Lightspeed vs Stripe
Stripe scores higher overall (74 vs 71), but the right choice depends on your size and card mix. The default for software companies and custom checkout — the wrong default for a shop that just needs a terminal.
Updated 2026-07-30Lightspeed
Deep retail and hospitality POS with bundled payments
71/ 100
3.7Merchant Score
- Pricing
- 3.0
- Features
- 4.4
- Ease of use
- 3.6
- Customer support
- 3.7
- User reviews
- 3.3
- Pricing model
- Flat rate, POS-bundled
- Headline rate
- 2.9% + $0.30 online · 2.6% + $0.10 in person
- Monthly fee
- $89/mo
- Contract
- Annual software agreements common
- Payouts
- 1-2 business days
- Hardware
- Purchased or leased, varies
Strong fit for
- Retailers with complex or multi-location inventory
- Restaurants needing floor and menu management
- Businesses that outgrew simple POS
Stripe
Developer-first payments infrastructure
74/ 100
3.5Merchant Score
- Pricing
- 3.1
- Features
- 4.6
- Ease of use
- 3.8
- Customer support
- 3.2
- User reviews
- 3.9
- Pricing model
- Flat rate
- Headline rate
- 2.9% + $0.30
- Monthly fee
- None
- Contract
- None — pay as you go
- Payouts
- 2 business days standard
- Hardware
- Terminal readers from $59
Strong fit for
- SaaS and platforms with engineering teams
- Custom checkout and marketplace builds
- International online sellers
Which one is cheaper for your business?
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