Alternatives to Lightspeed Restaurant
Cloud restaurant POS with tableside ordering and analytics
Lightspeed Restaurant ranks #3 of 9 in Restaurant POS & management, with an Alt Score of 96. It is licensed under Proprietary (commercial SaaS), sold by subscription from US$69/month and available on iOS and Web. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Lightspeed Restaurant is a cloud-based restaurant POS covering tableside ordering, menu management, and reporting, part of Lightspeed's commerce platform.
Lightspeed Restaurant is built for full-service and quick-service restaurants, bars, cafes, breweries and hotels that want a cloud-based, iPad-based point-of-sale rather than a general retail system. It suits both single-site operators and multi-location groups, offering tiered plans from a Starter tier for simple daily operations up to an Enterprise tier for larger businesses. It is aimed at operators who want an all-in-one platform covering ordering, payments, inventory and reporting.
Subscribers get a customizable iPad POS with menu management, floor plans, tableside handheld ordering, a kitchen display system, automated inventory management, and reporting through Advanced Insights. The platform adds integrated Lightspeed Payments, Order Anywhere online ordering, delivery-app sync (UberEats, DoorDash, Skip The Dishes), gift cards, customer loyalty, and workforce/payroll tools via a 7shifts integration. Plans start at 69 USD per month (Starter), with Essential at 189 USD and Premium at 399 USD, plus add-ons such as KDS at $30/screen per month.
The front-of-house POS runs on Apple iPads while the back office is managed through the cloud, so owners can view performance and adjust operations from anywhere. Orders flow from the iPad or handheld Tableside device to the kitchen display system, and integrated payments let staff take card and mobile payments on and off premise. An offline mode stores data locally on the device during connectivity issues and syncs automatically when the connection returns, keeping service running without interruption.
Where Lightspeed Restaurant stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Lightspeed Restaurant
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Toast is an all-in-one restaurant point-of-sale and management platform with Android-based hardware, online ordering, payroll, and payments for food-service businesses.
Clover is a POS platform with proprietary hardware and an app marketplace serving restaurants and retail, owned by Fiserv, with restaurant-specific dining plans.
SpotOn is a restaurant point-of-sale and management platform bundling handheld ordering, online ordering, loyalty, and marketing with integrated payments.
Lavu is an iPad-based restaurant POS covering tableside ordering, kitchen display, inventory, and online ordering, aimed at independent restaurants and bars.
Revel Systems is an iPad-based POS platform for restaurants and retail with tableside ordering, kitchen display, inventory, and enterprise multi-location management.
Square for Restaurants is Square's restaurant-specific point-of-sale package adding coursing, floor plans, and kitchen display on top of Square's payments and hardware.
TouchBistro is an iPad-based restaurant POS with tableside ordering, menu management, and add-on reservations, loyalty, and online ordering modules.
GloriaFood is a free online ordering and table-reservation system for restaurants, monetized through optional paid add-ons like a branded app and card payments.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Restaurant POS & management checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Restaurant POS & management checklist | Lightspeed Restaurant | Toast | Clover | SpotOn | Lavu | Revel Systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Tableside / handheld ordering | ||||||
| Menu management | ||||||
| Online ordering & delivery | ||||||
| Kitchen display system | ||||||
| Inventory management | ||||||
| Staff scheduling & payroll | ||||||
| Loyalty & gift cards | ||||||
| Reporting & analytics | ||||||
| Offline mode | ||||||
| Payment processing included | ||||||
| Own hardware | ||||||
| Multi-location |
Every fact and feature listed for Lightspeed Restaurant is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
-
License Proprietary (commercial SaaS) verified 2026-07-12
No open-source license; sold as paid subscription tiers. License not stated verbatim; inferred from commercial subscription model.
Starter Simplify your daily operations. 69 USD Get started Essential Exceed guest expectations. 189 USD Get started Premium Connect all of your departments. 399 USD
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/pricing/ -
Pricing model Subscription verified 2026-07-12
Starter Simplify your daily operations. 69 USD Get started Essential Exceed guest expectations. 189 USD Get started Premium Connect all of your departments. 399 USD
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/pricing/ -
Starts at US$69/month verified 2026-07-12
Starter is the cheapest paid tier; plans billed monthly (KDS add-on listed as $30/screen per month on same page).
Starter Simplify your daily operations. 69 USD Get started
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/pricing/ -
Platforms iOS, Web verified 2026-07-12
Front-of-house POS runs on Apple iPad (iOS); cloud-based back office is accessed via web. No Windows/macOS/Linux/Android native app.
iPad POS With an iPad POS, all your data, your menu and your ordering system are always with you, no matter where you go.
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/features/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-12
@type":"Corporation","url":"https:\/\/www.lightspeedhq.com","tickerSymbol":"LSPD"" — Lightspeed Commerce is a publicly traded company (ticker LSPD, NYSE/TSX); product actively developed with new features shipping.
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/about/ -
Tableside / handheld ordering Yes verified 2026-07-12
Lightspeed Tableside is a lightweight handheld POS for taking orders and payments at the table.
Lightspeed Tableside: Orders and payments in the palm of your hand
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/tableside/ -
Menu management Yes verified 2026-07-12
Menu manager i Tailor your menu to your workflow with customizable screens and sequences.
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/pricing/ -
Online ordering & delivery Yes verified 2026-07-12
Order Anywhere provides native online ordering; Delivery page adds sync with UberEats, Skip The Dishes and DoorDash.
Serve guests wherever they are with Lightspeed Order Anywhere Streamline order management, whether your customers are in-house, online or on the phone. Easily handle takeout, delivery and in-house ord
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/order-anywhere/ -
Kitchen display system Yes verified 2026-07-12
displays all of your restaurant orders on one screen. Streamline communication from front to back of house and manage all guest orders at a glance
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/kitchen-display-system/ -
Inventory management Yes verified 2026-07-12
Take control of your stock with automated inventory management
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/inventory/ -
Staff scheduling & payroll Yes verified 2026-07-12
Scheduling/payroll delivered via Lightspeed with 7shifts integration; payroll add-on.
Workforce management & payroll Manage scheduling, forecasting and payroll in one place
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/payroll/ -
Loyalty & gift cards Yes verified 2026-07-12
Gift cards built in; customer retention & loyalty offered via dedicated Customer retention and loyalty product.
Gift cards Allow customers to make other people discover your business with gift cards that will expand your reach and increase the word
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/features/ -
Reporting & analytics Yes verified 2026-07-12
Includes end-of-day, employee and location reports plus Advanced Insights analytics.
Mobile reporting See in real time how your restaurant is doing and make immediate adjustments.
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/features/ -
Offline mode Yes verified 2026-07-12
Yes, Lightspeed's restaurant software will continue to work offline if you're having connectivity issues. All data entered while offline is stored locally on the device and automatically upload
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/ -
Payment processing included Yes verified 2026-07-12
Lightspeed Payments is a processor fully embedded in the POS; integrated payments are the default on plans.
Lightspeed Payments makes it easier than ever to serve guests and get paid
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/payments/ -
Own hardware Partial verified 2026-07-12
Lightspeed sells restaurant hardware kits/peripherals (stands, printers) but the core device is a third-party Apple iPad, not included; not fully vendor-manufactured hardware.
iPad hardware kit Master any style of service with hardware built to keep you out of ... iPad and payment terminal not included
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/hardware/ -
Multi-location Yes verified 2026-07-12
Go modern with a multi-location restaurant POS that grows with you Run multiple locations with ease with a cloud-based POS
https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/multilocation-restaurant-pos/
FAQ
Yes. Toast, Square for Restaurants and GloriaFood have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Clover, SpotOn and Lavu — every license claim links its source.