Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend)

vendhq.com
Point of Sale
Weekend Project

The POS system loved by tens of thousands of the world's best businesses now has even more resources to help retailers innovate and grow

How to Replace Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend)

Overview

Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend) is a cloud-based POS and retail management platform that helps retailers streamline operations, delight customers and grow their business across all channels. It provides unified point of sale, inventory management, payments processing, and multi-location oversight in a single platform.

Features

33 features across 14 categories

Automation(1)

WorkflowsPremium

Design ideal checkout process to increase efficiency, reduce human error and speed up processes

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Customer Loyalty(1)

In-store and Online Loyalty

Keep customers coming back with built-in loyalty programs connected to customer accounts

Financing(1)

Lightspeed CapitalPremium

Merchant cash advance program to help grow business, maintain cash flow and finance new projects with flexible repayment terms

Integration(2)

Accounting, eCommerce and Marketing Integrations

Integrate POS with accounting, eCommerce and marketing software to streamline operations

Open APIPremium

Powerful retail API that extends POS platform capabilities. Build custom reports, checkout workflows, connect all channels, integrate to enterprise ERP and accounting

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Inventory Management(5)

Inventory Management with Accuracy

Track levels, SKUs, product variants and unique serial numbers across all channels. Prevent running out or overstocking with built-in purchase orders

Landed CostsPremium

Distribute freight and duty costs in product prices and get more accurate margins

Lightspeed NuORDER

Access to exclusive wholesale network to discover and connect with brands, place orders that sync with POS and automate product creation

Multi-Location Management

Oversee inventory, sales, and customer information across all sales channels and retail outlets. View overall sales or deep dive into specific outlets, best-selling products or employee performance

PO Sync

Sync purchase orders between NuORDER and Lightspeed to save time ordering, reordering and receiving

Marketing(5)

Customer SegmentationPremium

Create smart customer segments using behavioral data

Email Marketing ToolsPremium

Robust email marketing capabilities to keep in touch and stay top of mind with customers

Marketing & Loyalty by MarselloPremium

Acquire customers, cultivate stronger relationships and keep them coming back with loyalty programs that reward shoppers both in-store and online

Multi-Channel Marketing

Market business across channels by integrating social channels, boosting SEO and sharing email notifications

SMS CampaignsPremium

Launch SMS campaigns with high open and click rates for text messaging

Also in: Squarespace, monday.com, WordPress.com

Mobile(2)

Mobile Scanner App

Turn iOS or Android device into powerful inventory management tool to count products, track inventory and fulfill orders easily

Mobile Scanner POS App

Take payments on iOS app, count products, track inventory and fulfill orders from mobile device

Also in: monday.com, Smartsheet, Calendly

Payments(2)

Lightspeed Payments

Payment processing integrated with POS at 1.5% card-present rate

Unified POS & Payments

Payments seamlessly embedded into POS with automated payment process, fewer errors, speedier checkouts, batch reports and settlements directly from POS

Also in: Lightspeed POS, Acuity Scheduling, Setmore

Product Management(2)

NuORDER Catalog

Access accurate catalog information for over 5 million products to speed up product creation

Product Pricing Control

Full control over products and pricing with ability to optimize floor sales, manage discounts and promotions, and set up seasonal promotions in advance

Reporting(2)

Advanced Sales, Staff and Inventory Reports

Get greater insight across business with in-depth reports to help make informed decisions

Insights (Forecasting, Order Recommendations & Custom Reporting)Premium

Get greater insight and customize reporting with ability to save custom reports and schedule recurring email sends

Security(2)

PCI Compliance & Encryption

Top-notch security with PCI compliance and end-to-end encryption for all transactions

Single Sign-On (SSO)Premium

Access all systems with one secure login

Support(4)

24/7 Chat Support

Round-the-clock chat support from retail experts

24/7 Phone Support

Round-the-clock phone support from retail experts

Dedicated Account Manager

Dedicated Account Manager to directly address all queries

One-on-One Onboarding Sessions

Dedicated onboarding support to guide through setup and configuration

User Management(1)

Custom User RolesPremium

Create specific custom roles to suit different staff across business

eCommerce(3)

Built-in eCommerce

Sell anywhere, to anyone across the internet and around the world. Control everything from a single platform with social selling and online marketplace integration

Multi-Language & Multi-Currency Support

Make online store available in up to 14 languages and offer multiple currencies to grow from local to global

Shipping Integration

Integrate shipping to track orders from dispatch to delivery

Pricing

Basic

$89/mo
  • Retail POS
  • 1 Register included
  • Integrated Payments
  • Inventory Management
  • Lightspeed NuORDER
  • NuORDER Catalog
  • PO Sync
  • Built-in Lightspeed eCommerce
  • In-store and online loyalty
  • Advanced sales, staff and inventory reports
  • Accounting, ecommerce and marketing integrations
  • Mobile Scanner POS App / Mobile Scanner App
  • 1.5% card-present rate
  • 24/7 Chat Support
  • 24/7 Phone Support
  • Lightspeed Capital with flexible repayment terms

Core

$149/mo
  • Retail POS
  • 1 Register included
  • Integrated Payments
  • Inventory Management
  • Lightspeed NuORDER
  • NuORDER Catalog
  • PO Sync
  • Built-in Lightspeed eCommerce
  • In-store and online loyalty
  • Advanced sales, staff and inventory reports
  • Accounting, ecommerce and marketing integrations
  • Mobile Scanner POS App / Mobile Scanner App
  • Landed Costs
  • Insights (Forecasting, order recommendations & custom reporting)
  • API access
  • Workflows
  • Custom User Roles
  • SSO (Single Sign-ON)
  • 1.5% card-present rate
  • 24/7 Chat Support
  • 24/7 Phone Support
  • Lightspeed Capital with flexible repayment terms

Plus

$289/mo
  • Retail POS
  • 1 Register included
  • Integrated Payments
  • Inventory Management
  • Lightspeed NuORDER
  • NuORDER Catalog
  • PO Sync
  • Built-in Lightspeed eCommerce
  • In-store and online loyalty
  • Advanced sales, staff and inventory reports
  • Accounting, ecommerce and marketing integrations
  • Mobile Scanner POS App / Mobile Scanner App
  • Landed Costs
  • Insights (Forecasting, order recommendations & custom reporting)
  • API access
  • Workflows
  • Custom User Roles
  • SSO (Single Sign-ON)
  • 1.5% card-present rate
  • 24/7 Chat Support
  • 24/7 Phone Support
  • Lightspeed Capital with flexible repayment terms

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend)

Monthly$89/mo
Yearly$1.1k/yr
5-Year Total$5.3k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~2 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $828
SaaS
$1.1k
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $2.5k
SaaS
$3.2k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $4.1k
SaaS
$5.3k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 33 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend) alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 33 features.

Buy Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend)

Better Value
Monthly cost$890/mo
3-year total$32,040
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Buying Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend) saves ~$4,920 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 33 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

7 known integrations

Accounting SoftwareERP SystemsMarketing ToolsMarselloOnline MarketplacesShipping PlatformsSocial Channels