Talstok vs Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed Retail’s UK plans run from £75 to £229 a month, sold with its own card payments. Talstok runs a till, stock control and an online shop from the same records. It costs from £20 a month for each shop that takes real money, and what each plan includes is being decided.
Which to choose
Lightspeed suits you if
you run several registers or locations, want card payments connected to the till, or need repair work orders.
Talstok suits you if
you run one shop, want a till, stock and an online shop on the same records, and want a published starting price.
Prices side by side
Three Lightspeed plans, each priced with Lightspeed Payments, beside Talstok’s starting price.
| Plan | Paid yearly | Paid monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Talstok | No yearly plan | From £20 |
| Lightspeed Retail Basic | £75 | £89 |
| Lightspeed Retail Core | £149 | £189 |
| Lightspeed Retail Plus | £189 | £229 |
Lightspeed marks its prices “dependent on region” and does not say whether VAT is included. Each plan has one register; extra registers and locations are quoted. Its card rates are not published (“competitive rates”), and a chargeback costs £15. Contract terms were not on the page. Talstok costs from £20 a month for each shop that takes real money, billed monthly. Plans for each kind of shop, with add-ons on top, are being decided. The pricing page will say what each includes once they are. Talstok’s card fees are Stripe’s 1.5% + 20p online for a standard UK card, and your card machine’s rate at the counter. Read on 5 October 2026: lightspeedhq.com/uk/pos/retail/pricing and Lightspeed Payments.
Where Lightspeed is ahead
Repair and work orders
A Service Orders module for repairs and work orders, priced through an account manager. Talstok keeps a price list of jobs, but does not track repair jobs.
Card payments at the till
Card payments through Lightspeed Payments, connected to its till.
Loyalty and supplier catalogues
Its UK pricing page, read 5 October 2026, lists in-store and online loyalty and access to supplier catalogues on every plan from Basic up. It lists forecasting too. Talstok has suppliers and purchase orders, but no loyalty scheme, supplier catalogues or forecasting.
Several registers and locations
Extra registers and locations, quoted for your shop. In Talstok, each shop has one stock count.
Where Talstok differs
Talstok’s starting price and its online card fees are published.
- From £20 a month for each shop that takes real money, against £75 to £229 a month on Lightspeed’s three plans.
- Each part can be switched on or off for your shop, and parts left off stay out of your menus. Paying only for the parts you use is coming.
- Published card fees: Stripe’s 1.5% + 20p online, paid into your own Stripe account.
- Grades, buy prices and items kept one by one, for second-hand goods.
Questions
How much does Lightspeed Retail cost in the UK?
On 5 October 2026 its UK page showed Basic at £75 a month billed yearly (£89 monthly), Core at £149 (£189) and Plus at £189 (£229). These are its prices with Lightspeed Payments, and depend on region. Each plan includes one register; more are quoted.
Is Lightspeed better for a bigger shop?
For several registers, several locations and card payments connected to the till, Lightspeed does things Talstok does not do. For one shop, Talstok’s price starts lower: from £20 a month, against £75 or more. What each Talstok plan includes is being decided.
What are the alternatives to Lightspeed?
For a small UK shop, on 5 October 2026: Square for Retail Plus at £49 a month per location, SumUp Point of Sale Pro at £49 a month, Shopify with POS Pro at £69 a month per location on top of its plan, or Talstok from £20 a month for each shop that takes real money.
Other comparisons
See it with your own products
A test shop is free. Nothing in it is real: no money moves, and it never emails a customer. You pay only once a shop takes real money.