Are you a business owner running a brick-and-mortar store for a long time or just planning to launch a new one? You will juggle various things like inventory management, sales, payment processing, managing customer data, and more. How can you get rid of these day-to-day operations?
Simple! With the help of a Shopify POS system. It is a user-friendly and intuitive point-of-sale system that can streamline various aspects of your retail store, like inventory, sales tracking, managing customer data, etc. And the best thing is that Shopify lets you start an online store, keeps both retail & online stores in sync, and provides users with a unified experience.
Shopify provides two versions of POS: Lite & Pro. So, here comes the billion-dollar question: Should you go with the sleek & intuitive Lite or choose a highly-advanced Pro version?
Here, we have compared Shopify POS Lite vs Pro based on various essential factors. However, before we look into that, we will understand the main difference between Lite & Pro.
So, let’s get the ball rolling.
Table of Contents
Shopify POS Lite is user-friendly and has several basic functionalities that go well with small businesses & startups at a lower cost. On the other hand, Shopify Pro is versatile and comes with advanced features like staff roles, custom reports, etc., best suited for enterprises with higher transaction volumes.
The selection between the Shopify POS Lite and Pro depends on the budget and individual business requirements.
Here we will compare Shopify POS Lite vs Pro depending on some essential factors. So, let’s go.
First, you should note that Shopify POS Lite is not free, as you need to purchase a Shopify plan. When you buy a Shopify plan, you can download a mobile app to manage various business operations. You can integrate a third-party payment provider and also purchase POS hardware.
Shopify POS Lite is suitable for any size of business and comes with several basic features as follows.
Shopify POS Pro is an upgraded version with all the features available in POS lite, with some additional ones. Let us quickly look at them.
It is one of the essential factors, and that’s why selecting the best point-of-sale system directly impacts efficiency and profitability. Here we will compare Shopify POS Lite vs Pro based on inventory management.
Talking about the Shopify POS Lite, you can track & assign inventory to multiple sales channels & locations. The inventory count gets updated instantly as soon as an order is fulfilled from a particular source. Hence, it is highly recommended for businesses with simple inventory needs or limited product offerings.
In Shopify POS Pro, you get a powerful inventory management system suitable for medium to high-scale businesses. The pro version has advanced features like stock transfers, sale item suggestions, stock adjustments, low stock reports, inventory analysis, demand forecasting, creating purchase orders, and more.
In demand forecasting, you receive purchase order recommendations depending on the latest product performance and seasonality.
With inventory analysis, you get a stock performance grading system, which provides insights about products worth reordering and products just taking space in your space.
It even provides you with detailed inventory reports to discover the latest trends and optimize all the inventory management strategies as needed.
Contact us to discuss your budget and requirements, and we’ll guide you to the right choice.
Let’s DiscussTalking about Shopify POS Lite, there are limitations on the number of staff members. Further, each staff member has been assigned a unique pin to log into POS. The system is highly recommended for small businesses and basic staff management needs.
On the contrary, Shopify POS Pro comes with a range of advanced features. These are as follows:
All the merchants having Shopify POS Lite get access to various crucial reports & analytics that help them to make better business decisions. Let us look at them.
Retail Sales Reports: You can look at the entire sales report. Further, analyze and optimize the sales reports depending on the location, customers, or time period.
Finance Reports: Ability to generate crucial financial reports to look at various things like sales, returns, taxes, payments, etc.
Inventory Reports: Get a photo of stock level and overall product availability at the month-end. Monitor total inventory sold on a specific day to enhance inventory management, avoid stockouts, and proper order fulfillment.
Cash Tracking: Enhanced tool to look at the expected balance available in cash drawers every day.
Conversely, Shopify POS Pro lets you generate all the reports available in the Lite version. In addition, you can generate daily sales reports to get an extensive overview of all the sales happening in the store.
The overall pricing of a POS is one of the most essential factors in choosing the right one. Let us compare Shopify POS Lite vs Pro based on pricing. To calculate the pricing, we will look at three things as follows.
Whether you want to use Shopify POS Lite or Pro, you need a Shopify eCommerce plan. There are a total of 4 eCommerce plans of Shopify as follows.
Shopify Lite
The Lite plan costs $9 per month and comes with some of the basic functionalities of POS. However, you won’t be able to build an online store to sell products. Rather, you get an option to integrate a “buy button” to the existing website or blog.
Note: The plan is not available for new users. Plus, if you already have a Shopify Lite plan and want to change to any other plan, you can’t revert to this plan again.
Basic Shopify
The basic Shopify plan costs $29 per month if billed annually. Besides this, it costs $39 monthly. It allows you to build an online store with omnichannel sales capabilities, ship products, process payments, and more.
Shopify
The standard Shopify plan costs $79 per month if paid annually. Otherwise, it costs $105 monthly. It suits small businesses that want professional reporting and more staff accounts.
Advanced Shopify
The advanced Shopify plan is specially crafted for medium to large-scale businesses. It costs $299 per month if paid annually. It has essential features like unlimited storage capacity, 15-staff accounts, third-party shipping calculation, and more.
With all of these plans, you will get Shopify Lite POS. If you want the Shopify Pro version, you need to pay $89 per month.
Other than this, you can also get Shopify Pro Version if you purchase the Enterprise plan. To get an Enterprise plan, you need to request a quote from the Shopify team. We have a detailed explanation of Shopify plans in our article about Shopify website cost. You can also check it out.
When you buy any Shopify eCommerce plan, you need to pay payment processing fees. You can also integrate a third-party payment gateway in your POS; however, you need to pay processing fees for that payment gateway and POS fees.
In general, here are the processing fees for Shopify plans.
Shopify Lite: 2.7% for every in-person transaction, 2.9% + 30 cents for every online order, and 2% more if you use external payment.
Basic: 2.7% for every transaction per person, 2.9% + 30 cents for every online order, and 2% more if you use external payment.
Shopify: 2.5% for every transaction per person, 2.6% + 30 cents for every online order, and 1% more in case you use external payment.
Advanced: 2.4% for every transaction per person, 2.4% + 30 cents for every online order, and 0.5% more if you use external payment.
Regarding the Shopify Plus plan, the processing fees change for every transaction.
Let us help you understand the pricing details and choose the right plan for your retail store.
Contact UsAfter choosing the software and suitable payment gateway, you can’t just run your offline store with a POS app; you also need several hardware devices.
Here is a list of things and their pricing that you will require to run a retail store.
Card Reader: $29
Chip & tap card reader: $49
Retail stand for iPad & tablets: $99 to $129
Wired Receipt Printer: $299
Cash drawer: $129
Retail bundle: $159 (consists of a chip & swipe reader, mounting kit, and iPad stand)
All the above products come with free shipping & a 30-day return policy, and 1-year standard warranty.
If you belong to the US or Canada, you can rent a payment device or the whole POS bundle for $9 monthly, which is amazing.
If you choose to go with Shopify POS Pro, you get a 2-year extended warranty on every purchase and an opportunity to buy Shopify POS Go, a device specially optimized for Shopify’s point-of-sale (POS) system.
Shopify is known for its customization capabilities. Just like theme customization in their online store, Shopify offers customizations in the POS system. Shopify POS Lite is a great option if you are just starting out. It comes with a basic customization option. Store owners can customize logos and other things in their stores. However, you don’t have an option for more customization.
In the case of the Shopify POS version, you get a high level of customization. It allows you to create custom sales & discounts, personalize staff permissions, and change the layout of your POS system. In short, it allows you to offer a high-end in-store experience.
Shopify POS Lite, as well as Pro, integrates well with the online Shopify store. This integration synchronizes all the inventory, customer data, and sales information.
Shopify POS Pro goes one step further as it lets you integrate various third-party extensions, giving you the freedom to enhance the functionalities of your in-store operations.
Shopify POS Lite is the best option for small businesses, startups, and individuals selling in person for the first time. The plan works well for a business with a limited range of products.
This plan is quick to set up, offers a quick & reliable checkout process, and adheres to the local regulations of the region.
Shopify POS Pro is highly recommended for businesses solely to sell products in-store. Whether you want to sell many products from a permanent or temporary location, this plan is best.
The plan comes with advanced features & functionalities like inventory management, store customization, etc., to streamline your store’s operations and provide customers with a next-gen experience.
Let our experts help you evaluate your options and decide between Lite and Pro. Reach out to us to make the best choice.
Let’s Evaluate Your Options!Here we conclude our Shopify POS Lite vs Pro comparison. Both plans offer a range of benefits for businesses. However, the selection between the two depends solely on your business requirements and goals.
Shopify POS Lite is great for small businesses just venturing into the retail store. The plan comes with essential features related to inventory and sales tracking.
If you have decided to go all-in in your brick & mortar store and have many products to sell, you can definitely go with Shopify POS Pro. This plan offers comprehensive features to manage your store, secure business & customer data, improve customer relationships, manage employees, increase sales, etc.
If you still find it challenging to choose between Shopify POS Lite and Pro, feel free to contact us.
WebDesk Solution offers professional Shopify development services worldwide. We have years of experience building small to big eCommerce stores using Shopify and integrating POS systems. Hence, we can understand your needs inside out and come up with a reliable solution.
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