Our Take
3.5
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
Lightspeed Restaurant is a highly customizable iPad-based POS system that scales and adapts to restaurants with widely ranging sizes, service styles and business models. Figuring out the add-ons you need for your business to operate smoothly may not be the easiest to do, though, and the total price for those additional features can add up quickly.
Lightspeed Restaurant POS
Payment processing fees
2.6% + 10¢ in-person; 2.6% + 30¢ manually keyed.
Monthly fee
$189.00 $399 Premium plan.
Learn more
on Lightspeed's website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Offers advanced inventory management and recipe costing tools.
- All plans include CRM and loyalty programs.
- Essential and Premium plans include one-on-one support.
- 24/7 support available.
Cons
- Syncing with accounting software costs extra.
- Some plans may require long-term contracts.
- Lowest-tier plan is more expensive than competitors.
Full Review
Lightspeed Restaurant is a highly customizable iPad-based point-of-sale (POS) system with a huge range of features and add-ons for full-service and quick-service restaurants, bars, coffee shops, takeout, delivery, self-ordering, staff and inventory management, loyalty and rewards programs and more.
As an iPad POS system, Lightspeed Restaurant could be set up as a single iPad, cash drawer, payment terminal and a couple of printers. It can also cover much larger and more complex arrangements, but costs could quickly add up accordingly if you want to use the system for a service model significantly different from a typical sit-down or quick-service restaurant.
The system can handle tables, in-house and takeout orders, delivery options, tabs, bills and payments. There are also many add-ons available (for an extra fee) to boost efficiency, support different or expanded business models, or provide additional analytics.
Lightspeed Restaurant POS can also integrate with third-party online ordering services as well as software for accounting, analytics, customer service, hotel management, invoicing, marketing, payroll, reporting and more.
Here's what you need to know to decide if the system is right for your business.
Lightspeed Restaurant POS is best for businesses that:
- Are looking for a customizable system. Lightspeed offers a variety of hardware options as well as add-on features that enable you to build the system best suited for your business.
- May want to use their existing hardware. Some POS providers require you to use their proprietary hardware. Although Lightspeed offers hardware kits as well as individual hardware products, the company also lists on its site a number of third-party hardware products that are compatible with its software.
- Prefer an all-in-one POS system provider and payment processor. Lightspeed only supports its own payment processing solution, Lightspeed Payments. If you prefer to use a third-party payment processor, you'll want to find a different POS solution.
Deciding factors
Payment processing model | Flat rate. |
Payment processing fees |
|
Monthly fee |
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Hardware cost | Pricing for Lightspeed's iPad and desktop hardware kits is quote-based. Individual hardware products are listed in Lightspeed's online store:
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Contract length | Annual contracts may be required. |
Customer support | 24/7 phone, chat and email support; one-on-one onboarding. |
Where Lightspeed Restaurant stands out
Customization can fit almost any business
Lightspeed can be as simple or complex as you need and can be tailored to fit a wide array of restaurant layouts and service types. Just about every feature has significant customization and personalization options to help the system fit your specific needs and procedures.
You can reuse or bring your own hardware
You don’t need to buy hardware directly from Lightspeed. If you’re coming from a previous POS system or have a source to buy used hardware at a discount, you can use it with Lightspeed as long as it’s on the list of compatible options.
Lightspeed sells hardware both individually and in bundles and is fairly flexible in terms of compatible hardware. For example, it lists compatible iPad and iPhone models, several options for printers and many options for payment terminals. Pricing for its own iPad or desktop hardware kits is quote-based, but Lightspeed does list individual hardware products and prices in its online store.
Everything is integrated
Lightspeed has enough features and add-ons to handle the majority of your restaurant business all in one dedicated system, which can make things a lot simpler for you. The system can also integrate to share data with other related systems to make it easier for you to keep everything in sync.
Where Lightspeed Restaurant falls short
Learning curve
It might take a lot of effort to get everything just right with the huge array of configuration options, add-ons and integrations in Lightspeed Restaurant. Flexibility can be powerful, but watch out for the potential learning curve both for your initial setup and when training staff.
Add-on pricing
Lightspeed Restaurant supports add-ons for a lot of extra functionality, but the price for those add-ons can add up quickly. Because system pricing is quote-based, it's difficult to compare potential costs until you get customized quotes.
Offline functionality
As a cloud-based system, Lightspeed Restaurant requires an internet connection. That means that when you lose internet service, your POS system can’t work unless you buy Lightspeed’s Lite Server. The cost of this proprietary server is listed in Lightspeed’s online hardware shop, but note that use of this server for offline functionality may require additional costs related to installation and monthly use of the server.
Using a Lite Server will enable only basic functionality for orders, bills and receipts when offline. However, even with a Lite Server, you still can’t run credit, debit or gift cards, use third-party integrations with other software or use POS data for your reports. If the ability of a POS system to continue functioning during internet outages is important for your business, consider other restaurant-specific POS systems such as Toast and TouchBistro, which offer more robust functionality with their offline modes.
Alternatives to Lightspeed Restaurant
Toast
Why we like it: Toast offers its own purpose-built hardware for its POS, rather than using iPads like Lightspeed Restaurant. If you prefer dedicated options for the POS, payment terminals, self-order kiosks and kitchen displays that you know have been built with food service in mind, the company's hardware is a strong offering. It also offers a higher functioning offline mode than Lightspeed, which could be helpful if you’re concerned about connectivity with a cloud-based system. It has a free starter package and two higher packages. Read our full Toast POS review.
- $0 for Starter Kit plan.
- $69 Point of Sale plan.
- Custom plans available.
- 3.09-3.69% plus 15 cents per transaction, if you choose a pay-as-you-go plan.
- 2.49% plus 15 cents for card-present transactions, if you pay for hardware upfront.
- 3.50% plus 15 cents for card-not-present transactions, if you pay for hardware upfront.
- $799.20 for Handheld Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).
- $1,024.20 for Countertop Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).
- $1,339.20 for Guest Self-Service Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).
Square for Restaurants
Why we like it: Square is NerdWallet’s choice for best overall POS system, and Square for Restaurants is its specialized POS for businesses in food services. Similar to how Lightspeed offers its own retail POS solution, Square also has customized setups for retail and professional transactions. If you do a lot of retail business in addition to food service, or if you just want the flexibility to cover nearly any kind of transaction on your choice of iOS or Android devices, this product could be a great pick. A free starter tier, transparent pricing for payment processing and no contract requirement also makes it particularly easy to give it a try. Read our full review of Square for Restaurants.
- $0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.
- $29 for Square Appointments Plus plan.
- $69 for Square Appointments Premium and Square Restaurants Plus plans.
- $89 for Square Retail Plus plan.
- $165 for Square Restaurant Premium plan.
- Custom pricing for Square Retail plan.
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- $0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).
- $59 for Square Reader contactless and chip card reader.
- $149 for Square Stand iPad POS or Square Stand Mount (iPad not included; monthly financing available).
- $299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).
- $799 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).
Compare POS providers
To compare POS options, check out NerdWallet’s list of point-of-sale systems that are best for small-business owners. Our recommendations are based on the provider’s pricing and transparency, software and hardware options, system functionality, customer support, software integrations and contract requirements.
Learn more
on Lightspeed's website
Methodology
NerdWallet’s point-of-sale systems provider ratings reward companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including cost, system capabilities, contract requirements, customer service, and integrations and add-ons. Learn more about how we rate point-of-sale (POS) systems providers.
These ratings are a guide, but services, hardware and pricing can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
The core Lightspeed Restaurant offering is a cloud-based POS that runs on iPads. Servers enter orders on the iPad, which could be mounted on a counter or stand or carried tableside. The POS sends tickets and receipts to networked printers and accepts payments through an integrated payment processing system.
Managers configure staff accounts, the restaurant layout, the menu, prices and payment functionality to fit the business. The core POS also includes reporting functions to help you keep track of sales, menu items and staffing.
The total cost of a Lightspeed Restaurant POS system involves three separate costs: the monthly software fee (currently ranges from $69 to $399), the hardware cost (which varies depending on your business needs), and payment processing fees (which start at 2.6% plus 10 cents per card transaction). It’s difficult to get a full cost picture without contacting a Lightspeed representative since the restaurant iPad hardware kit pricing is quote-based, and depending on your business size/transaction volume, you may be able to get a lower processing fee.
Like most POS providers, Lightspeed charges a monthly fee for use of its restaurant POS software, with three pricing tiers, plus the cost of hardware (though you may be able to use your existing hardware or purchase used hardware elsewhere; just be sure to check Lightspeed’s site for compatibility) and payment processing fees.
Use our credit card processing fees calculator to estimate your potential total monthly cost of using a Lightspeed Restaurant POS. Don’t forget to then factor in your hardware costs to estimate your total cost of a Lightspeed Restaurant POS system.
