Square is worth exploring when its supported workflows fit your business and the complete cost makes sense. A switch should improve your working day—not remove tools you rely on.
The decision in context
Lightspeed Retail is a separate offering from Lightspeed Restaurant, with retail inventory and commerce workflows. Compare it with Square around the stock-management jobs your store actually performs.
What to keep on your shortlist
Start with purchasing, variants, supplier information, transfers, returns and reporting. Ask staff to demonstrate a difficult product rather than a simple single-SKU sale. If advanced inventory routines are essential, they belong in the evaluation before payment hardware or visual design.
Where switching to Square could help
Square can be attractive for a shop that wants its POS, payment hardware and supported retail tools in one ecosystem. The potential benefit is a focused checkout and stock workflow that matches a simpler operation. Confirm the plan required for purchasing or other advanced functions you need.
What the migration needs to cover
Prepare a clean product catalogue with unique SKUs and barcodes, then choose a stock-count moment for the change. Preserve supplier records and historical reports as necessary. Outstanding purchase orders, deposits and gift card balances need explicit treatment; they are not ordinary product rows.
Compare the complete cost
Compare both configurations against the same locations, staff permissions, devices and inventory requirements. Distinguish the price of a basic checkout from the price of the system you would really deploy. Do not let a small saving remove a stock-control process that prevents expensive mistakes.
Follow a product from supplier to return
Use a real product with variants and a supplier order. Walk through receiving stock, scanning it at checkout, transferring it if needed and accepting a return. Check how the remaining quantity and reports change. A product import only tests the beginning of that chain. The replacement workflow must support the decisions your team makes after the sale as well. Confirm any plan dependencies before comparing prices, because a basic checkout demonstration may omit the stock tools you need.
The next step for your business
Ninety Degrees helps Gold Coast and Northern Rivers businesses assess the fit and plan their Square setup. Bring your current configuration, essential workflows and a recent bill to the conversation. We can scope installation and any supported migration after reviewing the requirements. A provider name alone is not enough to promise a complete transfer or a lower cost.
Lightspeed Retail vs Square: what to check
| Decision | Lightspeed Retail | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Products and stock control | Demonstrate your current workflow | Test the equivalent in the chosen Square plan |
| Online channels and reporting | List the features and integrations you rely on | Confirm replacements or retain the essential tools |
| Opening inventory and liabilities | Check exports and outstanding obligations | Agree a written scope and reconcile the result |
| Total cost | Use your actual plan and payment statement | Include software, processing, hardware and setup |
Let’s plan your next chapter.
Tell us about your business and we’ll work through the moving parts.
Talk to Ninety Degrees