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Shopify vs Lightspeed: Choosing the Right E-commerce Platform for Your Business

November 03, 2023

Written and researched by experts at AvadaLearn more about our methodology

CEO Avada Commerce

In an era where online presence is essential for businesses, choosing the right e-commerce platform is crucial. Shopify and Lightspeed are two giants in the e-commerce space, each catering to different needs. This article aims to provide an in-depth comparison between Shopify vs. Lightspeed, focusing on their features, pricing, and suitability for different business needs.

Key Takeaways

Shopify is primarily an eCommerce software that also supports in-person selling, while Lightspeed, fundamentally, is a Point-of-Sale (POS) software that also integrates eCommerce functionality.
Shopify offers many integrations, extensive dropshipping capabilities, and robust omnichannel features.
Lightspeed is best suited for businesses with a brick-and-mortar presence and a strong need for comprehensive POS functionality.
Pricing varies between the two platforms, and the choice depends on individual business needs and budgets.

Shopify vs. Lightspeed: Quick Comparison

While Shopify and Lightspeed cater to online sellers’ needs, critical differences can impact your decision-making process.

Lightspeed’s core strength lies in its robust POS capabilities. It offers comprehensive features for managing sales, inventory, and customer interactions in physical retail stores. Lightspeed’s e-commerce functionality allows businesses to extend their operations online while maintaining integration with their in-store systems.

Shopify is a leading hosted e-commerce solution known for its user-friendly interface and extensive features. It provides a seamless online selling experience and allows businesses to create and manage online stores easily.

Shopify vs. Lightspeed: Quick Comparison

Shopify and Lightspeed: Pros and Cons

When comparing Shopify and Lightspeed as e-commerce platforms, it’s essential to consider their respective pros and cons. Here is a brief overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each platform.

	Shopify	Lightspeed
Pros	Advanced eCommerce features User-friendly interfaceMulti-channel selling Flexible POS transaction fees Many pricing plans for business owners to choose Flexible customization Multiple payment gateways Smart inventory management for users Staff and order tracking management SEO & Marketing tools to support ads campaigns Attractive templates and modern design tools Extensive integration options Robust social selling features Reporting & analysis to make informed decisions	Easy to use Sales support across multiple locations Extensive inventory management Customizable built-in loyalty programs Flexible management of temporary and permanent locations
Cons	Need to utilize Shopify Payments to avoid transaction expenses The need for and cost of integrations could arise Reduced free trial duration to three days	Additional costs for POS hardware Limitations in eCommerce functionalityAnnual plans’ early termination fee

Shopify vs Lightspeed: Infographic

You may get an insight into what these two systems have to offer by comparing the primary features and price options of Shopify and Lightspeed in the infographic below.

Shopify		Lightspeed
Shopify pricing plan varies from $5 to $2000 per month	Pricing	– Lightspeed POS Standard: $89/month ($69/month on annual plans) – Lightspeed Retail POS Advanced: $269/month ($199/month on annual plans)
– Shopify POS Lite: $0 on paid eCommerce plan – Shopify POS Pro: $89/month	Point Of Sale	Included
3 Days	Free Trial	14 Days
2000+	Integrations	70+
✓	Ease of Use	✓
Excellent	Industry-Specific POS Apps	✓
✓	Omnichannel Feature	Limited
✓	Multi-Store inventory management	✓
✓	Multiple currency transactions	✓
✓	POS software and hardware	✓
✓	Strong customer support	✓
✓	24/7 phone support	✓
✓	Multichannel Selling	✓
100+	Premade Store Templates	50+

Shopify vs Lightspeed: A Detailed Comparison

Pricing

When comparing Shopify and Lightspeed, pricing is one of the critical factors to consider. These platforms offer different pricing models, and knowing the differences can help you make an informed decision. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Shopify

Shopify provides discounted rates for annual subscriptions, it does not offer refunds if you decide to cancel before the contract term ends. Shopify offers a three-day free trial, allowing businesses to explore the software’s capabilities before committing.

If you choose to use a payment processor other than Shopify Payments, you may incur additional fees.

– Online Store:

Shopify offers different pricing plans for various business needs. The plans range from $5 to $399 per month, providing flexibility for businesses of different sizes and requirements.

– Point of Sale (POS):

Shopify POS Lite: Included with paid eCommerce plan

Shopify POS Pro: $79/month

Lightspeed

Lightspeed charges significant early termination fees for annual subscriptions, making it less flexible in terms of cancellation. Lightspeed provides a 14-day free trial, giving businesses a longer evaluation period to assess its suitability.

Lightspeed also incentivizes users to utilize its preferred payment processor, and there may be extra charges for using alternative processors.

– Online Store: Lightspeed offers different pricing plans to accommodate various business requirements. The monthly plans range from $89 to $269, providing businesses with options based on their size and specific needs.

– Point of Sale (POS): Lightspeed POS functionality is included with the platform at no additional cost.

The Verdict

Considering these factors, it is clear that Shopify offers a more advantageous pricing structure than Lightspeed.

When comparing the pricing plans of Shopify and Lightspeed, Shopify’s competitive rates offer excellent value for money. Moreover, Shopify’s transparent pricing structure, with no early termination fees and a range of payment options, makes it a favorable choice for businesses seeking cost-effective solutions.

Shopify offers a range of pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes and budgets. This flexibility allows businesses to choose a plan that aligns with their specific requirements and financial capabilities.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a popular business model that allows entrepreneurs to sell products without carrying inventory. Let’s compare the dropshipping capabilities of Shopify and Lightspeed.

Shopify

Shopify is well-known for its robust support of dropshipping, making it a preferred choice for many entrepreneurs. With the help of various apps, such as AliExpress, Printful, and Sprocket, businesses can seamlessly integrate dropshipping into their online stores.

Lightspeed

Lightspeed supports dropshipping, its capabilities in this area are more limited than Shopify. To set up dropshipping with Lightspeed, businesses can utilize the Ecwid integration.

The Verdict

In the battle of dropshipping platforms, Shopify clearly emerges as the winner due to its extensive dropshipping support. Entrepreneurs looking to launch or expand their dropshipping businesses can confidently choose Shopify as their go-to platform.

Omnichannel features

Omnichannel selling refers to the ability to sell and advertise products across multiple channels, providing customers with a seamless and integrated shopping experience. Let’s compare the omnichannel features of Shopify and Lightspeed.

Shopify

Shopify excels in providing extensive multichannel integration, allowing businesses to sell and promote their products across numerous channels.

With Shopify, businesses can effortlessly connect and manage their presence on popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Etsy, Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Handshake, and Google.

By integrating with these channels, businesses can reach a wider audience, leverage different customer bases, and maximize their sales potential. The seamless integration enables business owners to manage their inventory, orders, and promotions across all channels from a centralized platform, simplifying operations and enhancing efficiency.

Lightspeed

Lightspeed also supports multichannel selling with a more limited range of integrations than Shopify. Lightspeed’s platform allows merchants to connect with popular channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google, expanding their reach and engaging with customers through multiple channels.

However, it’s important to note that Lightspeed’s multichannel capabilities are not as extensive as Shopify’s. The number of integrations available may be more limited, impacting the reach and potential customer base for businesses using Lightspeed.

The Verdict

Regarding omnichannel features, Shopify takes the lead with its extensive channel integrations.

The platform allows business owners to sell and advertise products across numerous popular channels, reaching a wider audience and maximizing their online presence. Shopify’s robust multichannel capabilities give owners a competitive advantage in the evolving digital landscape.

Integrations

Integrations play a crucial role in customizing and enhancing the functionality of an e-commerce platform. Let’s compare the integration capabilities of Shopify and Lightspeed.

Shopify

Shopify boasts a vast and diverse app store, offering businesses thousands of options for customizing and extending the functionality of their online stores.

With Shopify’s app store, businesses can choose from various third-party integrations that align with their specific needs, including accounting, customer service, branding, pop-ups, additional themes, marketing automation, inventory planners, forms, on-site notifications, etc. This allows them to tailor their store’s features and optimize their operations according to their unique requirements.

Lightspeed

Lightspeed offers a more limited selection of add-ons and integrations. With approximately 70 available options, including analytics tools like Retail Toolkit and RetailNext, as well as customer service apps such as ServiceReign.

While integrations are available for loyalty reward programs, ecommerce tools, and accounting software, Lightspeed’s partnerships with popular third-party marketing apps are relatively limited. Instead, they focus on retail, offering apps for employee scheduling, rentals, and advanced inventory management.

Finding the same depth and breadth of choices can be more challenging compared to Shopify’s app store.

The Verdict

Shopify absolutely holds the advantage over Lightspeed in integrations. With its extensive app store offering thousands of options, Shopify provides businesses with a vast selection of third-party integrations to customize and enhance their online stores. This wide range of choices enables businesses to find the right tools and features that best suit their needs.

Inventory management

Efficient inventory management is crucial for the smooth operation of an e-commerce business. Let’s compare the inventory management capabilities of Shopify and Lightspeed.

Shopify

Shopify offers essential inventory management tools as core features. Businesses can easily track their product inventory, monitor stock levels, and receive low-stock alerts. These built-in tools suit small- to medium-sized businesses with straightforward inventory management needs.

However, if businesses require more advanced inventory management features or specific integrations, they can explore additional apps available in Shopify’s app store. Some integrations may require an extra fee, depending on the specific functionality and provider.

Shopify allows you to list and sell an unlimited number of in-store and online products. Whether you have a small catalog or a large inventory, Shopify can accommodate your needs without restrictions.

Shopify provides built-in product recommendation features that help you increase customer engagement and drive more sales. You can showcase related products, bestsellers, and personalized recommendations to guide customers toward making additional purchases, boosting your average order value.

Lightspeed

One of Lightspeed’s strengths lies in its comprehensive inventory management capabilities, particularly for businesses operating across multiple store locations.

Lightspeed provides robust tools enabling business owners to track and manage their inventory in real-time, ensuring accurate stock levels across all locations. This feature especially benefits business owners with a distributed retail presence or those managing multiple warehouses.

Lightspeed offers a specific feature called Low-stock reports, which helps merchants monitor their inventory levels more efficiently. They can set thresholds for each product and receive alerts when the stock reaches a certain minimum quantity.

This feature allows business owners to stay proactive in managing their inventory, ensuring that they never run out of stock and can promptly reorder items to meet customer demand. It helps streamline inventory management processes and ensures a seamless customer experience.

The Verdict

Lightspeed holds an advantage over Shopify, particularly for businesses with multiple store locations. Lightspeed’s total inventory management caters to the needs of businesses operating across various physical locations, ensuring accurate stock tracking and management.

Ultimately, the choice between Shopify and Lightspeed for inventory management depends on your business’s specific needs and business scale. Lightspeed is ideal for businesses with multiple store locations, while Shopify suits businesses with basic inventory management requirements or those willing to invest in additional integrations for more advanced functionality.

Who for who

Lightspeed and Shopify are both reputable options for retail stores, but choosing the best platform depends on your specific needs. Here’s a breakdown to help you make an informed decision.

Shopify is best for

Independent retailers, online store owners, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), startups, and dropshippers.

If most of your sales are conducted online, Shopify is the preferred choice.
Seamless inventory management and easy setup and maintenance.
Extensive app store with a wide range of integrations for customization.
Strong customer support.
Ideal for businesses of all sizes and scalability as you grow.

Lightspeed is best for

Retailers with brick-and-mortar stores looking to expand with an online presence.

More robust inventory tools for managing physical store locations.
Comprehensive inventory management capabilities for multiple store locations.
Suitable for businesses operating both online and offline.
Offers features designed explicitly for brick-and-mortar retailers.
Efficient synchronization between physical and online inventory.

Lightspeed vs Shopify: FAQs

Through a third-party app such as Accumula, Shopify can connect to Lightspeed.

Shopify offers a POS system is suitable for occasional or light in-person sales and has excellent eCommerce features. Lightspeed allows consumers to create and manage an online store while providing outstanding POS capability. Depending on your business aims and needs, either these can be an excellent selling solution.

When comparing the pricing of Shopify and Lightspeed, it becomes evident that Shopify offers a more affordable option. While the initial pricing may seem comparable on their respective POS systems, a deeper analysis of the features and required add-ons reveals Shopify’s cost-effectiveness. With Shopify, you can add unlimited registers to your store, whereas Lightspeed charges for additional registers. Shopify’s lowest plans already include e-commerce, POS, payment functionalities, and integrating with accounting and loyalty programs. In contrast, you would need to opt for more expensive plans to access a similar feature set on Lightspeed.

Lightspeed is a point-of-sale (POS) software that also supports eCommerce. Shopify is primarily designed as an eCommerce software supporting in-person selling.

Bottom Line

In summary, Shopify and Lightspeed are reputable platforms that can effectively support your retail operations. Make an informed decision based on the specific needs of your business, and you’ll be on your way to success in the world of eCommerce. Ultimately, Shopify suits independent retailers, online store owners, and start-ups.

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Sam Nguyen

Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.