Lightspeed, top ranked amongst POS systems
What to consider when buying a POS
With this many POS system options available, it’s easy to get confused about what tools your business needs to succeed. We’ve compiled a list of the most valuable features your point of sale should have and put all products side by side so you can see how Lightspeed stands out.
The complete POS comparison
Here's a detailed list of the key features you should look for in a point of sale. Check out a side-by-side analysis of all contenders to see why Lightspeed remains the #1 choice among serious retailers.
| Main features | Shopify POS | Square | Clover | Retail Pro | |
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Complete inventory system 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. | • | • |
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Contactless, mobile payments Offer your customers a way to pay contactlessly, anywhere in store or for curbside pickup. | • | • | • | • | • |
Item import tool Turn your iOS or Android device into a powerful inventory management tool with our Scanner app. Scanner lets you count products, track inventory and fulfill orders easily. | • | • | • |
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Complete omnichannel solution on one platform Built-in item importing tool is included with the system, allowing you to import and update items in bulk. | • | • | • |
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Custom reorder points Manage your eCom and physical stores from the same system for increased efficiency and customer experience consistency. | • |
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Purchase order management Never run out of stock. Set your desired reorder points for all your products and see when it's time to restock without needing an extra app. | • | • | • |
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Complete multi-store management Order from any vendor and centralize purchasing with built-in purchase orders. | • | • | • |
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Special orders and layaways Reporting, gift cards, customer profiles and inventory management across all locations, from a single cloud-based platform on all plans. | • |
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Customer relationship management 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. | • | • | • | • | • |
Integrated omnichannel Loyalty program From our most basic plan to most advanced, get the tools to track relevant information about your customers to personalize your service. | • |
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Complete built-in interactive reporting Integrate with an omnichannel loyalty platform with built-in email marketing, a rewards program and a customer insight dashboard. | • | • | • |
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Cloud-based across all devices Run comprehensive reports to track your sales, employees and overall performance over the last week, month, year or more. | • | • | • | • | • |
Native inventory scanning app Run your retail operation from your mobile device and access all your sales and customer data remotely. | • |
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Track service and work orders Create work orders, track repair status, accept deposits and create quotes for customers without paying extra for the tools. | • |
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Extensive network of integrations 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. | • | • | • | • | • |
Integrated B2B catalogs 24/7 phone, email and chat support included with every purchase. | • |
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1:1 onboarding and 24/7 support 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. | • |
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Direct connection to NuORDER by Lightspeed The NuORDER marketplace allows you to connect and order thousands of products from popular fashion, sporting and gift brands directly from your POS. | • |
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Free trial accounts Access thousands of products automatically synced with your POS and add key product information with Lightspeed's B2B Catalog. | • | • | • |
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| Complete inventory system | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square |
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| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Contactless, mobile payments | |
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• | |
| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover | • |
| Retail Pro | • |
| Item import tool | |
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• | |
| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Complete omnichannel solution on one platform | |
|---|---|
• | |
| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover |
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| Retail Pro |
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| Custom reorder points | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square |
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| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Purchase order management | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Complete multi-store management | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Special orders and layaways | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square |
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| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Customer relationship management | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover | • |
| Retail Pro | • |
| Integrated omnichannel Loyalty program | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square | • |
| Clover | • |
| Retail Pro |
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| Complete built-in interactive reporting | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Cloud-based across all devices | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover | • |
| Retail Pro | • |
| Native inventory scanning app | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square | • |
| Clover | • |
| Retail Pro |
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| Track service and work orders | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square |
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| Clover |
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| Retail Pro |
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| Extensive network of integrations | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
| Clover | • |
| Retail Pro | • |
| Integrated B2B catalogs | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square |
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| Clover |
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| Retail Pro |
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| 1:1 onboarding and 24/7 support | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square |
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| Clover |
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| Retail Pro | • |
| Direct connection to NuORDER by Lightspeed | |
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| Shopify POS |
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| Square |
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| Clover |
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| Retail Pro |
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| Free trial accounts | |
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| Shopify POS | • |
| Square | • |
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| Retail Pro |
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"I can go on for days about Lightspeed, I literally don’t think we would have been this successful in this past two years without Lightspeed."
Robby Yankush from YM Camera
"I can go on for days about Lightspeed, I literally don’t think we would have been this successful in this past two years without Lightspeed."
Robby Yankush from YM Camera
POS recommended by
I'm opening a new business
Opening your first store?
What if we told you Lightspeed will not only provide you with a single system to run your entire business, but our customers see a 20% increase in revenue just in their first year. New businesses choose Lightspeed for ease of use, but stay with us for consistent success and growth.
I'm looking to switch POS systems
Is your current system holding you back?
Don’t sweat the switching process; there’s no downtime and you won’t lose any of your product, customer or vendor data. Our import tool does the work for you and our onboarding team will be with you every step of the way to make sure you hit the ground running. The best part? It’s all free.
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