Grow your business with a POS system built for your needs
Lightspeed's cloud-based POS system helps retailers and restaurateurs bring their customer experience to the next level. With our powerful point of sale, we unlock your business' potential.
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Manage your business with a robust iPad POS system.
Process transactions and manage your stock on the go with Lightspeed's iPad POS system. Our apps are intuitive to use and easy to train on, so you and your staff can get started right away.
- Step away from the computer and work anywhere with a fully featured iPad POS system
- Manage your business from your iPad with tools like built-in reports and purchase orders
- Empower your staff to sell anywhere and offer mobile payments with our iPad POS system
![Lightspeed POS software](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/01/6b75767d-t4635_seo-opt_pos-software_1200x900-1.jpg)
Work wherever you want with a cloud-based POS system.
Using Lightspeed means your data is available wherever you are—at work, at home or on the road. Whether you're a restaurateur making quick menu edits on the fly or a retailer checking on end-of-day reports in your home office, being cloud-based means managing your business wherever it works for you.
- Work on any device, anywhere you are, with cloud-based tools
- Access your reports and data from any location
- Monitor inventory levels from anywhere, and manage stock between locations as needed
![Lightspeed POS Software](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/01/7905f59c-t4635_seo-opt_pos-software_1200x900-2-1.jpg)
A complete payments solution integrated with your POS system.
Lightspeed Payments is a modern, secure and affordable payments solution with all the tools you need to accept in-person, online and contactless transactions, while getting paid fast.
- Accept popular payment methods, like credit, debit, cash and contactless mobile payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- Secure your transactions with built-in fraud detection, end-to-end encryption and PCI compliant hardware.
- Keep more of your hard-earned money with an affordable rate starting at 2.6% + $0.10.
![Lightspeed Payments](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/c27af8c2-half-width-3.jpg)
Take your retail shop or restaurant online
Today, omnichannel is more important than ever. Whether you run a retail shop or a restaurant, customers expect you to operate online. With Lightspeed, it couldn’t be easier.
- Set up your online store for your retail shop quickly with free, easy-to-use professional themes that help build your brand
- Seamlessly sync sales and inventory data between your eCom shop and POS system to streamline operations and prevent out of stock issues
- Give diners a way to browse your menu ahead of time and offer online ordering for pickup or delivery
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/5dd9eec7-seo-opt_pos-system_halfwidth-1@2x.jpg)
Explore the world’s most powerful POS for free.
14-day trial. Unlimited access to all features. No credit card required.
![Capterra logo](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2019/10/a7c821d7-capterra.png)
![Software Advice logo](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2019/10/5bdbfe20-software-advice.png)
![Top 5 POS Systems](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2019/10/ea7987f1-top-5-pos-systems.png)
![Top 10 POS Systems](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/7eff4b49-ratings_top10pox.png)
![Merchant Maverick](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/a045667f-ratings_merchant-maverick.png)
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Get what your business needs
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/04/4d416e7a-retail-earphones.png)
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/04/6088f32c-resto-drink.png)
![headphones](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/c333c3a2-retail-headphones-new.png)
![iPad with Retail interface](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/e4351551-retail_wizard_x-series.png)
What do you sell?
![white shoes](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/e7f597c8-retail-shoes-new.png)
![black bike key](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/1bd21385-retail-bike-key-new.png)
![yellow tshirt](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/8715a42e-retail-t-shirt-new.png)
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/04/d3eac97c-resto-burger.png)
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/04/b0eca986-resto-coffee.png)
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What’s your restaurant type?
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/04/6088f32c-resto-drink.png)
![iPad](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/f3b1851b-hospo_wizard_k-series.png)
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2020/05/80862857-golf-club.png)
![](https://assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/cf28f48c-golf_wizard_r-series.png)
What is your golf course type?
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Explore the world’s most powerful POS for free.
14-day trial. Unlimited access to all features. No credit card required.
What is a POS system?
A point of sale (POS) system is a suite of software and hardware that gives businesses the ability to sell products and services, manage inventory, track sales performance, build customer relationships and much more. The simplest way to understand a POS system is to think of it as a more modern cash register that can do so much more than just ring up customers.
Let’s break it down into the two main components of a POS system, POS hardware and POS software.
POS hardware is a blanket term for the physical components of your POS system. There will be some differences in the types of hardware your business needs depending on whether you run a retail or a hospitality business. However, there will be some commonalities regardless of your industry.
POS software is the actual software application that runs on your tablet or computer. While there are many different vendors, most POS software does include some common functions.
What is the best POS system for a small business?
Selecting the best POS system for your small business can be a difficult choice. There are many POS vendors, with each offering an overlapping feature set. So, how does a business owner go about identifying the best POS system for small business?
The simplest approach is to take stock of the challenges you face and the business needs you’d like your POS system to satisfy. You’ll also want to consider future needs. It’s a savvy move to pick a system that you can grow on for years to come.
Once you understand your current and future needs, it’s a matter of comparison shopping until you find the system that offers the best combination of functionality and price. This ensures you’re getting what you need at a price that will work for you long term. With that in mind, it’s our opinion that Lightspeed Retail and Lightspeed Restaurant offer a powerful combination of functionality and value that will meet the needs of any business, whether established or a new venture.
If you’re a retailer, Lightspeed’s retail POS system offers the following key features that can help you manage and grow your business.
If you run a restaurant or food service business like a bar or cafe, Lightspeed’s restaurant POS system can help you be more efficient and profitable.
What is the difference between a POS system and a payment processor?
A point of sale system is used to track and manage your inventory and ring up sales. A payment processor handles the actual transaction during sales.
Payment processors transmit payment information between relevant parties to complete transactions—information will be sent between your business' bank account and the paying customer’s bank, for example, or between your acquiring bank and the customer’s credit card issuer.
A point of sale system facilitates the transaction in question—if a payment processor connects to your bank, your POS system powers your till. POS systems like Lightspeed can integrate with payment processors to automatically transit information between your inventory system and card reader. In addition, Lightspeed includes tools for inventory management, CRM and data analysis, and we have even developed our own payment processing system: Lightspeed Payments.
Is hardware included in the point of sale subscription?
Lightspeed Payments users receive one free payments terminal to use in their retail store. No other plans include hardware. Lightspeed Payments is currently only available for Lightspeed Retail users in the US.
Lightspeed's POS system works with many platforms. While the apps are built exclusively for Apple iPads, the POS system can be run in a web browser on any device, including Mac, PC, Apple or Android. You may be able to use all or most of your existing hardware when you add Lightspeed to your business—speak to your sales rep for more information.
Lightspeed does not lease hardware. However, you can buy hardware directly from Lightspeed.
What kind of support do you offer for your POS system?
All new Lightspeed users are entitled to a free one-on-one onboarding session. A product expert will walk you through the POS system's major features and answer any and all of your business questions relevant to your business. After you've completed your onboarding session, we offer free phone support, available 24/7 in English.
Lightspeed users also have access to chat support in English, and phone support in Dutch and French, during specific business hours. You can find more information on how to contact Lightspeed support here.
Lightspeed also maintains a database of Help Center articles to aid POS system users. Lightspeed users can also consult the Lightspeed Community to discuss their POS system with other retailers, restaurateurs and Lightspeed experts.
Do I have to use your credit card processor with the POS system?
Lightspeed Payments is now included in all POS system subscription options for Lightspeed Retail users in the US and Canada. However, you are not required to use Lightspeed Payments as your payments processor. Credit card processing rates through Lightspeed Payments are set at a predictable fee for all card types, including American Express: 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction (2.9% + $0.30 card-not-present).
Lightspeed Retail POS system users outside of the US, as well as Lightspeed Restaurant POS users around the world, do not currently have access to Lightspeed Payments. While we work hard to make our payments solution available to users around the world, Lightspeed users currently have access to a number of payment processing partners through the POS system.