Is Orb or Shopkeep better?

Neither clearly leads. Orb starts at On request and Shopkeep at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Orb or Shopkeep?

Orb starts at On request and Shopkeep at $89/month.

Does Orb or Shopkeep run on more platforms?

Orb runs on Web, API. Shopkeep runs on iPad, Web.

What is Orb best used for?

Orb is most often used for implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providers, modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launch, automating revenue recognition for financial reporting, managing complex hybrid pricing (seats plus usage) at scale. Of those, implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providers and modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launch are not what Shopkeep is typically brought in for.

What can Orb do that Shopkeep cannot?

Orb covers Usage metering, Automated billing, Pricing modeling, Revenue recognition. Shopkeep covers Point of sale, Payment processing, Inventory management, Customer profiles.

Accounting · head to head

Orb vs Shopkeep

Orb

Accounting

Revenue design platform automating usage-based billing and pricing strategy

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Shopkeep

E-Commerce

Cloud-based POS for small businesses

From: $89/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Orb custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing; Shopkeep all plans require 24/7 phone and chat support; no tiered support options
They diverge on capability: Orb covers Usage metering, Shopkeep covers Point of sale.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Orb and Shopkeep actually diverge.

Attributes where Orb and Shopkeep differ
Attribute	Orb	Shopkeep
Starting price	On request	$89/month
Pricing model	Custom pricing based on billing volume and events	subscription
Platforms	Web, API	iPad, Web
Category	Accounting	E-Commerce
Founded	Unknown	2008

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

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 Orb

Usage metering
Automated billing
Pricing modeling
Revenue recognition
Spend controls
Pricing calculator
NetSuite integration
Data warehouse sync

Only in Shopkeep

Point of sale
Payment processing
Inventory management
Customer profiles
Sales analytics
Employee management
Mobile POS
Reporting

What people use each for

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

Orb

Implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providersnot Shopkeep
Modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launchnot Shopkeep
Automating revenue recognition for financial reportingnot Shopkeep
Managing complex hybrid pricing (seats plus usage) at scalenot Shopkeep
Providing customers real-time spend controls and usage visibilitynot Shopkeep

Shopkeep

No use cases recorded yet. See the Shopkeep review.

Where each one falls short

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

Orb

Custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing
Pricing based on both events and billing volume adds complexity to cost estimation
Enterprise-focused positioning may be overkill for simple subscription use cases
Requires integration with existing accounting systems for full value
Limited information on free tier or trial availability

Shopkeep

All plans require 24/7 phone and chat support; no tiered support options
Prices vary by business type and industry with additional service fees possible
Extra locations and registers incur additional charges beyond base plan cost

Pricing, plan by plan

Orb

On request

Core$undefined/custom
- Real-time event ingestion (up to 250K+ events/second)
- Real-time alerting
- Hybrid and usage-based billing
Advanced$undefined/custom
- All Core features
- Data warehouse sync
- Salesforce integration
Enterprise$undefined/custom
- All Advanced features
- Enterprise-grade SLAs
- Dedicated support

Shopkeep

$89/month

Basic$89/month
- Retail POS platform
- 1 register included
- Integrated Payments 1.5%
Core$149/month
- All Basic features
- Advanced management tools
- Business growth support
Plus$289/month
- All Core features
- Advanced customization
- Established retail operations support

Which should you pick?

Choose Orb if

You need usage metering.
You work on Web, API.
You also want automated billing.

Orb review

Choose Shopkeep if

You need point of sale.
You work on iPad, Web.
You also want payment processing.

Shopkeep review

Questions people ask

Is Orb or Shopkeep better?: Neither clearly leads. Orb starts at On request and Shopkeep at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Orb or Shopkeep?: Orb starts at On request and Shopkeep at $89/month.
Does Orb or Shopkeep run on more platforms?: Orb runs on Web, API. Shopkeep runs on iPad, Web.
What is Orb best used for?: Orb is most often used for implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providers, modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launch, automating revenue recognition for financial reporting, managing complex hybrid pricing (seats plus usage) at scale. Of those, implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providers and modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launch are not what Shopkeep is typically brought in for.
What can Orb do that Shopkeep cannot?: Orb covers Usage metering, Automated billing, Pricing modeling, Revenue recognition. Shopkeep covers Point of sale, Payment processing, Inventory management, Customer profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Orb: How does Orb pricing work?

Orb uses custom pricing based on your billing volume (total value of invoices) and events (raw data records ingested). Specific costs must be discussed with their sales team.

Source

Shopkeep: What is included in the Lightspeed Retail Basic plan at $89 per month?

The Basic plan includes 1 register, retail POS platform, integrated payments at 1.5% card-present rate, inventory management, Lightspeed Wholesale access, NuORDER Catalog with 5 million+ products, built-in eCommerce, loyalty programs, and 24/7 support.

Source

Orb: What is the difference between Core, Advanced, and Enterprise plans?

Core includes event ingestion and basic billing automation. Advanced adds data warehouse sync and Salesforce/NetSuite integrations. Enterprise adds SLAs, dedicated support, and mission-critical guarantees.

Source

Shopkeep: How much can I save by paying annually instead of monthly?

Shopkeep (Lightspeed Retail) offers up to 18% discount when paying annually instead of month-to-month. All three plans (Basic, Core, Plus) qualify for this annual discount.

Source

Orb: Can Orb handle hybrid pricing models?

Yes. Orb supports hybrid pricing combining seat-based, usage-based, and flat-rate components, making it suitable for complex monetization strategies.

Source

Shopkeep: What additional costs should I budget beyond the monthly subscription?

Beyond the monthly plan cost, extra locations require additional charges, extra registers incur per-register fees, and hardware (terminals, scanners, iPad devices) have separate costs. Integrated payment processing charges 1.5% per transaction.

Source

Orb vs Shopkeep

Orb

Shopkeep

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Orb

Only in Shopkeep

What people use each for

Orb

Shopkeep

Where each one falls short

Orb

Shopkeep

Pricing, plan by plan

Orb

Shopkeep

Which should you pick?

Choose Orb if

Choose Shopkeep if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Orb

More on Shopkeep

Keep looking

Other head to heads