If youâre a completely independent business proprietor utilizing a traditional reason for purchase system, you may choose to save lots of money by varying your POS towards the cloud. Youâll also bring your business towards the twenty-first century should you embrace cloud POS technologies like mobile payments and real-time inventory syncing. There are plenty of cloud-based POS systems available, however a couple you may consider for the local retail or food business include Revel Systems and Lightspeed POS.
Thousands of retailers all over the world use Revel or Lightspeed, that are both iPad POS systems. All of them are very well-considered services, however they vary from one another in certain important ways. Continue reading to learn which POS we believe is much better, and why.
Note: Lightspeed offers two cloud-based POS systems, Lightspeed Retail and Lightspeed Restaurant, plus an eCommerce product along with a desktop product (Onsite). Within this breakdown, weâll concentrate on the two cloud POS products, Retail and Restaurant, and just how they rival Revel.
Web-Located or Licensed:
Hybrid (both).
Both Revel and Lightspeed are web-located, and can still function with no Web connection. This kind of POS runs in your area from your iPad application and syncs data to the cloud if you have a web connection. However, youâll need internet to be able to authorize charge card payments.
Like the majority of other web-based POSâs, Revel and Lightspeed sell their professional services monthly so there’s no commitment with no fee for ending your contract if youâre unhappy using the service. (Lightspeed has a choice of annual billing in a slightly lower cost point.)
Software and hardware Needs:
Both Revel and Lightspeed will operate on any recent-gen iPad (iPad, iPad Small, iPad Air, etc.). Lightspeed Restaurant may also operate on an apple iphone or ipod device Touch, whereas you can run Lightspeed Retail on any computer (using a internet browser). You can buy peripheral equipment just like an iPad stand, cash drawer, hands scanner, and receipt printer through Revel or Lightspeed or source this equipment yourself.
Specific Type and size of economic:
With multi-location support and the opportunity to house up to 500,000 SKUs, Revel is an extremely effective POS appropriate for mid-sized to large companies. Both restaurant and retail companies use Revel, (particularly including big names like Cinnabon and Goodwill). For any small mother-and-pop store, though, Revel would most likely be overkill, because you wouldnât finish up using many of the advanced features.
Lightspeed is much better suited to promising small to medium companies, operating within the 1-7 register range. Her capacity to aid limitless registers, however this choice is not broadly marketed.
When it comes to kind of companies offered by each POS, Revel is particularly aimed toward restaurants and quick service, although it also functions as well for retail companies and salons. Lightspeed Restaurant works together with almost any food-related business, from bakeries, to food trucks, to fine dining while Lightspeed Retail serves any kind of brick-and-mortal store, single- or multi-location.
Prices:
Champion: Lightspeed
Regardless of whether you have only one register or youâre a bigger business with multiple registers, Lightspeed will probably set you back less dollars monthly than Revel will. For small restaurant companies, Lightspeed Restaurant is particularly cost-efficient, charging 1-register companies only $69/month or $59/month if billed yearly.
Despite costing more overall, Revelâs prices structure now is easier than LightspeedâsâLightspeed charges extra for such things as extra users, printers, and âadvanced reportingâ (includes widgets showing various store metrics in your desktopâquite frankly, these aren’t everything helpful), whereas Revelâs cost tag is-inclusive.Â
Find more prices information of these two POSâs below.
Revel:
Note: Revel’s prices is susceptible to change on the per-situation basis and could be customized for your specific needs. Below is really a rough estimate.
- first terminal: $119 monthly
- second terminal: $79 monthly
- Each additional terminal: $50 monthly
Lightspeed Restaurant:
Small:
- $69/mo ($59/mo if billed yearly)
- 1 register
- 2 printers
Medium:
- $119/mo ($102/mo if billed yearly)
- 3 registers
- 4 printers
- API access
Large:
- $239/mo ($205/mo if billed yearly)
- 7 registers
- Limitless printers
- API access
(Request an estimate in excess of 7 registers.)
Lightspeed Retail:
Small
- $89/mo ($76/mo if billed yearly)
- 1 register
- 5 employees
Medium
- $149/mo ($128/mo if billed yearly)
- 2 register
- 10 employees
Large
- $259/mo ($222/mo if billed yearly)
- 4 register
- 20 employees
Simplicity of use:
Champion: Lightspeed
Both programs are relatively simple to use after initial setup. You are able to train employees on fundamental functions of either system in under each day, although the more complicated back-finish functions will take some longer to understand. It goes for Lightspeed and Revel. However, overall, Revel includes a steeper learning curve and takes longer to setup when compared with Lightspeed.
Revel and Lightspeed both have a fluid, intuitive interface. Despite the fact that Lightspeedâs interface is visually simpler, when you are to understand each system, we believe Revelâs POS is nearly as simple to use as Lightspeedâs.
Product Features:
Champion: Revel
This can be a difficult area to choose a obvious champion because both POS systems are full of many features that stretch the systemsâ functionality beyond those of pure point-of-purchase, which makes them both true business management solutions. Both systems offer features like restaurant table management, advanced inventory management, gift certificate functionality, as well as in-depth reports. But overall, Revel is really a better quality POS, offering more functions when compared with Lightspeed (which isn’t really everything surprising thinking about its heftier cost tag).
Instead of listing the exhaustive quantity of features for every POS, Iâll lead you to the net pages for Revel features, Lightspeed Restaurant features, and Lightspeed Retail features. Generally, Lightspeed Retail has more features than Lightspeed Restaurant, but nonetheless less features than Revel.
Hereâs a brief listing of features Revel has that Lightspeed doesn’t (neither LS Restaurant nor LS Retail have these functions):
- Appointment scheduling (essential for service-based companies)
- Digital menu boards
- Kitchen display system
- Self-service kiosks
Integrations:
Champion: Revel
Revel presently provides more integrations than Lightspeed, though they don’t differ tremendously in this region. Both integrate with QuickBooks and Xero, but LS Restaurant lacks integration with e-mail marketing programs, whereas Revel integrates with MailChimp (Observe that LS retail does support MailSync for e-mail marketing integration).
Some notable integrations Revel doesn’t tell Lightspeed include PayPal and Bitcoin as payment options.
Customer Support and Tech Support Team:
Champion:Â Lightspeed
Both POSâs offer many forms of support incorporated within their monthly subscription packages. Including phone support, live chat, email support, an internet-based understanding bases. Previously, Lightspeed support continues to be rated as increasing numbers of responsive and consistent in comparison to Revelâs. But Revel has lately walked up its customer support and it is now reporting a 93% client satisfaction rating (though some Revel users still complain about slow support for complex issues).
Neither company includes a+ support while Lightspeedâs technical support has become good reviews, even individuals who discuss how great the standard continues to be report more than usual wait occasions. Overall, Lightspeed continues to have better support ratings (per reading user reviews), however this might change soon as increasing numbers of customers experience Revel’s recent upgrades.
Reviews and Complaints:
Champion: Tie
Reviews of these reason for purchase systems vary wildly from godawful to glowingâlook no beyond your comments ought to on the Revel and Lightspeed reviews many people think these items are the most useful POS systems ever, yet others do a comparison towards the brainchildren of Satan themself. Overall, though, both products have pretty comparable reviews, with a lot of high quality ones, plenty of bad ones, and plenty among, leading to a typical user rating of approximately a “B” for systems (should you’re in to the whole letter grade factor).
Obviously, Lightspeed offers multiple products, that makes it hard to compare Revel versus. Lightspeed in this region. To help complicate the problem, we rate Revel Systems at 4.5 stars, Lightspeed Retail at 4 stars, and Lightspeed Restaurant at 4.5 stars. It’s worth noting that users of both Lightspeed Retail and Lightspeed Restaurant praise the amount of customer support, that is perhaps the most crucial aspect to the software service. LS Restaurant is really a newer product than Retail and therefore doesnât have as numerous reading user reviews yet, however if you simply take a look within the iTunes store, you can observe the comments are generally favorable.
Among Revel users, poor customer support has previously been a major complaint. However, as pointed out, they have recently walked up their customer service so that almost all customers now appear to become having a positive support experience.
Final Verdict:
Champion: Draw
Yes, it’s type of anticlimactic, however i just can’t pick a complete champion as it pertains to these two systems. Revel has more featuresâincluding kiosk mode, appointment scheduling, kitchen view, and QuickBooks integrationâwhile Lightspeed has a less expensive cost point and somewhat superior customer care.
Really, the selection will mainly rely on your particular situation, budget, and small business. For any small mother-and-pop restaurant or store, Lightspeed is most likely the greater approach to take. For bigger, multi-register/location stores and restaurants, too as service-based companies, Revel may well be a better fit.
All joking aside, donât simply take my word for itâregister for any free trial offer of Lightspeed Retail, and/or Lightspeed Restaurant, or plan a Revel live demo prior to committing either to POS.
The publish Revel Versus Lightspeed made an appearance first on Merchant Maverick.
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