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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Lightspeed Retail

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/ALightspeed Retail is a retail PoS system from Lightspeed headquartered in Quebec. Core retail POS features are expanded on higher service tiers with ecommerce option and payments gateway, an accounting system, and a customer loyalty program.N/A

    Microsoft Dynamics SL

    Score5.1 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Dynamics SL is one of the ERP products in the Dynamics family. This product was acquired from Solomon 2000. The product is typically used by SMBs, particularly in project-based businesses (e.g. construction). It has strong accounting and project management capabilities.N/A
    Pricing
    Lightspeed RetailMicrosoft Dynamics SL
    Editions & Modules
    Basic
    $79.00 ($69.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Starter
    $119.00 ($99.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Standard
    $139.00 ($119.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Advanced
    $189.00 ($169.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Pro
    $259.00 ($229.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Lightspeed RetailMicrosoft Dynamics SL
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Lightspeed RetailMicrosoft Dynamics SL
    Considered Both Products
    Lightspeed
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    60%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    70%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    70%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    70%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Lightspeed RetailMicrosoft Dynamics SL
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.5
    2 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings9.62 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    6 Ratings
    23% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings6.06 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings6.04 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.7
    10 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings7.49 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.0
    10 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    7.1
    11 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings6.011 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings6.08 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings6.63 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings3.04 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    5.7
    6 Ratings
    33% below category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings5.06 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.2
    4 Ratings
    25% below category average
    Pricing00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings3.04 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Subledger and Financial Process
    Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    5.7
    4 Ratings
    28% below category average
    Billing Management00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
    Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings7.33 Ratings
    Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings6.32 Ratings
    Period Close00 Ratings6.04 Ratings
    Project Financial Management
    Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    4.7
    3 Ratings
    47% below category average
    Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings7.33 Ratings
    Project Costing00 Ratings6.33 Ratings
    Cost Capture00 Ratings2.12 Ratings
    Capital Project Management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    Grants Management
    Comparison of Grants Management features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.3
    1 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Manufacturing
    Comparison of Manufacturing features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    22% below category average
    Production Management00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Supply Chain
    Comparison of Supply Chain features of Lightspeed Retail and Microsoft Dynamics SL
    Feature
    Lightspeed Retail
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Inventory Planning00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Lightspeed RetailMicrosoft Dynamics SL
    Small Businesses
    Square POS
    Score9 out of 10
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    Score4.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Lightspeed RetailMicrosoft Dynamics SL
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.5
    (15 ratings)
    5.0
    (18 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.4
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    9.5
    (3 ratings)
    3.0
    (7 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.9
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.8
    (4 ratings)
    9.5
    (4 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.4
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Lightspeed RetailMicrosoft Dynamics SL
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Lightspeed
    It is perfect for any small business looking for inventory control, Tracking purchase history, and just an all round easy to use software for retail and beyond. I would not use it if I have only a few hundred items or was a larger company that can afford to build my own POS software.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    For a small to mid-size business, MS Dynamics SL is effective. We are capable of managing our finances with a very low risk of error. We have worked with MS Dynamics for almost 15 years and have more than doubled the size of our business in that time with very few issues from the program. We have exponentially increased our revenue and reporting demands and have found SL to be very dependable and stable. The program does have the occasional glitch and those are sometimes outside of the realm of expertise of our IT department. SL support is excellent, but their timeliness is not as urgent as ours.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Lightspeed
    • Lightspeed Retail has great reports that are very easy to read and understand.
    • Lightspeed Retail is great to train new employees on because of its ease of use. There are not lots of different things that you have to learn just basics.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    • Provides flexibility for complex project based cost accounting
    • Strong and flexible allocation processer for cost allocations, markups, and pricing
    • A "Flexible Billing" module under the project controller series that allows for multiple billing formats ranging from fixed price schedule of values, T&M or Cost Plus, and scheduled billing.
    • Flexible reporting with options using Crystal Reports, SSRS, a Quick Query tool, and ability to tie into MS Office tools such as MS Access and MS Excel
    • Tight integration with Financials, but also the ability to integrate with modules such as Sales Order, Inventory, and Field Service
    • Customization abilities ranging from a VBA (visual basic for application) foundation to allow customizing existing forms to the ability to use the SDK (Software Development Kit) to build more complex customizations that integrate with Dynamics SL.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Lightspeed
    • With a larger SKU assortment size, the software really starts to struggle with doing physical inventory after scanning in a few hundred items.
    • Several times throughout each year Lightspeed went down on us (not our internet connection but actually Lightspeed verified).
    • Special order system could use a lot of modern improvements (ability to schedule ahead of time, etc.)
    • Reports are very basic, and will likely require there Lightspeed Analytics to actually get reports useful for day to day operations.
    • Weak system for receiving purchase orders.
    • Does not handle items and cases for reordering very well. Have used multiple Point of Sale systems in the past 10 years that allow to set reorder points based on single items, but reorder the case automatically, Lightspeed has no support for this.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    • Reporting in the Project module is lacking functionality. I understand that most companies have specific needs when it comes to tracking project information but the standard reports are not good.
    • I would recommend a product like Management Reporter that is for Projects only. Project Reporter should allow users to pull in all Project related data into reports.
    • Fixing suspended batches. Obviously all of us users have experienced this mess. SL knows what needs to be corrected and there could be some step by step fixes in a separate repair module to do the steps we do in Query Analyzer.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Lightspeed
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Unfortunately, Dynamics' lack of ability to smoothly integrate with our CRM system is causing us to look at other solutions. The efficiencies that we gain by using Dynamics for our day to day accounting are lost in the constant headaches of getting sales quotes to import properly into the system for invoicing. Another major issue for us has been budgeting and reporting. We currently do all of our budgeting and board reporting in Excel, which is too time consuming and inefficient, especially when a system as robust as Dynamics should easily be able to handle this relatively simple task.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Lightspeed
    Simply well designed with obvious icons per component, making it easy to interface with.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    I rate it a 10 because we have removed the fields we don't need so users can really crank the data into the system. The software was designed for the professional services firm in mind but does a tremendous job for construction firms and "blended" companies that are both distribution firms but project centric as well. Perhaps they drop ship inventory to a project where their employees or subs need to work on a project for example.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Lightspeed
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    We have had only one unplanned outage for 2 hours in the last 30 months. We shut down for 30 min to 1 hour once a month, but that is for Microsoft OS updates to the servers. Being a 24/7 world wide operation, the reliability is really important. We do get an 8 hour window on the weekend that we can be down for a short period to install Microsoft Dynamics SL updates, but we do not have many of those. On our last version upgrade, we shut the users out at 9:30 am and were fully operational in less than 6 hours. The upgrade was New SQL server, New SL server and 2 new Citrix servers.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Lightspeed
    I gave the rating of a 9 because ninety percent of the time when I talk to their support they're very helpful. One of the only real issues I have is there are times where the queue will be 7-9 people deep. When you have an error you don't know how to fix, sometimes this is very troubling. But overall their support is usually quick and friendly.
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    Support is only used when needed, so unfortunately ,they get all the odd issues. It's a difficult business, but Microsoft and our firm do a great job of meeting customer needs. We get routine feedback that our support services are very good.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Lightspeed
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Just to let it take its course. The implementation for me once I became a part of my former organization was pretty seamless. Just get to know the basics and call the support team to ask questions if you need help on an issue, should they arise. They are ready, willing, and able to help!
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Lightspeed
    Lightspeed is faster, sleeker and more modern than our previous POS system. I can’t express enough how easy the online store portion of Lightspeed is - it just intuitive and sometimes, is TOO easy, I feel like I have to be forgetting something. Lightspeed is staying modern and current where our previous POS was not
    Incentivized
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    Microsoft
    Of the comparable mid-range ERP systems, Dynamics SL competes at the lower end based on price, but also above the high-end based on flexibility, data, and reporting. Being able to stay with the same core accounting from a $100 million dollar company to a $3 billion dollar company shows the range of capabilities.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Lightspeed
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Since the backbone of the database is MS SQLServer, the database can be easily scaled.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Lightspeed
    • Certainly has saved money on cash-outs/ accounting due to QuickBooks integration.
    • Faster processing through tills means happier customers and more sales per hour.
    • Expensive product at $5K a year has taken away some profitability for this small business. It's way, way over priced.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • More time is spent on manipulating reports which can and should be automated.
    • Lack of electronic invoicing process and other green technology features creates more cost on printing and storage costs.
    • The lack of a user friendly interface requires more training and a bigger learning curve for staff.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots