The 6 Best POS Systems For Bookstores

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

Lightspeed’s best features for bookstores include:

• Barcode Scanner App: Add and count inventory, fulfill online orders, and check stock across locations from any mobile device.
• Automatic Purchase Ordering: Set reorder points, track preferred vendors, and include customer wish list items in regular purchase orders.
• Composite Products: Bundle items into book boxes, themed collections, or custom customer packages.
• Versatile Inventory Management: Manage work orders, quotes, event tickets, eBooks, and audiobooks from one dashboard.
• Subscriptions & Memberships: Offer programs like a monthly “book club” discount for loyal readers using the platform’s customer tagging system.
• Rental Software: With rental integrations like Booxi, customers can reserve or rent books, track returns, set loan periods, and apply late fees — all synced with your POS.

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

You can source your own hardware, or you can purchase from Lightspeed. The company sells individual items or POS hardware bundles. No financing is available.

Monthly plan pricing includes one register. Additional registers cost $59/month/device.

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 customized and allows high-revenue bookstores to get lower payment processing rates and save on fees.

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.

Paid plans include inventory management features like vendor management, inventory counts, automated purchase ordering, and barcode printing.

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

Paid plans offer more inventory features, such as the ability to link vendors to products in your item catalog, which makes reordering items easier. You can also manage inventory and employees in multiple locations on Square’s paid plans.

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

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.

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

Square Payments fees are transparent and competitive:

• 2.4% – 2.6% + $0.15 for in-person transactions
• 2.9% – 3.3% + $0.30 for online transactions

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.. 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.

Shopify’s best bookstore POS features include:

• Free In-Person Sales Tools: Every plan includes the essentials for selling in-store or on the go. The Shopify POS Pro add-on adds advanced features such as exchanges, purchase orders, and stock transfers between locations.
• Flexible Fulfillment Options: Customers can buy online and pick up in-store or purchase in person for local delivery — ideal when stock is held at another location or warehouse.
• Powerful eCommerce Features: Custom online store builder, wishlists, layaway, pickup/delivery options, and a built-in shipping suite
• Marketplace Listings: Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and more
• Social Media: Direct sales on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter)
• International Sales Tools: Automated website translations, local currency conversion, international shipping and tax settings, and region-specific pricing.
• App Marketplace (8,000+ Options): Add new capabilities such as digital download apps, bulk book metadata entry, and comic book subscription management tools.

To start selling, you need at least the Shopify card reader as well as a smartphone or iPad. You can also purchase a retail kit as well as accessories like barcode scanners, cash drawers, and label printers from Shopify.

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

Shopify Payments charges a payment processing fee of 2.4% – 2.7% for in-person transactions.

The higher your monthly Shopify subscription, the lower your payment processing fees will be.

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.

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.

There is no reduced fee on multiple registers or unlimited register availability for users.

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

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

KORONA POS offers average flat-rate processing, payment processing negotiations, allows you to use third-party payment processors, and doesn’t charge extra fees, no matter which 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 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.

Additional devices are $14.95/month/device if you have all your registers in one location.

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

Clover’s best bookstore POS features include:

• Online Sales Tools: Create an online ordering page for books and merch with in-store pickup or delivery options, plus automatic Google Business integration so local shoppers can find and buy from your store.
• Built-In Retail Features: Offer in-store discounts, digital and physical gift cards, and accept payments offline if your Wi-Fi goes down.
• App Marketplace (400+ Options): Add inventory tools for SKUs, upsells, memberships, rentals, and subscriptions to customize your POS for your bookstore’s needs.
• Fundraising Apps: Run timed campaigns or donation drives for literacy programs and local schools.
• Ticketing Apps: Sell and manage tickets for author events, workshops, and offsite readings.
• Mobile POS: Use Clover’s handheld POS as a barcode scanner and inventory checker across multiple locations.
• Booking Apps: Streamline reservations for private or group events with online booking forms or self-service calendars.

Clover POS software only works with Clover hardware.

You may purchase your Clover system from Clover or one of several Clover resellers.

We recommend the 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.

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% – 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction
• Card-Not-Present Transactions:3.5% + $0.10 per transaction

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.

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.

If you agree to Revel’s three-year, two-terminal minimum requirements, you can get Revel’s lowest rates but you will need to call for a quote. With this deal, you also have to commit to Revel for your payment processing needs for three years.

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 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.

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.

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.