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Software · head to head

Lightspeed Retail vs SOS Inventory

Lightspeed Retail logo

Lightspeed Retail

Software

Point of sale and retail management system

From
$89/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SOS Inventory logo

SOS Inventory

Software

Inventory management for QuickBooks Online

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lightspeed Retail high pricing starts at USD 89/month (Basic plan), escalating to USD 289/month for Plus tier with advanced features; SOS Inventory the Companion plan at $69.95 per month is limited to a single location and 1 custom field
  • They diverge on capability: Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale, SOS Inventory covers Lot tracking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Lightspeed Retail and SOS Inventory differ
AttributeLightspeed RetailSOS Inventory
Starting price$89/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iPad, Cloud-basedWeb, Cloud-based
Founded20052011

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 Lightspeed Retail

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

Only in SOS Inventory

  • Lot tracking
  • Serial numbers
  • Manufacturing
  • Multi-location
  • QuickBooks Online
  • Shopify
  • BigCommerce
  • ShipStation

What people use each for

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

Lightspeed Retail

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

SOS Inventory

  • Adding inventory, assembly and manufacturing tracking on top of QuickBooks Onlinenot Lightspeed Retail
  • Tracking serial and lot numbers across warehouse locationsnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Managing sales orders, work orders and job costing for small manufacturersnot Lightspeed Retail

Where each one falls short

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

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

SOS Inventory

  • The Companion plan at $69.95 per month is limited to a single location and 1 custom field
  • Serial and lot number tracking, barcoding and unlimited locations require the Plus plan at $139.95 per month
  • Phone support is excluded from the Companion plan
  • Job costing, advanced manufacturing and the customer portal require the Pro plan at $194.95 per month
  • Each plan includes only 2 to 5 users and additional users cost $25 each per month
  • The 2 months free discount requires paying a year up front

Pricing, plan by plan

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

SOS Inventory

On request
  • Companion$49/month
    • Basic features
    • 2 users
    • Email support
  • Plus$99/month
    • Full features
    • 5 users
    • Priority support
  • Pro$199/month
    • Advanced manufacturing
    • 10 users
    • Premium support

Which should you pick?

Choose Lightspeed Retail if

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

Choose SOS Inventory if

  • You need lot tracking.
  • You work on Web, Cloud-based.
  • You also want serial numbers.
SOS Inventory review

Questions people ask

Is Lightspeed Retail or SOS Inventory better?
Neither clearly leads. Lightspeed Retail starts at $89/month and SOS Inventory at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lightspeed Retail or SOS Inventory?
Lightspeed Retail starts at $89/month and SOS Inventory at On request.
Does Lightspeed Retail or SOS Inventory run on more platforms?
Lightspeed Retail runs on Web, iPad, Cloud-based. SOS Inventory runs on Web, Cloud-based.
What can Lightspeed Retail do that SOS Inventory cannot?
Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale, Inventory management, Customer management, Omnichannel selling. SOS Inventory covers Lot tracking, Serial numbers, Manufacturing, Multi-location.

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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Related pages

More on Lightspeed Retail

More on SOS Inventory

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