Lightspeed eCom vs Shopify (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Lightspeed eCom if

• Fits if you run a physical shop and want one stock list online and in store
• Works for shops that want marketplaces and social channels from one catalog

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want only a web store, because eCom comes inside the retail plans
• Pricey if you add tills or shops: extra locations and registers are charged on top
• Watch out: the pricing page shows an annual toggle, and its billing basis isn't confirmed
• Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed

Pick Shopify if

• Fits if you sell online and at markets or pop-ups and want one stock count for both
• Works for sellers who'll use Shopify Payments and its discounted shipping labels

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you want your own payment provider, as Basic adds 2% to each of those sales
• Not for you if you want a few weeks to try it, since the free trial is 3 days
• Tight if you run a shop counter, as POS Pro is $89 a month per location
• Watch out: syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month
• Watch out: the next steps up are Grow at $79 and Advanced at $299, and Plus needs a 1- or 3-year term

Lightspeed eCom

• The pricing page lists eCommerce inside the Retail POS plans; no standalone eCom price is shown there, so the plan prices are the POS prices.
• Only the Basic plan is labeled with a Basic eCommerce tier; what Core and Plus include for eCom is not spelled out.
• Extra locations and additional registers are charged on top of the base plan cost.

Shopify

• Using a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a fee of 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus.
• The free trial lasts 3 days; Basic, Grow and Advanced then cost $1 a month for 3 months before the regular price.
• POS Pro for physical shops costs $89 a month per location, and syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month.
• Plus is sold only on a 1- or 3-year term, starting at $2,300 a month on the 3-year term.

Lightspeed eCom

Website builder and themes

Build a site from scratch with free and paid themes, or connect Lightspeed to an existing site on WordPress, Wix or Weebly.

Sales channels

Sell through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google Shopping, Amazon, eBay and Walmart from the same catalog.

Synced inventory

Products and stock levels sync between eCom and Lightspeed Retail, including across multiple locations.

Marketing tools

Facebook and Google ads, built-in SEO settings, abandoned cart emails and an AI blog writer are listed.

In-store and online customer features

Gift cards and loyalty points work across store and web, and checkout fills in known customer details.

Shipping and local pickup

Integrated shipping, local pickup and scheduled local delivery are offered alongside online or curbside payment.

Shopify

Store builder and themes

Build the storefront from a theme (Shopify lists more than 200) or from a written prompt, with hosting, SSL and a custom domain on every plan and no cap on products.

Checkout and Shopify Payments

Shopify's own checkout and payment processing are built in, with fraud analysis, local currencies and local payment methods where Shopify Payments is offered.

Inventory, orders and shipping

Track stock across up to 10 locations (200 on Plus), buy and print discounted shipping labels, with live third-party carrier rates included from Advanced up.

Selling in person and on other channels

Sell at pop-ups from the mobile app or a card reader, and sync products to marketplaces and social channels. A separate $0 Agentic plan lists products in AI chats.

Marketing email and automations

Email campaigns, customer segments, abandoned checkout recovery, discount codes and gift cards come with every plan; SMS campaigns are paid per send.

Sidekick AI assistant and apps

Sidekick answers questions and takes actions in the admin, and the Shopify App Store lists more than 13,000 apps for features the core plans lack.

Lightspeed eCom

• Retail Basic$89

  per month; annual toggle shown, billing basis unconfirmed

  Retail POS with 1 register and a built-in Basic Lightspeed eCommerce site. eCom is not sold separately on this page.

• Retail Core$149

  per month; annual toggle shown, billing basis unconfirmed

  Adds loyalty, advanced reports and accounting and marketing integrations to Retail POS; eCommerce is listed in the plan.

• Retail Plus$289

  per month; annual toggle shown, billing basis unconfirmed

  Adds AI document import, landed costs and Insights forecasting to Retail POS; eCommerce is listed in the plan.

Shopify

• Basic$29

  per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)

  For solo sellers: online and in-person sales, card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ online, and a 2% fee on sales taken through another payment provider.

• Grow$79

  per month, billed yearly ($105 billed monthly)

  Up to 5 staff accounts, card rates from 2.7% + 30¢ online and a 1% fee on sales through other payment providers.

• Advanced$299

  per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly)

  Up to 15 staff accounts, live third-party shipping rates, card rates from 2.5% + 30¢ and a 0.6% fee with other payment providers.

• Plus$2,300

  per month and up, billed yearly on a 3-year term

  On a 1- or 3-year term: unlimited staff, a fully customizable checkout, card rates from 2.25% + 30¢ and a 0.2% fee with other providers.

Lightspeed eCom

No public discounts listed.

Shopify

• Annual discount

  Pay yearly to save about 25%

  Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly against $39 billed monthly, Grow $79 against $105, and Advanced $299 against $399.

• Other savings

  $1 a month for the first 3 months

  After the 3-day free trial, the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans cost $1 a month for the first 3 months, then the regular price.