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Inventory · head to head

ERPNext vs Lightspeed Retail

ERPNext logo

ERPNext

Inventory

Open-source ERP solution for SMEs and growing businesses

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 ERPNext has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ERPNext the software is AGPL-3.0 licensed, which imposes source disclosure obligations on anyone distributing a modified network service built on it; 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: ERPNext covers Accounting, 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 ERPNext and Lightspeed Retail actually diverge.

Attributes where ERPNext and Lightspeed Retail differ
AttributeERPNextLightspeed Retail
Starting priceFree$89/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsSelf-hosted, Cloud, WebWeb, iPad, Cloud-based
Founded20142005

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 ERPNext

  • Accounting
  • Inventory
  • Manufacturing
  • CRM
  • Human Resources
  • Payment gateways
  • Email systems
  • Custom extensions

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.

ERPNext

  • Enterprise resource planning for small to medium businessesnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Accounting and financial managementnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Inventory and stock managementnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Supply chain managementnot Lightspeed Retail

Lightspeed Retail

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

Where each one falls short

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

ERPNext

  • The software is AGPL-3.0 licensed, which imposes source disclosure obligations on anyone distributing a modified network service built on it
  • Managed hosting is priced per site and per server rather than per user, so a small team running several sites pays more than a large team on one
  • Dedicated server isolation and stronger reliability guarantees start at $125 a month
  • Self hosting is free but places upgrades, backups and availability entirely on the operator

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

ERPNext

Free
  • Community EditionFree
  • Frappe Cloud Starter$14/month
  • Frappe Cloud Standard$50/month
  • Frappe Cloud Professional$100/month

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 ERPNext if

  • You need accounting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Cloud, Web.
  • You also want inventory.
ERPNext 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 ERPNext or Lightspeed Retail better?
Neither clearly leads. ERPNext 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, ERPNext or Lightspeed Retail?
ERPNext has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ERPNext and $89/month for Lightspeed Retail.
Does ERPNext or Lightspeed Retail run on more platforms?
ERPNext runs on Self-hosted, Cloud, Web. Lightspeed Retail runs on Web, iPad, Cloud-based.
Can I use ERPNext for free?
Yes. ERPNext has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Retail starts at $89/month.
What is ERPNext best used for?
ERPNext is most often used for enterprise resource planning for small to medium businesses, accounting and financial management, inventory and stock management, supply chain management. Of those, enterprise resource planning for small to medium businesses and accounting and financial management are not what Lightspeed Retail is typically brought in for.
What can ERPNext do that Lightspeed Retail cannot?
ERPNext covers Accounting, Inventory, Manufacturing, CRM. Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale, Inventory management, Customer management, Omnichannel selling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ERPNext: Is ERPNext free?

Yes, ERPNext Community Edition is completely free and open source with no hidden paywalls. Everything is available to use, modify, or resell at no cost. Users can also access professional hosting through Frappe Cloud starting at USD$14 per month.

Source
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
ERPNext: What is Frappe Cloud pricing based on?

Frappe Cloud pricing is compute-based rather than per-user licensing. Costs range from USD$14 to USD$108 per month depending on resource needs. The pricing advantage is that hosting costs do not scale linearly with the number of users, unlike traditional per-seat SaaS models.

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
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