Full Comparison
Yakuma vs Lightspeed
Cloud retail POS with multi-location and inventory management.
See the complete breakdown of how Yakuma compares to Lightspeed across every dimension that matters for your business.
Complete Feature Comparison
| Dimension | Lightspeed | Yakuma |
|---|---|---|
| Data ownership | Vendor-owned cloud. Your data lives in Lightspeed's infrastructure, subject to their terms. | Customer-owned infrastructure. Your data, your servers (on-premise, private cloud, or your cloud account). |
| Deployment model | Cloud-only. No option for on-premise or private cloud deployment. | On-premise, private cloud, or customer cloud. You choose where your systems run. |
| Cloud provider choice | Vendor-imposed. You use whatever cloud infrastructure Lightspeed has chosen. | AWS, Azure, GCP, or customer choice. Deploy on your preferred cloud provider. |
| Exit strategy | Limited / vendor-dependent. Leaving means losing access to your data and rebuilding workflows. | Full data ownership and portability. Export everything, switch anytime, no data hostage. |
| IT governance | Not supported. Cannot comply with enterprise IT policies or data residency requirements. | Designed for enterprise IT policies. Full compliance with corporate security, data residency, and governance. |
| Architecture | Cloud-centric. Requires constant internet connectivity for most operations. Limited offline fallback. | Offline-first. Each store operates fully independently. Syncs when possible, never blocks when not. |
| Offline operation | Limited / degraded. Most features require internet connection. | Fully operational. Complete POS functionality without internet. |
| Kitchen & expo offline | Often impacted when cloud connection drops. | Always on (LAN). Kitchen displays work on local network, never depend on internet. |
| Store autonomy | Low. Stores depend on cloud services to function. | Full. Each store operates as independent unit, syncs centrally when connected. |
| Multi-store retail | Strong cloud retail POS with multi-location and inventory management. | Same capabilities plus deeper per-country tax logic and mixed sectors (retail + hospitality, etc.) in one. |
| Omnichannel | Unifies ecommerce and in-store for SMB/mid-market retailers. | Same, but fully hardware- and ERP-agnostic, designed to plug into any existing stack. |
| Customization | Configurable workflows and integrations, mostly driven by vendor roadmap. | Exposes configuration and scripting so chains can build and maintain their own custom flows. |
| Analytics | Good dashboards and insights per store and chain. | Same metrics plus HQ-focused KPIs for multi-country chain operations and governance. |
| Governance & control | Multi-store, typically one brand per environment. | Multi-brand, franchise + corporate models, granular regional permissions from the same core. |
| Franchise support | Multi-store support but limited native franchise architecture. No built-in franchisor/franchisee separation. | Native franchise architecture (franchisor/franchisee separation, multi-owner networks). Read more → Franchise POS |
| Hotel & Airport Operations | Not supported. Cannot integrate with hotel PMS systems for room charging or airport authority systems for compliance reporting. | Native integration with hotel PMS (room posting, guest identification) and airport compliance (boarding pass handling, authority reporting, revenue sharing). Read more → Regulated Environments |
| Native apps | Standard mobile apps for iOS and Android with limited customization options. | 100% custom native apps for iOS and Android built specifically for each client's workflows and branding. |
| Smart-watch & Smart-TV apps | Not available. | Native apps for Apple Watch, WearOS smart-watches, and Smart-TV displays for kitchen screens and digital signage. |
| Source code protection | No source code access or escrow options available. | Full source code deposited with a public notary, protecting your technology investment if vendor relationship changes. |
| ERP/CRM integration | Integrations available but primarily optimized for Lightspeed's own ecosystem. | 100% ERP/CRM agnostic: native integrations with SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Salesforce, or any system you choose. |
Why Choose Yakuma Over Lightspeed
Global by Design
Unlike Lightspeed, Yakuma was built from day one for multi-country operations with different taxes, currencies, languages, and fiscal requirements.
Deep Customization
Build your own workflows with scripting and configuration. Don't wait for vendor roadmaps to get the features your business needs.
No Vendor Lock-in
Choose your own hardware, payment providers, and integrations. Yakuma works with what you have, not what we sell.
Multi-Sector Platform
Retail, restaurants, salons, tickets, and more on a single platform. No need for separate systems for different business types.
Compare Yakuma with Other POS Solutions
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