Shopify POS and Lightspeed Retail: why your point of sale costs more than you think

At first glance, plenty of POS systems look sharply priced. Shopify POS for €28 a month, or Lightspeed Retail from €129. That sounds appealing, until you read the fine print.

What many retailers do not realise is that these systems run on a business model built around transaction fees. The more you sell, the more you hand over. And that can add up fast.

In this article we explain:

• Why Shopify and Lightspeed charge transaction fees

• What this really means for your monthly costs

• How Afosto POS works without hidden fees

• And why that can save you thousands of euros a year

Why Shopify and Lightspeed push their own payment providers

Both Shopify POS and Lightspeed POS offer integrated payment solutions. Handy in itself, but not without a price tag. Both systems charge transaction fees that depend on how you take payment:

Shopify POS: monthly costs plus hidden transaction fees

🔗 Source: Shopify POS pricing

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What does this mean in practice?

Let us look at two scenarios for a retailer with:

• €50,000 revenue per month

• 1 physical store

• 800 card transactions per month

• Using the Shopify Grow plan

Say you run a physical store and turn over €50,000 in revenue per month, spread across 800 in-store transactions. That puts the average basket at €62.50.

We compare the monthly costs with Shopify (with and without its own PSP) and Afosto.

Scenario 1: Shopify Payments

The entry level sounds cheap, but look at what you actually pay.

Shopify Grow subscription → €78 Shopify POS Pro location → €79 Total fixed costs → €157 Transaction fees (1.25%) → €625 Total per month → €782

Scenario 2: Shopify with your own PSP (for example Pay.nl)

You go for independence, but Shopify penalises that with extra costs.

Shopify Grow subscription → €78 Shopify POS Pro location → €79 Total fixed costs → €157 Shopify fee for using your own PSP (1%) → €500 Pay.nl transaction fees (€0.07 × 800) → €56 Total per month → €713

Source for Pay.nl rates: pay.nl/diensten

Scenario 3: Afosto POS

Transparent, flexible and no hidden fees.

Cost item → Amount Afosto POS Serious subscription → €149 Afosto transaction fees → €0 Pay.nl transaction fees (€0.07 × 800) → €56 Total per month → €205

What do you save?

On paper the monthly subscription costs of Shopify and Afosto do not look far apart. But in practice the transaction fees make all the difference.

With Shopify you are either tied to their own payment provider, or you pay extra if you would rather work with a party like Mollie or Pay.nl. And it is precisely those percentage-based transaction fees that climb steeply as your revenue grows.

Afosto works differently. You choose your own PSP, and we charge nothing extra for it. That means fixed costs, no surprises, and savings that can run into thousands of euros a year.

A quick comparison based on €50,000 revenue per month:

• Shopify with Shopify Payments → €782 per month (of which €625 is transaction fees)

• Shopify with your own PSP (for example Pay.nl) → €713 per month (of which €500 goes to Shopify as a "penalty" plus €56 to your PSP)

• Afosto POS plus Pay.nl → €205 per month (no transaction fees to Afosto, only €56 to Pay.nl)

That is a difference of €508 to €577 per month. Over a year that means saving between €6,000 and €7,000, on a single point of sale alone.

And the bigger you get, the bigger that difference becomes. Because with Afosto your monthly costs only grow with your order volume, not with your revenue.

What does Lightspeed POS Retail really cost?

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Watch out: the "hidden" costs

• An extra register? You pay €29 per month per additional register

• An extra location? You pay the full subscription again per location

• Your own PSP such as Mollie or Pay.nl? Then your PSP costs come on top as well

With Afosto these kinds of costs are included in the fixed rate as standard. So you do not pay more as you expand, only based on your order volume.

What does this mean in practice?

Example 1: furniture store with low frequency and high basket value

• Revenue: €72,000 per month

• Number of transactions: 60

• Average basket: €1,200

• Payment provider (PSP): Pay.nl (€0.07 per transaction)

Lightspeed POS Essential Monthly cost → €189 Lightspeed transaction fees (0.9%) → €648 PSP transaction fees (60 × €0.07) → €4.20 Total per month → €841.20

Limits on this plan:

• 1 register included

• 1 location included

• Extra registers: €29 p/m

• Extra location: +€189 p/m

• Order volume not capped

Afosto POS Pro Monthly cost → €299 Afosto transaction fees → €0 PSP transaction fees (60 × €0.07) → €4.20 Total per month → €303.20

Limits on this plan:

• Up to 15,000 POS order lines p/m

• Unlimited users

• Unlimited registers

• Unlimited locations

• 1 stock location included

Saving with Afosto → over €530 per month / more than €6,000 per year

Example 2: gift shop with high volume and low basket value

• Revenue: €27,000 per month

• Number of transactions: 1,500

• Average basket: €18

• Payment provider (PSP): Pay.nl (€0.07 per transaction)

Lightspeed POS Basic Monthly cost → €129 Lightspeed transaction fees (0.6%) → €162 PSP transaction fees (1,500 × €0.07) → €105 Total per month → €396

Limits on this plan:

• 1 register included

• 1 location included

• Extra registers: €29 p/m

• Extra location: +€129 p/m

• Order volume not capped

Afosto POS Serious Monthly cost → €149 Afosto transaction fees → €0 PSP transaction fees (1,500 × €0.07) → €105 Total per month → €254

Limits on this plan:

• Up to 3,000 POS order lines p/m

• Unlimited users

• Unlimited registers

• Unlimited locations

• No stock management included

Saving with Afosto → €142 per month / over €1,700 per year (the saving grows as you scale or expand)

What does the Afosto POS system cost?

With Afosto you know exactly where you stand. No hidden transaction fees, no surcharges per register or location, and no "penalties" if you use your own payment provider.

You simply choose a plan that fits your order volume. Every plan includes as standard:

• Unlimited users

• Unlimited registers

• Unlimited locations

• Use of your own PSP (such as Mollie, Pay.nl or Adyen) with no markup

Below you can see the prices and limits of the Afosto POS system:

Afosto POS prices and limits

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Whether you are just starting out with a small store or run multiple branches with a heavy order flow, with Afosto you never overpay. And you can always move up to a larger plan easily as your volume grows, without any technical migration or pricing pitfalls.

Discover Afosto POS

Curious how your point of sale can be transparent, scalable and affordable? Request a free demo and discover in 30 minutes how Afosto POS works, tailored to your situation.

Frequently asked questions about POS systems and hidden costs

Why do Shopify and Lightspeed charge extra for payments?

Both Shopify and Lightspeed have their own payment solution and earn extra on transactions. Would you rather use your own PSP such as Mollie or Pay.nl? Then you often pay a 1 to 2% markup on top of your subscription. With Afosto you pay no transaction fees to us, only what your PSP charges.

What exactly are transaction fees, and when do I pay them?

Transaction fees are costs you pay per card payment or online transaction. Shopify and Lightspeed charge these as standard, often as a percentage of your revenue. With Afosto you can use your own PSP and pay only their fixed (often low) fees, with no extra margin for Afosto.

Is Afosto POS really suitable for multiple stores or branches?

Yes. Every Afosto POS plan includes unlimited locations, users and registers. You pay only based on your order volume, not for extra hardware or branches. With Lightspeed you pay the full subscription again for each additional location.

What if my store grows? Do I have to switch to a more expensive plan?

You can easily upgrade to a larger Afosto plan when you process more order lines per month. No technical migration is needed. Your data, settings and integrations simply carry over.

Can I keep using my existing PSP such as Mollie or Pay.nl with Afosto?

Absolutely. Afosto is PSP-independent. You just connect your own payment provider and pay only their transaction rates, with no extra markup or restrictions from our system.

How do I tell whether my current POS has hidden costs?

Take a close look at your monthly invoice: are there percentages or extra costs per transaction? Or surcharges if you use a different payment provider? As your revenue grows, these costs often creep up unnoticed. With Afosto you simply pay a fixed amount per month, with no surprises.

What does a second or third location cost with Shopify or Lightspeed?

With Shopify you pay €79 extra per month per location for POS Pro. With Lightspeed you pay the full subscription again per location. With Afosto all locations are included in every plan, so you never pay twice.

Can I switch to Afosto easily from Shopify or Lightspeed?

Yes. We guide you through moving your product data, stock, customers and, if you like, historical sales data too. Most retailers are up and running with Afosto POS within a few days.

Does Afosto POS work if I only have a physical store, without a webshop?

Yes. Afosto POS works standalone, but you can always connect a webshop or marketplace later. Many of our customers start out physical and then grow into omnichannel, without needing a new system.

What is the difference between order lines and transactions at Afosto?

An order line is one product within a transaction. So if you create a single receipt with three products on it, that counts as three order lines. This model makes for fair and scalable pricing, matched to your actual usage.