Lightspeed POS vs Square for Restaurants
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and integrations.
Quick Verdict
Lightspeed POS offers fewer features (44 vs 92) and more integrations (28 vs 6). Starting price: Lightspeed POS at $99/mo vs Square for Restaurants at Free. Lightspeed POS has 42 unique features while Square for Restaurants has 90 unique features, with 2 features in common.
| Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Point of Sale | Point of Sale |
| Total Features | 44 | 92 |
| AI-Powered Features | 2 | 1 |
| Starting Price | $99/mo | Free |
| Pricing Tiers | 3 | 4 |
| Integrations | 28 | 6 |
| Shared Features | 2 | |
| Shared Integrations | 0 | |
| Data Quality | 72% | 90% |
Feature Comparison by Category
Analytics (4 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Analytics Dashboard | ||
| Inventory Forecasting | ||
| Sales Analytics | ||
| Seasonal Reports |
Branding (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt Customization |
Compliance (2 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Age Verification | ||
| Tax Configuration |
Content Management (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-polish item image |
Core (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud-Based POS |
Customer (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Management |
Customer Acquisition (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Gift cards |
Customer Communication (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Order-ready notifications | ||
| Order-ready text notifications |
Customer Experience (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Square Kiosk app | ||
| Square Kiosk self-service ordering |
Customer Management (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Customer directory | ||
| Customer profiles and personalization |
Customer Retention (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Loyalty programs |
Device Management (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Remote device management |
E-commerce (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Branded online ordering page | ||
| Online store (Square Websites) |
Financial Management (0 vs 7)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Banking solutions (Square Banking) | ||
| Bill Pay | ||
| Instant payouts | ||
| Invoices and estimates | ||
| Square Checking | ||
| Square Loans | ||
| Square Savings |
Hardware (0 vs 4)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Square Handheld device | ||
| Square Register | ||
| Square Stand | ||
| Square Terminal |
Hospitality (3 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen Display System | ||
| Queue Management | ||
| Table Management |
Integration (2 vs 2)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| API Access | ||
| Delivery platform integration | ||
| Online Order Integration | ||
| Reservation integrations |
Inventory (4 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk Product Import | ||
| Inventory Management | ||
| Supplier Management | ||
| Variance Reports |
Inventory Management (0 vs 6)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Auto 86 and item counts | ||
| Inventory tracking | ||
| Item availability management | ||
| Order guide | ||
| Real-time inventory tracking | ||
| Vendor cost comparison |
Kitchen Operations (0 vs 3)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Course management | ||
| Square KDS (Kitchen Display System) | ||
| Square KDS app |
Management (4 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Management | ||
| Franchise Support | ||
| Multi-Location Support | ||
| Staff Time Clock |
Marketing (2 vs 2)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing Integration | ||
| Email and text marketing (Square Marketing) | ||
| Loyalty Programs | ||
| Square Marketing automation |
Menu Management (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk edits for menu items | ||
| Item and menu management |
Mobile (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile POS |
Multi-Location Management (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Square for Franchises |
Operations (6 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Barcode Scanning | ||
| Digital Receipts | ||
| Invoice Generation | ||
| Offline Mode | ||
| Refund Management | ||
| Return Management |
Order Management (0 vs 9)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced modifiers | ||
| Coursing features | ||
| Open checks and house accounts | ||
| Order synchronization | ||
| Orders tab | ||
| Speed up order entry | ||
| Tableside order taking | ||
| Tableside ordering | ||
| Third-party order management |
Payment Processing (0 vs 18)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Accept all payment methods | ||
| Auto-gratuity | ||
| Automatic gratuity | ||
| Cash App Pay | ||
| Discounts and refunds | ||
| Fractional check splitting | ||
| Item split payments | ||
| Manual entry or card on file | ||
| Offline payment acceptance | ||
| Preauthorize bar tabs | ||
| QR code payments | ||
| Running tabs | ||
| Scan to pay | ||
| Service charges | ||
| Split checks |
Payments (2 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| EMV & NFC Support | ||
| Multi-Currency Support |
Products (2 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle Management | ||
| Product Modifiers |
Reporting (2 vs 14)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog reporting | ||
| Close of day procedures and reporting | ||
| Close-of-day and live sales reports | ||
| Custom work week | ||
| Daily sales summary email | ||
| Deferred sales tracking | ||
| Kitchen performance analytics | ||
| Kitchen performance reporting | ||
| Live section and shift reporting | ||
| Menu reporting | ||
| Menu reports | ||
| Reconciliation report | ||
| Sales insights | ||
| Sales vs labor insights | ||
| Scheduled Reports |
Restaurant Operations (0 vs 3)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Custom floor plan design | ||
| Seat management | ||
| Table and seat management |
Sales (3 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Discount Management | ||
| Gift Cards | ||
| Smart Recommendations |
Security (3 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Automated Backups | ||
| PCI Compliance | ||
| Role-Based Access Control |
Staff Management (0 vs 7)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Clock in and out with passcodes or badges | ||
| Square Advanced Access | ||
| Square Payroll | ||
| Square Shifts | ||
| Team scheduling and payroll (Square Staff) | ||
| Timecards with break and overtime tracking | ||
| Tip pooling and commissions tracking |
Support (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Video Tutorials |
System Administration (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Release manager |
User Interface (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Lightspeed POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Dark mode display |
Unique Features
Only in Lightspeed POS (42)
Customer Analytics Dashboard
Inventory Forecasting
Sales Analytics
Seasonal Reports
Receipt Customization
Age Verification
Tax Configuration
Cloud-Based POS
Customer Management
Kitchen Display System
Queue Management
Table Management
API Access
Online Order Integration
Bulk Product Import
Inventory Management
Supplier Management
Variance Reports
Employee Management
Franchise Support
+ 22 more unique features
Only in Square for Restaurants (90)
Auto-polish item image
Order-ready notifications
Order-ready text notifications
Square Kiosk app
Square Kiosk self-service ordering
Customer directory
Customer profiles and personalization
Remote device management
Branded online ordering page
Online store (Square Websites)
Banking solutions (Square Banking)
Bill Pay
Instant payouts
Invoices and estimates
Square Checking
Square Loans
Square Savings
Square Handheld device
Square Register
Square Stand
+ 70 more unique features
View Lightspeed POS details View Square for Restaurants details Lightspeed POS alternatives Square for Restaurants alternatives
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