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Shopify POS Lite & POS Pro: Help Me Understand and Choose

Shopify POS Lite & POS Pro
Shopify POS – You can now try Shopify POS for free for three days (sign up here).

What is Shopify POS Lite?

Shopify POS Lite is a point-of-sale (POS) system that allows businesses to sell their products in-store and on the go. It is designed to work seamlessly with a merchant’s Shopify online store so users can capture in-person sales and manage their customer information from one centralized location. Except for the hardware purchase, Shopify POS Lite is available free in Shopify Basic, Regular, and Advanced Plans.

What is Shopify POS Pro?

Shopify POS Pro, on the other hand, works as an upgraded version of Shopify POS. It is designed for businesses committed to in-person selling or merchants with multiple stores running on a team of staff members.

The POS Pro is not included in your standard Shopify monthly subscription and costs an additional $89/mo per location. The pricing plan is often the part where many merchants get confused.

To illustrate, let's take the example of a merchant with four brick-and-mortar shops. The total cost to implement Shopify POS Pro in the business would be:

Shopify Subscription + (Shopify POS Pro x 2 Locations) + Transaction Fees
= $49 + $89 x 2 + Transaction Fees 

Go Further: Check Shopify POS Pro Pricing & Features on Official Website.

Shopify POS Lite vs POS Pro

Shopify POS LiteShopify POS Pro
Cost$0 - Included with all Shopify plans$89/mo per location
Who Should Use?For online sellers occasionally selling in person or founder-run shops with no / few staffs.For retail businesses regularly selling in person; or stores with multiple staffs.
Customer profilesYesYes
Multi-location inventory, orders, and customer managementYesYes
Email/SMS receiptsYesYes
Custom printed receiptsNoYes
Discount codes & manual discounts ($, %)YesYes
Gift cardsYesYes
Camera barcode scanningYesYes
Custom salesYesYes
Offline cash paymentsYesYes
Retail staff permissons & managementNoYes
Unlimited POS-only staffNoYes
Sales attributionNoYes
RefundsYesYes
ExchangesNoYes
Cash trackingYesYes
Save/retrieve cartNoYes
Ship to homeNoYes
Local pickup fulfillmentNoYes
Local delivery fulfillmentNoYes
Advanced inventory management with StockyNoYes
Daily sales reportsNoYes
In-app retail store analyticsNoYes

Dig Deeper: See Full List of Shopify POS Pro Features

Why Do Businesses Pay for Shopify POS Pro?

Shopify POS Pro brings three key benefits to the table: Faster business workflows, greater control over staff permissions, and deeper business insights through Stocky (Shopify inventory app).

Faster Workflow

With the upgraded version, businesses can manage local pickup orders, process exchanges, and view daily sales reports right from the app. This allows for a smoother, more efficient process that saves time and boosts productivity.

Greater Control over Staff Permissions

While Shopify POS Lite allows for two staff accounts, Shopify POS Pro allows for an unlimited number of staff accounts with PINs. Business owners can also define roles and permissions, attribute sales to specific staff members, and gain greater visibility into their team’s performance.

Stocky

Shopify POS Pro also provides deeper business insights through advanced inventory management with Stocky – Shopify’s inventory app for POS Pro. With Stocky, businesses can access in-depth reports about product performance, get alerts when stock runs low, and see how much stock to re-order.

Which is Right for Your Business?

While Shopify POS Pro offers a range of powerful features, it is important to note that it comes at a cost. Shopify POS Pro is not cheap. For some businesses, the additional features of Shopify POS Pro may not be necessary, and they may be perfectly happy with Shopify POS Lite.

Ultimately, the decision to upgrade to Shopify POS Pro should be based on the specific needs of each business – such as multi-location support or advanced inventory management, If the benefits of the upgrade outweigh the costs, then it can be a valuable investment.

More Options: Alternatives to Shopify POS

For existing Shopify users, the obvious key benefit of choosing Shopify POS Pro is that the system integrates seamlessly with Shopify’s eCommerce platform.

However, for those who are not already using Shopify eCommerce – there are a variety of POS solutions available in the market. In case you were looking for more options – here's a comparison table that includes some of the key features and pricing information for other notable POS system providers.

POS SystemKey FeaturesMonthly SubscriptionHardware Cost
Vend POSAdvanced loyalty programs, over 300 third-party integrations, easy to use, customizable, affordable pricing$119 - $249$250++
Square POSEasy to use, mobile payments, over 100 third-party integrations, all-in-one solution, free version available$0 - $29+$149++
Lightspeed POSAdvanced reporting and analytics, multi-location support, customizable, over 40 integrations.$69 - $399$250++
Toast POSRestaurant-focused features, tableside ordering, online ordering, customizable hardware, real-time sales analytics$0 - $165$300++
Clover POSScalable and customizable, over 200 integrations, advanced reporting and inventory management, 24/7 customer support, affordable pricing$35 to $45$49++

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