Comparison

Lightspeed Retail POS (S) vs Lightspeed Retail (X)

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 Retail (X)

This iPad point of sale system empowers retailers to manage their business from anywhere. It offers flexible checkout options, enhanced customer service tools, and real-time business insights. Connect with hardware and integrate with other services for a comprehensive commerce solution.

Highlights
  • Mobile checkout
  • Customer management
  • Real-time reporting
  • Sales target tracking
  • Hardware integration
  • Third-party integrations
  • Open API
Features
Read full description

Lightspeed Retail POS is the most 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 POS is the #1 point of sale system that lets you run your business right from your iPad. Join 150,000+ customer locations worldwide who use Lightspeed’s award-winning one-stop commerce platform—no contracts, no commitment necessary. Untether the checkout experience • Move out from behind the counter and take your checkout process to the customer • Speed up the checkout process with Quick Keys and an easy search function • Run various types of promotions and discounts right from the app Serve your customers better • Make selling flexible with layaways, gift cards, on-account sales, and on-the-spot returns • Collect customer details using Lightspeed Retail POS to grow your database and personalize the shopping experience Gain new insights into your business • Access data from anywhere with real-time reporting • Create custom sales, inventory, and customer reports 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 waiting times in store • Enjoy continuous stable app usage even through your busiest periods Expand the power of your POS • Connect with your own hardware, from barcode scanners to receipt printers • Access powerful capabilities—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 • Tap into Lightspeed’s open API to create bespoke apps and workflows that suit your business Free onboarding & 24/7 support • Enjoy award-winning customer support from our in-house team that’s available 24/7 • Get the undivided attention of a dedicated account manager • Get free step-by-step articles and resources in our comprehensive Help Center • Watch step-by-step video tutorials to help you navigate and get the most out of your POS Lightspeed Retail is the effortless POS software for busy retailers. You live and breathe retail… and guess what? So do we. We know the unique challenges that brick-and-mortar retailers face, and we’re giving you all the tools you need to run a thriving physical store. Thanks to Lightspeed’s one-stop commerce platform, you can get all the tools to successfully run your business from one powerful solution.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Lightspeed Retail POS (S) at 431 against Lightspeed Retail (X)'s 47. Lightspeed Retail POS (S) also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). Lightspeed Retail (X)'s advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightspeed Retail POS (S) has 431 ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Lightspeed Retail POS (S)'s written reviews are positive against 18% of Lightspeed Retail (X)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightspeed Retail POS (S) ships an update every 3 weeks, Lightspeed Retail (X) every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) versus Lightspeed Retail (X): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightspeed Retail POS (S)Lightspeed Retail (X)
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (431 ratings) — better3.0 (47 ratings)
Positive reviews19.3% of reviews — better18.0% of reviews
Number of ratings431 — better47
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size339 MB305 MB
Age rating4+4+
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 Retail (X)

All ratings47 ratings
Positive46.8%
Neutral6.4%
Negative46.8%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive18.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative74.0%

User reviews

Lightspeed Retail POS (S)

From 431 App Store ratings

What 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 Retail (X)

From 47 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly on Apple devices
  • 🚀 Fast and intuitive
  • 💡 Great for business growth
  • 💡 Good reporting features
  • 💡 Integrates well with PayPal

Room to improve

  • 😞 Expensive
  • 😞 Poor customer support
  • 😞 Unresponsive support team
  • 😞 Long support response times
  • 😞 Support can't solve issues

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 Retail (X)

Reported bugs

36 issues
  • App and WISE Terminal doesn't display properly
  • Latest update bricked the app
  • Endless problems after Vend integration
  • Bugs and errors riddle the app
  • Scanner support is abysmal
Show 31 more
  • App stops working in the middle of trade
  • Print customer button doesn't work on iPad
  • Label printing not supported
  • Update changed the colors
  • New version keeps dropping printer connection
  • New patch made receipts less legible
  • Doesn't work on latest iOS, crashes
  • Tax issues, incorrectly manages tax
  • Trial doesn't allow inventory addition
  • Cannot delete inventory from trial
  • Error when editing existing product
  • Crashes all the time when trying to enter products
  • Tag search stopped working
  • App won't open
  • Doesn't print properly after update
  • Sell screen vanishes from dashboard menu
  • Exits automatically on launch
  • Rounding bug where tax is rounded up incorrectly
  • Nothing works, logged out, cannot log back in
  • Cannot reset password
  • Crashes immediately on open
  • App continues to run in background but crashes on open
  • App needs to be more reliable
  • Cannot launch on multiple iOS devices
  • Crashes straight away when opened
  • Screen lags, keyboard input delayed
  • Frequently doubles the first keystroke
  • Need to hit search icon every time to add product
  • Not able to register, validation rejects web address
  • Wont run on latest iPad version, wont start
  • App update to vend register is glitchy and has constant crashes

Requested features

14 requests
  • Update WISE Terminal display
  • Make app worth 5 stars with updates
  • Support for non-Apple products
  • Tutorial for UI/UX rearrangement
  • Print customer button to work on iPad
Show 9 more
  • Bring back old color options
  • Allow inventory addition in trial
  • Allow deletion of inventory from trial
  • Fix product editing errors in trial
  • Tag search to work again
  • Add more items to free version
  • Fix rounding bug in tax calculation
  • Bring back search on main screen
  • Allow 3 decimal places in quantity field

In-app purchases

None

Lightspeed Retail POS (S)

No in-app purchases

None

Lightspeed Retail (X)

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 Retail (X) free?
Lightspeed Retail (X) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Retail (X)?
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) is rated higher. Lightspeed Retail POS (S) averages 3.2 out of 5 from 431 ratings, while Lightspeed Retail (X) averages 3.0 from 47 ratings.
Do Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Retail (X) have ads?
Neither Lightspeed Retail POS (S) nor Lightspeed Retail (X) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Retail (X)?
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lightspeed Retail (X) every 9 days. Most recently, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) was updated on October 23, 2026 and Lightspeed Retail (X) on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons