5 Best POS Systems For Retail Clothing Stores In 2024

You can have an unlimited number of POS devices on the free plan, while paid plans only come with one POS register software license. Every additional register on the paid plan costs $40/device/month.

All Square POS systems come with Square’s flat-fee payment processing at the following per-transaction prices:

• In-Person Transactions: 2.5%-2.6% + $0.10
• Online Transactions: 2.6%-2.9% + $0.30

Your payment processing fees are lower on the paid Square Plus plan.

Related: Read our post on the best free POS systems.

Square offers an extensive amount of free features for boutique store owners, including:

• Free Square online store builder
• Free employee time clock, scheduling, and reporting
• Unlimited number of POS software licenses on the free plan
• TikTok social media selling and Instagram shoppable posts
• Free invoicing and online appointment setting

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 the Square Plus plan. Square’s email/SMS marketing and loyalty programs come as separate paid add-ons.

Related: Read our Square Loyalty program review.

Square handheld POS Terminal, Square Register, Square Bluetooth card reader, and Square iPad stand. (Source: Square)

• Bluetooth Card Reader: $49
• iPad Stand: $149
• Handheld Terminal: $299
• Countertop Register: $799

Several mix-and-match countertop POS kits are available and include cash drawers, receipt printers, and barcode scanners.

0%-interest financing is also available.

Related: Read our Square POS hardware guide.

If you purchase your Clover POS hardware and software plan from Clover.com, you’ll pay the following payment processing rates:

• Card-Present Transactions: 2.3%-2.6% + $0.10 per transaction
• Card-Not-Present Transactions: 3.5% + $0.10 per transaction (all Clover plans)

Card-not-present transactions include online and phone orders, invoice payments, third-party ordering platform payments, manually keyed-in card payments, and other payment types besides swipe/chip/tap card payments, cash, or check.

If you purchase your Clover POS from another provider, your account may have a different monthly pricing and payment processing model.

Related: Read our Clover POS pricing guide for more information on how Clover hardware, software, and payment processing costs work for different Clover merchant services providers.

Clover’s main advantage is the payment processing setup and easy-to-use POS software and hardware. The basic software includes in-store sales, discounts and promotions, a loyalty program (paid add-on), and an offline payments mode so you can sell at your store even if your Wi-Fi stops working.

Any advanced or specialized features you want will come in the form of a Clover app. There are 450+ apps available in Clover’s app store for things like advanced inventory management, dropshipping functions, and email newsletter management.

Clover Mini countertop POS system, Clover Flex handheld POS system, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and card reader. (Source: Clover)

• Clover Go: $49
• Clover Flex: $599
• Clover Mini: $799
• Clover Station: $1,699

Shopify earns a 4.3/5 price score because of its affordable plans that come with popular in-person and eCommerce features and slightly lower payment processing rates than other providers like Square.

For more retail features, such as in-store pickup and unlimited staff account permissions, you’ll need to add the $89/month/location Shopify Pro subscription to your base software plan.

Shopify’s in-house payment processor charges the following fees, which vary based on your pricing plan:

• In-Person Payments: 2.4%-2.7%
• Online Payments: 2.4%-2.9% + $0.30

If you prefer to use a different payment processor, you will have to pay Shopify transaction fees ranging from 0.5% to 2%.

Shopify has excellent in-store register features but earns the most feature points on multichannel sales, with a 4.3/5 rating. Its best multichannel sales features include:

• Highly customizable eCommerce store builder
• In-store pickup and comprehensive shipping suite
• Social media sales on all platforms (Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
• Online marketplace sales management (Etsy, Amazon, etc.)
• Free Shop App integration so customers can track their orders and pay in installments (if you activate the buy now, pay later option)

Shopify’s unique international online sales features include the ability to:

• Create unique geographical regions with custom shipping and tax rules
• Direct customers to region-specific domains with recommended languages and currencies based on their location
• Create custom pricing, item availability, and website content for each geographical market segment
• Offer duty and import tax estimations at checkout
• Purchase discounted international sales labels

A lot of Shopify’s best features will come from Shopify’s app market, which has 8,000+ free and paid apps.

Shopify POS register and card reader. (Source: Shopify)

• Card Reader: $49
• Handheld POS: $299
• Countertop Kit: $459
• Cash Drawer: $139
• Label Printer: $149-$499
• Barcode Scanner: $199-$289

0% interest financing is available.

Related: Read our post on Shopify hardware choices, which includes pricing and where to source your hardware.

Lightspeed earns a 3.7/5 on pricing. The provider earned points because of its array of monthly and annual plans available, free trial, affordable POS hardware options, and industry-standard flat-rate payment processing. However, it lost points because the company charges an early termination fee and some add-ons can be expensive.

In addition to your basic software fee, other monthly fees include:

• Additional Registers: $59/register
• Additional Locations: $69-$369/month
• In-Person Payments: 2.6% + $0.10
• Online Payments: 2.9% + $0.30

You’ll also pay extra for Lightspeed add-ons such as advanced inventory management and third-party software apps such as Booxi ($20/month – $80/month).

We awarded Lightspeed a 4.3/5 feature score because of the system’s strong register, store management, and niche features, which include:

• Buy online, pick up in-store, or order shipping
• Item returns and exchanges (cash or store credit)
• Automated inventory management across locations
• Easy purchase order creation
• Customizable loyalty program
• Item rental management
• Consignment store management
• Personal shopping appointment booking software

The Booxi appointment booking integration offers unique features for boutiques that want to elevate the individual shopping experience, including:

• Request or self-book appointments online
• Offer in-store try-ons and fittings for customers
• Provide multiple services in addition to shopping
• Create events such as group private shopping experiences
• Offer 1:1 in-person or video consultations to help clients style themselves or prepare for in-store appointments

Related: Read our post on the best consignment shop POS systems.

Lightspeed Retail card reader, iPad POS device in case, eCommerce site on PC and smartphone device. (Source: Lightspeed)

• Card Reader: $299
• iPad: $329
• iPad Stand: $199
• Cash Drawer: $129
• Label Printer: $124
• Receipt Printer: $399

Helcim earns a 4.1/5 price score because of its free POS software and eCommerce store builder, affordable POS hardware with financing options available, and good payment processing rates for larger-volume businesses.

The company offers all businesses interchange-plus pricing and payment processing discounts as monthly sales volumes increase.

Payment processing fees start at:

• In-Person Payments: Interchange + 0.40% + $0.08
• Online & Keyed-In Payments: Interchange + 0.50% + $0.25
• ACH Bank Payments: 0.5% + $0.25 (maximum $6 fee per transaction)

Note: Payment processing fees are automatically reduced on qualifying B2B and B2G transactions processed through Helcim, one of our best payment processing companies.

Helcim earns a perfect 5/5 in invoicing features, which include:

• Quote to invoice generation
• Add line items and discounts to invoices
• Accept invoice payments in person and through virtual terminal
• Set payment terms and accept deposits
• Charge a card on file
• Send B2B invoices to new and established corporate clients

You can generate a catalog of your brands and collections for B2B clients as well as end consumers. Customers can create online accounts and order single items or wholesale.

We also like Helcim’s AI-powered Level 2 and 3 transaction data capture (e.g. data like freight information, tax ID) to improve transaction security and decrease B2B payment processing fees from card-issuing banks.

Helcim POS on smartphone, tablet, and desktop, plus Helcim card reader. (Source: Helcim)

• Card Reader: $99
• Smart Terminal Handheld POS System: $329 (0% interest financing available)

Read our Helcim Smart Terminal review for more information on upgrading to an all-in-one mobile POS system with a built-in card reader and receipt printer.