Lightspeed Retail vs. Retail Pro

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
Retail Pro
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Retail Pro is a retail management offering from Retail Pro International headquartered in Folsom, California.N/A
Pricing
Lightspeed RetailRetail Pro
Editions & Modules
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
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Lightspeed RetailRetail Pro
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Lightspeed RetailRetail Pro
Considered Both Products
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.
Retail Pro
Chose Retail Pro
N/A. I wish we could switch to other products.
Best Alternatives
Lightspeed RetailRetail Pro
Small Businesses
Square POS
Square POS
Score 10.0 out of 10
Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed Retail
Score 6.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Epicor Eagle
Epicor Eagle
Score 7.9 out of 10
Epicor Eagle
Epicor Eagle
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Lightspeed RetailRetail Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
7.7
(0 ratings)
6.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.8
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Lightspeed RetailRetail Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
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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It will suit simple small size businesses like mom and pop shops. For a mid-sized retail company with more than 100 stores, it runs way too slow and lacks a lot of functions.
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Pros
  • 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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  • Stable and reliable (we never faced any issue with the data).
  • Handling promotions is easy.
  • Easy reports.
  • Retail Pro's support network is strong. We get support in all the regions.
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Cons
  • 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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  • Always crashes. Runs very slow. Part of this is because it does not fit the size of our company anymore.
  • Lack of capability to integrate with accounting software. We have to use Access tool to pull sales journal data from Retail Pro, then import to our accounting software.
  • The interface looks very out of date.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
First thing, all of my business users are happy with the usability and reliability of retail pro. Users are able to get what they want to run the business positively. We are able to customize the solution any time based on the business requirements. Finally after working on different solutions we found a solution that works with little support.
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Usability
Very easy to use and figure out without calling customer support which is also very responsive and helpful.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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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Retail pro is a solution which needs minimum support, so we can concentrate on other productive work. Worst case if there is any problem our well trained Zimson team is able to handle it on time. Thanks Retail Pro for its world class support and training system. No wonder why all top retail brands use Retail Pro for its POS operations.
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Alternatives Considered
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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N/A. I wish we could switch to other products.
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Return on Investment
  • 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
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  • It decreased the home office's efficiency because it runs too slow and always crashes.
  • At the store level, it causes cash over short/duplicate charge issues when it crashes.
  • For the inventory and planning department, it impacted the accuracy of inventory level due to the lack of functions.
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ScreenShots