Comparison

CAKE POS vs Lightspeed Restaurant

On the evidence we track, CAKE POS leads this comparison with a composite score of 71/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★CAKE POS71
Lightspeed Restaurant55
Score
vioscaleAI score
CAKE POS71 / 100low · 49%
Lightspeed Restaurant55 / 100medium · 73%
Pricing
Free tier
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Model
CAKE POSfree
Lightspeed Restaurantfreemium
Price level
CAKE POSfree
Lightspeed Restauranthigh
Starting price
CAKE POS–
Lightspeed Restaurant$149
Transparent
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Integrations
Count
CAKE POS5
Lightspeed Restaurant10
Security
Disclosure policy
CAKE POS–
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Gdpr
CAKE POS–
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Pci
CAKE POS–
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Reliability
Status page
CAKE POS–
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Content
Faq
CAKE POS6 items
Lightspeed Restaurant7 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for restaurant pos software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Venue type
CAKE POSMulti-concept
Lightspeed RestaurantMulti-concept
Compliance
PCI DSS compliant
CAKE POS-
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
EMV chip / contactless payments
CAKE POS-
Lightspeed Restaurant-
Reliability
Offline mode
CAKE POS-
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Front of house
Online ordering
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Reservations / waitlist
CAKE POS-
Lightspeed Restaurant-
Loyalty / gift cards
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Back of house
Kitchen display system (KDS)
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Inventory management
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Integrations
Delivery integrations (DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub)
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Hardware
Proprietary hardware ecosystem (terminals/KDS)
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Market
Multi-location support
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Target segment
CAKE POSSMB / independent
Lightspeed RestaurantSMB / independent
Payments
Payment processing
CAKE POSBuilt-in / proprietary processor
Lightspeed RestaurantBuilt-in / proprietary processor
Pricing
Pricing model
CAKE POS% of transactions
Lightspeed RestaurantPer location

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

CAKE POS

Leader

A restaurant point-of-sale system providing payment processing, online ordering, kitchen management, and customer loyalty features for single and multi-location businesses, with no monthly software costs.

Independently observed

Lightspeed Restaurant

A cloud-based POS system for retail businesses that combines sales processing, inventory management, online store capabilities, and customer loyalty in one integrated platform. Includes multi-location management, staff administration, and open API for customization.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

CAKE POS

Leader
FreeFree tier

Core plan free. Growth and PAYG plans available by quote; all include payment processing in plan cost.

  • CoreFree
    • POS terminal with payment processing
    • Reporting and analytics
    • Online ordering
    • Kitchen Display System
    • Guest manager
    • +7 more
  • GrowthContact sales
    • Everything in Core
    • Premium bilingual support
    • White-glove setup
    • Sysco partner integrations
    • Business insurance access
  • PAYGContact sales
    • Enterprise integrations
    • Advanced multi-location reporting
    • Dedicated account manager
    • 24/7 platinum support
as of verify ↗

Lightspeed Restaurant

from $149/moSubscriptionFree tier14-day trial

From $89/month. 14-day free trial.

  • BasicContact sales
    • Retail POS
    • 1 included register
    • Integrated Payments
    • Inventory Management
    • Lightspeed Wholesale
    • +12 more
  • Core$149/month
  • Plus$289/month
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
iOS
CAKE POS✗
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Android
CAKE POS✗
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Windows
CAKE POS✗
Lightspeed Restaurant✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
CAKE POS✓
Lightspeed Restaurant✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (4)
  • Quickbooks
  • Xero
  • Uber Eats
  • Epson

CAKE POS

Leader
25 total - 21 not shared
  • Coverdash
  • Fisherman
  • Dolce
  • 7shifts
  • Shogo
  • Davo
  • Olo
  • DoorDash
  • Checkmate
  • eCards
  • Paytronix
  • Restaurant 365
  • LRS Table Tracker
  • Crunchtime Kitchen
  • Orca
  • CheddrSuite
  • Cheftab
  • NCR
  • AWS
  • Elo Touch
  • Sysco
Independently observed

Lightspeed Restaurant

23 total - 19 not shared
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • Google
  • Google Pay
  • Apple Pay
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • Stripe
  • Adyen
  • Upserve Gift Cards
  • Upserve Online Ordering
  • WebRezPro
  • Wrapped Gift Cards
  • APICBASE
  • Astro Loyalty
  • BPL Digital Online Ordering
  • Inventory Planner by Sage
  • MYOB
Independently observed
Still deciding?

CAKE POS or Lightspeed Restaurant: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.