--- title: "Lightspeed Retail Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Lightspeed Retail the right Retail POS System solution for you? Explore 975 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/120491/Lightspeed-Retail/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Lightspeed Retail 4 (975) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/120491/Lightspeed-Retail/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 26th, 2026 # Reviews of Lightspeed Retail Ease of use 4.1 Customer Service 3.9 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews CT Carleton T AdminRetail, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The main reason I signed up for Lightspeed Retail was so that I could keep my e-commerce website's stock properly synced up with my in-store retail stock.“ December 7, 2024 ES Elissa S OwnerRetail, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It is embarrassing to have to punch customers' cc numbers in manually because you cannot obtain a functioning credit card machine.“ October 22, 2025 ED Erin D Owner OperatorHospitality, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Our new system is easier for staff, more transparent on the backend, and supported by a team that actually communicates and follows through. If you’re unhappy with Lightspeed, trust me, you’re not stuck.“ July 20, 2025 GF Giuliana F co ownerRetail, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Then, on \[sensitive content hidden\], I received an unexpected invoice for an additional $930. When I contacted the billing department, I was told this was a fee for not using Lightspeed's credit card processing.“ September 28, 2025 AB Amile B AdministratorHospitality, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It helps to give you a better view and analysis of your sales reports.“ March 5, 2025 ES Elissa S OwnerRetail, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “In addition, I just received an email that the cost of the service will be increasing by $40/month, making it more expensive than most retail POS subscriptions.“ October 22, 2025 AB Amile B AdministratorHospitality, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I like the inventory tracking and categorising your products.“ March 5, 2025 GF Giuliana F co ownerRetail, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “After reading other reviews, I’ve found that I’m not alone in this situation—other customers have faced similar issues with misleading promises and unexpected fees.“ September 28, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 975 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Jessica F. Owner Retail Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best POS for small businesses" September 4, 2019 5.0 One major benefit is how easy my ordering is with their PO system. Pros I moved from Lightspeed to Clover and it's night and day. I had to piecemeal the Clover system on the back end to be useful and Lightspeed hands you so much. I've since added more and more of the Lightspeed system like loyalty because their tools are amazing. One of the best parts is their customer service. You get quick answers and they go above and beyond. Whether it's something as simple as why isn't my shipping working on ecom or how can I verify my website with the different social media platforms, their FAQs and customer service team never disappoint. If you are thinking about switching, do it. You won't regret it. It's made me more efficient all around. Thanks Lightspeed! Cons Lots of different options so it takes a bit to determine what you need to use. Alternatives considered [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/)[Shopify POS](https://www.capterra.com/p/205337/Shopify-POS/)[Revel Systems](https://www.capterra.com/p/135040/Revel-iPad-POS/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail Best integration of inventory, ease of use, I liked all the different standard things the system had like inventory POs, employees, special orders, and more. Switched from [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/)[Shopify POS](https://www.capterra.com/p/205337/Shopify-POS/)[Revel Systems](https://www.capterra.com/p/135040/Revel-iPad-POS/) Clover wouldn't allow me to do a website. Lightspeed integrates inventory on the brick and mortar and ecommerce sides. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Freelancer Telecommunications Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The Point of Sale solution" January 7, 2021 4.0 Overall, the software does a great job in helping Accountants, managers and front liners in the Retail industry. What's great is that it integrates with ECommerce to be more efficient in selling your products out there, not just from the brick and mortar setup, but in the online as well. Pros I tinkered with this software and got ot know this from the inside and out. I like the functionalities as it allows you to break free from the spreadsheet and manual entry. Gone are the days of tallying and doing adjustments on a piece of paper. It has filter functions for reporting, it auto calculates taxes by assigning it in the initial setup, browser printing integration, you can conveniently import inventory from a csv file to your POS system and export those reports in a csv format. The hardware associated to it works seamlessly like the tablets, scanners, and printers. Although , it endorses Apple products, it works perfectly fine with Windows operating systems. It also has a companion product which is called Lightspeed Accounting that is comparable to Quickbooks Cons A few bugs are slowly being fixed as each maintenance and update is released, just like any other software. Although workarounds can be done to remedy it, but you'd have to seek assistance from Tech Support. Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Enterprise](https://www.capterra.com/p/174984/QuickBooks-Enterprise/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail We were after functionalities that Lightspeed can provide. Although both of them are similar, the interface is more user-friendly compared to Quickbooks. And that is important for us, since learning a new tool can be taxing with the time you need to spend navigating and learning it from the inside and out. Review Source GB Guy B. Owner Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Some good capabilities, poor customer service." December 23, 2024 2.0 Very poor customer service. Issues with inventory management. High turnover of account managers, no follow up from supervisors. Pros Canned reports were good, Intuitive for the most part. Cons Very lacking in customer service. Unwillingness to meet specific requirements, dismissive. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Sr. Analyst Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best POS System in the Business" May 1, 2020 5.0 We had two separate Retail POS systems in our organization. One was so antiquated it had to be replaced and the second one was experiencing issues everyday and the support was lousy. We purchased LightSpeed. I had the Retail Operators go through the setup videos and make decisions on how they wanted to setup the system based on the videos. Then, when the Operators completed their training, I had them configure LightSpeed themselves based on what they learned and the decisions they made. We then entered the inventory and the rest is history. I would recommend LightSpeed to anyone looking for a retail POS no matter what size. Pros I have installed numerous POS systems in my 30+ years of experience. LightSpeed is by far the most comprehensive system, yet easiest system to implement and use. There support mechanism is second to none. If you look your question up in help, there will be documentation to answer your question, and chances are there is a video that walks you step by step through the solution. If you feel like you want to get live help, there chat mechanism is one of the best, better yet, the support people on the chat are the most patient and knowledgeable support people in the business. Simply the best. Cons I don't have any comments for this section Alternatives considered [Bindo POS](https://www.capterra.com/p/143814/Bindo-POS/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail Price and product Switched from [Bindo POS](https://www.capterra.com/p/143814/Bindo-POS/) Previous system just was not capable of doing what we purchased it to do. Review Source Rosaline L. Restaurant manager Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Most complete and easy POS" September 2, 2020 5.0 Very easy to use Pros It is easy to use as you can search for the individual items and put items in categories. It also enable us to put in modifier on each item with additional price too Cons Very expensive compared to other POS. Only if the report format can be modified to be a little bit more simpler Alternatives considered [Moka](https://www.capterra.com/p/199872/Moka/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail It has more usable function, example: in moka you cannot make sub recipes whilst in lightspeed i can. So we do not need to reinput every single sauce ingredients on different dishes that use the same sauce Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director Retail Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Not compatible with existing WooCommerce / Terrible Customer Service" October 13, 2023 1.0 A true business interruption costing us significant time and money! Pros It was so dumbed down that anyone could use it, sadly this also makes it vulnerable to security breaches and theft Cons Almost everything, from being totally mislead in the sales process, squeezed into their processing, ignored and dismissed on support tickets. Terrible service overall. Alternatives considered [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/)[Clover](https://www.capterra.com/p/226864/Clover/)[KORONA POS](https://www.capterra.com/p/142520/KORONA/)[Hike](https://www.capterra.com/p/145383/Hike-Point-of-Sale/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail The salesman was relentless and lied to me about it's capabilities even with detail Q&A. I was mislead by their white papers and sales process only to be dropped like a hot potato and bounced from department to department with no resolution or solutions. They refuse to escalate anything to a management member. Review Source Response from Lightspeed October 19, 2023 Hi, We would like to sincerely apologize for your recent experience with Lightspeed. It is our utmost priority to provide products and services that allow our customers to focus on running their businesses with ease. We value all feedback and would like to learn more about your specific experience, to have the opportunity to address your needs and concerns. As we are unable to identify your account within our records, please feel free to contact our Customer Success team should you wish to provide further feedback. You may reach us via email at engage@lightspeedhq.com. VR Verified Reviewer Owner Tobacco Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Do not use Lightspeed for easy use" November 22, 2022 3.0 I really dislike Lightspeed, but most other companies do not want to take on the risk of CBD, so Im stuck with Lightspeed Pros nothing at all, i do not like this software Cons Loyalty program, discounts are hard long and aggravating to set up, customer service takes a long time to respond, Alternatives considered [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/)[Cloverleaf](https://www.capterra.com/p/232657/Cloverleaf/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail Because the other ones would not take CBD sales Switched from [QuickBooks Enterprise](https://www.capterra.com/p/174984/QuickBooks-Enterprise/) I wanted a more user friendly POS, smaller, more easily accessible Review Source Response from Lightspeed November 30, 2022 Hello, Thank you for your feedback. It is our utmost priority to provide a product and service that allows our customers to focus on running their businesses with ease. We are sorry to hear you were less than satisfied. As we are unable to identify your account within our records, please feel free to contact our Customer Success team should you wish to provide further feedback. You may reach us at NoAM Toll-Free: +1 844 365-2868. Thank you, Lightspeed Commerce LF Lena F. CEO Retail Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "The WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE" June 9, 2022 1.0 If your thinking of using Lightspeed, skip the hours of frustration and go straight to Square or Shopify. The customer service is the worst I’ve ever encountered, and I work in customer service. The sales rep I was assigned was dishonest, unresponsive and incompetent. I literally spent hours trying to make things work. I asked on numerous occasions to be sent to someone else and the company could not seem to do it. I asked to speak to his manager, and was referred back to him. It was the most bizarre and frustrating experience I’ve had in 13 years as a retailer. Pros I liked the idea of all the integrations Cons Terrible customer support. There was no way for me to really evaluate the functionality of the software bc of this Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail I didn’t. In the end I abandoned the idea after weeks of trying to make it work and switched to Square. Switched from [Shopify](https://www.capterra.com/p/83891/Shopify/) I thought the more sophisticated inventory management would be helpful Review Source Response from Lightspeed June 10, 2022 Hi Lena, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you were less than satisfied with your recent experience with Lightspeed. It is our utmost priority to provide a product and service that allows our customers to focus on running their businesses with ease. Someone will be reaching out to you once more to discuss your request further and next steps. Thank you for your understanding. Thank you, Lightspeed Commerce Nerissa L. Managing Owner/ Store Manager Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great for Retail" September 29, 2022 5.0 Pros We have been using Lightspeed for our retail firearm business and this has been very helpful for us in monitoring our sales and inventory. This is great for small businesses like us and priced reasonably. Cons None that i can think of. Lightspeed has been great for our business. Alternatives considered [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail Better in inventory management, control and audit for Lightspeed Switched from [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/) Better in inventory management, control and audit for Lightspeed Review Source VC Veronika C. Owner Restaurants Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "POS for New Restaurant Owners" November 5, 2019 5.0 Never had a system this advanced before. I keep trying to implement more features to benefit the daily running of our restaurant. Pros Easy to use and set-up. Customer support is great. You are always talking to a real person and they always answer your questions or solve your problems. Cons There have been a few bugs every now and again. I would have liked some more one on one time when setting up our system. Alternatives considered [Lavu](https://www.capterra.com/p/118828/Lavu/)[TouchBistro](https://www.capterra.com/p/140677/TouchBistro/)[Oracle Primavera Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/145503/Oracle-Primavera/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail The weren't pushy. They let us decide. There was always someone there to talk to. Webinars were great! Review Source NK Nathan K. Marketing Manager Sporting Goods Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Lightspeed is among the best POS platforms for growing businesses" September 17, 2019 4.0 Lightspeed has proven to be an extremely stable POS system for our usage. Downtime has been extremely minimal and Lightspeed support teams are always able to get us back up and running quickly--often before the operating hours of our stores. With the stability of the software and the advanced insights into sales trends, we are able to understand our merchandising and inventory needs at a much more granular level. This ensures that we aren't wasting dollars on excessive inventory that is difficult to sell. We are also able to focus on the operational aspects of the business since the software has been so stable and reliable for us. Pros The sales tools are very easy to understand and enable us to train new employees quickly on the software. The software also makes managing multiple store locations easy and centralizes order and vendor information for our product managers to use across the company and analytics and insights that the software provides is essential to master the merchandising and inventory needs of our store. Cons While Lightspeed offers excellent analytics tools and integrations, most of them come at an additional cost which may be a deterrent for smaller businesses. If you aren't planning on investing a great deal of effort into the growth of your business (i.e. more locations or omnichannel sales) than you may be better served with another option. Also, while there are several integrations and API connections available for the system without designing custom solutions, some POS systems offer greater scalability and integrations with software like third-party e-commerce management tools. When moving away from Lightspeed's products for solutions such as this, costs can quickly add up. Alternatives considered [Revel Systems](https://www.capterra.com/p/135040/Revel-iPad-POS/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail We prefer that Lightspeed POS is a cloud-based system that can run on a desktop computer as opposed to Revel's iPad operating system. Also, Lightspeed offered greater flexibility in selecting merchant solutions like payment processors and credit card transaction equipment. Review Source AD Andrew D. Manging Partner Apparel & Fashion Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Packs some punch among the punchless" December 28, 2020 4.0 We are a 40 year Brick and Mortar AND E-commerce company that carries 1000s of unique skus. Needing a software that is heavier than just the POS is essential. Inventory management and the ability to integrate with E-commerce was a non-negotiable for my next POS. Lightspeed does have some frequent, mostly minor bugs, it is nice that they constantly update and enhance their program. There often seems to be a disconnect between software designers and the retail experience, but this program bridges the data management needed to go with the point of sale functionality. Product management has been efficient. Customer service has been very helpful via telephone or chat and are always available which is nice. Even better, the amounts of time to need to contact customer service is minimal. After one year of use, I can say I use this program with confidence and I believe it packs the punch needed to handle scale. Pros Customer Support is included and accessible Intuitive Useful for heavy amounts of inventory Cloud Based Accessible via multiple operating systems Integrated with Cayan for seamless transition from my previous POS Has extensions that enable enhanced reporting, loyalty and ecommerce integration Updates are included Cons Frequently Buggy UX issues at times E-commerce integration is through third party Advanced Reporting is an additional cost and is still poorly designed and buggy Long waits for Customer Support Widespread Outages do Occur Alternatives considered [Retail Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/164131/Retail-Pro-9/)[Shopify](https://www.capterra.com/p/83891/Shopify/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail Most cloud POS seemed geared for start up or micro retail. Lightspeed had the best blend of power needed to handle a sizable company as well as the agility to be cloud based and utilize mobile platforms. The ability to have an integration with Shopify as well as the integrated customer support was the perfect nudge to migrate to Lightspeed Switched from [Retail Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/164131/Retail-Pro-9/) We found limitations in integrations with e-commerce as well as difficulty with the licensing for Retail Pro. Not being cloud computing was very limiting, customer service being an additional fee was frustrating and that same customer service torpedoing our system and the backup was the death knell Review Source KM Kaleigh M. Owner Retail Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Worth every cent!" October 27, 2021 5.0 I am beyond ecstatic to be able to track my inventory in real time, manage payroll hours with ease, add items and price them almost instantly, and so much more! This is a major upgrade for my small business! Pros I love the inventory tracking from anywhere, the ease of entering and pricing my inventory, and the setup process and new POS - basically I love EVERYTHING! Cons I have been using this system for a few months and have yet to come across anything negative. Alternatives considered [Aloha EPOS](https://www.capterra.com/p/178748/Aloha/)[Epos Now](https://www.capterra.com/p/152638/Epos-Now/)[Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/)[Revel Systems](https://www.capterra.com/p/135040/Revel-iPad-POS/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail Best bang for the buck - it had everything I needed for inventory tracking/managment, employee clocking, analytics, and remote viewing in one stop. Switched from [SAM4](https://www.capterra.com/p/188010/SAM4/) I went from my business running like it was in the 90s to something modern and generally time-saving. Review Source SS Shad S. Owner Retail Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Read This Before Switching to Lightspeed" December 21, 2021 1.0 I have used Lightspeed for almost a year and it is not good. I read these reviews before we switched from another POS system and I was so confident I was going to love it, I switched both of my stores. Lightspeed has a great sales team, they tell you with confidence how great the system is and the demo works in the limited amount you can use it. All the features sound so easy and perfect and the integration with accounting was just what I was looking for! If you are a fan of duplicate and complicated processes that fail regularly, you have found the system you are looking for. Lightspeed payments is a mess, it has crashed multiple times since our switch in June, 2021. We started out with iPads and the bluetooth chip/tap reader and receipt printer disconnect constantly. We have had to manually enter credit cards for up to 2 weeks at a time because the readers wouldn't connect. Duplicate credit card charges on single purchases are common (up to 5 charges! Yeah I get to pay fees on all of them too.) because the computer or iPad says payment failed and the customer swipes or taps the card again. We have 2 registers at each store and they randomly switch from register 1 to register 2, which makes EOD a mess! We have spent hours on hold with support and get the same answers each time, "they are working on it". Many of the features are for older versions that really don't do much but clutter the system. I am sure in 2005, this was a great system but now the UI is not int Pros Reporting is better than my previous POS and integration with Quickbooks. works most of the time. Cons Everything but reporting. This system is not user friendly, there is no consistency and it is difficult to get a workflow down because the pages are not similar. Searches are difficult ant there is much duplication in efforts! To enter a P/O and create items for e-com, you have to open as many as 5 browser tabs! All for something that Shopify can do in 1. Alternatives considered [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/) Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail It looked like the best option, I liked the e-commerce integration, reporting, loyalty program and had other merchants recommend it. They have since changed their opinion also. Switched from [Shopify POS](https://www.capterra.com/p/205337/Shopify-POS/) Shopify had bad reporting and had to use a 3rd party app to connect to Quicbooks. Also didn't transfer COGS because their API doesn't allow that for 3rd party apps. Review Source Response from Lightspeed December 24, 2021 Hi Shad, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you were less than satisfied with your recent experience with Lightspeed. It is our utmost priority to provide a product and service that allows our customers to focus on running their businesses with ease. Someone will be reaching out to you once more to discuss your request further and next steps. Thank you for your understanding. Thank you, Lightspeed Commerce CE Cody E. Store Manager Retail Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Thank you Lightspeed" November 24, 2024 5.0 Super simple and easy for my consumers transactions. Pros the amazing POS and Inventory management offered from Lightspeed. Cons That we didnt start using Lightspeed earlier. Review Source RA Ron A. owner Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Lightspeed Retail Pro & Con" June 6, 2022 4.0 Overall we like the LIghtspeed Retail product and have yet to see anything we think would do the job better. Pros Simple to use and it covers all the basics. Cons What we don't like about Lightspeed Retail are the reporting features (or lack thereof), and it's inability to project inventory. We've had Lightspeed Retail for over 8 years now, and the reporting features have changed over the years, with one of the best reports being eliminated. Much of the reporting now is sold to you as an add on, and in our case not worth the extra money. Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail We purchased Lightspeed over other options based on it's ease of use, ability to easily handle thousands of individual items, and overall price and integration options Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Founder E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Worst Business Decision" January 10, 2019 1.0 Pros I have no pros. I would like to take this opportunity to preface my review with the fact that I am not a negative review writer. As a business owner myself, I generally live by the golden rule of doing business and give the benefit of the doubt in most cases. I took the time to write this today because I simply want to save you from the hardship of the lessons learned by so many business owners here. Cons If you are considering Lightspeed for your business, please STOP HERE and do research. Allow the hundreds of negative reviews that came before mine to be your bright waving red flag. I DEFINITELY wish someone had told me to read some of these before entering an agreement with this company. Also, my lawyer would have STRONGLY advised me against entering this agreement, but unfortunately it was too late for me. Hopefully, it is NOT too late for you. I'll keep this short: 1.) Lightspeed is overpriced, 2.) Lightspeed's product is mediocre: glitchy and has limitations, 3.) Lightspeed contract terms are extremely binding, consider them unethical. 4.) Lightspeed will do nothing for you as a customer. Your concerns will be deferred from person to person all with their arms up in the air until you get tired of trying to find a reasonable resolution and you land here, at the end of your rope writing a negative review with hope that someone will learn from your mistake and stay away. I'm pretty certain if the business owner died, Lightspeed will go after their loved ones for a payout. This is not a company any business owner should do business with. Review Source Response from Lightspeed January 14, 2019 Hi, We would like to sincerely apologize for your recent experience, and we are sorry to hear you were less than satisfied with the product and service received. We value our customers feedback, and would like to learn more about your specific experience, to have the opportunity to address your needs and concerns. As we are unable to identify your business, please feel free to contact us at your convenience: 1(866) 932-1801 ext 8000. Our Customer Success team would be more than happy to connect with you. We look forward to having the chance to speak with you. Thank you, Lightspeed Customer Success CS Carley S. owner Apparel & Fashion Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Lightspeed is great on the front side, and a nightmare on the backside" April 29, 2017 2.0 \-We switched to Lightspeed from ShopKeep because we needed to manage the inventory of our 5 locations in one place. That part works okay, once you figure out all the idiosyncrasies of the restock and reorder system. We had to hire a person just to manage the work-arounds we put in place to make Lightspeed a functional system for my business (because there are so many tedious extra steps). -Feeling stuck is the worst feeling as a small business owner. Lightspeed make me feel stuck. I hit a new wall in the system regularly, and when I ask for what I need, the answer is ALWAYS "no, we can't do that." Some examples: -The system does very little to tie sales and inventory together, it does next to nothing. You can export a sales report by item name, which is great. It tells you how many you sold, your sales numbers, and how many you have left. But the vendor information nor the department information for the sold items is not on the export. That makes the report useless in terms of knowing what vendors your business is coming from. Their answer is you can then export vendor sales separately. That is not helpful, because that export does not include item info or department info, nor does it tell you your on-hand inventory. There is not a single way in Lightspeed to view your sales and on-hand inventory in one place, and because their exported reports are so sparing of relevant information, I can't even create my own. This is a major flaw. With ShopKeep, at least I could get my data out of the system to manipulate it how I needed. With Lightspeed, I am SOL. -I don't even call customer service anymore because 100% of the time all they do is validate the problem and then offer no solution. Their consistent response is to tell me to make a suggestion to their developers. -I have been in business 10 years. We have 5 locations, and a website. I have 40 employees. I think Lightspeed would work for a single location or 2 location business. But any more than the system creates more work than it takes away. Looking back, I wish I would have stayed with Shopkeep. Pros The check-out system is nice and easy. For multi-locations it is helpful to see sales and inventory in one place. Cons \-there is no flexibility in the system. The way Lightspeed wants you to see and retrieve your data is the ONLY way you can get your data. And their way 90% of the time is not relevant to the basic needs of a retailer to analyze and evaluate their business. -Customer Service is not responsive. The company does not seem willing to listen to complaints or provide work arounds to the rigidity of the system. - The eCom site is FULL of problems that they do not have a handle on. There are many limitations with the way you have to present information on the site. -It's very expensive for what you get. I was willing to pay a premium for a system I was told would exceed our needs and expectations. For the 2 things it does well, there are 98 headaches. -They do not offer refunds or a way out of your contract if you are unhappy. Review Source AM Amit M. President Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent software for growing businesses." July 19, 2017 5.0 Overall the software is amazing and the good outweighs the bad and a tested about 10 different PoS softwares when I was shopping around and none of them encompass everything I have mentioned so i know my expectations are very high....which is why I state again...if they added in these features it would make them industry leaders and really a phenomenal PoS system. (its 90% of the way there for me...just a few more features and if would be the best) Pros The integration with xero accounting has been a true time saver for my business. It transfers all sales data at the end of the day seamlessly so I don't have to. The ability to use the front end off site has been super helpful as well as it doesn't tie me down to the store and I can do a lot of my work on the go. Creating products, invoicing clients, setting up the main screen custom to what I want is extremely simple once you run through it once. Cons Theres a few simple features that are missing from the PoS software which I would like to see integrated and would make it hands down the best in the industry for small businesses. 1) Getting an integrated payment terminal that accepts chip, pay pass and swipe options would avoid any mistakes between manually punching in the amounts on the debit/credit machine and would avoid any back end work after the day closes to be able to balance the day 2) Allowing me to enter the details of the invoices (supplier name, invoice number, total amount being paid, gst, pst, etc.) that are being paid out on a daily basis and having that information transferred to xero would alleviate tons of paper work after the close of the day. 3) There is no way to pull out a month end statement for corporate clients that pay their account once a month. Checks have to be cross referenced manually with the bills that have been put on tab. You should be able to at the very least select which tab invoices are being paid from the list of invoices on the clients account. This would show which ones are outstanding at a glance rather than having to refer back to the paper invoices that the system creates. 4) A front facing screen to display pricing of items being charged, advertisements, and other information is something I have been asking for since day 1 (3 years now). And I would love to see this feature incorporated. 5) Having the ability to offer a discount for a bulk purchase is something that should be automatic. Review Source DL Dave L. Owner / Head Meeple Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Fantastic Inventory Management" June 22, 2018 5.0 We've been open a little over three years. When we first opened, we explored over a dozen Point of Sale systems including Revel, Shopkeep, Vend, Lightspeed Retail, Square, and several others. We decided on Lightspeed, but discovered they didn't have a clear roadmap for Apple Pay, and so we went with our second choice, Shopkeep. Shopkeep was fantastic for the first year, but as our inventory grew (we carry over 10,000 unique SKUs), it's inventory management features started to feel sluggish, and receiving orders each week started to take a significant amount of time. During our second year, we started reevaluating all the players again, and setup a trial account with Lightspeed Retail. Certain things seemed counter intuitive at first - if we mistakenly created an item, we couldn't simply delete it, for example. This is because Lightspeed Retail strives to preserve all financial and transactional data; since an item could contain a sales history, it can't be deleted. Instead, it's archived, and can be restored to visibility with the click of a button. Over time, we've come to appreciate this feature, and the sheer amount of data that is provided through the system. Inventory Counts can be done quickly - grab an iPad and a bar code scanner, and just start scanning items on your slat wall, shelf, or other display area. When you're done, you can review the counts, reconcile them, and get information on shrinkage, etc. Acquiring product and receiving it is a breeze. We can build our POs in Lightspeed Retail - using trigger points or by simply adding items to an open PO. We can then email that PO directly to our distributor, who processes it. When the items come in, we can quickly receive them either using a barcode scanner, keying in the item counts line by line, or doing a visual confirmation and clicking the "receive everything and do the right thing" buttons. Printing labels with barcodes is a breeze. What really sets Lightspeed apart is their service. I can honestly say that I have no idea how to setup the label printer on our Lightspeed system, because whenever we install a new laptop or desktop that needs access, I simply chat with Lightspeed support and they remote into our system and do the right thing. When we set our printer up the first time, the print was a little too far to the left for my liking. They tweaked the templates on the fly, with me offering help like "No, a little more to the right" until it was done. They're insanely helpful. Pros \- Excellent Purchase Order Workflow - Easy tool to do inventory counts quickly - (Beta) Import Tool makes it easy to bulk load new items, or update existing ones - Supports custom fields to add additional information to items (Release Dates, for example) - Phone and online support is fantastic Cons \- May seem pricey if you aren't leveraging all the features - Limited barcode scanner compatibly - Custom fields are not currently searchable Review Source JS Jeremy S. Owner Apparel & Fashion Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Packed with features, with room to grow" August 11, 2015 4.5 Pros Great reporting, easy to use simplicity. Constantly improving the software, interface, features, etc. It is superb for inventory management. Gift Cards are easy to use, re-use, re-charge, etc. Customer loyalty programs are being integrated, once more are integrated, this platform will be far above the competition. This platform is great for starting small, or large. It has all the features you didn't know you would need. With constant feedback from customers like myself, they are constantly listening and improving the retail POS systems. I know I list quite a few things I don't like, but the software's great qualities far exceed the negatives, which may be phased out sooner or later with updates. Cons Cloud based, when it has issues, you are stuck with just an iPad or Computer. Nothing can be done with the systems. No sales, no reports, nothing. The Technology division reports that they are working to improve infrastructure, so I hope that happens before the 2015 holiday season. They are a very popular POS system and are growing very fast. Credit Card readers are subpar with Element Payments, but improving. Plus the EMV card readers are due in a couple of months. I've used both the headphone & lightning connector styles for the iPad. Each have positives and negatives. The headphone card reader wears out if you swipe alot, I swipe approx 25-50/day and its lasted about 8 months and is constant on reading cards. Lightning connector card reader isn't designed to be used while charging your iPad. So if you run 50+ transactions in a day on the iPad, you will need to remove the card reader to charge the iPad mid day, because charging the iPad through the card reader takes so long that the iPad uses power faster than its recharged, so removing the card reader to keep the iPad charged is a nuisance. Also the micro usb charging port on the Lightning Card reader looses its connection like all micro USB connectors typically do with wear. The iPad uses Wifi & Bluetooth all day for the internet and barcode reader, so it drains the power quickly. I may switch to the computer versions for holidays when we are busy and cant be recharging the iPad all the time. When you create your account, be ready to be charged for each employee after you have more than 7 in the system. If you don't keep track of employee sales, times, etc using the system, then a single pin for each sale will work, but if you want to use all the employee tracking features for sales, time, you have to pay for each employee you add to the system after 7 I believe. I use 9-12 employees off and on, so I have to pay for each one for the full year after #7. The employee's should be included in the package price, up to 15, then have a price structure for the next 5, not each one. It becomes more expensive as you grow as a business and want to keep track of employee data. It has no commissions structure. So if you want to give commissions, you have to do that manually with your reporting data. Review Source JW Jeff W. CEO Hospitality Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Customer Review" August 15, 2024 2.0 Overall I have spend way more time on the help desk waiting the 24-48 hours for technical support and I have had to invest more money and time into additional products I didnt expect. Overall the experience has been a mixed bag, but the latest integrations issues has left a really bad taste in my mouth. Pros The fact it could do the basics well. i.e. take payment of an order. Cons The integration issues, added costs of including so many additional applications and the delayed payment over the weekend, where lightspeed invoices did not match bank account inputs due to when the eftpos fee is attributed. This adds a lot of manual effort when reconciling. Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail It was Australian based, but most third party add ons needed are not, so might as well go external. Review Source jP james P. Director Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Poor reporting, inventory control and slow credit card processing" August 29, 2022 1.0 The honeymoon was nice. onboarding was pleasant but as we used lightspeed we found problems and where repeatedly told this is a known issue and will be fixed sometime in the future. The future never comes for lightspeed. Items as simple as the cursor populates the item search box on the item creation screen not the description box. why would you go to an item creation page to search for an item? for the last 2 years we have not been able to reconcile inventory counts due the software timing out. but the icing on the cake was when they removed the ability to sort inventory by quantity on hand and price. The worst though is inconveniencing our customers by making them wait 30 seconds to 3 minutes for a credit card transaction to go through. Pros clean and pretty interfaces that are easy for the employees to use. Cons no inventory control (software times out when you reconcile a count) Customers have to wait between 30 seconds and 3 minutes when a credit card is run! the cashiers can not sort inventory items by price or quantity on hand. Review Source Response from Lightspeed September 7, 2022 Hi James, We would like to sincerely apologize for your recent experience with Lightspeed. It is our utmost priority to provide products and services that allow our customers to focus on running their businesses with ease. We value all feedback and would like to learn more about your specific experience, to have the opportunity to address your needs and concerns. As we are unable to identify your account within our records, please feel free to contact our Customer Success team should you wish to provide further feedback. You may reach us via email at engage@lightspeedhq.com. Thank you, Lightspeed Commerce EB Ernest B. Owner Retail Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best Decision I have made for my company!!" August 16, 2018 5.0 Pros The features we wanted and needed in or software and love about Lightspeed are: 100% Cloud based solution True Omni Channel environment Streamlined processes Extremely well written software and Knowledge base Ability to upload vendor price list, descriptions to Lightspeed All of our vendors information is at our finger tips, before we would have to hunt or go looking for this information now it’s just there. Growing a retail business today can be done with lightspeed, since they have thought out whole process, and added a robust interface of features A seamless connection to QuickBooks online. We went out and reviewed, demoed almost 20 POS vendors some that were more specific to our industry and some that weren't and the boiled it down to 3 for all of our staff to review since they were going to be using the software daily and focused on the employee that has the most stress related to their respective job and targeted it first and secondly everyone else We had to have 24/7 support The most important feature we needed was it had to empower our team thru the business model we run and grow the team in all aspects of our business Cons It took a lot of time to get the information together from our 30+ year old company to go over to lightspeed platform from our old systems, and it was quite a chore for a small company. And not all of our information could come over in the initial installation lightspeed was somewhat limited, we could not bring our customers history and vendor history either. Reporting could be better and should be included with the base product, you will at some point "have to have the reports add-on" it is however an amazing extension on the base product. You have to have a good internet connection since you will be using a 100% Cloud based product, and you will have to have a backup internet connection, so you are always connected. We went out and reviewed, demoed almost 20 POS vendors some that were more specific to our industry and some that weren't and the boiled it down to 3 for all of our staff to review. We focused on the employee that gets the most stress with their respective job and targeted it first and secondly everyone else and Lightspeed has done this. Review Source CS Carly S. Owner Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "So Many Problems" June 20, 2023 2.0 I want to like this software, I really do. I have even reached out to our account manager (the 3rd one we have had) to try and see if there is something else we can do, even avoid the app all together and pay for a new wired system (since ours isn't working) and I have been on a wild goose chase just to speak to "our new rep" who I have no idea how to contact now since the email I was given doesn't work. This is the most frustrated I have ever been with a company we do business with. BEWARE. Pros The system itself is wonderful. The invoicing and product management helps us stay organized and keep track of product that has not yet arrived. Cons I can't even explain how frustrating their POS app on an ipad is. The app crashes at the worst times. I have a panicked call from an employee multiple times a month. The card processing is slow, which is particularly frustrating at Christmas when we have a line to the door. The bluetooth cc reader is constantly disconnecting or not able to even be found. When we reach out for help we either don't get a reply for days from our rep and I am sent to one specialist after another, no one with a direct explanation on what is happening or why. Reason for choosing Lightspeed Retail Because they bought out the company we were using and the reviews seemed good. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.