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The 6 Best Lightspeed Competitors In 2024

Lightspeed is a great solution, but it doesn't work for everyone. These popular alternatives to Lightspeed offer robust features and competitive pricing.

    Kymberlin Bush
  • Last updated onUpdated

  • Nicolette Kier
  • REVIEWED BY

    Nicolette Kier

    Senior Staff Writer

Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity.

If you’ve been looking at the best POS systems for small businesses, you’ve come across Lightspeed.

Lightspeed is a popular and powerful iPad POS system that meets the needs of many, but not all, small business owners. The main Lightspeed competitors are tablet-based software services, which are more affordable and offer advanced features for niche businesses.

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CompanyBest ForNext StepsBest For
Square POS

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  • iPad/Android POS for any industry
  • Starts at $0/month
  • 2.6% + $0.10 processing
  • iPad/Android POS for any industry
  • Starts at $0/month
  • 2.6% + $0.10 processing

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Clover POS

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  • Android POS for any industry
  • Starts at $0/month
  • 2.3-2.6% + $0.10 processing
  • Android POS for any industry
  • Starts at $0/month
  • 2.3-2.6% + $0.10 processing

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Revel POS

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  • iPad POS for any industry
  • Starts at $198+/month
  • 2.49% + $0.15 processing
  • iPad POS for any industry
  • Starts at $198+/month
  • 2.49% + $0.15 processing

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Shopify POS

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  • iPad/Android POS for retail
  • Starts at $29/month
  • 2.4-2.7% processing
  • iPad/Android POS for retail
  • Starts at $29/month
  • 2.4-2.7% processing

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Toast POS

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  • Android POS for restaurants
  • Starts at $0/month
  • 2.49% + $0.15 processing
  • Android POS for restaurants
  • Starts at $0/month
  • 2.49% + $0.15 processing

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TouchBistro

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  • iPad POS for restaurants
  • Starts at $69/month
  • Processing fees vary
  • iPad POS for restaurants
  • Starts at $69/month
  • Processing fees vary

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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Table of Contents

The Best Lightspeed POS Competitors & Alternatives

These Lightspeed alternatives appeal to several small business industries, including restaurants, retail stores, and businesses that sell both online and in person.

Here are our top 6 Lightspeed competitors:

  • Square POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For New Businesses
  • Clover POS: Best Plug-And-Play Lightspeed Competitor
  • Revel POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Quick-Serve Restaurants
  • Shopify POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Multichannel Growth
  • Toast POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Full-Service Restaurants
  • TouchBistro: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Flexible Payment Processing

How The Best Lightspeed Competitors Compare

Multi-Channel Selling Customer Loyalty Inventory Management Menu Management Online Ordering
Square POS Paid add-on Square For Restaurants
Clover Some software plans
Revel Systems
Shopify POS
Toast
TouchBistro Paid add-on Paid add-on

Square POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For New Businesses

Total Rating 4.9
Pricing4.9

Ease Of Use5.0

Features4.8

Customer Service4.7

User Reviews4.8

Pricing

$0/month

Contract

None

Equipment Cost

$49-$799

Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.

Pros

  • Mobile POS
  • No monthly fee
  • Simple flat-rate processing
  • Free online store

Cons

  • Some issues with account instability
  • Basic retail & restaurant features

Square POS hardware for small business POS

Why We Chose Square POS As The Best Lightspeed Competitor For New Businesses

Square is a free POS system that can work for just about any industry. Since it's super easy to get started with and includes credit card processing with no monthly fee or commitment, Square is ideal for newer businesses.

Besides restaurants and retail looking for a more affordable, commitment-free solution, Square is easily one of the best salon POS software systems while Lightspeed requires paid third-party integrations to even come close.

Square VS Lightspeed Pricing

Square POS Plans Price  When To Use
Free Plan $0/month If you have basic POS and processing needs
Square Appointments $0-$69/month If you are a business with extensive scheduling needs
Square For Retail $0-$60/month If you are a retail business with needs for advanced features
Square For Restaurants $0-$60/month If you are in the foodservice industry and need restaurant-specific features
Square Online Store $0/month depending on plan If you have eCommerce needs

Unlike Lightspeed, Square is completely free.

While Square does have paid add-ons available for purchase, Square POS has enough functionality for many small businesses, even without any paid add-ons.

Additionally, Square has free and paid versions of its POS specifically for restaurants, retailers, and appointment-based businesses.

Square Features

Square POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards Add-on
Customer Loyalty Add-on
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management With Square for Restaurants
Delivery Management Add on
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Square’s feature set can suit virtually any type of small business, making this POS a good alternative to Lightspeed Restaurant, Lightspeed Retail, or Lightspeed Golf. Square integrates with several third-party apps to extend its functionality and adapt the POS to fit various niche industries.

Square has a wealth of in-person selling features for brick-and-mortar small businesses, including basic order management and basic inventory management, along with online selling options, including online checkout and a free eCommerce store. The features are a little basic compared to Lightspeed, particularly in terms of retail inventory management, but the feature set is better than what you get with any other free POS.

Square offers its own rewards program, Square Loyalty, but it is not included with the POS. Nevertheless, the program is affordable and easy to use with effortless onboarding. Pricing starts at $45/location for the first 500 visits.

As mentioned, Square has industry-specific versions of its POS, which include Square for Restaurants, Square for Retail, and Square Appointments, with features tailored toward the food service, retail, and service industries, respectively.

Square Hardware Costs

You can use a free Square reader on iPad, iPhone, or Android devices, or a countertop hardware kit (pricing varies) with the tablet of your choice. Square also sells a contactless Bluetooth reader for $59 (1st generation is still available for $49) and proprietary POS operating systems like the Square Terminal for $299 and the Square Register for $799.

Square Payment Processing

For most businesses, Square has the same in-person processing rate as Lightspeed’s (2.6% + $0.10) but online transactions (2.9% + $0.30) are slightly higher than Lightspeed’s, which is something to consider if you do a lot of online sales.

If you’re on the paid version of Square for Retail or Square Appointments, you’ll receive a 0.1% discount on payment processing.

What To Watch Out For

Square has no contract, but being a third-party processor, Square can be prone to account instability, making this POS less suitable for high-volume and high-risk businesses.

Some users report account or fund holds that take some time to fix and can be disruptive to business operations. This is a fairly common issue for payment processors that do not provide dedicated merchant accounts to their users.

Square VS Lightspeed

Where Square Wins Where Lightspeed Wins
  • Pricing
  • Ease Of Use
  • Features
  • Advanced Inventory Management Features
  • Strong Multilocation Support
  • Open API

Get Started With Square POS

Read our in-depth review

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Clover POS: Best Plug-And-Play Lightspeed Competitor

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.8

Features4.5

Customer Service4.4

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

Starts at $0/month

Contract

Depends on merchant services provider

Equipment Cost

$49-$1,799 per device

Pros

  • Unique hardware
  • Affordable monthly plans
  • Customizable features
  • All-in-one system

Cons

  • Can’t use your own hardware
  • Some Clover resellers are scammy

Clover countertop POS system, handheld POS system, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and card reader

Why We Chose Clover As The Best Plug-And-Play Lightspeed Competitor

Clover exclusively uses its Android-based proprietary hardware with a built-in credit card and contactless payment reader and is always sold together with a merchant account, unlike Lightspeed or any other POS system on this list.

As with Lightspeed, Clover is not for everyone, but many businesses appreciate its app-based customizability and the simplicity of getting a plug-and-play POS with hardware, software, and merchant services from a single source.

Clover VS Lightspeed Pricing

Clover POS Plans Price  When To Use
Clover Payments $0/month If you only need to process payments and don’t need any POS hardware
Clover Essentials $14.95/month If you have a small retail/service-based business and don’t take returns
Clover Register $49.95/month If you have a small to mid-size retail/service-based business and need more POS features
Clover Counter Service Restaurant $54.95/month If you have a quick-serve restaurant, cafeteria, or mobile food service business
Clover Table Service Restaurant $84.95/month If you have a full-service restaurant or bar

Unlike Lightspeed, Clover offers a free plan (though it just offers payment processing and nothing else).

When purchased through Clover.com, paid Clover plans start at $14.95/month, but if you want full POS functionality that compares to Lightspeed’s, you’ll need at least the $49.95/month Register plan.

Clover Features

Clover POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments Depends on hardware choice
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering Depends on software plan
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance Add-on app
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Clover can adapt to any industry, including any kind of retail, restaurant, or service-based business. This makes Clover a suitable replacement for Lightspeed Restaurant, Retail, or Golf.

Features like loyalty and order management are accessed as individual apps on the device’s Android-powered home screen.

Like Square, Clover has an app market with tons of free and paid third-party business software integrations that can expand the system’s functionality.

Clover Hardware Costs

Clover has several different mix-and-match hardware options, including the Clover Station and Station Duo (Station Duo has a customer-facing display), Clover Mini, Clover Flex, and Clover Go. Indeed, many businesses choose Clover due to its snazzy, if pricey, POS hardware.

The lowest-cost Clover hardware option is its $49 Clover Go contactless reader, which lets you take payments with your mobile device. Countertop POS setups start at $799 for a Clover Mini, but many businesses will want a complete Clover Station Duo setup, which goes for $1,799 (when purchased from Clover.com).

Clover also gives you the option to pay for hardware monthly.

Clover Payment Processing

Depending on your Clover software plan, payment processing costs start at 2.3% + $0.10. So you could pay a bit less per month using Clover vs. Lightspeed.

What To Watch Out For

Clover does offer contract-free month-to-month plans when you purchase from Clover.com. Another option is to buy through a reputable reseller like Payment Depot or Dharma Merchant Services.

We recommend doing some heavy research into the best Clover resellers so you aren’t being taken advantage of. You should also beware of Clover Station POS scams if you try to purchase used hardware from a reseller.

Some resellers will lock you in with misleading contracts and sneaky extra fees, resulting in you paying more for Clover than you could with a reputable seller like Lightspeed.

Clover VS Lightspeed

Where Clover Wins Where Lightspeed Wins
  • Pricing
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Advanced Inventory Management Features
  • Strong Multilocation Support
  • Open API

Get Started With Clover POS

Read our in-depth review

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Revel POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Quick-Serve Restaurants

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing3.6

Ease Of Use3.9

Features4.7

Customer Service4.2

User Reviews3.8

Pricing

Quote-based

Contract

Three-year commitment for lowest rate

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Can support larger, multilocation businesses
  • Advanced feature set
  • Full offline mode
  • Can use your own payment processor

Cons

  • Expensive for very small businesses
  • Multi-year commitment

Revel POS iPad POS register, iPad stand, and customer-facing display

Why We Chose Revel Systems As The Best Lightspeed Competitor For Quick-Serve & Multilocation Restaurants

Revel Systems is a powerhouse of an iPad POS system for businesses of any size, even nationwide chains. Revel is suitable for restaurant, retail, and service-based businesses but is especially popular with quick-serve eateries, such as pizzerias and coffee shops.

Revel even has some enterprise-level quick-serve restaurant (QSR) customers, such as Auntie Ann's Pretzels.

Revel Systems VS Lightspeed Pricing

Revel POS Plans Price  When To Use
Revel plan Quote-based: three-year commitment for cheapest plan Use if you are committed to the product and have a need for high-end features.

Revel Systems is more pricey than Lightspeed on a per-register basis—Revel starts at $99/month/register with a two-terminal minimum. With that being said, Revel’s feature set is more advanced, so a multilocation QSR might get a better overall value with Revel.

Revel Systems Features

Revel POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Revel Systems includes loads of features that can be customized for any industry. Some of these features include advanced reporting, employee management, and inventory management, with options such as a customer display system, online ordering, delivery management, digital menu boards, and self-ordering kiosks.

One feature we especially like is Revel’s Always On mode, which allows you to continue operating your POS normally and process payments in the event of an internet outage.

Most cloud POS systems, Lightspeed included, only have a partial offline mode. Revel has a proprietary ethernet connection for iPad, which allows for a faster connection than WiFi.

Revel Systems Hardware Costs

Revel Systems runs on iPad POS hardware. You can source your hardware yourself or buy it directly from Revel (call them for a quote). Hardware offerings include branded iPad stands, mobile order-takers, drive-thru hardware, and more.

Revel Systems Payment Processing

Revel Systems includes in-house flat-rate processing through Revel Advantage, but you can use your preferred payment processor (for a higher monthly charge, similar to Lightspeed). Revel’s standard processing rate for in-person transactions is 2.49% + $0.15.

What To Watch Out For

Revel requires a three-year processing agreement to get the best pricing. This is not ideal for businesses looking to test a POS system before making a significant commitment.

If you want to terminate your contract early, you could be looking at a high fee. Users are forced to pay double the amount remaining on the contract or $15,000, whichever number is higher when terminating their contract.

Revel Systems VS Lightspeed

Where Revel Wins Where Lightspeed Wins
  • Pricing
  • Customer Service
  • Features
  • Ease Of Use
  • User Satisfaction
  • Contract Terms

Get Started With Revel POS

Read our in-depth review

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Shopify POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Multichannel Growth

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.9

Features4.4

Customer Service4.8

User Reviews4.4

Pricing

Starts at $29/month

Contract

None

Equipment Cost

$0-$500+

Pros

  • Seamless multichannel selling
  • Mobile app for smartphone sales
  • Comes with online store
  • Numerous app integrations

Cons

  • Limited offline mode
  • No food service features

Shopify POS hardware

Why We Chose Shopify POS As The Best Lightspeed Competitor For Multichannel Growth

Shopify POS combines eCommerce and POS features to serve multichannel retailers (brands that use online and in-person sales channels). You can use this versatile POS to sell on an iPad, Android, or even your smartphone, and your sales will sync with your Shopify online store.

Shopify POS is one of the best POS for small businesses to use if you already sell online with Shopify and want to start selling in-person, either from your phone or at a brick-and-mortar store using an iPad POS setup.

Shopify POS VS Lightspeed Pricing

Shopify POS Plans Price  When To Use
Basic $39/month ($29/month billed annually) If you have a growing eCommerce business with occasional in-person sales
Shopify $105/month ($79/month billed annually) If you want additional reporting and reduced payment processing fees
Advanced $399/month ($299/month billed annually) If you want advanced reporting and additional discounts on processing fees
Shopify Plus $2,000+/month If your high-volume or large business needs an enterprise-level solution

Depending on your plan, Shopify could be a more affordable ecommerce POS system compared to Lightspeed Retail, since the Basic Shopify plan is just $29/month (paid annually). However, the basic plan only offers basic POS functionality.

For advanced in-person POS features that rival Lightspeed’s, you’ll need the Shopify POS Pro add-on, which adds $79/month (also billed annually) to bring your total monthly spend to $108/month.

Shopify POS Features

Shopify POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support Supports multiple inventory locations
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Use Shopify to easily manage in-store and online inventory, export reports, create gift cards, manage customers, and more. The Shopify mobile app makes it easy to sell at events like fairs, markets, and pop-ups.

The main feature where Shopify excels over Lightspeed is its highly customizable online store that comes included in all plans.

Shopify POS Hardware Costs

Shopify hardware options start at $49 for a card reader that works with Apple and Android. Shopify also sells complete hardware kits and a proprietary mobile order taker.

Shopify offers a unique free Tap to Pay on iPhone option that lets you accept contactless payments without a card reader.

Shopify POS Payment Processing

Like Lightspeed, Shopify provides in-house flat-rate payment processing (in-person rates range from 2.4 – 2.7%) and gives you the option to use a different payment processor for an additional charge. Your payment processing rate depends on your plan level.

If you want to take advantage of Tap to Pay payments using your iPhone, the first 100 transactions per month are processed at Shopify’s standard processing rate (per your plan), and after that, you’ll be charged an additional $0.25 per transaction for the remainder of the month.

What To Watch Out For

Shopify offers month-to-month and annual plans, though you’ll have to subscribe annually to get the best price. Like Square, Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) is a third-party processor, which can result in less account stability compared to a standard merchant account.

With the month-to-month plans, there are no early termination fees, making it a comparable Lightspeed competitor to Square.

Shopify POS VS Lightspeed

Where Shopify Wins Where Lightspeed Wins
  • Pricing
  • Features
  • Integrated Online Store
  • In-Person Selling
  • Integrated Loyalty Program

Get Started With Shopify POS

Read our in-depth review

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Toast POS: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Full-Service Restaurants

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing2.6

Ease Of Use4.7

Features5.0

Customer Service5.0

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

$0-$165 plus custom plan

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$0+

Pros

  • Advanced restaurant POS features
  • Digital ordering features
  • Restaurant-grade hardware
  • Full offline mode

Cons

  • Limited to Toast processing
  • Requires long-term contract

Toast online ordering on smartphone, Toast admin dashboard on PC, Toast KDS, Toast Go 2 handheld POS, Toast countertop POS

Why We Chose Toast As The Best Lightspeed Competitor For Full-Service Restaurants

Toast is one of the best Android POS systems designed specifically for restaurants.

While Toast can work great for quick-serve eateries such as a fro-yo shop or food truck, its feature set and restaurant-grade hardware are robust enough to be suitable for busy, full-service restaurants, including restaurants with bars and multilocation restaurants.

Toast VS Lightspeed Pricing

Toast POS Plans Price  When To Use
Quick Start Bundle $0/month You have a small, single-location restaurant with basic feature needs
Core $69/month You need a full point of sale suite with processing and custom hardware
Growth $165/month You need advanced features and are looking to bundle with digital ordering
Custom Custom Larger businesses looking to access the entirety of Toast’s features

Toast offers a pay-as-you-go starter plan for restaurants with one to two terminals, with options starting at $0/month for the pay-as-you-go plan, or $69/month for the standard starter plan.

The pay-as-you-go plan charges a higher fee for payment processing.

Toast Features

Toast POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Some features you’ll get with Toast include table management, menu management, restaurant inventory management, employee management, and restaurant reporting. Toast also has a complete lineup of digital ordering features, from an online ordering app and e-gift cards to QR code ordering and handheld tableside ordering.

If you opt for the full feature set, Toast provides more advanced restaurant functionality compared to Lightspeed Restaurant, making Toast one of the best restaurant POS systems.

Toast Hardware Costs

You can purchase a Countertop Starter Kit that includes a Toast Flex POS terminal, a Toast Tap contactless payment reader, and a router for $875. Some other options include a Handheld Starter Kit ($627) and a Guest Self-Service Starter Kit ($1,234).

There’s also an option to get your hardware for free in exchange for a higher payment processing fee using a pay-as-you-go model.

Toast Payment Processing

Toast’s standard payment processing fee for most in-person transactions is 2.49% + $0.15. However, if you choose the free software plan, you’ll pay 2.99% + $0.15. AMEX cards are charged at a higher rate.

What To Watch Out For

Toast requires you to use its in-house payment processor, and the processing contract is two years.

Many customers leave negative reviews regarding the long payment processing contracts. Do not be persuaded by Toast’s sales team without reading the contract carefully. It is common for customers to be misled into believing that their processing fees will remain the same when in reality they can increase over your contract’s life.

Our main concern with Toast is the switch to quote-based custom plans and processing fees. There are reports of Toast raising (or adding) fees without warning and locking customers into long-term contracts without their knowledge. Do your research and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into with Toast.

Toast VS Lightspeed

Where Toast Wins Where Lightspeed Wins
  • Customer Service
  • Features
  • Durable Handheld Hardware
  • Pricing
  • Hardware Options
  • Integrated Loyalty Program

Get Started With Toast POS

Read our in-depth review

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TouchBistro: Best Lightspeed Competitor For Flexible Payment Processing

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.6

Features4.9

Customer Service3.9

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

$69/month

Online Ordering

Add-on

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Locally installed iPad POS (doesn’t require internet to access data)
  • Can integrate with payment processor of your choice
  • Reservation management add-on
  • Affordable pricing

Cons

  • Features are basic
  • Inconsistent customer support

TouchBistro POS hardware

Why We Chose TouchBistro As The Best Lightspeed Competitor With Flexible Payment Processing

TouchBistro is locally installed, unlike most other restaurant POS systems. Branded as the “The #1 iPad Point of Sale (POS) for Restaurants,” TouchBistro is used by bars, cafes, and other types of single-location eateries.

The feature set is not overly extensive, but TouchBistro is highly affordable, and you can use your own payment processor without incurring an extra fee.

TouchBistro VS Lightspeed Pricing

TouchBistro Plans Price  When To Use
TouchBistro Plan $69+/month If you have basic restaurant needs and are interested in purchasing add-ons

Pricing starts at $69/month, but you can purchase additional add-ons such as reservation management, gift cards, loyalty, self-serve kiosks, digital menu boards, a kitchen display system, and a customer-facing display.

TouchBistro Features

TouchBistro Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards Add-on
Customer Loyalty Add-on
Marketing Tools Add-on
Online Ordering Add-on
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

In addition to POS functions, TouchBistro handles things like seating and table assignments, menu management, wireless transfer of orders to the kitchen, tableside payments, and daily sales reports.

Overall, TouchBistro’s features are comparable to Lightspeed Restaurant in most areas, but it does have in-house reservation management system (for an added monthly fee).

TouchBistro Hardware Costs

Using the Standard (single register) TouchBistro subscription, you can manage your entire restaurant directly from a single iPad register.

If you have two or more iPad registers, you need to run the Pro Server Application on a Mac Mini, which will act as a local server. There are also additional hardware options, such as kitchen display systems and self-serve kiosks.

TouchBistro hardware pricing isn’t listed on the website, so you’ll need to call for a quote.

TouchBistro Payment Processing

In addition to providing in-house cost-plus payment processing via TouchBistro Payments, TouchBistro integrates with a choice of payment processors—including Square—at no extra charge.

What To Watch Out For

TouchBistro generally requires a one-year contract, but month-to-month pricing may be available.

There are some reports of pushy sales people who convince new users to sign a one-year contract without a clear understanding of the early termination process. Do your research and ask many questions before signing anything.

TouchBistro VS Lightspeed

Where TouchBistro Wins Where Lightspeed Wins
  • Pricing
  • Ease Of Use
  • Features
  • Customer Service
  • Multilocation Management
  • Integrated Loyalty Program

Get Started With TouchBistro

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Methodology

Merchant Maverick has been researching and reviewing POS providers since 2012. Our writers have tested over 100 different point of sale systems, evaluating pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. Read more about how we rate POS providers.

When comparing different POS software systems, we consider many data points, including relative pricing, the depth of niche features offered, the price of hardware, and any associated payment processing fees. Our lists of the best providers include only apps we’ve deemed worthwhile from multiple vantage points. The POS vendors we pick share qualities such as widespread availability, accessibility, user-friendliness, and reasonable pricing. We also look carefully at niche features, such as check-splitting, inventory management, eCommerce, loyalty programs, gift cards, and more.

We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure the providers included meet our internal standards for quality and reputation.

80+

Vendors evaluated

65+

Attributes assessed per vendor

20+

Features weighed

30+

Combined years of experience


Is Lightspeed POS The Right Choice For You?

If we haven’t changed your mind about Lightspeed, that’s ok! Lightspeed is still an incredible cloud POS option for many business types.

Lightspeed offers three separate POS systems for different industries.

All plans include built-in flat-rate payment processing with a month-to-month or annual contract. You will be required to use Lightspeed Payments for your payment processing needs.

Which Lightspeed Competitor Is Right For My Business?

Not sure which Lightspeed alternative to go with? Here’s a handy checklist to help you make your decision:

Lightspeed…

  • Is Too Expensive For My Business: Consider Square, Clover, Revel Systems, Shopify POS, and/or TouchBistro.
  • Doesn’t Have A Good Enough Online Store: Consider Square and/or Shopify POS.
  • Doesn’t Have The Features I Need For My Food Service Business: Consider TouchBistro and/or Toast.
  • Won’t Let Me Use My Current Payment Processor: Consider Revel Systems, TouchBistro, and/or Shopify POS.
  • Doesn’t Have Features For My Service-Based Business: Consider Square and/or Shopify POS.
  • Won’t Let Me Use My Android Hardware: Consider Square, Clover, Shopify POS, and/or Toast.

All of these Lightspeed alternatives offer free trials or at least an online demo, so make sure you try out a few POS systems before you settle on one.

More and more small business owners are turning towards a register-free experience. Most of the POS systems on this list are some of the best mobile POS systems (mPOS) that can help you catapult your sales process into 2024.

Remember that your POS system isn’t just for making sales anymore! Look into the extra benefits and third-party integrations a POS software offers to customize your system and make it worth the money. For example, if you struggle with taxes and need automation that frees you up for more important work, we recommend looking into POS systems that integrate with QuickBooks or other accounting software.

We wish you the best of luck on your POS journey!

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Kymberlin Bush

Kymberlin Bush

Staff Writer
Kymberlin started contributing to Merchant Maverick as a freelancer in 2022 and joined the team as the full-time small business health insurance expert in 2023. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Pacific University in 2020 and continues to reside in Portland, Oregon.
Kymberlin Bush
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Kymberlin Bush

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