Lightspeed Retail vs Brigade POS

Square Point of Sale

Fishbowl

Clover

Shopify POS

Bindo POS

NCR Voyix

Compare Lightspeed Retail and Brigade POS based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Epos Now

Epos Now is a leading global cloud-based point-of-sale and payment system that specializes in helping US retail and hospitality businesses trade efficiently.

Thanks to a selection of tools, and an extensive app store, users can create bespoke systems that make running a business simple.

Shopify

Shopify is a commerce platform that allows anyone to easily sell online, at a retail location, and everywhere in between

PayPal

PayPal provides an end-to-end suite of tools that can integrate with a business's existing systems and service providers. Its network of shoppers and businesses provides AI-driven data insights to help businesses reach new customers and drive results.

Lightspeed Retail is a complete point of sale (POS) & inventory management tool that simplifies time-consuming tasks like inventory & employee management. Access detailed sales reports in minutes and use built-in customer profiles to provide personalized service that will increase customer loyalty.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Activity Dashboard

Barcode Printing

Barcode Recognition

Barcode/Ticket Scanning

Barcoding/RFID

Billing & Invoicing

Cash Management

Catalog Management

Channel Management

Check-in/Check-out

Clock In/Out

Consignments

Content Management

Cost Tracking

Credit Card Processing

Customer Accounts

Customer Database

Customer History

Customer Management

Customer Segmentation

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Reports

Customization

Data Import/Export

Data Synchronization

Discount Management

eCommerce Management

Electronic Payments

Email Marketing

Employee Management

For Bakeries

For iPad Devices

For Jewelry Stores

For Liquor Stores

For Retail

For Small Businesses

Gift Card Management

Inventory Auditing

Inventory Control

Inventory Management

Inventory Optimization

Inventory Replenishment

Inventory Tracking

Item Management

Kitting

Layaway Management

Loyalty Program

Mail Order

Marketing Automation

Merchandise Management

Mobile Access

Mobile Commerce

Multi-Channel Marketing

Multi-Location

Multi-Store

Order Entry

Ordering Automation

Order Management

Order Processing

Order Tracking

Payment Processing

Point of Sale (POS)

Price/Margin Management

Pricing Management

Product Catalog

Product Configurator

Product Identification

Product Management

Promotions Management

Purchase Order Management

Purchasing & Receiving

Real-Time Analytics

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Monitoring

Real-Time Reporting

Remote Access/Control

Reorder Management

Repair Tracking

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Retail Inventory Management

Retail Management

Retail POS

Returns Management

Returns Tracking

Sales History

Sales Management

Sales Order Management

Sales Reports

Sales Tax Management

Search/Filter

SEO Management

Serial Number Tracking

Shopping Cart

By industry, Lightspeed Retail reviewers are most commonly professionals in retail (48%). The most frequent use case for Lightspeed Retail cited by reviewers is as a retail POS system (61% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some reviewers find Lightspeed Retail offers competitive pricing for its features, and they appreciate the free trial and occasional discounts. However, users report extra fees for add-ons, frustration with pricing changes, and concerns about unclear total costs.

Value for money

Lightspeed Retail is a retail POS system with key features that include inventory management, sales reporting, payment processing, and more.

Lightspeed Retail

Web-based

Windows

iPad

Linux

Chromebook

Basic

Core

Plus

co owner

After explaining the situation and providing written proof of what had been promised to me, [sensitive content hidden] assured me that the fee would be credited back to my account and that it wouldn’t be charged again until the end of my subscription term in May. If we don’t sign up with them for credit card processing before May, they will continue to charge us $ 930 per month for not processing with them. While the issue was eventually resolved as far as crediting us the $ 930, (after significant delays and frustration), the experience left a bad taste.

Owner

I have already ordered hardware for a new POS system and will be discontinuing use of Shopkeep by Lightspeed, despite having almost a full year of prepaid service remaining.

I’m now out over $2,000 for IT fees, paying more than $300 per month for a service that wasn’t what I was promised, and I’m now looking for a new POS system, because we do not want to process with them because of the bad reputation that they have with the credit card processing.  

I have spent hours on chat and phone support, trying to come up with a solution to an outdated machine that does not connect/stay connected.

Long wait time for customer support, and we were lied to by not being transparent about credit card fees for not processing with Lightspeed

Support is limited to non existent and the account manager's primary objective to sell you their services, and if this is not accepted, they will pressurise you to take the services regardless by way of charging you £335 per month as penalty.

Lied to from the start and now will not return my email with a request for refund after proof (emails saved) were sent.

One area is that purchase orders need to show the SKU of the items.

Owner Operator

This issue, which we were told many times is so easily fixed, took 3 months to fix, causing a whole lot of stress in our business & personal lives.

Pres

A sudden "policy change" and now we're getting a additional $400 per month charge on top of our subscription fee until we switch to their merchant card service.  

After spending over $2,000 in IT fees for setup and two months of onboarding, we finally went live on [sensitive content hidden].

Admin

I also had to get a separate plugin (from a 3rd-party) in order to fully get my POS and website to sync.

Hundreds of hours wasted and no one will return my email with a request for refund....

Administrator

It’s gives you a report graph to compair sales in whatever period or in categories.

Yesterday I waited in the phone queue for over an hour, waiting for customer support.

Anytime we needed real answers, we were ghosted by not only their support team, but our actual account managers.

Customer service was virtually non existent & felt like they were intentionally trying to lose me as a customer towards the end.

I immediately reached out to my sales rep, [sensitive content hidden], through phone calls and text messages.

Manager

Helpful that the platform can also be used for inventory management and restock levels can be set.

Co-owner

As of May, they billed us for $516 (we terminated on the 7th day of our free trial via multiple emails and a phone call) and then signed an affidavit with our bank that we have a contract so they could use our new debit card info for auto-billing.  

We've had transactions completely disappear after the customer already left, thus losing not an insignificant amount of money.

Sales Assistant

The system’s ability to handle multiple payment methods is also a big plus.

Note they only give you 18 days to pay for the penalty invoices before suspending service.

The system can sometimes be slow, especially during busy times, which can frustrate customers.

owner

Cancelled subscription and then could not get a call back for hardware return.

Business Operations Supervisor

I like how easy it is to pull data on Lightspeed Back office and how easy it is to have it communicate to your POS device.

By Wednesday, I had to escalate the issue, and a manager named [sensitive content hidden] called me back.

Helps speed up transactions and reduce errors.

One that is non-negotiable nor a work around available.  

It has a great back office feature and connects to the POS system very well.

Demands additional software to integrate with Woo, Amazon, and Shipstation. Where is support?

Ease of implementation Multi location abilityPortabilityLinks to e-commerce optionAbility to use multiple terminals to access data and input sales/work orders/purchase orders etc over cloud

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.

There is a newsletter that alerts us to new features and interests.

Store Manager

the amazing POS and Inventory management offered from Lightspeed.

This was an amazing system until they showed their true colors by forcing me (and others) to pay them $400 more a month if you don't use their payment system.

This adds a lot of manual effort when reconciling.

This could be useful to help with additional expenses as they come along.

In a few short years, it provided some of the worst customers service I have experience in any industry.  

Canceled my account and asked for a refund for the card reader and the subscription fee for the month we couldn’t process anything through them (Square stepped in and took care of us).

The down time when their service fails on their end.

Director

To then be advised that if we don't use their card processing servicing, we could face charges of up to £500 per month is astounding and unethical.

I called and spoke with a rep asking for a refund, it took a month for a response and the email was generic with no explanation for declining my request for refund.

After cancelling my account 5 months ago, they continue to deduct funds from my account despite receiving email confirmation that my account had been cancelled.

months to get a response from the tech side (I wish I was exaggerating).

Over and above customer service is so very important, and this alone keeps us on-line.

We cannot get in touch with a real person and have to resolve everything via chat and email and they do not address the question you asked because they don't know how.  

Sales

Light speed offers some of the best Retail software on the market.

Users report that payment processing in Lightspeed Retail is generally easy to use and integrates well with the POS, allowing for multiple payment types. Reviewers indicate Lightspeed Retail offers competitive rates but express frustration at being forced to use Lightspeed’s payment service or face high fees. They say processing can be slow, support is lacking, and unexpected fees sometimes occur. Users note Lightspeed Retail does not integrate with Square and online payments may require Stripe instead of Lightspeed Payments. Of the 23 Lightspeed Retail users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Payment Processing, 87% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Contract and Refund Issues

Customer Support

Phone Support

Bugs and Issues

Setup

Users report that Lightspeed Retail offers helpful inventory management capabilities, making it easy to enter new inventory, transfer stock between stores, and track sales. Reviewers indicate Lightspeed Retail simplifies reordering and provides visibility across multiple locations. They find the interface generally straightforward, but some say adding inventory can be overly complex and time-consuming. Users mention integration issues with Shopify and QuickBooks, and they highlight glitches, syncing problems, and a lack of bulk update options as weaknesses in Lightspeed Retail’s inventory management. Of the 36 Lightspeed Retail users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Inventory Management, 97% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Pricing

Features

Receipt and printer limitations

60% of reviewers feel negative about Lightspeed’s receipt printing and hardware compatibility. Users say the system often wastes paper by printing unnecessary receipts and requires specific, expensive printers and accessories. Some reviewers report connectivity issues, difficulty setting up printers, and problems with barcode scanners. They mention that switching between different printing tasks is cumbersome and that certain regulatory or customization needs for receipts are hard to meet. Users feel these limitations add unnecessary cost and complexity.

Difficult contracts and refunds

75% of reviewers feel negative about Lightspeed’s contract and refund policies. Some users report challenges with canceling contracts, obtaining refunds, and dealing with unexpected rate increases. Reviewers indicate frustration with misleading sales promises, rigid long-term agreements, and slow or unhelpful responses when trying to resolve disputes. They say the process for breaking contracts or returning hardware is often complicated, and some feel trapped in unfavorable terms even when the product does not meet their needs.

Lightspeed Retail vs Brigade POS Comparison (2026)

Lightspeed Retail

Brigade POS

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives