5 Best POS Systems For Gyms

Square POS is free for the original Square Point of Sale App, and Square Appointments for a single calendar (e.g., a personal trainer) are also free. It’s also free to send recurring invoices through Square Invoices, which works with either version of the app.

Paid apps with additional features are also available.

Add-ons can also be added to your plan for an additional fee.

Square includes the following features for gym management:

• Manage online bookings with Square Appointments
• Process recurring subscription payments with Square Invoices
• Integrates with membership apps like Gymdesk, Here, & Billforward
• Integrates with booking apps like Acuity, Appointy, Booxi, & GoDaddy Appointments
• Add-ons for marketing, loyalty, gift cards, team management, & more
• Accept tips on any version of the app
• Free website & online store (Square Online)
• Accept BNPL payments online or at your POS with built-in Afterpay integration
• Mobile POS app works on smartphone, tablet, or proprietary hardware setup

Square accounts include one free swipe card reader. You can also purchase Bluetooth readers, tablet stands, and proprietary tablet setups through Square, such as the Square Register, which comes with a POS screen, built-in payment reader, and customer-facing screen.

• Recommended: Complete Buyer’s Guide To Square POS Hardware In 2024

All Square accounts include in-house payment processing via Square Payments. The standard rate is 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person payments, though very high-volume businesses might qualify for a discount. Paid Square Appointments users also qualify for a discount.

If you accept online bookings for personal training sessions with Square Appointments, you can accept pre-payments through your website at a rate of 2.9% + $0.30; this same rate is charged for card-on-file recurring invoice payments (for club memberships, for example).

Square accounts are month-to-month with no contract. One caveat is that Square accounts do not come with a dedicated merchant account. Instead, Square uses an aggregated account processing model, which can sometimes result in issues like unexpected funding holds and account freezes.

• Recommended: Square VS Merchant Account: Which Is Better For Your Business?

Pricing starts at $30/month for one bookable calendar plus $10 per month for each additional calendar for one bookable calendar at one location. Additional fees apply for each bookable calendar added to your account. 

Add-ons are also available for an extra monthly fee.

Vagaro is complete gym management software that includes an extensive list of functions, some of which will cost you more per month:

• Membership management with autopay and different subscription tiers
• Online booking on Vagaro, Instagram, Facebook, & Apple Maps
• Customizable calendar with waitlist & resource management
• Automated notifications & appointment reminders
• 1,000 free email marketing messages to send each month
• Live stream fitness classes and virtual training sessions
• Self check-in with branded customer check-in app or by scanning phone, smart watch, or membership card at front desk
• Detailed health club client profiles
• Automatic rent collection from personal trainers who work at your gym
• Built-in free loyalty program 

Vagaro offers dual-screen “Pay Desk” POS hardware bundles to choose from but does not list pricing on its website.  Vagaro also works with iOS and Android devices.

Note: The check-in app only works with iPads and Android tablets (not the Pay Desk), so you’ll also need to purchase a separate tablet for check-in if you use this add-on with Pay Desk hardware.

Vagaro includes in-house payment processing. Vagaro charges “large merchants” processing $4,000+ a month a rate of 2.2% + $0.19, though this rate comes with a $10/monthly fee. For small merchants processing less than $4,000, Vagaro charges a flat rate of 2.75%.

The large merchant plan rate is 3.0% + $0.19 “per keyed-in transaction and association fees”; on the small merchant plan, it’s 3.5% + $0.15 per keyed-in transaction.

Vagaro says its pricing is month-to-month, but it does mention a $100 hardware discount on one-year merchant account agreements. Before signing up with Vagaro, make sure you understand if your contract is month-to-month or requires a long-term commitment.

Clover does not include built-in scheduling features so if you need this functionality, you will need to purchase a paid app that integrates with Clover.

To process recurring payments without using an integrated subscription app, you can use the Clover Virtual Terminal, which is included with most Clover plans at no additional charge.

Some features Clover offers that are beneficial to small gyms include:

• Integrates with membership apps for subscription billing, including Loyalzoo & bLoyal
• Built-in recurring billing option
• Integrates with online fitness class booking apps such as Warrior Studio Management & Inspire by STX
• Order management for your smoothie bar
• Retail management to sell your branded gym merchandise
• eCommerce integrations for your gym website
• Employee management features to manage permissions & shifts
• Easy built-in loyalty program

Clover has multiple proprietary POS hardware options, including the Clover Go handheld card reader, Clover Flex smart terminal, the Clover Mini space-saving countertop POS, and the full-sized Clover Station countertop POS. You can also mix and match, for example, by adding a portable Flex to a Clover Station or Mini setup.

Clover offers flat-rate processing starting at 2.3% – 2.6% + $0.10% per transaction. You can alternatively purchase a Clover system from an outside merchant services provider (MSP) with a different payment processing setup, such as interchange-plus.

Recurring payments processed through the Clover Virtual Terminal are charged the keyed-in transaction rate of 3.5% + $0.10 per transaction.

Clover pricing is fairly straightforward, but processing contracts are at least 36 months, with an early termination fee should you decide to leave your contract early. If you buy your system from another source, that provider will have their own contracts, which could include different fees, terms, or even an expensive equipment lease.

Make sure you’re choosing the best Clover reseller, as some Clover vendors can be less than honest or reliable.

• Recommended: Can I Buy A Used Clover POS? How To Avoid Scams In 2024

All Lightspeed plans come with one POS register software license. Adding more registers incurs an additional monthly fee.

Lightspeed Retail gym management software includes the following features:

• Built-in appointment booking through your online store
• Scheduling and booking integrations
• Built-in subscription plans, including the ability for customers to sign up for subscriptions online
• Advanced retail functionality, including purchase ordering and inventory analytics
• Built-in SEO tools for your integrated online store
• Add-ons for loyalty, gift cards, accounting, eComm, and advanced reporting

Lightspeed also integrates with third-party loyalty apps, which may have lower pricing than Lightspeed’s built-in loyalty solution.

Lightspeed Retail works with iPads or desktop computers. If you need to purchase hardware, you can reach out to Lightspeed for a personalized quote.

Note: Lightspeed Retail now requires all new qualified merchants in the US and Canada to use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s payment processor.

If you currently use a card reader from a third-party payment processor, you can’t use it anymore. Since you can’t use any existing payment terminals (card readers) with Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed is currently running a free terminal replacement promotion for eligible merchants that includes two free Lightspeed POS terminals (card readers) per qualified merchant.

Eligible merchants include business owners who process a minimum of $100/day in credit card payments, as measured by a monthly average. Apple products are not included in this promotion, so you’ll still need to source an iPad to take sales.

Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s in-house payment processor, is required for all new and existing merchants using Lightspeed. The processor charges a flat-rate fee of 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person payments and 2.9% + $0.30 for online and card-not-present payments.

Note: If you are a current Lightspeed Retail user in the US or Canada and use a third-party payment processor, and you qualify for Lightspeed Payments, you must switch to Lightspeed Payments within 30 days of receiving an email notifying you about the switch.

Lightspeed will also buy out third-party payment processing contracts, paying off your early cancellation fees if you process a minimum of $25,000 in card sales and then submit documentation of your previous payment processing contract that states your early termination fee within six months of meeting this minimum processing amount.

It’s important to note that the “paying off” comes in the form of discounted payment processing fees, not a chunk of cash that goes towards your termination fees when you switch to Lightspeed Payments.

Lightspeed offers monthly and annual plans. While you get a good discount on annual plans, you will have to pay an early termination fee if you cancel your Lightspeed plan early. With this in mind, consider signing up for a monthly plan, then switching to a long-term one once you’re sure Lightspeed Retail is right for your gym.

You must verify any Lightspeed hardware purchases within five business days of receiving them, or the equipment will not be covered under Lightspeed’s 30-day hardware warranty (14 days on Apple products).

If you want advanced in-person selling features (which may or may not be necessary since these features are mostly geared toward retail stores), you can add Shopify POS Pro for an additional monthly fee. Pricing to add third-party apps for features such as memberships or online bookings varies, though there are some free apps available.

Shopify has the following gym management software features:

• Multitude of gym website templates to choose from
• Sell services & merchandise on your website & in person
• Website has built-in blog for content marketing
• Integrates with numerous booking apps, including Sesami, Appointly, Servicify, & many more
• Integrates with membership & recurring billing software like Appstle, Simplee, Conjured, BOLD & others
• Retail management features for gyms that sell merch
• Mobile selling with Shopify Lite
• Advanced employee management with Shopify POS Pro

Shopify works on most smartphones or tablets—all you need to start taking in-person payments is a Shopify mobile card reader. Shopify also supports Tap to Pay on iPhone which allows you to accept contactless payments without any card reader.

Most gyms, however, will want to purchase a full countertop register setup for an iPad or Android tablet. On Shopify’s website you can purchase a basic POS hardware bundle that includes a tablet stand and connected payment reader. You can also source your own POS hardware as long as it’s compatible.

Shopify payment processing depends on what level plan you’re on. Rates range from 2.4 – 2.9% for in-person payments and from for online payments.

You can also integrate an outside payment processor to use with Shopify, but there will be an additional fee added to each transaction.

Shopify is month-to-month with no contract. However, it’s important to know that like Square, Shopify uses an aggregated merchant account model (Shopify Payments is actually powered by online payment processor Stripe), which can equate to less account stability than you’d get with a traditional merchant account. Also, you will need to pay for a year’s service in advance to get the lowest price.