Migrating from Vend to RetailPOS
Last reviewed 2026-05-30 · by the RetailPOS team
Vend was a clean, processor-agnostic cloud retail POS that a lot of independents genuinely liked. After Lightspeed acquired Vend it was rebranded and folded into Lightspeed Retail (X-Series), and long-time Vend customers have been moved onto Lightspeed plans and pricing. If you're searching for a way off Vend, you're usually reacting to that forced transition, the new plan tiers, or features you used drifting into higher-priced bundles.
The good news: Vend's data exports cleanly, and the thing Vend users valued most — bringing your own card processor— is exactly how RetailPOS works. If you're already on X-Series and weighing it specifically, read the companion Lightspeed migration guide too; this one focuses on the Vend-to-RetailPOS path.
What carries over cleanly
Products + variants + prices — Vend (and X-Series) exports your product catalogue to CSV with variants and prices. RetailPOS imports the same shape via POST /v1/imports/items. Tags and supplier references carry across.
Customers — export the customer list (name, email, phone, balance notes) and import via POST /v1/imports/customers. Loyalty point balances and store credit do not migrate (different ledger).
Your processor relationship — Vend was processor-agnostic, so you likely already use a standalone terminal. RetailPOS is the same philosophy: connect your own Stripe account (or keep an alternative-tender terminal) — we take no per-transaction cut.
Hardware — iPad/Android tills, receipt printers, scanners and cash drawers carry over. Only a processor-locked reader needs replacing.
What changed when Vend became Lightspeed (and why it matters)
The Vend brand and standalone plans were retired into Lightspeed Retail X-Series. Practically that meant new plan tiers, some features repackaged, and Lightspeed pushing its own payments. If the migration to X-Series is what pushed you to look around, the relevant RetailPOS contrast is: flat $29 per shop, every feature on every plan, multi-store included, and no nudge toward a bundled processor.
What doesn't migrate
Sales history stays on Vend/Lightspeed — export it for your accountant. RetailPOS starts day one clean rather than backfilling an ambiguous historical ledger.
Loyalty + store creditbalances don't export in an ingestible form. Run a redemption push in your final week; honour outstanding credit manually against the printed balance during the wind-down.
Add-on integrations (accounting, e-commerce connectors) reconnect fresh on RetailPOS via the connector layer (/integrations).
Step-by-step cutover
Week before: sign up for RetailPOS, pick your vertical kit, connect Stripe (or confirm your existing terminal), test a sale.
Mid-week: export products + customers from Vend/X-Series; import on RetailPOS; confirm counts.
Late week: set up tax classes, modifiers, multi-store transfers, and end-of-day rules. Parallel-run internal sales on Saturday.
Sunday → Monday: final close + export Sunday EOD; ring on RetailPOS Monday. Keep read-only access to the old account while the accountant reconciles.
Frequently asked
- Is Vend the same as Lightspeed now?
- Effectively yes — Vend was acquired by Lightspeed and rebranded as Lightspeed Retail (X-Series). Old Vend plans were retired. If you're already on X-Series, the Lightspeed migration guide is the closer match.
- Can I keep my own card processor?
- Yes. Vend was processor-agnostic and so is RetailPOS — connect your own Stripe account, or keep a standalone terminal as an alternative tender. We take no per-transaction cut.
- Will my product import keep variants?
- Yes — the CSV export carries variants and prices, and RetailPOS imports the item + variant shape directly. Expect to re-classify tax during cutover, as tax setup rarely maps 1:1.
- What happens to loyalty and store credit?
- Balances don't migrate. Run a redemption push in your final week and honour outstanding store credit manually against the printed balance during the wind-down.
- How long does it take?
- About 5–8 hours of focused work across a week. Imports take minutes; the bulk is tax classes, modifiers, and multi-store setup. The Sunday cutover is roughly 90 minutes.
Open your shop in 30 seconds.
No card. Free until your first 100 sales. Bring your own Stripe; keep your hardware.