Migrating from Lightspeed to RetailPOS
Last reviewed 2026-05-26 · by the RetailPOS team
Lightspeed is the most-feature-rich consumer POS in the independent market, which is both its strength + its complaint. Lightspeed Retail (R-Series), Lightspeed Restaurant (K-Series), Lightspeed Golf, and Lightspeed Hospitality each have their own pricing + their own feature progressions. Owners who outgrow Lightspeed typically do so for one of three reasons: tier-bundled add-ons (loyalty $59/mo, e-com $59/mo, advanced reporting $59/mo each push the effective monthly past $250-$400 per location); the K-Series food-vertical limitations; or the multi-vendor / consignment edge cases that Lightspeed doesn't handle natively.
This guide is for owner-operators on Lightspeed R-Series Retail or K-Series Food who are considering the switch. The shape of the migration depends on which Lightspeed product you're on + whether you're using Lightspeed Payments or a separate processor. The honest scope below.
Lightspeed R-Series (Retail) vs K-Series (Restaurant)
R-Series Retail is the better-rounded product — strong matrix inventory, multi-vendor support, e-commerce add-on. Migration shape is similar to Shopify POS migration: catalogue + customer list + sales history export cleanly.
K-Series Restaurantis more workflow-heavy — kitchen tickets, table maps, course-fire timing. Migration is more configuration work because you re-configure the kitchen + table layout on RetailPOS. Total time is 6-10 hours instead of R-Series' 3-5.
Some operators run both — Lightspeed Retail for a shop attached to Lightspeed Restaurant for the kitchen. The migration handles both halves if you switch simultaneously; doing them in stages is harder because the integration between them lives on Lightspeed's rails.
What carries over cleanly
Item catalogue + variants:R-Series' CSV export gives you items, variants (size × colour matrix), variant prices. RetailPOS imports directly; the grid view on the till is identical in shape.
Customer list: R-Series exports customers with notes + tags + historical purchase totals. RetailPOS imports; the customer record looks similar.
Vendor + supplier list:R-Series' multi-vendor support translates directly to RetailPOS' supplier ledger. Open POs do NOT migrate (different reference IDs); close out open POs before the cutover.
Consignment ledger:R-Series consignment exports as vendor-tagged inventory. RetailPOS' consignment workflow uses the same mental model; re-set up vendor-share percentages during the migration.
Sales history:Lightspeed retains your historical sales per their data-retention policy. Export everything before cutover; RetailPOS doesn't backfill historical sales.
What doesn't migrate
Loyalty point balances:Lightspeed's Loyalty add-on uses a proprietary point model. Plan a cash-out promotion in the last 2 weeks. Most customers redeem; the rest get a courtesy email + a one-time discount code on RetailPOS.
Lightspeed Payments processor:if you're on Lightspeed Payments (their processing offering), the contract is separate from the POS. Cancel + switch to Stripe (or your existing processor) for a typical 0.3-0.5% rate improvement.
K-Series kitchen + table configuration: kitchen printer routes, station setup, table map, course timing — all re-configured fresh on RetailPOS. Bring screenshots of your existing config to speed the reconfiguration.
App Connect integrations: any Lightspeed App Connect apps (Accounting integrations beyond Xero, e-com connectors beyond Shopify, niche reporting tools) are Lightspeed-specific. Reconnect to equivalent RetailPOS integrations.
The tier-bundling unwind
Most Lightspeed users we talk to pay $159-$189/month for the Standard or Advanced tier + $59/mo for Loyalty + $59/mo for E-commerce + occasionally $59/mo for Advanced Reporting. The effective per-location cost reaches $336-$366/month.
RetailPOS includes all of those on every plan (Starter $29/shop, Pro $69/shop). The savings of $250-$300/month per location pays for the migration time in the first month. Multi-location operators see proportionally larger savings.
E-commerce integration (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce)
If you were running Lightspeed eCom (their integrated e-commerce add-on), you'll migrate the e-commerce alongside. Two paths:
Migrate to Shopify (most common): export your products from Lightspeed eCom; import into Shopify; configure Shopify Payments or keep your existing processor. RetailPOS-to-Shopify connector handles inventory sync + order push.
Keep your existing third-party e-com (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce):simpler. Reconnect the e-com to RetailPOS via the connector; inventory sync continues; orders flow into RetailPOS as POS orders.
If you're a high-volume e-commerce operator (over 50% revenue online), Shopify-with-RetailPOS-as-in-store-POS is the standard 2026 stack.
Step-by-step cutover
Week -4: Sign up RetailPOS + Stripe. Order hardware if you need new (Lightspeed-supplied hardware is generally repurposable — iPads + Star printers + Honeywell scanners work as-is; the Lightspeed Reader unless integrated with Lightspeed Payments may also work).
Week -3: Export from Lightspeed: items + variants, customers, vendors, consignment ledger, sales history. Import into RetailPOS. Set up modifier groups + tax rates + recipes / commission / per-piece tracking as applicable.
Week -2: Configure e-commerce integration. If migrating from Lightspeed eCom to Shopify, do the Shopify migration in this week. If keeping existing third-party e-com, just reconnect to RetailPOS.
Week -1: Parallel run for 4-5 days at low traffic. Catch variant / modifier / tax mismatches. Run end-of-day on both systems to confirm reports tie.
Cutover weekend: Friday EOD close on Lightspeed; Saturday open on RetailPOS. Begin Lightspeed cancellation process (Lightspeed contracts typically auto-renew annually; cancel within the notice window — usually 30-60 days before renewal).
Frequently asked
- How long does the migration take in total?
- R-Series Retail: 8-15 hours over 4 weeks. K-Series Restaurant: 14-25 hours due to kitchen + table reconfiguration. Multi-location operators add 2-3 hours per additional location.
- Can I keep Lightspeed Payments as my processor?
- Lightspeed Payments is tied to the Lightspeed POS via their integration. To keep using it, you'd need to keep Lightspeed running, which defeats the migration. Most operators switch to Stripe at the same time for the rate improvement + the simpler arrangement.
- What about Lightspeed eCom for online sales?
- Lightspeed eCom is their integrated e-commerce. To migrate, you move the e-commerce to Shopify (most common) or BigCommerce or WooCommerce. Lightspeed eCom's data exports cleanly to Shopify via their migration tools. RetailPOS-to-Shopify connector then handles the in-store-online inventory sync.
- Multi-location migration?
- Multi-location is included on every RetailPOS plan (vs Lightspeed's per-location pricing). The migration handles all locations simultaneously — items + customers + employees are tenant-wide; locations get configured independently. Plan 2-3 hours per location on top of the base migration time.
- Does my Lightspeed hardware work?
- iPads, Star printers, Honeywell scanners — yes, all re-usable. Stripe Reader if you have one — yes. Lightspeed-branded card readers tied to Lightspeed Payments — typically no, you swap for Stripe Reader M2 at sign-up. Bring your existing kit; swap only what doesn't work.
- What does the 3-year cost comparison look like?
- Lightspeed Standard with Loyalty + eCom add-ons: ~$280-$320/month per location effective. RetailPOS Pro: $69/shop + BYO Stripe ~$190/month effective = $259/month for one location. For multi-location operators (2-5 shops on Pro), the per-shop math improves further. 3-year savings: $4,000-$10,000+ depending on shop count + add-on stack.
Open your shop in 30 seconds.
No card. Free until your first 100 sales. Bring your own Stripe; keep your hardware.