Comparison

Lightspeed Retail POS (S) vs Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Untethered checkout
  • Customer loyalty programs
  • Real-time reporting
  • Sales target tracking
  • Hardware integration
  • Customer support
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)

Streamline restaurant operations with a comprehensive iPad-based platform. Manage menus, orders, payments, and employee tasks efficiently. Offers offline functionality and detailed reporting for businesses of all sizes.

Highlights
  • Real-time menu and floor plan management
  • Tableside ordering and payment processing
  • Offline mode for uninterrupted service
  • Comprehensive sales and employee reporting
  • Multi-store management capabilities
  • Extensive integration options
Read full description

Imagine upgrading every single aspect of your restaurant with a simple touch. We’re talking quicker service, increased profits and simplified workflows for your front and back of house. Lightspeed Restaurant (K Series) lets you run your entire restaurant via iPad from anywhere. Tailored for pubs, bars, cafes, bakeries, hotels and both casual dining and fine dining restaurants. Lightspeed Restaurant (K Series) is a seamless, intuitive and reliable restaurant management solution trusted by restaurateurs around the world. Menu and floor plan - Create and modify your menu and floor plan in real time. - Multiple adjustable floor plans - Customisable menu - Real-time editing Ordering and payments Go where your customers are and take orders on the spot while they’re being sent directly to the kitchen or the bar. - Tableside ordering by course or by seat - Order sequence suggestions - Mobile service - Takeout and delivery - Accept any payment type or currency - Review and adjust items in bulk Offline mode Internet down? Don't sweat it. Lightspeed Restaurant will continue to process and send orders to the kitchen or bar, and data will sync to your back office once the internet is back up. Thanks to Lightspeed TrueSync serverless technology, your ePOS doesn’t quit. - Uninterrupted service - Fully-featured offline mode - Automatic syncs and backups Reporting and data Get unrestricted access to over 50 detailed reports via iPad, mobile phone or desktop computer. - Sales reports - Product reports - End-of-day reports - User reports - Accounting reports - Mobile reporting Free onboarding and support With Lightspeed Restaurant, you get support whenever you need it. - Training and support - Free onboarding - Phone support - Email and chat support Employee management Manage your employees with a comprehensive suite of tools and integrations available. - Clock in and clock out - Customisable employee permissions - Employee performance reports - Set up individual accounts - Scheduling integrations Multi-store management Whether you’re managing one or multiple locations, Lightspeed Restaurant (K Series) has the tools to streamline how you operate and minimise complexity. - Consolidated multi-store reports - Shared products - Multiple price-lists - Location reporting - Inventory management and transfers - Centralised and localised gift cards - Customer data per location Add ons Choose from a host of add-ons to further boost your restaurant’s productivity and elevate the customer experience. - Lightspeed Delivery - Built-in Xero Integration - Lightspeed Live: mobile reporting application - Kitchen Display System - Customer Facing Display Integrations Our network of over 95 integration partners allows you to tailor your Lightspeed Restaurant ePOS to your business’ specific needs. - Payment terminals - Online reservation tools - Click and collect modules - Hotel property management systems (PMS) - Accounting suites - Business analytics - Employee scheduling - Inventory management software - And more “With a live feed of all transactions from different channels, we can better allocate staff for busy periods and use data to generate reports.” —Timothy Stevenson, CPRESS Juice “A lot of other systems make things so much more complicated than they need to be. The simplicity of Lightspeed just makes running a business that much easier.” —Ben Ryan, Mamma Dough “Lightspeed understood immediately the challenges we were facing. The Back Office is easy to use, and allows us to easily track our sales metrics and KPIs. That helped us stay on top of things during our transition from pop-up to brick and mortar restaurant.” —Seb Shaw, Morty and Bob’s Questions? You can always reach our friendly team of specialists by calling +44 203 695 9599 or by going to our Help Center for helpful tips, training videos and system updates.

Screenshots

Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lightspeed Retail POS (S) at 3.2 against Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)'s 2.6. Lightspeed Retail POS (S) also leads on ratings volume (431 vs 17) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)'s advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lightspeed Retail POS (S) holds the better App Store score, 3.2 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightspeed Retail POS (S) has 431 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 19% of Lightspeed Retail POS (S)'s written reviews are positive against 25% of Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightspeed Retail POS (S) ships an update every 3 weeks, Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) versus Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightspeed Retail POS (S)Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (431 ratings) — better2.6 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews19.3% of reviews25.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings431 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size339 MB409 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperShopKeep.comLightspeed Commerce Inc.

Customer experience

Lightspeed Retail POS (S)

All ratings431 ratings
Positive51.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative42.0%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive19.3%
Neutral10.2%
Negative70.5%

Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)

All ratings17 ratings
Positive35.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.7%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative66.7%

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 Restaurant POS (K)

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Lightspeed Retail POS (S)

No in-app purchases

None

Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lightspeed Retail POS (S) free?
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) free?
Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)?
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) is rated higher. Lightspeed Retail POS (S) averages 3.2 out of 5 from 431 ratings, while Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) averages 2.6 from 17 ratings.
Do Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) have ads?
Neither Lightspeed Retail POS (S) nor Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K)?
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) every 2 weeks. Most recently, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) was updated on October 23, 2026 and Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) on October 26, 2026.

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