Restaurant & Retail Cloud POS Software

Grow your business with a POS system built for your needs

A POS system helps a business accept payments and keep track of sales from any location. Integrate your POS system with hardware and software to process sales, manage inventory and more.

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Manage your business with a robust iPad POS system.

Process transactions and manage your stock on the go with Lightspeed's iPad POS systems. Our apps are intuitive to use and easy to train on, so you and your staff can get started right away.

  • Step away from the computer and work anywhere with a fully featured iPad POS system
  • Manage your business from your iPad with tools like built-in reports and purchase orders
  • Empower your staff to sell anywhere and offer mobile payments with our iPad POS system

Work wherever you want with a cloud-based POS system.

Using Lightspeed means your data is available wherever you are—at work, at home or on the road. Whether you're a restaurateur making quick menu edits on the fly or a retailer checking on end-of-day reports in your home office, being cloud-based means managing your business wherever it works for you.

  • Work on any device, anywhere you are, with cloud-based tools
  • Access your reports and data from any location
  • Monitor inventory levels from anywhere, and manage stock between locations as needed
Lightspeed POS Software

Unlock more potential for your retail shop or restaurant with an online point of sale system

Fast and intuitive

Lightspeed is more than a POS. Streamline transactions with integrated payments, plus customise our multi-location tools, integrations and workflows for your unique business.

Unrivaled support

Experience peace of mind with Lightspeed's 24/7 support and a vast library of resources. From easy onboarding to one-on-one account management, our experts are here to ensure your POS system runs smoothly.

Industry-leading insights

Get real-time reporting and visibility across your entire business—so you know what to do next. Automate tasks, integrate your systems and simplify workflows to improve business efficiency

Business intelligence, powered by your point of sale system.

Built-in reports help you track your retail margins or your bestselling menu categories, while advanced reporting modules let you go even deeper with customisable reports.

  • Get to know your business with data from built-in reports
  • Use advanced reporting for more detailed insights on your restaurant
  • Dive into Lightspeed Analytics to go deeper on your retail data
Lightspeed POS Software

Explore our extensive range of Restaurant features.

Customer Facing Display

Create a smoother, more engaging checkout experience for every customer.

Discover Customer Facing Display

Restaurant insights

Real-time business data of your restaurant lets you spot trends and make smart, fast decisions.

Discover Advanced Insights

Inventory management

Keep track of stock levels, plan orders, create fully-costed recipes, and manage your suppliers.

Discover Inventory

Kitchen display system

Keep orders flowing through your kitchen and streamline communication.

Discover KDS

Explore our extensive range of Retail features.

Multilocation management

Integrate and manage inventory, sales and customer data across all your sales channels and stores.

Discover Multi-Store

Retail insights

Get greater insight across your business with in-depth sales, staff and inventory reports to help make informed decisions.

Discover Insights

Inventory management

Effortlessly handle products, variants, and stock across all channels.

Discover Inventory Management

Ecommerce

Meet your customers where they shop, from your site to social selling to online marketplaces.

Discover Ecommerce

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What is a POS system?

A point of sale (POS) system is a suite of software and hardware that gives businesses the ability to sell products and services, manage inventory, track sales performance, build customer relationships and much more. The simplest way to understand a POS system is to think of it as a more modern cash register that can do so much more than just ring up customers.

Let’s break it down into the two main components of a POS system, POS hardware and POS software.

POS hardware is a blanket term for the physical components of your POS system. There will be some differences in the types of hardware your business needs depending on whether you run a retail or a hospitality business. However, there will be some commonalities regardless of your industry.

  • Tablet or computer—This is the device where your POS software is installed. It’s where you and your staff will interact with your POS day-to-day. Most modern POS systems run on iPads or Android tablets. However, some will also run from desktop computers.

  • Card terminal—This piece of hardware allows you to accept electronic payments like credit and debit cards, as well as mobile payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

  • Cash drawer—This is a part of your POS cash register set up, allowing you to store cash, receipts and other important documents during shifts.

  • Kitchen printer—These allow you to send orders right to the kitchen where the staff can print them out for reference while making orders. These use ink and paper that can handle the high heat and humidity of kitchen environments.

  • Kitchen display—Similar to a kitchen printer, this digital monitor allows you to display orders for your kitchen staff.

  • Barcode scanner—If you use barcodes in your retail shop, this scanner can read your codes, allowing you to ring up customers faster and more accurately.


  • POS software is the actual software application that runs on your tablet or computer. While there are many different vendors, most POS software does include some common functions.

  • Register—The register component is customer-facing and it’s where your staff actually rings up transactions for customers.

  • Inventory management—Whether it involves adding new stock, updating inventory levels or looking at your inventory turnover rate, inventory management is a major component of POS software.

  • Reporting and analytics—These tools allow you to monitor sales data, uncover trends, track profitability and much more.

  • Selling online—Today’s modern POS software often includes or integrates with an eCommerce platform, allowing you to sell online, while also syncing inventory and other data with your POS.

  • Customer marketing—Most POS software includes some basic marketing functionality like a CRM component, while also integrating with more powerful marketing tools.


    • Read our article What is a POS System and How Does a Point of Sale System Work? to learn more.

    What is the best POS system for a small business?

    Selecting the best POS system for your small business can be a difficult choice. There are many POS vendors, with each offering an overlapping feature set. So, how does a business owner go about identifying the best POS system for small business?

    The simplest approach is to take stock of the challenges you face and the business needs you’d like your POS system to satisfy. You’ll also want to consider future needs. It’s a savvy move to pick a system that you can grow on for years to come.

    Once you understand your current and future needs, it’s a matter of comparison shopping until you find the system that offers the best combination of functionality and price. This ensures you’re getting what you need at a price that will work for you long term. With that in mind, it’s our opinion that Lightspeed Retail and Lightspeed Restaurant offer a powerful combination of functionality and value that will meet the needs of any business, whether established or a new venture.

    If you’re a retailer, Lightspeed’s retail POS system offers the following key features that can help you manage and grow your business.

  • Fast, secure payments—Process sales, get paid and streamline your business from one unified platform.

  • Intuitive register screen—We make it as easy as possible for your cashiers to ring up customers quickly and accurately.

  • Inventory management—In retail, your inventory is your business. You’ll want tools that help you keep track of stock levels and alert you when it is time to order more.

  • Analytics—Your business data is one of your most powerful assets. Lightspeed Analytics turns that data into insights that help you make smart and strategic decisions.

  • eCommerce—It’s no secret that selling online is here to stay. With Lightspeed, you can easily add an online store, giving your business a lucrative new revenue stream.


    • If you run a restaurant or food service business like a bar or cafe, Lightspeed’s restaurant POS system can help you be more efficient and profitable.

  • Fast, reliable payments—Provide a better experience and handle all types of transactions with Lightspeed Payments.

  • Front-of-house tools—In food service, speed is the name of the game. Ring up orders, split checks, customise orders and more quickly and easily.

  • Online ordering and delivery—Revamp your operations and start offering online ordering for pickup and delivery, driving incremental revenue.

  • Back-of-house tools—Whether you choose a kitchen display system or a ticket printer, Lightspeed ensures your back-of-house team stays organised and serves up orders fast.

  • Table layout—All the flexibility and adaptability you need to manage your floor plan and staff assignments without the hassle and headaches of traditional systems.

  • Analytics—Determine your best selling dishes, track employee performance and identify your peak hours to understand your business and run it more effectively.

    • What is the difference between a POS system and a payment processor?

    A point of sale system is used to track and manage your inventory and ring up sales. A payment processor handles the actual transaction during sales.

    Payment processors transmit payment information between relevant parties to complete transactions—information will be sent between your business' bank account and the paying customer’s bank, for example, or between your acquiring bank and the customer’s credit card issuer.

    A point of sale system facilitates the transaction in question—if a payment processor connects to your bank, your POS system powers your till. POS systems like Lightspeed can integrate with payment processors to automatically transit information between your inventory system and card reader. In addition, Lightspeed includes tools for inventory management, CRM and data analysis, and we have even developed our own payment processing system: Lightspeed Payments.

    Does a POS system need Internet?

    Generally, yes, a cloud-based POS system needs the internet at least some of the time for various functions, such as processing credit card transactions, updating inventory in real time and syncing sales data to other systems for analytics and reporting.

    An internet-connected POS system is generally a better choice than a server-based POS, because it offers more reliability in transaction handling, allows for seamless updates and integrations with other cloud-based services and provides access to real-time data from any location without extra costs of hosting your servers yourself.

    Is hardware included in the point of sale subscription?

    When you sign up for Lightspeed POS & Payments, your business will receive one free payment terminal to use in your retail store or hospitality venue.

    Lightspeed's POS system works with many platforms. While the apps are built exclusively for Apple iPads, the POS system can be run in a web browser on any device, including Mac, PC, Apple or Android. You may be able to use all or most of your existing hardware when you add Lightspeed to your business—speak to your sales rep for more information.

    Lightspeed does not lease hardware. However, you can buy hardware directly from Lightspeed.

    What kind of support do you offer for your POS system?

    Lightspeed Restaurant users have access to 24/7 chat, email and phone support. For Lightspeed Retail users, we offer free 1:1 onboarding sessions for new merchants and some merchants will have the option for phone support, depending on their plan.

    You can find more information on how to contact Lightspeed support here.

    Lightspeed also maintains a database of Help Center articles to aid POS system users. Lightspeed users can also consult the Lightspeed Community to discuss their POS system with other retailers, restaurateurs and Lightspeed experts.

    Do I have to use your unified POS and Payments system?

    Lightspeed Payments is included in all POS system subscription options for Lightspeed Retail and Restaurant users. By embedding our payment processing, Lightspeed is able to provide highly competitive processing rates. This also allows us to continue developing and innovating payment features that will accelerate your business and delight your customers.

    If you choose to use Lightspeed Retail or Lightspeed without Lightspeed Payments, a transaction fee will apply. This is to account for the additional operational demand involved in maintaining third-party payment integrations and, for non-integrated merchants, in providing comprehensive support in areas where our agents have limited visibility.