Comparison

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

This app provides a customer-facing display for your retail point-of-sale system, allowing customers to view transaction details and provide their contact information. It streamlines the checkout process and enhances customer engagement.

Highlights
  • Customer-facing transaction display
  • View line items, tax, and discounts
  • Collect customer contact details
  • Enable email receipts and marketing sign-ups
  • Eliminate data entry errors
  • Free onboarding and 24/7 support
Read full description

Lightspeed Display is the perfect companion for Lightspeed Retail POS (X-series), offering retailers a customer-facing display using a secondary iPad. To pair, simply enable Lightspeed Display from the Hardware tab in the Lightspeed Retail POS (X-Series) app settings and enter the four-digit Lightspeed Display code into the app. Let customers view key transaction details • Give your customers an overview of the sale as you’re checking out • Use the customer facing sale display to show all line items, sales tax, discounts and more Enable customers to provide their details • Encourage customers to enter their contact details for email receipts, personalized marketing or even to sign-up to your email email list • Eliminate typos or misheard email addresses Lightspeed Display requires iOS 12 and the latest version of Lightspeed Retail POS (X-Series), also available on the App Store. Free onboarding & 24/7 support • Enjoy award-winning and in-house customer support team that’s available 24/7 • 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

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lightspeed Retail POS (S) at 3.2 against Lightspeed Display (X)'s 1.4. Lightspeed Retail POS (S) also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (431 vs 21). Lightspeed Display (X)'s advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightspeed Retail POS (S) has 431 ratings behind it against 21, 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 9% of Lightspeed Display (X)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightspeed Retail POS (S) ships an update every 3 weeks, Lightspeed Display (X) every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) versus Lightspeed Display (X): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightspeed Retail POS (S)Lightspeed Display (X)
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (431 ratings) — better1.4 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews19.3% of reviews — better9.1% of reviews
Number of ratings431 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size339 MB12 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 Display (X)

All ratings21 ratings
Positive9.5%
Neutral4.8%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive9.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative90.9%

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 Display (X)

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Lightspeed Retail POS (S)

No in-app purchases

None

Lightspeed Display (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 Display (X) free?
Lightspeed Display (X) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Display (X)?
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) is rated higher. Lightspeed Retail POS (S) averages 3.2 out of 5 from 431 ratings, while Lightspeed Display (X) averages 1.4 from 21 ratings.
Do Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Display (X) have ads?
Neither Lightspeed Retail POS (S) nor Lightspeed Display (X) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) or Lightspeed Display (X)?
Lightspeed Retail POS (S) ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lightspeed Display (X) every 3 months. Most recently, Lightspeed Retail POS (S) was updated on October 23, 2026 and Lightspeed Display (X) on October 24, 2026.

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