Is SageBizet a free alternative to Lightspeed?

SageBizet is free during early access, with POS, inventory, the shop tools for Retail businesses, booking, cash drawer, expenses, customer tabs and staff roles included. Lightspeed Retail is a paid plan, from $89 a month billed yearly in the US as of October 2026, with extra registers and locations costing more.

How much does Lightspeed Retail cost?

As of October 2026, Lightspeed Retail (X-Series) in the US costs $89 a month on Basic, $149 on Core and $289 on Plus when billed yearly, or $109, $179 and $339 billed monthly, with one register included. These prices are with Lightspeed Payments; merchants who use another card processor are charged a monthly third-party processing fee.

Can I keep my own card terminal with Lightspeed or SageBizet?

SageBizet works with any card terminal or mobile-money service, because it records how a sale was paid instead of processing it. Lightspeed processes cards through Lightspeed Payments on terminals bought from Lightspeed, and charges a monthly third-party processing fee to merchants who use another processor.

Does Lightspeed Retail work offline?

Lightspeed’s offline mode is a backup for cash sales: integrated card payments, gift cards, loyalty and editing customers need a connection, and offline card payments are a beta feature on the Smart Terminal only. The SageBizet till keeps taking sales offline and syncs them when the connection returns, without recording any sale twice.

Does SageBizet have e-commerce like Lightspeed?

Only a basic version. SageBizet publishes items to its marketplace for pickup or delivery orders, paid outside SageBizet, with no online card payments or shipping. Lightspeed includes a full e-commerce site that shares the POS inventory.

Is Lightspeed Restaurant the same as Lightspeed Retail?

No. Lightspeed Restaurant is a separate product with its own plans and features such as floor plans, with reservations and a kitchen display system offered as add-ons. SageBizet’s café and restaurant module, with a floor plan, bar and kitchen screens in the browser and reservations, is included free during early access.

SageBizet vs Lightspeed

Lightspeed is a paid retail platform with its own payments, e-commerce and hardware. SageBizet is software only: it runs in a browser, records how each sale was paid and is free during early access.

Lightspeed Retail is the better choice for an established store that wants integrated card payments, a built-in e-commerce site, iPad and scanner apps, integrations and 24/7 support on a paid plan; SageBizet is the better choice for a smaller shop or grocery that wants POS, retail inventory, cash drawer, expenses and customer tabs in a browser, free during early access, with its own card terminal.

Updated October 17, 2026 · competitor details checked October 17, 2026

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The short answer

Choose Lightspeed if you run an established store, or several, and want card payments, an e-commerce site, iPad and mobile scanner apps, accounting integrations and round-the-clock support from one company, and a plan from $89 a month (billed yearly) fits your margins. Choose SageBizet if you are a smaller shop or grocery that wants variants, stock by location, purchase orders, counts, returns, the cash drawer, expenses and customer tabs without a monthly fee, you already have a card terminal or mobile-money service, or you trade in a country where Lightspeed Payments is not offered.

Side by side

SageBizet vs Lightspeed: feature comparison
	SageBizet	Lightspeed
Price model	Free during early access: every feature, no per-register, per-location or per-user fees	Basic $89, Core $149 and Plus $289 a month billed yearly, or $109, $179 and $339 billed monthly (US, with Lightspeed Payments, as of October 2026); one register included, extra registers and locations cost more
Payment processing	None. Records how each sale was paid: cash, card, mobile, other or a customer tab; use any card terminal you like	Built in with Lightspeed Payments, listed at a 1.5% card-present rate (US, as of October 2026); merchants using another processor are charged a monthly third-party processing fee
Hardware	None sold or required; works with a normal receipt printer and any keyboard-style barcode scanner	Sells iPad and desktop kits, stands, printers, scanners, cash drawers and its own card terminals; Lightspeed Payments terminals must be bought from Lightspeed
Inventory	Stock tracking, adjustments with reasons, low-stock alerts, cost prices and reorder suggestions, included. Shops (Retail businesses) also get size and colour variants, stock by location across branches with transfers, purchase orders with scan receiving, counts, barcode labels and dead stock	Variants, stock across locations, transfers, purchase orders, counts, serial numbers and reorder points on every plan; landed costs on Core and Plus; forecasting and order recommendations on Plus
Online store	Basic: items published to the SageBizet marketplace for pickup or delivery orders, paid outside SageBizet	Built-in Lightspeed eCommerce sharing the POS inventory (a basic version on the Basic plan)
Appointments and reservations	Included: services, resources, public booking page, walk-in queue and front-desk view	Not among Lightspeed Retail’s published features; the Service Orders add-on schedules repair or service jobs at the register up to 14 days ahead
Offline selling	Till keeps taking sales; they sync when the connection returns, never twice. Shop returns, store credit and gift cards need a connection	A backup mode for cash sales; integrated card payments, gift cards, loyalty and editing customers need a connection, except offline card payments (beta) on the Smart Terminal
Reports	Live dashboard, insights vs previous period, profit by item, dead stock and staff performance; shops add sell-through, shrinkage and supplier reports, all included	Advanced sales, staff and inventory reports on Core and Plus; Insights with custom reports and forecasting on Plus
Staff roles	Owner, Manager, Staff and Accountant, plus Cashier, Sales associate, Stockroom and Store manager for shops, and custom roles from granular permissions, included	Account owner, Admin, Manager and Cashier on every plan; custom user roles and single sign-on on Plus
Customers and loyalty	Customer tabs with running balances (no credit limits); shops also get store credit, gift cards, customer groups and points loyalty with tiers	On account sales with credit limits, layaway, store credit and gift cards; in-store and online loyalty on Core and Plus
Cash and expenses	Cash drawer with float, cash in and out, and over/short at close; several registers; expenses and net profit	Register opening and closing with a float, cash and petty-cash movements; accounting integrations such as Xero and QuickBooks Online on Core and Plus
Platforms	Any modern browser on a computer, tablet or phone; installable as a web app	Web browser on a Windows or Mac computer, an iPad app, and a Scanner app for iOS and Android on Core and Plus
Support	Help & feedback conversations with the SageBizet team inside the app; no live chat or phone line	24/7 chat support on every plan; 24/7 phone support on Plus
Where it works	Any country, any currency and timezone	Used in many countries; Lightspeed Payments is offered in a limited set, including the US, Canada, the UK and Australia

Where each one is stronger

If the other product fits your business better, it should win — this is where.

Lightspeed is the better choice when you need

Lightspeed eCommerce is built in and shares the POS catalogue and stock, with online card payments; SageBizet’s marketplace listing takes pickup or delivery orders and does not collect payment online.
Card payments are processed by Lightspeed Payments on Lightspeed’s own terminals, so the amount goes from the till to the terminal and payouts land in your bank account without a separate provider.
An iPad app, a Scanner app for iOS and Android phones (Core and Plus) and ready-made hardware kits; SageBizet has no native app-store app and sells no hardware.
Accounting, e-commerce and marketing integrations (such as Xero and QuickBooks Online) on Core and Plus, and API access on Plus; SageBizet has no integrations and exports to CSV instead.
Retail extras SageBizet does not have: serial numbers, landed costs, demand forecasting, the NuORDER catalogue for ordering from brands, layaway and credit limits on customer accounts.
Support around the clock by chat on every plan and by phone on Plus; SageBizet answers through in-app conversations only.

SageBizet is the better choice when you need

Every feature is free during early access, with no monthly plan, no charge per register or location, and no fee for using your own card provider.
Variants, stock by location, transfers, purchase orders, counts, returns, store credit, gift cards, loyalty with tiers and custom roles are included for shops, where Lightspeed spreads loyalty, advanced reports and custom roles across Core and Plus.
Appointment booking, a walk-in queue and a public booking page are part of the same account.
Customer credit tabs, a cash drawer with over/short at close, and expenses with net profit sit together, so you can see profit after costs without accounting software.
Works in any country, currency and timezone, with whatever card terminal or mobile-money service you already use, on any computer, tablet or phone with a browser.

A full retail platform or a free all-in-one

Lightspeed Retail (X-Series, the version on Lightspeed’s current pricing page) is a paid platform for established stores: plans start at $89 a month billed yearly in the US, card payments run through Lightspeed Payments, and an e-commerce site, integrations and Lightspeed’s own hardware are part of the offer. SageBizet is a browser-based system that is free during early access. Its POS, inventory, cash drawer, expenses and customer tabs are the core, and a business set up as Retail gets the shop tools on top: variants, stock by location, purchase orders, counts, returns and loyalty.

Who should choose Lightspeed

Online sales are, or will be, a real part of your business, and you want them in the same system as the shop.
You want card payments, terminals and hardware from the same company that runs your POS, in a country where Lightspeed Payments is offered.
You rely on accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks Online and want sales to flow into it automatically.
You sell serialised goods, track landed costs or order from brands through a wholesale catalogue.
You want an iPad register, mobile stock counts on a phone and support by phone at any hour.

Who should choose SageBizet

You run a small shop where a monthly plan per register is a large share of what you earn.
You run a grocery or supermarket and need weighed goods, scale-label barcodes, batches with expiry dates and several tax rates, which come with SageBizet’s supermarket module.
You already have a card terminal or a mobile-money service, or most of your sales are cash, and you do not want to switch processor.
You want to use a laptop or desktop computer, a tablet or a phone as the till, whichever you already have.
Regular customers buy on credit and you want takings, expenses and net profit in one place.

Switching from Lightspeed

Lightspeed lets you export your product list as a CSV or XLSX file. A business set up as Retail in SageBizet can import a CSV by mapping any column, including options such as Size and Colour, checking every row for errors and duplicates before anything is saved. Keep a card terminal for taking cards and record those sales as Card. Invite staff and give each a role, then run both systems side by side for a day to compare the totals. For a checklist, see how to choose a POS system.

Common questions

Is SageBizet a free alternative to Lightspeed?: SageBizet is free during early access, with POS, inventory, the shop tools for Retail businesses, booking, cash drawer, expenses, customer tabs and staff roles included. Lightspeed Retail is a paid plan, from $89 a month billed yearly in the US as of October 2026, with extra registers and locations costing more.
How much does Lightspeed Retail cost?: As of October 2026, Lightspeed Retail (X-Series) in the US costs $89 a month on Basic, $149 on Core and $289 on Plus when billed yearly, or $109, $179 and $339 billed monthly, with one register included. These prices are with Lightspeed Payments; merchants who use another card processor are charged a monthly third-party processing fee.
Can I keep my own card terminal with Lightspeed or SageBizet?: SageBizet works with any card terminal or mobile-money service, because it records how a sale was paid instead of processing it. Lightspeed processes cards through Lightspeed Payments on terminals bought from Lightspeed, and charges a monthly third-party processing fee to merchants who use another processor.
Does Lightspeed Retail work offline?: Lightspeed’s offline mode is a backup for cash sales: integrated card payments, gift cards, loyalty and editing customers need a connection, and offline card payments are a beta feature on the Smart Terminal only. The SageBizet till keeps taking sales offline and syncs them when the connection returns, without recording any sale twice.
Does SageBizet have e-commerce like Lightspeed?: Only a basic version. SageBizet publishes items to its marketplace for pickup or delivery orders, paid outside SageBizet, with no online card payments or shipping. Lightspeed includes a full e-commerce site that shares the POS inventory.
Is Lightspeed Restaurant the same as Lightspeed Retail?: No. Lightspeed Restaurant is a separate product with its own plans and features such as floor plans, with reservations and a kitchen display system offered as add-ons. SageBizet’s café and restaurant module, with a floor plan, bar and kitchen screens in the browser and reservations, is included free during early access.

Sources

Details about Lightspeed come from its own public pages, checked on October 17, 2026. Products and prices change — check the source before deciding.

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