Lightspeed Retail POS (S) vs Lightspeed Scanner (X)
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lightspeed Retail POS (S)
This iPad point of sale system is designed for retail businesses. It offers a modern interface to manage sales, customer loyalty, and inventory. Gain insights into your business performance with real-time reporting and reporting tools.
- Untethered checkout
- Customer loyalty programs
- Real-time reporting
- Sales target tracking
- Hardware integration
- Customer support
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Lightspeed Pay is only available for businesses that use Lightspeed Retail POS (S). It is not available for new customers. Lightspeed Retail POS (S) is a powerful and intuitive iPad point of sale system for retail. Designed with a modern and sleek interface that’s as beautiful as your store, Lightspeed Retail lets you run your business right from your iPad. Untether the checkout experience • Move out from behind the counter and take your checkout process to the customer • Speed up the checkout process and get paid via text message • Accept all payment types quickly with Lightspeed Payments Serve your customers better • Make selling flexible by offering delivery or curbside pickup options • Offer gift cards and build a customer loyalty program to turn shoppers into regulars • Follow the law with age-based restrictions Gain new insights into your business • Access data from anywhere with real-time reporting • See detailed sales reports and customer data to always have a handle on your retail performance • Manage and track sales targets per store and per team member so everyone can keep improving Enjoy speed and reliability • Delight shoppers with speedy transactions and reduced wait times in-store • Enjoy continuous stable app usage, even during your busiest periods Expand the power of your POS • Connect with your own hardware, from barcode scanners to receipt printers • Access powerful tools—including Lightspeed Payments and eCommerce—from Lightspeed’s one-stop commerce platform • Integrate with the best solutions in the world, including top accounting software, marketing platforms and more Support • Enjoy award-winning customer support from our in-house team • Get the undivided attention of a dedicated account manager • Access free step-by-step articles and resources in our comprehensive Help Center • Watch video tutorials to help you navigate and get the most out of your POS Lightspeed Retail is the powerful, easy-to-use POS software for busy retailers like you. With Lightspeed’s one-stop commerce platform, you’ll have everything you need to run your business from one incredible platform. Simplify. Scale. And provide amazing customer experiences. That’s the power of Lightspeed POS.
Lightspeed Scanner (X)
This mobile app enhances a retail POS system by allowing users to manage their product catalog, process sales, and conduct inventory counts directly from their smartphone. It transforms your device into a barcode scanner for efficient product identification and management.
- Manage product catalog
- Process sales and payments
- Conduct inventory counts
- Add/edit product details
- View product information
- Create purchase orders
- Receive stock and fulfill transfers
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Lightspeed Scanner is the mobile companion app for the Lightspeed Retail (X-Series) Point-of-Sale (POS) system. This app allows users to manage their Lightspeed product catalog, sell to customers, and handle product inventory from the convenience of a mobile phone. Lightspeed Scanner turns your device's camera into a powerful barcode reader, making it fast and easy to identify and count products from your Retail catalog. Key features of Lightspeed Scanner: • Add or edit products: Record Name, Description, Price, SKU Codes, Locations, and Product Images directly to your Lightspeed Retail catalog. • Sell from anywhere: Turn your phone into a mobile register. Accept payment via Tap to Pay for iPhone (Lightspeed Payments users only), sell On Account, or Park sales to complete them on any in-store register. • View product information: Search your product catalog and view details like price, stock levels, descriptions, and images. • Inventory management: Perform or schedule full and partial inventory counts. Create or add to supplier purchase orders and outlet transfer orders. You can also receive stock, fulfill transfers, and record inventory adjustments. For additional accuracy, inventory and orders counted on the app must be completed on the Lightspeed Retail POS system, giving managers ultimate control of inventory movements. Key use cases for Lightspeed Scanner: • Mobile clienteling: Quick access to the catalog makes this a great tool for sales associates assisting customers on the shop floor. Staff can check pricing and availability without leaving the customer's side. • Mobile selling: Enable stores to sell from anywhere, such as pop-up events or on the shop floor. Lightspeed Scanner allows you to offer dynamic, personalized shopping experiences. • Mobile catalog management: Edit your Lightspeed product catalog from anywhere to ensure details are always up to date. Changes made in the app sync directly with ecommerce systems connected to Lightspeed Retail. • Mobile order management: Picking and packing orders is simple on Lightspeed Scanner. With the app installed on your phone, you can pick orders without carrying additional hardware. • Finding inventory quickly: Check inventory levels across multiple outlets. Product locations are visible and editable within the app, allowing staff to quickly navigate to where products are stored. • Recording needs: Use the List building function to easily record products that need to be re-stocked, re-labelled, marked as damaged, or transferred to another outlet. Hardware and Syncing: • The app syncs directly with your POS system via WiFi or mobile network, ensuring all actions are visible instantly on the Lightspeed Retail system. • Users of Lightspeed Retail who prefer infrared barcode readers over the built-in camera scanner can connect Socket barcode readers directly to Lightspeed Scanner. Submit feedback or feature requests: We’re always improving Lightspeed Scanner to help users perform their daily tasks more efficiently. Submit feedback anytime by navigating to the Account page, then selecting ‘Send us your feedback’. Visit the Lightspeed Retail (X-Series) help centre for guided assistance on using Lightspeed Scanner.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lightspeed Scanner (X) at 4.5 against Lightspeed Retail POS (S)'s 3.2. Lightspeed Scanner (X) also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 19%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Lightspeed Retail POS (S)'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lightspeed Scanner (X) holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 431 and 355 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Lightspeed Retail POS (S)'s written reviews are positive against 59% of Lightspeed Scanner (X)'s.
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) ships an update every 3 weeks, Lightspeed Scanner (X) every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightspeed Retail POS (S) | Lightspeed Scanner (X) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (431 ratings) | 4.5 (355 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 19.3% of reviews | 58.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 431 — better | 355 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 339 MB | 120 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ShopKeep.com | Lightspeed Commerce Inc. |
Customer experience
Lightspeed Retail POS (S)
Lightspeed Scanner (X)
User reviews
Lightspeed Retail POS (S)
From 431 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🔒 Robust inventory management
- 💡 Helpful reporting and analytics
- 👍 Great customer service (some)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔌 Unreliable payment processing
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- ⏱️ Slow performance
- 💰 Expensive pricing
Lightspeed Scanner (X)
From 355 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and clean interface
- 🚀 Fast inventory counting process
- 💾 Easy CSV export functionality
- 🔄 Real-time synchronization with web version
- 📱 Works well on Android devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 📱 Compatibility issues with iPhone (especially newer models)
- 🔍 Poor barcode recognition and scanning reliability
- ⏱️ Slow syncing performance
- 🔄 Double scanning issues without barcode present
Bugs and requests
Lightspeed Retail POS (S)
Reported bugs
4 issues- Syncing issues between registers
- Printer and card reader connectivity problems
- Disappearing or duplicated orders
- Incorrect payment processing
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to delete/edit transactions
- Support for multiple tax rates
- Gift card and store credit functionality
- Employee sales tracking
- Improved exchange/refund process
Lightspeed Scanner (X)
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes when attempting to share/email inventory
- Scanning fails on newer iPhones with multiple cameras
- Inconsistent barcode recognition across different devices
- App freezes during syncing with multiple users
- Running count doesn't accumulate across multiple sections
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Scanner mode requires constant scrolling to reset
- Scanned items disappear from search after opening product info
- Poor performance with iOS 13 and older versions
- Email functionality locks up and prevents navigation
- Slow syncing (10 seconds per item reported)
Requested features
18 requests- Search/filter functionality for orders and products
- Ability to edit Brand, Category, and Tags during inventory
- Camera zoom capability for small barcodes
- QR code scanning support
- Product quantity display in search results
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Price display during counting for verification
- Transfer inventory between stores functionality
- Ability to add product photos during receiving
- Beep sound notification for each scan
- Timestamp for each scanned item
- Manual quantity entry mode
- iPad support
- Integration with Vend register app
- Bluetooth scanner support
- Ability to reopen and edit counts after sharing
- Expected inventory amount display during counting
- Option to exclude unlimited/infinity inventory items
- Ability to count zero-stocked items
In-app purchases
Lightspeed Retail POS (S)
No in-app purchases
Lightspeed Scanner (X)
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Lightspeed Retail POS (S) free?
Is Lightspeed Scanner (X) free?
Which has better reviews, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Scanner (X)?
Do Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Scanner (X) have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Scanner (X)?
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