Lightspeed Commerce review

Plans start at $89 a month, which is the entry tier across its point of sale and payments setup. A transaction fee of 1.5% applies on top, so the first bill runs higher than the headline figure. There is no free plan to try the setup on.

There is no free plan. Lightspeed Commerce runs on a trial model instead, with the trial running 14 days. That gives you room to set up a till, but you are still working toward a paid tier from the outset rather than a free starting point you keep.

The transaction fee is 1.5%, and the site median for this fee is 0%, so the charge is a real cost on every sale. For a counter taking payments daily, that rate decides the monthly bill more than anything else on the plan.

The entry tier covers 1 register, 1 location on entry plan, which fits a counter operation but caps you early. Selling beyond that means moving up a tier rather than adding capacity to the plan you started on. The trial lasts 14 days, so check that limit against your till and outlet plans before you commit.

Its stated audience covers beginners, small business and enterprise, so the fit is strongest for small businesses and beginners starting out. Enterprise teams sit in scope too. If you only need a storefront and not a point of sale, the tools it lists, pos and payments, go well past what you would use.

It covers site and store, and the tools listed are pos and payments, so a counter and an online shop sit inside one product. A plain site builder costs less, but here the point of sale and payments handling come attached, and that is what the $89 entry pays for.

Support runs on help centre only, so answers come from written material rather than a live conversation. That suits teams comfortable with documentation. Anyone who needs to talk someone through a problem mid shift should weigh that before signing up.

The service is provided by Lightspeed Commerce Inc., headquartered in Canada and founded in 2005. A long operating history is useful context, but the practical questions for you are the entry price at $89 and the limits on the plan you would start with.