Softwr

Inventory · head to head

ABC Inventory vs Lightspeed Retail

A

ABC Inventory

Inventory

Free inventory software for Windows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Retail logo

Lightspeed Retail

Inventory

Point of sale and retail management system

From
$89/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ABC Inventory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ABC Inventory the free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024; Lightspeed Retail high pricing starts at USD 89/month (Basic plan), escalating to USD 289/month for Plus tier with advanced features
  • They diverge on capability: ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABC Inventory and Lightspeed Retail actually diverge.

Attributes where ABC Inventory and Lightspeed Retail differ
AttributeABC InventoryLightspeed Retail
Starting priceFree$89/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows DesktopWeb, iPad, Cloud-based
Founded19952005

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Inventory).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ABC Inventory

  • Inventory tracking
  • Purchase orders
  • Sales orders
  • Multi-location
  • Excel export
  • Barcode printing
  • Label printing
  • Windows Desktop support

Only in Lightspeed Retail

  • Point of sale
  • Inventory management
  • Customer management
  • Omnichannel selling
  • Analytics
  • Employee management
  • Loyalty programs
  • Hardware compatibility

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ABC Inventory

  • Desktop inventorynot Lightspeed Retail
  • Order managementnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Purchasingnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Stock controlnot Lightspeed Retail

Lightspeed Retail

  • Tracking 10,000+ SKUs across multiple sales channelsnot ABC Inventory
  • Reconciling payments across terminals in under 10 minutesnot ABC Inventory
  • Selling across in-person, online, and social simultaneouslynot ABC Inventory
  • Accessing real-time inventory demand forecastingnot ABC Inventory

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ABC Inventory

  • The free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024
  • The free licence excludes phone, email and online support, per the same capture of 20 November 2024

Lightspeed Retail

  • High pricing starts at USD 89/month (Basic plan), escalating to USD 289/month for Plus tier with advanced features
  • Limited integrations with third-party platforms, particularly challenging for Shopify inventory sync
  • Inventory synchronization issues reported with backordered products and bulk updates
  • Customer support response times can be slow despite 24/7 availability
  • System crashes and performance degradation reported during high-traffic periods

Pricing, plan by plan

ABC Inventory

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full features
    • Single user
    • Basic support
  • Network$199/month
    • Multi-user
    • Network access
    • Priority support

Lightspeed Retail

$89/month
  • Basic$89/month
    • Retail POS platform
    • Integrated payments at 1.5% card-present rate
    • Inventory management
  • Core$149/month
    • All Basic features
    • Advanced management tools
    • 1 register included
  • Plus$289/month
    • All Core features
    • Advanced customization
    • Scalability for established operations

Which should you pick?

Choose ABC Inventory if

  • You need inventory tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows Desktop.
  • You also want purchase orders.
ABC Inventory review

Choose Lightspeed Retail if

  • You need point of sale.
  • You work on Web, iPad, Cloud-based.
  • You also want inventory management.
Lightspeed Retail review

Questions people ask

Is ABC Inventory or Lightspeed Retail better?
Neither clearly leads. ABC Inventory starts at Free and Lightspeed Retail at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABC Inventory or Lightspeed Retail?
ABC Inventory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ABC Inventory and $89/month for Lightspeed Retail.
Does ABC Inventory or Lightspeed Retail run on more platforms?
ABC Inventory runs on Windows Desktop. Lightspeed Retail runs on Web, iPad, Cloud-based.
Can I use ABC Inventory for free?
Yes. ABC Inventory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Retail starts at $89/month.
What is ABC Inventory best used for?
ABC Inventory is most often used for desktop inventory, order management, purchasing, stock control. Of those, desktop inventory and order management are not what Lightspeed Retail is typically brought in for.
What can ABC Inventory do that Lightspeed Retail cannot?
ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, Purchase orders, Sales orders, Multi-location. Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale, Inventory management, Customer management, Omnichannel selling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lightspeed Retail: How much does Lightspeed Retail POS cost?

Pricing starts at $89 per month for the Basic plan, $149 for Core, and $289 for Plus, with each plan including 1 register.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: Can I get a discount for annual billing?

Annual billing provides savings up to 18% compared to monthly billing across all Lightspeed Retail tiers.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: What payment processing fees does Lightspeed Retail charge?

Integrated payment processing charges a card-present rate of 1.5% on all plans.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: Do I need to pay extra for additional registers?

Yes, each base plan includes 1 register. Additional registers require per-register fees on top of the monthly plan cost.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on ABC Inventory

More on Lightspeed Retail

Keep looking

Other head to heads