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Software · head to head

Dubsado vs Lightspeed Retail

Dubsado logo

Dubsado

Software

Business management for creatives

From
$20/month
Rated
-
Lightspeed Retail logo

Lightspeed Retail

Software

Point of sale and retail management system

From
$89/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dubsado automated workflows, scheduling and public proposals all require the Premier plan at $525 a year; 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: Dubsado covers Scheduler, Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dubsado and Lightspeed Retail actually diverge.

Attributes where Dubsado and Lightspeed Retail differ
AttributeDubsadoLightspeed Retail
Starting price$20/month$89/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, iPad, Cloud-based
Founded20162005

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Dubsado

  • Scheduler
  • CRM
  • Invoicing
  • Contracts
  • Automation workflows
  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook
  • QuickBooks

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.

Dubsado

  • Client management and project workflows for freelancers and studiosnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow upnot Lightspeed Retail

Lightspeed Retail

No use cases recorded yet. See the Lightspeed Retail review.

Where each one falls short

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

Dubsado

  • Automated workflows, scheduling and public proposals all require the Premier plan at $525 a year
  • The Starter plan allows a single lead capture form
  • Zapier and bookkeeping integrations are excluded from Starter
  • Additional brands are $10 a month each
  • Only 3 users are included, with 4 to 10 costing $25 a month and 21 to 30 costing $60

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

Dubsado

$20/month
  • Starter$20/month
    • 3 clients
    • Core features
    • Scheduler
  • Premier$40/month
    • Unlimited clients
    • All features
    • Automation

Lightspeed Retail

$89/month
  • Basic$89/month
    • One register
    • Integrated payments
    • Inventory management
  • Core$149/month
    • All Basic features
    • Expanded eCommerce capabilities
    • Phone support access
  • Plus$289/month
    • All Core features
    • API access
    • Custom workflows

Which should you pick?

Choose Dubsado if

  • You need scheduler.
  • You also want crm.

Choose Lightspeed Retail if

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

Questions people ask

Is Dubsado or Lightspeed Retail better?
Neither clearly leads. Dubsado starts at $20/month and Lightspeed Retail at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dubsado or Lightspeed Retail?
Dubsado starts at $20/month and Lightspeed Retail at $89/month.
Does Dubsado or Lightspeed Retail run on more platforms?
Dubsado runs on Web. Lightspeed Retail runs on Web, iPad, Cloud-based.
What is Dubsado best used for?
Dubsado is most often used for client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios, sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up. Of those, client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios and sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up are not what Lightspeed Retail is typically brought in for.
What can Dubsado do that Lightspeed Retail cannot?
Dubsado covers Scheduler, CRM, Invoicing, Contracts. Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale, Inventory management, Customer management, Omnichannel selling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lightspeed Retail: What payment processing rates does Lightspeed Retail charge?

Lightspeed Retail charges 1.5% for card-present payment processing via Lightspeed Payments.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: Does Lightspeed Retail offer API access?

Yes. API access and custom workflows are available in the Plus plan (USD 289/month), enabling advanced customization and integrations.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: Does Lightspeed support multi-location management?

Yes. All Lightspeed Retail plans support multi-location inventory management with centralized control, though additional location and register costs apply as businesses scale.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: What customer support options are available?

All Lightspeed Retail plans include 24/7 customer support via chat and phone for Core and Plus plans.

Source

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