If you’re investing in a point of sale (POS) system for the first time, you’ve probably done some preliminary research on the top solutions partners for your business. There’s a good chance that you’ve come across two industry leaders, including POS Nation and Lightspeed POS.
These two solutions are leading the pack for a reason. They are both well known, serve a large user base, and have a track record of success. The last thing you want is to choose an unproven POS provider that doesn’t accommodate your unique needs.
In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons of Lightspeed POS by examining real user reviews on third-party applications, including Capterra, G2, and Software Advice.
5 Pros and Cons of Lightspeed POS
What makes a great retail POS system? Before you evaluate Lightspeed POS, it may help to understand why POS Nation is an industry-leading retail POS system provider.
To start, our product is an all-in-one retail POS system. Instead of using multiple programs for transactions, inventory management, or managing employees, you do it all in one system. POS Nation’s all-in-one retail POS system is also a hybrid system. It offers internet-enabled cloud capabilities for accessing business-critical data and a local database.
Finally, our customer success and support teams are a key feature of working with POS Nation. You're assigned a customer success manager to help you through set up, training, and onboarding. Plus, our customer support team and online knowledge base provide answers when you need them most.
With that in mind, let’s look at a few of the pros and cons of Lightspeed POS.
Pro: Simplicity
Lightspeed POS is a good fit for small business owners. They don’t have a bunch of time to try and set up and learn a complicated system. Lightspeed POS’ iPad-based setup is familiar technology to most small business owners, and users find the interface to be simple and intuitive to master through repetition.
“Easy to use. Set up was not too difficult, although it took some time to figure out other functionality. Once it is set up, it is easy and simple. Good for small business.” -Capterra review from Sophie L.
“Simple and easy to use. Very stable. I also love the fact that I don't need to keep a dedicated and vulnerable server on site.” -Capterra review from Albert B.
“The customizable layout; simple, yet clear ticket formatting; easy learning curve. The interface is much improved since the latest update!” -G2 review from Meghan
Pro: Customer Service
To accompany their software and hardware, Lightspeed offers 24/7 customer service that can be reached by email, phone, or text message. They also have a robust customer support section of their website for customers to take advantage of.
“Anytime I have had any issue or problem, customer service has been the best in helping me work through it.” -Capterra review from Angie F.
“Excellent customer service, easy to access them for help, always available 24/7.” -Capterra review from Alan A.
“The customer service is above anything I could ask for! EVERY time I call, each representative knows exactly what I am talking about and has an answer for me! Quality!!” -Capterra review from Kelly B.
Con: Lacks Inventory Management
According to Lightspeed, it is best for small to medium-sized retail, quick-service restaurants, full-service restaurants, and bars in the United States. Because of their focus on these types of businesses, their inventory management is burdensome for small businesses with larger product inventories and multiple product variations. Lightspeed POS also lacks automatic product reordering based on threshold limits. Monitoring product inventory and product reordering must be done manually. No one has time for that, right?
“Inventory management is very basic. If you have a varied or a lot of variations in your inventory, this is not the software for you.” -Capterra review from Scott
“INVENTORY!!!! It should not be as complicated as it is to receive product, also no way to perform inventory.” -Capterra review from Melissa
"In the items with variations, PLEASE let me move around the variations! I add new variations frequently (as I get new things in), and it would make it so simple if I could alphabetize them as I go. They are all just as I've added them now (out of order!).” -Capterra review from Kelly, retail business owner.
Con: Lacks In-Depth Reporting
Reporting in Lightspeed is ideal for the small types of businesses they target. However, businesses looking to their POS system to provide more detailed insights to spur growth may be disappointed.
“Reports are lacking much for accounting purposes such as sales tax and taxable sales.” -G2 review from Administrator in Food & Beverages
“Limited reporting for sales data, limited reporting for average sales price per employee, limited reporting features for inventory control, limited data analysis for comparing sales trends and grouping of product, limited data analysis and reporting for analyzing pricing.” -G2 review from John B.
"The reports on the back end (which you may not realize are CRUCIAL) are junk. And no matter how many times I made a suggestion, nothing ever changed.” -Capterra review from a verified reviewer
Con: Costs and Billing
Lightspeed requires users to invest in Apple iPads and iPhones to make the most of the system, and they charge full price for multiple cash registers. Their customers have also encountered issues with being charged for items that have never been received or for features they don’t need because of Lightspeed's packages.
“If you need to keep costs down, this service is not for you. The surface value seems like a good deal, but there are many additional costs and wasted time with Lightspeed.” -G2 review from a user in retail.
“Everything turned out to be an upcharge. We spent thousands more than we anticipated.” -G2 review from an administrator in retail.
“My only real problem with Lightspeed is that you have to pay full price for a second register and then full price again for a third register, and so on.” -Capterra review from David G.
POS Nation Powers Businesses of All Sizes and Types Nationwide
While Lightspeed POS does many things well, it really is an ideal solution for small businesses with lower daily transaction volumes. Based on third-party reviews, small businesses who want and need more functionality to grow and scale their business are better off looking at a more versatile alternative like POS Nation.
From independent owner-operators to multi-chain locations, we specialize in helping retail businesses of all sizes with their retail POS system needs. Regardless of your needs, POS Nation offers a scalable POS system capable of growing your business.
Our Retail POS System Buyers’ Guide is a great place to start to understand your current and potential POS system needs based on your business type.
You should also check out our build and price tool to build out the system you think you need and get a quote.
