The 6 Best POS Systems For Bookstores

In our in-depth review, we gave Lightspeed Retail a 3.7/5.0 in the Pricing category because they don’t allow any third-party payment processing options, there are no hardware financing options available, the early termination fee is significant, and there are no reduced fees for multiple registers.

Lightspeed Retail’s score in this category is still above average and we gave them points for offering a free trial and monthly pricing plans.

Keep in mind that third-party software integrations, such as item rental inventory software, cost an extra monthly fee.

Lightspeed’s best feature for bookstores is its extensive inventory management capabilities, which include:

• Scanner App: The iOS/Android app allows staff to add books to your inventory by scanning the book’s barcode, take full and partial inventory, fulfill online orders, and see how much stock you have in all inventory locations while on the sales floor
• Purchase Ordering: Set minimum reordering levels for books with automated purchase ordering, add customer wish list items/requests to your regular purchase orders, automatically add received items as inventory, and set preferred book vendors
• Composite Products: Create gift boxes, featured collections, build custom packages for customers, and more by creating one composite product out of several individual ones
• Inventory Types & Management: Take order quotes, manage work orders, sell event tickets and merch, offer eBooks and audiobooks, sell tickets, and more with Lightspeed’s inventory management dashboard

Lightspeed inventory management dashboard creates a composite product out of individual products.

Lightspeed also allows you to sell subscriptions, so you can offer memberships and provide discounts to your members. As an example, for $10/month, members of your “book club” can get 10% off all purchases.

You can offer this type of discount using Lightspeed’s customer tagging system.

Several rental item integrations allow customers to reserve books online, rent them out in-store, and request books that are already on loan. You can track the status of rental books, create predefined and open rental periods, charge late fees, and more with integrations like Booxi.

Lightspeed rental item integration Booxi used to import book products to rent out.

For more information on Lightspeed’s excellent loyalty program, read our post on the best POS software with loyalty programs.

Lightspeed Retail POS register, Bluetooth barcode scanner, and online storefront.

Lightspeed products run exclusively on iPads, and you can use tablets as POS registers, customer-facing displays, and POS dashboards.

We gave Lightspeed Retail a 4.2/5.0 for the Hardware Options category because there is an option for users to source their hardware from another source. Check Lightspeed’s website for compatible hardware.

You can get a custom quote from Lightspeed to get a POS hardware bundle that will include a cash drawer, receipt printer, iPad stand, and barcode scanner, or purchase individual items. Bundles might help you save money in the long run because Lightspeed doesn’t offer hardware financing.

As we mentioned earlier, Lightspeed Retail did lose some points in the Pricing category because there are no reduced fees on multiple registers.

Additional registers cost $59/register/month and additional locations cost $89-$269/location/month when billed monthly, and $69-$199/location/month when billed annually.

Lightspeed has a built-in processing solution, Lightspeed Payments, which qualified business owners are required to use (this includes pretty much everyone in the US and Canada).

Lightspeed Payments charges a flat-rate fee of 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person (card-present) transactions and 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions.

The company also offers an enterprise-level plan, which is completely customized and allows high-revenue bookstores to get lower payment processing rates and save on fees.

The only reason we gave Lightspeed Retail a 3.8/5.0 is because it doesn’t allow any third-party payment processing options.

Lightspeed requires all businesses to fill out an order form, which will show your custom pricing. You will pay one-time fees upfront, and you may (depending on your billing cycle) pay for your software subscription every month or upfront (in the case of annual or long-term plans.)

In general, the longer your POS subscription is, the less you’ll pay per month. However, Lightspeed charges an early termination fee if you decide to cancel your subscription early, and hardware return windows are short, so consider starting on a monthly plan until you’re sure Lightspeed is the POS for your store.

The early termination fee will be calculated based on the length of your remaining contract. You will pay all remaining software subscription fees upfront and in full.

The Plus plan includes inventory management features like vendor management, inventory counts, automated purchase ordering, and barcode printing. You can also accept cross-location returns and exchanges on the Plus plan.

We gave Square for Retail a 4.2/5.0 in the pricing category in our in-depth review. In the Software Plans category, we scored it 5.0/5.0 but Square for Retail lost points in our book because of the lack of third-party payment processing options and reduced fees on multiple registers.

Square offers an extensive amount of free POS features, including:

• Free Square online store builder and Square online checkout links to sell online for free with or without a website
• Ability to sell physical and digital items such as PDFs and audiobooks, events such as workshops, and memberships
• Free employee time clock, scheduling, and labor cost reports
• General POS reports
• Unlimited number of POS registers on the free plan
• TikTok social media selling and Instagram shoppable posts

Square bookstore POS online store builder add writers workshop.

Paid plans offer more inventory features, such as the ability to link vendors to products in your item catalog, which will make reordering items easier. You can also manage inventory and employees in multiple locations on the Square Plus plan. Customers can preorder books, send books as gifts, and backorder books on the Plus plan.

Square POS on iPad, Square Register, and Square contactless card reader.

Square software works on phones and tablets. You get a free magstripe card reader to start, but you should purchase at least the $59 Square contactless card reader so you can take chip cards and NFC-based payments such as Google Pay and Apple Pay. A full Square Register Kit is $1,189.

Other hardware, such as receipt printers, does not need to be purchased from Square. Just make sure that the hardware you buy is compatible with Square software.

Square for Retail fell just short of our perfect score with a 4.5/5.0 in the Hardware Options category because there’s no reduced fee on multiple registers or unlimited register availability.

Read our guide to Square POS hardware to make an informed POS hardware purchasing decision.

We gave Square for Retail the same score as Lightspeed Retail (3.8/5.0) for the Payment Processing Fees category because there are no third-party payment processing options, but the Square Payments fees are reasonable and there is room for negotiation.

Free plan processing fees:

• 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person transactions
• 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions

Plus plan processing fees:

• 2.5% + $0.10 for in-person transactions
• 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions

The Premium plan comes with custom pricing for customers who process over $250K in transactions each year.

Square subscriptions are month-to-month, and you can cancel your merchant account anytime without consequences.

If you damage your Square hardware within your hardware warranty period, even if you didn’t purchase the hardware directly from Square, the company will send you new equipment. Don’t forget to send old pieces back to Square within 14 days of getting your new hardware, or you will be charged for the new equipment.

All plans come with the free POS Lite app. There is a POS Pro app you may add onto one of the above plans for an extra $89/month/location. This app comes with more employee permissions, better inventory reporting, and in-person workflow automation.

Your payment processing rate decreases on higher-level plans. Businesses with larger transaction volumes and inventory management needs should strongly consider upgrading to save money in the long run.

In our in-depth review, we gave Shopify POS a 4.0/5.0 in the Pricing category.

Shopify’s free in-person sales features include everything you need to make sales at a retail store or mobile business, while the paid Shopify Pro POS app adds functions like exchanges, purchase orders, and stock transfers between locations.

On all Shopify plans, shoppers can buy items online for in-store pickup. They can also purchase items in person for local delivery. This is great for instances when you don’t have enough items in-store to fulfill a customer’s order, but you do have them at a warehouse or another location.

Shopify’s eCommerce features are what sets this software apart. These features include:

• Custom online store builder with item sales for in-store pickup, delivery, and layaway, plus upsells and customer wish lists
• Sales on social media channels like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
• Book listings and sales on marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart Marketplace
• A suite of shipping tools to streamline item shipping and give accurate tracking updates to customers
• B2C and B2B customer accounts to sell individual books, take bulk orders, and build personalized catalogs/memberships and book recommendations

International booksellers will appreciate Shopify’s entire suite of international sales management tools, including automated website translations for customers in different locations, local currency conversion, international shipping calculations, imports and taxes, and book pricing by market area.

Shopify also has the largest app store out of all the providers on this list, with over 8,000 apps available for users to add any functionality to their POS and online store that they want. With this much customization available, Shopify can be tailored to suit the needs of any bookstore.

For example, Shopify has lots of digital download apps, a bulk book metadata entry app (the ONIXEDIT app automatically populates book information like author, format, dimensions, and weight), and even a comic book subscription management app to help bookstore owners reach their sales goals.

Shopify POS register stand with a card reader.

To start selling, you need at least the $49 Shopify card reader as well as a smartphone or iPad. You can also purchase a retail kit for $219 as well as accessories like barcode scanners ($229), cash drawers ($139), and label printers (starting at $299) from Shopify.

Shopify also recently released a new handheld mobile POS system, the Shopify POS Go, for $399.

We gave Shopify POS a 4.0/5.0 in the Hardware Options category. Shopify POS doesn’t get a perfect score because there is no self-checkout option available, which may or may not be important for your business.

Shopify offers an in-house payment processor, Shopify Payments, in several countries.

We gave Shopify POS a 3.3/5.0 in the Payment Processing Fees category. This lower score (compared to other categories) is because of the third-party payment processing fees and that users aren’t able to negotiate payment processing fees.

Transaction fees for third-party payment processors are 0.5% – 2% per transaction.

Shopify Payments charges a payments processing fee between 2.4% – 2.7% for in-person orders, while online orders have a processing fee between 2.4% – 2.9% + $0.30 flat fee.

The higher your monthly Shopify subscription, the lower your payment processing fees will be. As companies increase their sales volumes, they should move to a higher plan to save money on fees. At some point, it may be worth it for larger businesses to switch to a third-party payment services provider that offers better payment processing rates and just pay the transaction fees.

Shopify has monthly and annual contracts. Annual contracts have better pricing, and Shopify doesn’t charge early termination fees. However, you won’t get a refund on any plan, so consider this as you’re purchasing your subscription plan. As always, make extensive use of your free trial before committing.

Most Shopify POS users get a one-year warranty on Shopify POS hardware. If you sign up for the POS Pro plan, you’ll get an extended two-year warranty.

Since KORONA pricing is per terminal, we recommend that you consider how many terminals you need in your stores before you sign on with KORONA. You can always add more terminals later.

In our in-depth review, we gave KORONA POS a 4.9/5.0 in the Pricing category. KORONA missed a perfect score only by a little bit because there is no reduced fee on multiple registers or unlimited register availability for users.

We really have to point out that while the software isn’t as good as Lightspeed’s in terms of inventory management, it’s very comprehensive for its price.

In terms of POS features for bookstores, KORONA has you covered with:

• Multi-Store Capability: Easily track and send inventory to and from multiple locations. This is great for when customers have items they want to put on hold.
• Advanced Inventory: Crucial for bookstores, KORONA POS allows you to transfer entire product lists, sort by a variety of categories, track when new items are scheduled to arrive, and stay informed about your store’s exact item counts in real-time.
• Loyalty Integration: Implement a system that rewards your customers with points and encourages repeat business. You can also track customer preferences, including things like favorite genres.
• eCommerce Integration: To compete with the publishing giants out there, you almost have to have a strong online presence. KORONA POS’s eCommerce integration with WooCommerce makes it easy to set up a functional and simple online store to increase your customer base.
• Reporting: KORONA POS comes with detailed reports that can help you know what titles are selling and what to keep stocked for the future.

KORONA iPad POS, card reader, barcode scanner, and PC dashboard.

KORONA does not list pricing online but is compatible with hardware from Epson, PartnerTech, PAX, Genius, Dejavoo, Econduit, Aures, Honeywell, and more.

We gave KORONA POS a 4.5/5.0 in the Hardware Options category for the same reasons it fell short in the Pricing category: while the hardware can be affordable and sourced from third-party sellers, KORONA POS won’t cut you a deal for purchasing more than one register and will eventually cap the number of licenses you can have.

KORONA does not offer in-house payment processing but instead integrates with several payment processors, including Merchant Warehouse and Merchant Payment Systems.

KORONA POS scores well in the Payment Processing Fees category because it offers average flat-rate processing, payment processing negotiations, allows you to use third-party payment processors, and doesn’t charge extra fees no matter the processor you choose.

You can also integrate KORONA with several merchant service providers through PAX and Dejavoo payment devices.

KORONA offers month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees. You can pay for an annual contract and get one month free.

The provider also offers an unlimited free trial, so you can try out the software for as long as you need to before committing to it.

You do have to be careful about your merchant agreement and make sure the terms are fair for your business. High-risk business owners should expect to pay a little more for payment processing than other lower-risk business owners.

If you decide to enroll in Clover’s “pay monthly” plan so that you can pay for your hardware over time, you’ll pay one monthly fee for both your hardware and software. That fee will range from $60/month – $175/month, depending on your hardware package.

Additional devices are $9.95/month/register if you have all your registers in one location. If, for example, you have two Clover Minis in two different stores, you’ll have to pay the full Register subscription cost for both Minis.

If you buy your Clover hardware from another provider, you could pay a different monthly software fee.

In our in-depth review, we gave Clover a 4.0/5.0 in the Pricing category. We only scored the prices Clover can give users directly, not any of the most common resellers.

Clover retail software itself is a pretty straightforward offering, with an online ordering page for selling books and merch that readers can pick up or have delivered, in-store discounts and promotions, physical and eGift cards, and an offline payments mode so you can still check out customers even if your store’s Wi-Fi stops working. You can also connect your Clover shopping page to your Google business profile so users looking for bookstores near them can find and shop from your store.

Clover’s unique offering is its large app market that, much like Shopify’s app market, gives your POS software the basic and advanced features your bookstore needs. There are excellent inventory management apps for SKU inventory management, upsells and cross-sells, membership apps, rental timers, and subscription management.

Clover is great for event management because of these unique features:

• Fundraising Apps: Bookstores that run fundraisers can create timed fundraisers and fundraising parameters with one of Clover’s many fundraising apps.
• Ticketing Apps: If your location hosts events either in-store or elsewhere in partnership with another organization or venue, one of Clover’s ticketing apps will automatically generate tickets that customers can present at the door.
• Mobile POS: Clover’s handheld POS is a sturdy mobile sales solution that also acts as a barcode scanner and inventory manager so you can tell interested customers whether a book they want is in one of your stores, or at another location, and if they can order a copy of what they’re looking for.
• Booking Apps: If you want to host private or special events at your store for schools, community organizations, or individuals, one of Clover’s booking apps will help you streamline the booking process. You can either set up a calendar that people can use to book themselves or create a form for interested individuals to reach out to you.

Clover event ticket management app example.

Clover countertop POS system, handheld POS system, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and card reader.

Clover POS software only works with Clover hardware.

You may purchase your Clover system from Clover or one of several Clover resellers. If you purchase hardware from Clover, you’ll pay between $49 (Clover Go contactless card reader) and $1,799 (Clover Station Duo).

We recommend the $599 Clover Flex for bookstores that take sales or preorders on the go. The POS is large enough to see but easy to hold, includes an integrated barcode scanner, and has a built-in receipt printer.

Clover is a great example of proprietary hardware done right, but you do have to purchase Clover hardware to use Clover software (meaning you can’t use other POS hardware you might already own) which is why we gave it a 4.0/5.0 in the Hardware Options category.

If you purchase your devices from Clover.com, you must use Fiserv as your payment processor. Fiserv charges the following payment processing fees:

• Card-Present Transactions: 2.3% + $0.10 (Clover Register plan) and 2.6% + $0.10 (Clover Essentials plan)
• Card-Not-Present Transactions: 3.5% + $0.10 (all plans)

Card-not-present transactions include online sales, phone orders, orders from third-party shopping platforms, manually-keyed-in card payments, and anything else that is not a chip/tap/swipe card payment, cash, or check.

If a huge chunk of your sales happens online, consider a different Clover reseller or a different POS provider altogether to avoid the relatively steep card-not-present payment processing fees.

If you purchase your device from a Clover reseller, your fees and fee payment structure will change. Large retailers may save on payment processing fees if they choose to work with a Clover-authorized reseller.

We gave Clover a 4.5/5.0 in the Payment Processing Fees category.

Clover offers 36-month and 48-month contracts with early termination fees should you cancel your contract early. There’s also nothing you can do with your Clover hardware if you stop using Clover POS software since Clover hardware is proprietary. The company won’t fix hardware that you obtain from any source other than Clover.com.

If you work with a Clover reseller, you are subject to that reseller’s terms, so do your research before committing. Read your contract and other customer reviews of your potential merchant service provider to avoid Clover scams.

The bottom line is that no matter where you get your Clover hardware, buying expensive proprietary hardware is a big commitment. So, make sure Clover is right for you before spending a lot of money on POS hardware.

If you agree to Revel’s three-year, two-terminal minimum requirements, you will pay $99/month/terminal, billed annually. With this deal, you also have to commit to Revel for your payment processing needs for three years.

Revel’s website does not list monthly fees, so you need to call for a quote.

In our in-depth review, we gave Revel a 3.6/5.0 in the Pricing category. This is because there are few pricing plans available, no free trial, no reduced fee on multiple registers, and an early termination fee with their lengthy contract.

Revel’s best features for bookstores that want to serve food and beverages include:

• Food & Liquid Inventory Management: Revel includes perishable inventory management, sales by weight, and the ability to create menus for any made-to-order items. There are also liquid inventory management integrations to help bookstores identify sources of wastage, maximize profits, and make better purchasing decisions.
• Purchase Ordering: Generate purchase orders with set par levels, vendor management, and partial/full order receiving.
• Kitchen Orders: Revel integrates with kitchen printers and kitchen display system software, with either system helping baristas get orders out the door efficiently (without making mistakes.)
• Online Ordering: Create online ordering site sections for your books, merch, and food.
• Rentals: You can rent out your coffee shop/bookstore for events with Revel’s appointment booking software.
• Loyalty Program: Includes custom rewards point setup, gift options, and automated loyalty points marketing for customers who haven’t stopped by in a while
• Employee Management: Revel’s employee management includes scheduling, time clocks, employee roles, and payroll, all within the Revel dashboard.

Revel POS generate new purchase order.

Revel iPad POS register, iPad stand, iPad customer-facing display, cash drawer, receipt printer, and card reader.

Revel works on iPads, which you can buy independently or from Revel. You’ll have to contact Revel for a quote on hardware like card readers, printers, and cash drawers.

We gave Revel a 4.8/5.0 in the Hardware Options category because of the ability to source your hardware, the option for a customer-facing display, features like self-checkout, hardware financing options, and unlimited register availability.

Alternatively, with Revel’s written permission, you may purchase Revel-compatible hardware on your own. The company asks for written permission to ensure that you’re spending your money on hardware that will work and can avoid having to return any equipment to third-party providers.

Revel offers an in-house payment processing solution, Revel Advantage.

It’s difficult to get an exact estimate without needing a custom quote, but we did find that the standard rate is 2.49% + $0.15 per transaction. Your custom fee will depend on your order volume, average transaction size, and payment methods. If you sign up for the three-year plan, you’re guaranteed the lowest processing fee for your business.

We gave Revel a 5.0/5.0 in the Payment Processing Fees category because Revel Advantage offers industry-standard flat rates that you can negotiate and third-party payment processors that you won’t pay a large added fee to use.

Revel’s standard contract is three years, with a substantial early termination fee depending on how far you’re into your contract before canceling.

While you’ll get the best prices with a longer contract, we recommend making extensive use of your demo, asking lots of questions to your Revel account representative, and even signing up for a month-to-month plan until you’re sure that Revel is the right fit for your growing business.

Revel typically offers a discount for users who bundle their software, hardware, and payment processing into one bill. We recommend that you get an estimate on hardware and payment processing rates from outside companies and bring that estimate to Revel to see if they’ll match it.