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Inventory · head to head

Lightspeed Retail vs SOS Inventory

Lightspeed Retail logo

Lightspeed Retail

Inventory

Point of sale and retail management system

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

SOS Inventory

Inventory

Inventory management for QuickBooks Online

From
$69.95/month
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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

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/month$69.95/month
PlatformsWeb, iPad, Cloud-basedWeb, Cloud-based
Founded20052011

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 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

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

SOS Inventory

  • Inventory managementnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Job costingnot Lightspeed Retail
  • Manufacturing automationnot 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
    • 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

SOS Inventory

$69.95/month
  • Companion$69.95/month
    • Basic inventory management
    • 2 included users
    • Additional users $25/month each
  • Plus$139.95/month
    • Labeled most popular
    • Unlimited locations
    • Serial and lot tracking
  • Pro$194.95/month
    • Advanced automation
    • Job costing
    • Advanced manufacturing

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 $69.95/month, 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 $69.95/month.
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 is Lightspeed Retail best used for?
Lightspeed Retail is most often used for tracking 10,000+ skus across multiple sales channels, reconciling payments across terminals in under 10 minutes, selling across in-person, online, and social simultaneously, accessing real-time inventory demand forecasting. Of those, tracking 10,000+ skus across multiple sales channels and reconciling payments across terminals in under 10 minutes are not what SOS Inventory is typically brought in for.
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: 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
SOS Inventory: How much does SOS Inventory cost?

SOS Inventory offers monthly plans from $69.95 for Companion to $194.95 for Pro. Annual billing saves approximately two months of fees. Additional users cost $25/month, and external connections are $25/month each.

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
SOS Inventory: Does SOS Inventory offer a free trial?

Yes, SOS Inventory offers 14 days to explore its full range of features. Users can upgrade or downgrade plans easily through account settings.

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
SOS Inventory: What is the difference between SOS Inventory plans?

Companion includes 2 users and basic management. Plus is marked most popular and adds unlimited locations and lot tracking with 3 users. Pro adds advanced automation and manufacturing with 5 users.

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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