5 Best POS Systems For Gyms To Get More Members In 2023

Square is the most comprehensive free POS system for gyms. The mobile POS app even includes a free card reader, free recurring subscription billing, a free website, and free online appointment booking (for one staff). However, you will pay extra if you need to book appointments for multiple staff or if you want to integrate Square with a more comprehensive gym management software app like Gymdesk.

Without integrations, the free versions of Square (Square POS and Square Appointments) are somewhat basic, but for small fitness studios and independent personal trainers, this may be all you need. If you have more robust needs, you can build your perfect POS using Square’s numerous paid integrations and add-ons.

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. Note that Square Point of Sale and Square Appointments are separate POS systems, and you’ll need to decide which one you will use. It’s also free to send recurring invoices through Square Invoices, which works with either version of the app.

Square offers paid add-ons such as Teams Plus ($35/month) for advanced team management and Square Marketing, which starts at $15/month. Square also has paid Square Appointments plans that allow for multiple staff appointments—these plans start at $29/month. Pricing varies for third-party gym management software apps that connect with Square.

Square gym management software includes the following features:

• Manage online bookings with Square Appointments version of the app
• 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. For example, a Square Register, which comes with a POS screen, built-in payment reader, and customer-facing screen, is $799.

Square has a built-in points-based rewards program called Square Loyalty. Customers are easily onboarded at checkout by giving their phone number, and after that, they’ll receive a text after every transaction updating them on their points balance. Once they have enough points, customers can redeem them for rewards at your Square POS or on your Square website.

Square Loyalty pricing starts at $45/month.

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; processing on these plans is 2.5% + $0.10.

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. Learn more about how Square compares with a traditional merchant account.

Clover is an affordable, all-in-one POS system that includes software, hardware, and payment processing. Its core functionality is somewhat simple but you can expand and customize your system with apps from the Clover App Market. If you have a small gym with relatively basic needs, it would be hard to do better than this attractive, easy-to-use system.

Clover doesn’t have extensive built-in features for gyms, but it integrates with some excellent apps such as Loyalzoo for membership management and customer self-check-in, and Zoomifi to let customers book training appointments online. Clover also comes with some basic retail and restaurant features, which can be useful if your gym sells any merch or food.

Clover software plans start at $0/month for basic payment processing (and hardly any other features), though most gym businesses will want the $49.95/month Register plan to receive the full set of Clover features. 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.

Gym management software features included with Clover consist of the following:

• 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 Flex smart terminal ($599), the Clover Mini space-saving countertop POS ($799), and the full-sized Clover Station countertop POS ($1,699 or $1,799). You can also mix and match, for example, by adding a portable Flex to a Clover Station or Mini setup.

Clover Rewards is Clover’s in-house loyalty program. Like Square Loyalty, Clover Rewards is a points-based program that’s built into your POS with easy customer onboarding using a phone number or email address. Clover Rewards has the advantage of being included free on any paid Clover software plan. There’s also a Clover mobile app customers can download to track their loyalty points and order ahead.

You can also integrate various third-party rewards apps with Clover; for example, subscription billing add-ons Loyalzoo or bLoyal also offer rewards functionality.

Clover offers flat-rate processing ranging from 2.3-2-6% + $0.10, depending on what plan you’re on. 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.

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.

Not all Clover providers are reputable, so if you do decide to go with an outside vendor, make sure you choose a recommended Clover provider.

Lightspeed is one of our favorite iPad POS systems, thanks to its ease of use and depth of features.

Though Lightspeed Retail isn’t expressly designed for the service or fitness industries, features like subscription billing, customer management, and appointment booking make it possible for you to use this POS for your gym or fitness center. Lightspeed also integrates with third-party booking and membership management software.

The benefit of using Lightspeed instead of a dedicated gym POS is that Lightspeed excels in multichannel retail — which makes the POS ideal for gyms that also sell merchandise, either in-store or on their website. Many service industry POS systems lack inventory management functionality, so if you have a lot of merch to manage, it may make sense for your business to use a retail POS like Lightspeed that can be modified for use in the fitness industry.

Lightspeed Retail pricing starts at $69/month with annual billing (or $89/month if you pay month-to-month) for one terminal.

All Lightspeed plans come with one POS register software license. You’ll pay an extra $59/month/device to add on more registers.

Lightspeed Retail gym management software includes the following features:

• Built-in appointment booking through your online store
• Scheduling and booking integrations, such as booxi
• 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 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 that 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 Retail has a built-in loyalty program with advanced functionality. The points-based program is customizable and omnichannel with integrated marketing features, and Lightspeed can port over data from your previous customer loyalty program if needed. The not-so-great news is that loyalty is only available on Advanced plans ($199/month if paid annually or $269/month if paid monthly).

However, Lightspeed also integrates with third-party loyalty apps such as Loyal2, which may have lower pricing than using Lightspeed’s built-in loyalty solution.

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).

Customizable Shopify websites are ideal for gyms that sell services and merch online. However, Shopify makes it just as easy to sell in person with its integrated Shopify POS. Though Shopify was originally designed for retail commerce and is not dedicated gym management software, its wide assortment of app integrations lets you customize your system for any industry, including fitness. Whether you’re a personal trainer who wants to book appointments online and take in-person payments, or a busy gym that needs an affordable POS with an awesome website, Shopify can meet your needs.

Shopify plans start at $29/month for the Basic plan (paid annually, or $39/month paid monthly), which includes basic in-person selling features and a full-fledged Shopify website.

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 another $79/month ($89/month if paid monthly). 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 apps 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 $49 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 for $219. 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 2.4-2.7% for in-person payments and from 2.4-2.9% + $0.30 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 in order to get the lowest price.

With its extensive fitness club feature set that includes independent contractor management and fitness class bookings, Vagaro is ideal for large fitness clubs that hire out personal trainers and offer group classes. Vagaro simplifies common gym management tasks like selling memberships, offering online 1:1 appointments, checking in clients for fitness classes, and collecting rent from instructors.

Please note that we haven’t reviewed Vagaro in full, and we aren’t 100% familiar with their merchant services. But the fact that they offer month-to-month contracts and transparent flat-rate processing are points in Vagaro’s favor.

Vagaro’s base price starts at $25/month for a single bookable calendar and goes up to $85/month for 7+ calendars. The booking website costs another $10/month, or you can pay $200/month for your branded app that clients can book from. If you want a check-in app that lets members check in themselves for classes and events, this will only set you back an additional $10/month.

To see pricing for Vagaro’s various other add-ons, check their website.

Vagaro is complete gym management software that includes an extensive list of functions:

• 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
• Free listing for your business on Vagaro Marketplace

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 that 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 has a native loyalty program in which you can assign points for purchases such as classes, retail items, memberships, and other products and services. The customer can then redeem accrued points for free services, classes, or products. This loyalty functionality comes free with your base subscription package.

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 keyed-in rate on the large merchant plan 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 longer-term commitment.