Lightspeed Runs A Great Register. Nexus Commerce Runs The Business Around It.
Lightspeed is one of the best retail point-of-sale systems you can buy. If your business sells to dealers, contractors and repeat accounts, you also need pipelines, pricing tiers, reps and follow-up, and that’s where Nexus Commerce earns its place.
Public pricing and features checked September 26, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on Lightspeed’s site before you decide.
Which One Fits Your Business?
Choose Lightspeed if
You run one or two retail stores, most sales happen at the counter, and you want the most mature register, hardware and payments setup available.
Choose Nexus Commerce if
You sell to accounts as much as walk-ins: dealer pricing, quotes, reps, commissions, supplier orders and follow-up, all tied to the same customer record.
Or run both
Keep Lightspeed at the register. On Growth and above, Nexus Commerce connects to Lightspeed and adds the account, rep and supplier side.
What It Looks Like In Nexus Commerce
A real Nexus Commerce screen.
Account Pricing Lightspeed Doesn’t Do
CoreDealer, clinic, wholesale and VIP pricing as tiers, assigned per customer and applied at the counter and online.
Where Lightspeed Is Better Today.
We’re newer, and it shows in places. If these matter most to you, Lightspeed is probably the right call.
- A more mature point of sale. Years of retail polish, a large hardware lineup and wide payment options.
- Purchase orders on every plan, starting at $89 a month for one location.
- Deeper retail extras: loyalty, advanced retail reporting, and wholesale ordering through NuORDER.
- Built-in payments and financing through Lightspeed Payments and Lightspeed Capital.
- A bigger ecosystem of apps, accountants and consultants who already know it.
Where Nexus Commerce Earns Its Place.
- Sales pipelines on every planTrack quotes, accounts and deals by stage. Lightspeed has customer records and loyalty, but no sales pipeline.
- Dealer pricing levels from day onePrice levels by account on Core, the entry plan. Clinic, contractor, wholesale or VIP pricing without a separate wholesale tool.
- Reps and commissionsCommissions on Growth. Reps who see only their own customers, plus commission statements and 1099s, on Enterprise.
- Flat price for the whole teamNo per-seat charges. Add staff without changing the bill.
- Your choice of processorUse Swipe Aras, Stripe or Square. Lightspeed charges a monthly fee to merchants who process outside Lightspeed Payments.
- Floor Nexus built inIf your customers are flooring, coatings or surface contractors, your catalog can sit inside the quoting tool they already use.
What The Software Costs As You Add Locations.
| Setup | Lightspeed Core | Lightspeed Plus | Nexus Commerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 location | $149/mo | $289/mo | $249/moCore |
| 2 locations | $298/mo | $578/mo | $449/moGrowth |
| 3 locations | $447/mo | $867/mo | $799/moEnterprise |
| 5 locations | $745/mo | $1,445/mo | $877/moEnterprise + 2 × $39 |
- Lightspeed: $149 (Core) or $289 (Plus) per location, per month.
- Nexus Commerce Enterprise: $799 includes 3 locations; each additional location is $39. 5 locations = $799 + 2 × $39 = $877.
Lightspeed Core is cheaper than Nexus Commerce at every location count in this table. It covers the register and stock, not sales pipelines, account reps or commissions. Against Lightspeed Plus, Nexus Commerce is cheaper at every location count in this table, and from 3 locations up the gap widens with every location you add. And if you keep your own card processor, Lightspeed adds a monthly third-party processing fee on top.
Monthly list prices with monthly billing, software only. Lightspeed prices each location separately; Nexus Commerce includes locations in the plan. Excludes hardware, payment processing and add-ons on both sides. Lightspeed offers up to 18% off with annual billing and custom multi-location plans, so ask them for a quote.
Feature By Feature.
| Capability | Nexus Commerce | Lightspeed |
|---|---|---|
| Point of sale | Every plan, unlimited registers. | Every plan. Additional registers are extra. |
| Online store | Every plan, with Store Editor. | Every plan. |
| Purchase orders and receiving | Growth and above. | Every plan. |
| Transfers between locations | Growth and above. | Multi-location plans. |
| Sales pipelines | Every plan. | Not built in. Most teams add a CRM. |
| Dealer / account pricing | Every plan (dealer pricing levels). | Customer pricing and wholesale tools, varies by plan. |
| Commissions | Growth and above; statements and 1099s on Enterprise. | Not a core feature. |
| Payment processor | Swipe Aras, Stripe or Square. | Lightspeed Payments, or a monthly third-party processing fee. |
| Pricing model | Flat plan price with locations included. No per-seat pricing. | Priced per location; custom plans for multi-location. |
| Works with the other | Lightspeed integration on Growth and above. | — |
Sources: Lightspeed Retail pricing ↗ · Lightspeed Payments FAQ (third-party processing fee) ↗. Checked September 26, 2026.
Run The Same Test In Both Demos.
Bring one real order. Quote it at an account’s price, sell it, take payment, receive the restock from your supplier and pay the rep’s commission. Count the steps and the tools each platform needs, then price the whole setup.
Switching over? We import your catalog, and onboarding help is optional: $300 on Core, $500 on Growth, $1,000 on Enterprise.
See Nexus Commerce With Your Own Products.
Tell us what you sell and how you sell it. We’ll show you the screens your team would use and the plan that fits.