Lightspeed vs Shopify: Find the right POS system for you

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Lightspeed vs Shopify: Find the right POS system for you

The complete POS comparison:
Lightspeed vs Shopify

We do inventory management like no one else. And that’s not all. From recurring monthly revenue through subscriptions to effortless eCommerce management and more, see why retailers pick Lightspeed over Shopify.

Main Features

Complete inventory system

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Sell serialized inventory, create assemblies out of your products and easily organize items with multiple variations using matrices. Run your inventory with one centralized database for your store and online shop.

Contactless, mobile payments

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Offer your customers a way to pay contactlessly, anywhere in store or for curbside pickup.

Recurring revenue with Subscriptions

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Automated collection of revenue from customers for recurring subscriptions or services at monthly, weekly or custom intervals.

Item import tool

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Built-in item importing tool is included with the system, allowing you to import and update items in bulk.

Complete omnichannel solution on one platform

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Manage your eCom and physical stores from the same system for increased efficiency and customer experience consistency.

Custom reorder points

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Never run out of stock. Set your desired reorder points for all your products and see when it's time to restock.

Purchase order management

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Order from any vendor and centralize purchasing for multi-store operations. Consolidate your purchase orders and special orders in one master order.

Complete multi-store management

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Reporting, gift cards, customer profiles and inventory management across all locations, from a single cloud-based platform.

Special orders and layaways

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Place special orders from the sales screen for products you don't have in stock or set items aside as a layaway order for your customers. Both features included in the POS for free.

Customer relationship management

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Track relevant information about your customers to personalize your service.

Integrated omnichannel Loyalty program

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Integrate with an omnichannel loyalty platform with built-in email marketing, a rewards program and a customer insight dashboard.

Complete built-in interactive reporting

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Build, customize and run comprehensive reports to track your sales, employees and overall performance over the last week, month, year or more.

Cloud-based across all devices

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Run your retail operation from your mobile device and access all your sales and customer data remotely.

Track service and work orders

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Create work orders, track repair status, accept deposits and create quotes for customers.

Extensive network of integrations

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Build the perfect POS solution for your business with a huge selection of plug-and-play integrations built in-house or by our trusted partners.

1:1 onboarding and 24/7 support

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24/7 phone, email and chat support included with every purchase.

Local multi-lingual support teams around the world

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The POS has been used and trusted by retailers globally for over 10 years, and is backed by experienced local retail experts who understand your reality.

Free trial accounts

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Take the POS for a free spin before you commit.
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Main Features
Complete inventory system
Contactless, mobile payments
Recurring revenue with Subscriptions
Item import tool
Complete omnichannel solution on one platform
Custom reorder points
Purchase order management
Complete multi-store management
Special orders and layaways
Customer relationship management
Integrated omnichannel Loyalty program
Complete built-in interactive reporting
Cloud-based across all devices
Track service and work orders
Extensive network of integrations
1:1 onboarding and 24/7 support
Local multi-lingual support teams around the world
Free trial accounts
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Why ex-Shopify retailers are falling in love with Lightspeed

Our POS comes with full inventory management

Unlike Shopify, Lightspeed offers a complete inventory management system. Create bundles, POs, serialized items and products with multiple variations.

We give you full control of your purchasing

Shopify is missing this core retail feature. With Lightspeed, you can create purchase orders and instantly send them to the vendor with a single click.

Process special orders / layaways for free

Shopify forces you to purchase add-ons to do this. Lightspeed lets you order products that aren’t in stock and put them on hold for customers, all for free.

We don't take a cut of your sales

Shopify charges a separate transaction fee if you don’t use Shopify Payments. Lightspeed won’t, no matter what payment provider you choose.

The important features are built in

Unlike Shopify, Lightspeed’s plans have key features you need built into the system at no additional cost.

You get our full support, all the time

We don’t believe anyone should pay for support. Get free personalized training and 24/7 phone, email and chat support included with any purchase.

Get going with Lightspeed faster.

Migrating to Lightspeed Retail? No problem. Transfer your data using Doosync by Enkidoo so you can pick your business up where you left off. No compromising your data—just business continuity with your brand new Lightspeed POS system.

Learn more

“I did lots of research to find the right POS system, but Lightspeed stood out. Plus, the customer support I’ve received has been wonderful.”

Tori Erickson, Founder, Loyal Tee Boutique

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Lightspeed better than Shopify?

Lightspeed Retail was designed with the complex needs of small and medium merchants in mind. Lightspeed offers enterprise-level technology with less of a learning curve. Shopify is missing key features SMBs need to run their business efficiently, including inventory management tools, complex sales workflows, varied item types and more.

Many customers using Shopify require 3rd party apps. You cannot manage work orders through Shopify’s POS, nor can you manage vendor returns. And the POS can only be used on iOS devices, so you don’t have the choice between using an iPad or a computer.

Lightspeed Retail can be accessed through our iOS app or through a browser, so you get to choose how you want to run your software. We natively support comprehensive inventory management, work orders, vendor returns, layaways, varied item types, special orders and more features that Shopify leaves out. And we offer free onboarding, so you’re not left in the dark when it comes to getting your system set up.

Does Lightspeed integrate with Shopify?

You can integrate Lightspeed with eCommerce platforms such as Shopify through use of integration partners such as Accumula.

However, we strongly recommend using Lightspeed eCom with Lightspeed Retail for the most seamless omnichannel experience. Lightspeed eCom was designed to integrate with Lightspeed Retail, no 3rd party connector apps needed. You’ll benefit from automatically syncing inventory management, omnichannel built-in reports and more. Lightspeed Loyalty’s omnichannel features were designed with Retail and eCom working together in mind.

What is the difference between Shopify and Lightspeed for inventory management?

Simply put, a comprehensive inventory management system is built into Lightspeed. With Shopify, it’s not. Even their Pro POS is missing key inventory management features.

With Lightspeed, you can view the average cost of inventory items. You can manage serialized inventory, sell boxed inventory and manage and sell assembly items (such as gift baskets). You can handle vendor returns and work orders. Shopify’s POS is missing those features. And you need to upgrade to Shopify Pro for easy exchanges, purchase orders, inventory counts and item transfers between locations. Lightspeed Retail supports those features on all plans.