Acctivate Inventory Management vs. Lightspeed Retail

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Acctivate Inventory Management
Score 6.8 out of 10
N/A
Acctivate is a real-time inventory management and high-volume, multi-channel order fulfillment solution for growing small to midsized distributors, manufacturers, and online retailers using QuickBooks.
$9,995
one-time fee
Lightspeed Retail
Score 6.9 out of 10
N/A
Lightspeed Retail is a retail PoS system from Lightspeed headquartered in Quebec. Core retail POS features are expanded on higher service tiers with ecommerce option and payments gateway, an accounting system, and a customer loyalty program.N/A
Pricing
Acctivate Inventory ManagementLightspeed Retail
Editions & Modules
Starter
$9,995
one-time fee
Pro
$17,995
one-time fee
Enterprise
$28,995
one-time fee
Basic
$79.00 ($69.00)
per month (when billed annually)
Starter
$119.00 ($99.00)
per month (when billed annually)
Standard
$139.00 ($119.00)
per month (when billed annually)
Advanced
$189.00 ($169.00)
per month (when billed annually)
Pro
$259.00 ($229.00)
per month (when billed annually)
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Acctivate Inventory ManagementLightspeed Retail
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup Fee$2,000 one-time feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsOnboarding pricing for each package: - Starter: $2,000 Onboarding - Pro: $3,000 Onboarding - Enterprise: $4,000 Onboarding Acctivate Onboarding consists of access to an Onboarding Specialist to assist with the setup and implementation of your Acctivate software for one QuickBooks company. Onboarding support will consist of phone conversations, email-based support, and any other activities related to setup and implementation. Acctivate Onboarding is delivered remotely. Onboarding is completed in 90 days. Number of users that come with each package (additional users are $750/ea): - Starter: 1 user - Pro: 5 users - Enterprise: 15 users
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Acctivate Inventory ManagementLightspeed Retail
Considered Both Products
Acctivate Inventory Management
Chose Acctivate Inventory Management
Better history, inventory control and PO re-ordering capabilities than the old Sage100 and Mas90 software.
Lightspeed Retail
Chose Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed is faster, sleeker and more modern than our previous POS system. I can’t express enough how easy the online store portion of Lightspeed is - it just intuitive and sometimes, is TOO easy, I feel like I have to be forgetting something. Lightspeed is staying modern and …
Chose Lightspeed Retail
When we used Revel Systems Point of Sale systems, we had problems for many months where each device would mysteriously show different pricing for the same product, which is a no-go in a retail environment, this has been several years ago, so unsure if they fixed that, but …
Chose Lightspeed Retail
The challenge with this is that because Lightspeed has such poor reporting with their POS, and the ability to actually see your data, it is nearly impossible to move to another POS without a very expensive integration process. So while I have explored these other options, I …
Chose Lightspeed Retail
Most Pet Care industry software doesn’t offer such a robust POS and inventory control system. We didn’t look at too many softwares but Lightspeed Retail had everything we were looking for and more.
Chose Lightspeed Retail
Vend was terrible for inventory management, as was Square. Neither worked with Shopify. We selected Lightspeed when it was still MerchantOS based on cost and functionality, and haven't left because we haven't had time to research migration costs or alternatives.
Chose Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed Retail is much much easier to use than Shopify. We replaced Shopify shortly after I started working here because Lightspeed Retail not only was much more user-friendly, but it also integrates with the other systems we use (Skuvault and BigCommerce). They also have …
Chose Lightspeed Retail
We used Microsoft Retail Management System before this and this was in a whole other league of its own with features and ease of use. I really like using Macs also. They are much more reliable and longer lasting than IBM or Similar computers. The cloud based system is great …
Chose Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed was recommended to us; we didn't try others.
Chose Lightspeed Retail
I searched through a few other POS systems however, lightspeed is the first and only that I have used. Because I can customize attributes for custom art projects they were my only option and for that reason we chose them.
Features
Acctivate Inventory ManagementLightspeed Retail
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Acctivate Inventory Management
6.7
Ratings
16% below category average
Lightspeed Retail
-
Ratings
Inventory tracking7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Automatic reordering5.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Location management7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Serial number and batch tracking4.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Barcode scanning6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting and analytics6.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Fulfillment7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Backorder management6.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Returns management6.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Bill of materials management7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Item kitting5.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Invoicing7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Forecasting6.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Accounting integration8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Acctivate Inventory ManagementLightspeed Retail
Small Businesses
Webgility
Webgility
Score 10.0 out of 10
Square POS
Square POS
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.6 out of 10
Epicor Eagle
Epicor Eagle
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.6 out of 10

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Acctivate Inventory ManagementLightspeed Retail
Likelihood to Recommend
7.2
(0 ratings)
7.7
(0 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.8
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Acctivate Inventory ManagementLightspeed Retail
Likelihood to Recommend
Acctivate is best suited for very basic inventory needs. It syncs up well with Standalone Quickbooks and tracks physical inventory really well. I wouldn't recommend it if you need a complex suite for a larger business. Needs a lot of improvement. If you need a vendor, purchasing, PO system - I would suggest looking elsewhere.
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It is perfect for any small business looking for inventory control, Tracking purchase history, and just an all round easy to use software for retail and beyond. I would not use it if I have only a few hundred items or was a larger company that can afford to build my own POS software.
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Pros
  • Tracks inventory
  • Easily create invoices
  • Scan products directly from package without having to print out barcodes
Read full review
  • Very very user friendly.
  • Easy iPad interface that is easy to upgrade to new hardware if an iPad breaks, etc.
  • On the Advanced plan the reporting is outstanding.
  • Very easy to train new employees, especially younger employees raised on phones and tablets.
  • We use their payments system and it's a very easy integration. I believe Stripe is their payment provider.
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Cons
  • Better training program when first introduced to the software
  • Help screens are improving but still could be better
  • Reports and customization in reporting can be difficult to learn
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  • They have not had major updates to their system in years. The inventory system is stagnant. Although their inventory system is robust, it is outdated.
  • They do have 24-hour support, however, wait times are excessive and representatives have challenges understanding your issues.
  • Trying to get issues resolved can take months or never at all. Management is non-existent. Trying to reach a supervisor is impossible.
  • They have a culture of telling you what you want to hear but have no intentions of actually following through.
  • Lightspeed is a great solution if you are a small business just getting started. But if you are intending to grow and expand, Lightspeed will become detrimental to your growth.
  • The reporting/analytics is basic at best. They do offer paid options that are very expensive, but it is very robust. The basic reporting is very minimal.
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Usability
No answers on this topic
Very easy to use and figure out without calling customer support which is also very responsive and helpful.
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
I gave the rating of a 9 because ninety percent of the time when I talk to their support they're very helpful. One of the only real issues I have is there are times where the queue will be 7-9 people deep. When you have an error you don't know how to fix, sometimes this is very troubling. But overall their support is usually quick and friendly.
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Alternatives Considered
Better history, inventory control and PO re-ordering capabilities than the old Sage100 and Mas90 software
Read full review
We used Microsoft Retail Management System before this and this was in a whole other league of its own with features and ease of use. I really like using Macs also. They are much more reliable and longer lasting than IBM or Similar computers. The cloud based system is great also so you do not have to have another unit to store you database on
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Return on Investment
  • Very slow
  • Outdated
  • Hard to maintain
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  • I have to spend a lot less time training my employees because Lightspeed is so easy to use!
  • Keeping track of our inventory is as simple as clicking a few buttons.
  • Our online sales have grown tremendously since changing to Lightspeed
Read full review
ScreenShots

Acctivate Inventory Management Screenshots

Screenshot of Acctivate Sales Order EntryScreenshot of Acctivate Sales Order ManagerScreenshot of Acctivate Product ListScreenshot of Acctivate Product InsightScreenshot of Acctivate Customer List