6 Best POS Systems For Rental Businesses In 2023

Lightspeed Retail Features

While Lightspeed Retail has a number of retail-focused features, these are the most noteworthy for rental businesses:

• Integration with Rental Shop Manager, a software program that handles all aspects of running a rental business
• Rental quotes
• Item holds and layaways
• Work and purchase order management
• Multilocation management
• Employee management
• Online reservations for items, venues, etc.
• Gift cards, discounts, and loyalty program setup

Lightspeed Retail Pricing

• Lean Plan: $89/month, or $69/month if billed annually
• Standard Plan: $149/month, or $119/month if billed annually
• Advanced Plan: $269/month, or $199/month if billed annually

These plans are for one register and rental business owners who agree to use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s in-house payment processor.

Each additional register costs $59/month. Integrating a third-party payment processor, such as TSYS or Worldpay, costs an extra $50/month.

Hardware Cost

Lightspeed Retail works on iPads and computers, although iPads are ideal for moving around stores, events, or outdoor locations. Hardware such as printers and barcode scanners are quote-based.

Payment Processing

Lightspeed offers its own payment processing at a rate of 2.6% plus $0.10 per tap, swipe, or chip payment and 2.6% plus $0.30 per manual card entry. You must purchase a terminal from Lightspeed to use the company’s payment processing.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

You can sign up for a monthly plan (which is recommended unless and until you are certain you have found the right POS software) or a yearly one. There is an early termination fee if you cancel your plan early.

You have to contact Lightspeed’s billing department at least 30 days before your next payment cycle to avoid being charged for an additional payment term.

If you purchase POS hardware from Lightspeed, you must confirm that you have received your purchase within five business days of receiving it. If you don’t, the hardware will not qualify for Lightspeed’s 30-day hardware warranty (14 days for Apple products).

There is a $50/month fee to use a payment processor other than Lightspeed Payments.

Where Lightspeed Retail Really Shines

Lightspeed Retail is one of the best POS systems for retail businesses and has many features that can be specifically tailored toward several types of rental businesses. In most cases, rental business owners can get away with running an entire rental business without paying for any additional software.

Since the POS software is so easy to use, more employees can get trained without any hassle, customers can rent items faster, and moving inventory is easier to track.

Clover Features

Clover on its own may not seem worth the research and hardware purchasing upfront, its app marketplace is where you’ll find the true value of this POS provider. Some of the best rental-focused features include:

• Rental timer for charging minute, hourly, or daily rental rates
• Employee clock in and out
• Pre-authorization
• Online ordering and payments
• Item returns and history
• Customer loyalty program setup
• Digital and physical gift cards
• Rental agreement form builders and digital form signatures
• Integrations with software such as Gusto Payroll and BigCommerce website builder
• Access to 450+ Clover apps (limited access on Essentials plan; full access on Register plan)

Clover Pricing

Clover has two different pricing structures available. You can buy your hardware outright and pay a monthly subscription fee of $14.95 to $94.85. If you don’t want to purchase your equipment outright, you can use Clover’s leasing option. With this option, you can pay for your Clover hardware and POS software with a single subscription. Monthly payments with this option range from $50 to $290 per month.

Hardware Cost

You can buy Clover hardware from the POS provider itself ($49 to $1,799, depending on the device) or from any one of the thousands of Clover resellers. Hardware and payment processing costs vary depending on where you purchase from.

You also cannot mix and match hardware from other POS companies if you use Clover, so do your research before buying. Read this full breakdown of Clover POS pricing so you can make an informed POS purchase.

Payment Processing

If you buy hardware from Clover, you must also use Clover’s merchant service provider, Fiserv. You can expect to pay a transaction fee of 2.3% or 2.6%, plus a $0.10 flat fee, per in-person transaction.

However, Fiserv has a poor reputation as a merchant service provider and it may be best to purchase a Clover system from one of these best Clover resellers.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Your contract requirements will vary depending on where you get your Clover hardware and corresponding merchant account. If you purchase hardware from Clover.com, you can return it within 60 days of purchase.

On the Clover software side, plans are month-to-month, and you can cancel at any time with no termination fees.

Where Clover Really Shines

Since Clover hardware is always sold along with a merchant service provider, getting your POS set up becomes as simple as making a purchase and putting the hardware together. The system is so intuitive that it should only take you (and any employees) less than an hour to start taking orders.

Clover was also designed as a customizable POS with an app store that acts almost like the Google Play store. Rental business owners can easily search for and install well-tested apps that fit their business needs.

Square For Retail Features

Square is one of the best free POS options and has taken the small business world by storm, for good reasons. Rental business owners will appreciate these features:

• Rental-specific POS app
• Free online appointment booking and reservations
• Team management, including time clock and payroll reporting
• Pre-authorization
• Free Square online checkout links
• Free or low-cost Square-hosted website
• Multilocation inventory management (starting at Plus plan)
• Automated purchase orders and vendor tracking (starting at Plus plan)
• Rental contract builder and digital signature capture

Square For Retail Pricing

• Free: $0/month
• Plus: $60/month per location (not per register)
• Premium: Custom pricing

You can use one Square account on several devices in one location. However, if you are taking orders on devices in two different shops, then you need to pay for two locations.

Hardware Cost

Rental business owners, if they choose to purchase Square hardware, will pay between $0 (Square magstripe reader) and $1,329 (Square Register kit.) If you have a very low budget, consider a free Square reader or $49 Square Contactless + Chip Reader.

Read our full guide to Square hardware to figure out what your rental business needs.

Payment Processing

Square charges a payment processing fee of 2.6% plus $0.10 per card-present transaction on the Free plan. The fee reduces to 2.5% plus $0.10 on the Plus plan.

Regardless of your plan, you are charged a 3.5% plus $0.15 fee for card-not-present transactions. Also, the fee for online transactions and invoices is 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Square charges merchants on a month-to-month basis (if they’re on a paid plan). It’s free and easy to cancel if you decide that Square isn’t the right POS for you.

Square also has a limited-time hardware warranty. If you damage your Square hardware within that time period, you can submit a warranty claim, and Square will send you new equipment, even if you didn’t purchase directly from Square. You must send the old pieces back to Square within 14 days of receiving your new hardware, or your account will be charged.

Where Square For Retail Really Shines

Square has broken many of the sales barriers for small business owners. This POS provider has made it fast, simple, and affordable for anyone to start taking payments online and in person.

Square’s hardware is inexpensive compared to competitors, and monthly subscription fees are reasonably priced (there’s even a free plan). Square is also special in that you can use multiple devices as registers without having to pay for each device, which is not common among POS solutions.

Shopify Features

While Shopify plans on their own do a lot of the heavy lifting, Shopify’s app store (filled with free and paid add-ons) is an excellent way to add on rental-specific features.

Here are some of the best features from both Shopify and the Shopify app store:

• Selling on your own Shopify-managed website (starting at Basic plan)
• Social media advertising and in-app selling
• Buy online, pick up in-store
• Real-time inventory management across rental locations
• Rental returns at any of your locations
• ID verification (add-on app)
• Appointment booking (add-on app)
• Product reservations and calendar syncing (add-on app)
• Discounts, gift cards, returns, and store credit
• Product booking forms and custom booking rules (add-on app)
• Automated return reminders (add-on app)
• Employee roles and user permissions (POS Pro subscription plan only)
• In-store QR codes that can link to product descriptions

Shopify Pricing

• Shopify Starter: $5/month
• Basic: $29/month
• Shopify: $79/month
• Advanced: $299/month
• Shopify Plus: $2000+/month

Shopify offers a 10% discount on annual plans and a 20% discount on biannual plans when you pay upfront.

Note: Shopify offers a POS Pro subscription that costs an additional $89/month/location. This plan offers an unlimited number of employees and staff roles, local delivery and pickup, and other advanced POS features.

Hardware Cost

Shopify hardware ranges from $29 (Shopify Chip & Swipe Reader) to $569 (Star® mPOP™ With Scanner, Shopify’s all-in-one customizable retail hardware package.)

Read our guide on Shopify Hardware options and pricing to get a sense of what Shopify can offer your rental business.

Payment Processing

Shopify offers its own payment processor, Shopify Payments, to qualifying business owners. With it, business owners do not have to pay Shopify’s transaction fees.

In-person payment processing fees range from 2.4% to 2.7% per in-person transaction. Online payment processing fees range from 2.4% to 2.9% plus a $0.30 flat fee per purchase.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

You must buy a card reader from Shopify if you want to use Shopify’s payment processor. If you want to use the Shopify Lite plan, you can only use Shopify Payments. If you use a Shopify-supported third-party payment processor, you must use a card reader from that processor.

There are no early termination fees.

Where Shopify Really Shines

Shopify was first built for business owners looking to take their sales online with completely Shopify-managed websites (starting at the Basic plan) or by simply adding online selling capabilities anywhere online or in-person (Shopify Lite plan).

The Shopify app store will also let you add just about any rental-specific functionality you’re looking for. If you’re looking to take any aspect of your business online, Shopify is a strong choice.

EZRentOut Features

EZRentOut is designed for midsize B2B rental businesses, which is why the software includes the following features:

• Customizable orders and invoicing
• B2B customer management system
• Rental pricing rules such as seasonal pricing and customer category price adjustments
• Electronic signatures (on-site and online)
• Bookings, reservations, and availability calendar
• Recurring orders (starting at Plus plan)
• Sub rental management (starting at Plus plan)
• Late return fees (starting at Plus plan)
• Bundles and promotions
• Item services and maintenance management
• Depreciation of equipment
• Purchase orders (starting at Plus plan)
• Work orders (starting at Premium plan)
• Customer portal (starting at Plus plan)
• Online rental store (starting at Premium plan)
• Integration with web builders such as WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace (starting at Premium plan)
• QuickBooks integration (starting at Plus plan)
• Online and offline payments (starting at Plus plan)
• Location tracking
• QR codes and barcode labels, scannable with the EZRentOut mobile app
• Handheld scanner integration (starting at Plus plan)

EZRentOut Pricing

• Standard: $49.98/month for up to two users
• Plus: $134.97/month for up to three users
• Premium: $224.95/month for up to five users

EZRentOut offers a 10% discount when you purchase a yearly plan and pay upfront.

You must pay an additional $20/month/user if you choose to add additional users to your account.

Hardware Cost

EZRentOut does not offer its own hardware. Instead, the company has partnered with Stripe to offer users a secure swipe, chip, and tap card reader, which costs $249. You can also use a basic magnetic card reader, but those readers don’t have the same level of security standards.

EZRentOut lists hardware recommendations for barcode and QR code printers, scanners, and electronic signature pads. In general, the company allows you to be flexible in terms of hardware, so you can find the best deals out there.

Payment Processing

EZRentOutdoes not offer its own payment processing but works with several popular payment processors, including Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, and Braintree.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

There is no early termination fee for canceling your account.

There are also no refunds if you cancel your account before your subscription is up. Use EZRentOut’s 15-day trial (no credit card required) before subscribing to a paid plan. If you’re still not totally sold, subscribe on a month-to-month basis.

Where EZRentOut Really Shines

EZRentOut is not first and foremost a POS provider, but a large-scale rental management software. Any business that rents its products out to other businesses, such as realty agencies, party planning companies, universities, medical equipment lenders, or construction companies, will find the customer and vendor management functionalities they need with EZRentOut.

EZRentOut does make POS hardware connection and payment processing extremely flexible, so don’t think you’ll miss out on any in-person transactions with this highly tailored rental solution.

Paradise POS Features

Paradise POS is designed for rental business owners who may not always have a steady WiFi connection. All the following features are included in every Paradise POS plan without the need for any add-ons, free or otherwise:

• Offline payment processing
• Employee scheduling and time tracking
• Customizable gift cards
• Hourly, daily, and by-the-minute rental timeframes
• Rental deposits
• Customer account management
• ID scanning and age verification
• Rental pickup and dropoff at any of your locations
• Product costing and vendor management
• Intuitive upselling

Paradise POS Pricing

Paradise POS pricing is quote-based, but you can expect to pay roughly $50/month to use this rental-focused software.

Hardware Cost

While Paradise POS does not explicitly state hardware costs on their website, you may pay around a one-time $1,300 fee for an iPad, iPad stand, printer, cash drawer, credit card terminal, router, and ethernet cords.

All of this allows you to set up a local connection between your different POS systems so you can take offline payments and manage your rental business without relying on an internet connection.

Payment Processing

Paradise POS does not offer its own payment processing but works with several popular payment processors.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Since Paradise POS is quote-based and varies depending on individual circumstances, be sure to discuss your options with a Paradise POS representative and carefully read over your contract before making any commitments.

Where Paradise POS Really Shines

All Paradise POS features are designed specifically for rental businesses, so there’s no need to “find the perfect integration” to make a POS for your rental business perfect. It’s also designed to work as a smartphone does, so it’s easy for everyone, including customers, to use.

Equally, or even more importantly, Paradise POS systems continue to process payments even if your internet connection is down or out of range. For businesses in locations with spotty WiFi (like remote Alaskan boat rental places), this feature will save hundreds of dollars that would otherwise be lost to a bad internet connection.