cards, EMV/NFC payment captures (via NCR Secure Pay), end-of-day sales, and sales tax.
Over 35 years old - originally Synchronics Counterpoint in the 1980s, rewritten as CPSQL (Counterpoint SQL) on Microsoft SQL Server, acquired by Radiant Systems in 2007, by NCR in 2011, and now part of NCR Voyix post-2023.
Paid per-merchant API license (registration.ini option) plus partner gating - small ISVs face real cost-of-onboarding per customer site. API Server is an on-prem Windows service per merchant - integrators must coordinate installation, firewall, port 52000 exposure, and patching with each customer's IT. Full sourced list under Sources below.
Common alternatives include Lightspeed Retail, Shopify POS, Square for Retail, Heartland Retail (Springboard), Cumulus Retail (Celerant), Retail Pro. Graded alternatives appear under "More from the report card" below.
Grades measure one thing: can a customer's engineering team get their own data out programmatically? We check six things (whether a real API exists, how access is gated, data coverage, auth quality, docs and developer experience, and stability) and roll them into a letter grade. Grades get re-verified, and they only move on evidence.
Yes. Supergood maintains an unofficial NCR Counterpoint API and MCP server so AI agents and internal tools can read and write NCR Counterpoint data. See the NCR Counterpoint integration docs at supergood.ai/docs/ncr-counterpoint-api.