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Quetzal POS vs Lightspeed Retail: an honest comparison
Both run inventory-heavy specialty stores. Lightspeed is bigger, with wholesale ordering, serialized stock and offline selling, from US$89 a month billed annually. Quetzal POS costs less: free for up to 20 SKUs, or US$40 a month plus US$30 per extra location. There's no contract, and you can keep your own processor.
The short version
We'd rather you pick the right system.
Quetzal POS is the better pick if:
- You want flat, published pricing: US$40 a month plus US$30 per extra location.
- You take trade-ins or handle a lot of exchanges.
- You'd rather keep your current processor, without a fee or a contract.
Lightspeed is the better pick if:
- Your connection is unreliable. X-Series keeps selling for cash offline; Quetzal POS can't.
- You order from brands through NuORDER, or need serialized items and work orders.
- You run a large chain and need advanced forecasting and an open API.
At a glance
| Quetzal POS | Lightspeed Retail | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free up to 20 SKUs. Professional US$40/month ⁵ | Basic US$89/month billed annually ¹; US$109 billed monthly ³ |
| Extra locations | US$30/month each ⁵ | “Pricing upon request” ¹ |
| Processor freedom | Keep your own processor, no extra fee, or use Nuvei terminals | Lightspeed Payments. Reported ~US$400/month fee for others, waived under “Meet or Beat” ² |
| Contract | Month-to-month, no contract | Annual billing for the lower price ¹; reported 1 to 3 year terms ³ |
| Trade-ins | Built into the register, with auto-restock | Handled through returns or workarounds |
| Variants and inventory | Auto-generated variant SKUs, guided counts, purchase orders | Matrix inventory, purchase orders, vendor catalogues |
| Loyalty and gift cards | Included on all plans, including Free | Available; some features by plan ¹ |
| Ecommerce | Shopify and WooCommerce connectors; ask us what syncs for your setup | Lightspeed eCom; Shopify via integration |
| Offline | No offline mode. Needs an internet connection | Stronger. X-Series sells offline ⁴; R-Series needs the optional Lite Server ³ |
| Company | Quetzal Project Partners Inc., Mississauga, Ontario | Lightspeed Commerce Inc., Montreal, Quebec |
| Top published plan | Professional; Custom on request ⁵ | Plus US$289/month billed annually ¹ |
| Registers | Up to 5 checkout lanes in each store | 1 register included per plan; more on request ¹ |
| Product limit | 10,000 items on Professional ⁵ | Not limited on published plans |
| Card terminals | Nuvei (Verifone, Ingenico, PAX, Sunmi). Contact us for processing rates | Lightspeed Payments included with each plan ¹ |
| Purchase orders | To vendors, other stores or ad-hoc suppliers; partial receiving; CSV import | Reorder points and vendor catalogues |
| Stock counts | Guided count sessions with variance and match rate | Yes |
| Offline limits | Not available | X-Series: cash sales, layaway and parked sales; no gift card or loyalty redemption offline ⁴. R-Series Lite Server about US$429 ³ |
| Wholesale / B2B ordering | No | Yes (NuORDER) |
Sources (5)
- Lightspeed Retail pricing (viewed 7 October 2026: Basic US$89, Core US$149, Plus US$289 per month billed annually; 1 register included; extra locations and registers listed without a price)
- Bicycle Retailer, 10 May 2023; Lightspeed “Meet or Beat” announcement, 30 October 2023
- NerdWallet, Lightspeed Retail review (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Lightspeed X-Series support: Selling in offline mode (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Quetzal POS pricing (prices in US dollars)
What does each cost for a two-store retailer?
A worked example: 2 locations, 1 register each, software only, 12 months.
| Quetzal POS Professional | Lightspeed Retail Basic | |
|---|---|---|
| First location | US$40 × 12 = US$480 | US$89 × 12 = US$1,068 (annual billing) ¹ |
| Second location | US$30 × 12 = US$360 | Quoted on request; third-party reviews report US$89+ per location ≈ US$1,068 |
| Software, year one | US$840 | ≈ US$2,136 |
| Processor choice | Nuvei terminals, or keep your existing processor with no extra fee | Lightspeed Payments, or a reported ~US$400/month fee unless Meet or Beat applies ² |
| Contract | Month-to-month | Annual billing for the US$89 price ¹ |
Card processing is extra with both. Contact us for Quetzal POS processing rates.
Sources (5)
- Lightspeed Retail pricing (viewed 7 October 2026: Basic US$89, Core US$149, Plus US$289 per month billed annually; 1 register included; extra locations and registers listed without a price)
- Bicycle Retailer, 10 May 2023; Lightspeed “Meet or Beat” announcement, 30 October 2023
- NerdWallet, Lightspeed Retail review (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Lightspeed X-Series support: Selling in offline mode (viewed 27 September 2026)
- Quetzal POS pricing (prices in US dollars)
Trade-ins, inventory, payments and switching
Trade-ins and exchanges at the register
One button on the register handles a trade-in, an exchange or a misc item. Any cart line turns into an exchange with one tap.
If the SKU matches, the item goes back into stock. Trade-ins show as their own line in sales and accounting reports.
Inventory for stores with a lot of stock
Lightspeed has more depth at the high end. For most independent stores, Quetzal POS covers the day-to-day:
- Variants with their own SKU, cost and stock.
- Guided counts that show expected against actual.
- An audit trail for every stock change: who, why and which order.
Purchase orders and reorder reports
Order from a vendor, an ad-hoc supplier or your other store, with partial receiving and CSV import.
What to Buy uses sales velocity to suggest reorders. Stale Inventory shows what isn't selling.
Payments and contracts
Lightspeed. Every plan bundles Lightspeed Payments, and the advertised prices assume annual billing ¹. In 2023, retailers on another processor reported a fee of about US$400 to US$560 a month ². Under its “Meet or Beat” promise, Lightspeed now waives that fee if it can't match your rate ². Reviewers also report 1 to 3 year terms ³.
Quetzal POS. There's no processor fee at all: bring the processor you already use, or run integrated Nuvei terminals (rates on request). You pay month by month, never a year up front. There's nothing to sign, either. To cancel, you contact Quetzal, and the free plan covers up to 20 SKUs.
Moving from Lightspeed in four steps
- Export from Lightspeed. Use Lightspeed's export to download products, customers and stock levels.
- Load the CSV. Bring the file into Quetzal POS and upload product images in bulk. We'll tell you what carries over.
- Connect payments. Point Quetzal POS at your current processor or plug in Nuvei terminals, then add printers.
- Count and open. Run a stock count, train the team and start selling.
Questions about Quetzal POS vs Lightspeed
Is Quetzal POS cheaper than Lightspeed?
On published prices, yes. Quetzal POS Professional is US$40 a month plus US$30 per extra location. Lightspeed Retail Basic is US$89 a month billed annually, and extra locations are priced on request ¹. Card processing is extra with both.
Can I keep my payment processor if I switch?
Yes. Stay with the processor you use today and Quetzal POS adds no fee, unlike the outside-processor charge retailers reported with Lightspeed ². Integrated Nuvei terminals are also available; ask us for rates.
Is there a contract with Quetzal POS?
No. Quetzal POS is month-to-month, and you cancel by contacting Quetzal. Lightspeed's lower prices need annual billing ¹.
Can Quetzal POS sell offline?
It can't: every Quetzal POS sale needs an internet connection. If outages are common at your store, Lightspeed has the edge, because X-Series keeps taking cash sales offline ⁴.
Can Quetzal POS import my products from Lightspeed?
Yes. Export your catalogue from Lightspeed, then load the file into Quetzal POS by CSV and upload images in bulk.
See how Quetzal POS fits your store
Book a demo and we'll walk through your products, your processor and your locations. Or start free with up to 20 SKUs.
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This comparison is written by Quetzal POS. We've tried to be accurate and fair. Competitor information comes from the public sources linked on this page, as of the dates shown. If something is out of date, tell us at sales@quetzalpos.com and we'll fix it.