Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

Shopkeep vs Typesense

Shopkeep logo

Shopkeep

E-Commerce

Cloud-based POS for small businesses

From
$89/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Typesense logo

Typesense

Databases

Open-source typo-tolerant search engine as an Algolia alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Typesense has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Shopkeep all plans require 24/7 phone and chat support; no tiered support options; Typesense holding the index in memory caps dataset size by available RAM, which becomes expensive at scale
  • They diverge on capability: Shopkeep covers Point of sale, Typesense covers In-memory index.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Shopkeep and Typesense actually diverge.

Attributes where Shopkeep and Typesense differ
AttributeShopkeepTypesense
Starting price$89/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee; managed cloud billed separately
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiPad, WebLinux, macOS, Docker, Self-hosted
CategoryE-CommerceDatabases
Founded2008Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Shopkeep

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

Only in Typesense

  • In-memory index
  • Typo tolerance
  • Faceting and filtering
  • Vector search

What people use each for

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

Shopkeep

No use cases recorded yet. See the Shopkeep review.

Typesense

  • Replacing Algolia when per-search pricing outgrows the valuenot Shopkeep
  • Instant search over a product catalogue or documentation sitenot Shopkeep
  • Hybrid keyword and vector search without running two systemsnot Shopkeep

Where each one falls short

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

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

Typesense

  • Holding the index in memory caps dataset size by available RAM, which becomes expensive at scale
  • Narrower than Elasticsearch by design: no log analytics or complex aggregation pipelines
  • Smaller ecosystem and community than Algolia or Elasticsearch, so fewer integrations exist off the shelf

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Typesense

Free
  • TypesenseFree
    • Full functionality
    • Self-hosted
    • No usage limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Shopkeep if

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

Choose Typesense if

  • You need in-memory index.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Docker, Self-hosted.
  • You also want typo tolerance.
Typesense review

Questions people ask

Is Shopkeep or Typesense better?
Neither clearly leads. Shopkeep starts at $89/month and Typesense at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shopkeep or Typesense?
Typesense has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $89/month for Shopkeep and Free for Typesense.
Does Shopkeep or Typesense run on more platforms?
Shopkeep runs on iPad, Web. Typesense runs on Linux, macOS, Docker, Self-hosted.
Can I use Typesense for free?
Yes. Typesense has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shopkeep starts at $89/month.
What can Shopkeep do that Typesense cannot?
Shopkeep covers Point of sale, Payment processing, Inventory management, Customer profiles. Typesense covers In-memory index, Typo tolerance, Faceting and filtering, Vector search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Typesense: Is Typesense free?

The engine is open source and free to self-host. Typesense Cloud is a paid managed option.

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
Typesense: Why choose Typesense over Algolia?

Cost and control. Algolia charges per search and per record; Typesense can be self-hosted with no per-query fee, at the cost of running it yourself.

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
Typesense: Does Typesense support vector search?

Yes, including hybrid search combining keyword and semantic matching in one query.

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