Access2Pay vs Lightspeed Retail: Feature Comparison

You may have noticed, as you shopped around for the best retail POS system, that there are numerous options to choose from. How do you decide which one is right for your business? What is the difference between them all anyway? These are not simple questions to answer without a feature-by-feature comparison of the different systems on offer. Let’s consider two of the current leaders in the POS system market: Access2Pay vs. Lightspeed. Let’s see if we can pin down the unique selling points of each one, and try to work out which of them is best suited for the needs of your retail store.

Lightspeed and Access2Pay solutions are both retail cloud payment software packages for retail businesses. Lightspeed is a commerce platform that is designed to simplify, scale and provide exceptional customer service experiences. Our own Access2Pay is an advanced POS system with features that are designed to transform our customers’ business operations. On the surface, both systems offer similar functionalities and benefits. However, in practice, the systems are designed somewhat differently, making one more suitable than the other depending on your sector, products and clientele. This can make it tricky to decide which one is best for you, but we will do our best to demystify the selection process.

Let’s look at the key POS features of these two systems and see how they compare:

Both systems feature advanced inventory management tools as a major feature. Let’s see how they compare in this area.

Both Access2Pay and Lightspeed allow users to:

The inventory functions included in both of these systems are quite similar, so it would appear that Lightspeed and Access2Pay are almost on par. However, the important criterion is not so much the list of features, but the way they are designed and the effectiveness and ease of use they offer. We will focus on ease of use later.

Point-of-sale software should make selling fast and easy. Its sales and transaction functions should be seamlessly integrated with all other aspects of the system, such as inventory and staff management. It should accommodate all payment methods and effortlessly combine ease and security. How do Lightspeed and Access2Pay deliver in this area?

Access2Pay offers these features:

Lightspeed matches most of these features, and is better suited for restaurants and brick-and-mortar stores. Access2Pay is perfectly suited for all kinds of retail stores, as well as government offices, healthcare businesses, hotels, theatres, cinemas, museums and amusement parks. However, it is not suitable for restaurants. Of the two systems, Access2Pay is the best for complete integration of sales and inventory functions across both in-store and e-commerce sales platforms.

Access2Pay features a sophisticated customer management system that enables businesses to build lasting relationships with their customers. It enables them to capture customer information, track purchase histories and create personalized marketing campaigns. Its features include the ability to:

Lightspeed also offers customer management tools with very similar functions.

Access2Pay facilitates accurate, detailed analytics for sales, customers, inventory and staff:

Lightspeed offers similar functions:

Both Lightspeed and Access2Pay offer integration capabilities to integrate multiple locations, third-party software packages, and in-store and online operations. Access2Pay has been developed with a special focus on integration. As our solution is designed to be scalable and customizable, it can very easily be tweaked and adjusted to suit each business’s integration needs.

While it may seem that Access2Pay and Lightspeed Retail are quite similar in their design and functionality, the real test of each POS system is in its ease of use. How do the two systems compare to one another in this regard?

While Lightspeed is a popular POS system, used by businesses in multiple industries, it is generally not widely acclaimed for its user interface. Many online reviews complain that the Lightspeed interface is “clunky and unintuitive”. It seems that Lightspeed is not as user-friendly as many other POS vendors. This is largely because the system’s many features – most of which are of quite high quality – are not easy to navigate.

Conversely, Access2Pay is an adaptable and customizable system that is designed for maximum ease of use. Features and interfaces can be tweaked and customized to suit each user, and the system has been carefully designed, tested and then reworked to make it the most user-friendly POS system on the market.

Both Access2Pay and Lightspeed provide excellent training and onboarding services, followed by 24/7 support. The philosophies and methodologies behind these services differ, however. Lightspeed offers live training for each retail team, as well as online training courses and on-demand videos to help staff learn and master the software and hardware.

Access2Pay is different. We offer “train-the-trainer” programs, in which we take key staff members within a client organization and teach them how to use our system – and then how to teach others how to use it. What this means is that, once the program is completed, the organization has a number of in-house experts who can help the rest of the team learn to master the system. In addition, we also provide ongoing 24/7 support to help our clients maximize their use of the system and solve any technical issues that may arise.

As far as pricing is concerned, Lightspeed Retail offers three packages – Basic, Core and Plus, each of which offers a slightly different range of features, with the prices being a reflection of the package’s offerings. The Basic package is usually around $100 per month, while the Core package costs $130, and the Plus package is charged at $180 per month.

Access2Pay offers competitive pricing that is as flexible as the product itself. There are no set packages. Each client essentially pays for what they need, from just the basics to a customized solution.

Both systems come with 24/7 customer support. Which of the two comes up tops in this regard is a matter of opinion – reviews and feedback will always differ. For our part, we provide constant support from our friendly, knowledgeable customer service staff and technicians, together with regular updates, preventive maintenance and remote assistance. Lightspeed’s support services are similar, with online reviews ranging from mixed to favourable.

Most modern retailers don’t want to use a standard, off-the-shelf POS solution. Many businesses want to work with a sales and inventory system that can work with their specific requirements, which means that customization and scalability options are a must.

Lightspeed offers a number of customization options in relation to the user, interface, reports, pages, menus and other features. These include

While Lightspeed is a more or less standard system with numerous customization options, Access2Pay is specifically geared towards customization, so that its basic features and functions can be moulded and modified for each client. No two Access2Pay systems are exactly the same, as each one is a customized offering.

Both Lightspeed and Access2Pay are designed for scalability. Inventory management and location management can all be scaled up or down as the needs of the business change. This includes:

How do Access2Pay and Lightspeed compare overall? Let’s break it down:

In the end, you can make up your own mind as to which retail cloud payment software will best suit your business. From our perspective, we have created a superior system with an impressive array of sought-after features. 

Access2Pay streamlines your payment processing with processing capacity on all devices and the ability to receive every payment type currently in use. You can customize your workflow to suit your needs and to suit your specific industry, be it a small fashion boutique, a gym, a coffee shop, or a car dealership. Perhaps most importantly, we empower you to build strong relationships with your customers. You can build personalized profiles, make recommendations based on past purchases, and create detailed accurate, targeted email marketing campaigns.

Access2Pay is a product of InfoCorp Computer Solutions, a company with many years of experience in the finance and retail industries. We have been designing retail solutions since 1987, serving 50 million customers around the globe. Our reputation is built on a foundation of providing solid products as well as qualified professionals who work alongside our business partners to solve each client’s unique needs. The feedback we receive as a result of our close client relationships is paramount to the continued growth of our solutions. Our solutions have grown over the past few years into leading scalable and modular systems. 

It is always important that you take the time to explore your options carefully when you are looking for retail payment software. Do as many retail POS comparisons as you need before making your choice. If you would like to explore the relative merits of Access2Pay vs. Lightspeed Retail, we will be glad to help with as much information as you require. Once you investigate your options, we are sure you will find that Access2Pay is the best one. Contact Access2Pay today for more information.