# Lightspeed Restaurant vs Square for Restaurants

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Square for Restaurants

| Attribute | Lightspeed Restaurant | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 55.1 (73% (medium)) | 73.1 (59% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A cloud-based restaurant management system that enables operators to streamline front and back-of-house operations, track inventory, process payments, manage multiple locations, and gain business insights through integrated reporting and analytics. It is indexed under Restaurant POS Software.","source":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/","question":"What is Lightspeed Restaurant?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Lightspeed Restaurant does not publish its prices. Pricing is quoted on request, so the figure depends on your seat count and requirements. We record this as a pricing-transparency signal rather than guessing a number. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/golf/sales-marketing/dynamic-pricing/","question":"How much does Lightspeed Restaurant cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Lightspeed Restaurant. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/golf/sales-marketing/dynamic-pricing/","question":"What platforms does Lightspeed Restaurant support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Lightspeed Restaurant, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/golf/sales-marketing/dynamic-pricing/","question":"Can Lightspeed Restaurant be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 19 integrations for Lightspeed Restaurant, including Amazon, eBay, Google, Apple Pay, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Stripe, plus 11 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/","question":"What does Lightspeed Restaurant integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Lightspeed Restaurant. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Lightspeed Restaurant not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/security/","question":"What security certifications does Lightspeed Restaurant have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Lightspeed Restaurant is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in Canada.","source":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/golf/sales-marketing/dynamic-pricing/","question":"Where is Lightspeed Restaurant available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"A cloud-based operating system for restaurants and food service businesses that integrates payment processing, order and inventory management, staff scheduling, customer loyalty programs, and real-time analytics in a unified platform. It is indexed under Restaurant POS Software.","source":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","question":"What is Square for Restaurants?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Square for Restaurants offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $49 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","question":"Is Square for Restaurants free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Square for Restaurants supports the web, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","question":"What platforms does Square for Restaurants support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Square for Restaurants, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","question":"Can Square for Restaurants be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 33 integrations for Square for Restaurants, including Delivery platforms, DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Toast, Wix, WooCommerce and OpenTable, plus 25 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","question":"What does Square for Restaurants integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed ISO 27001 for Square for Restaurants. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Square for Restaurants not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://squareup.com/security","question":"What security certifications does Square for Restaurants have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Square for Restaurants is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","question":"Where is Square for Restaurants available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | A cloud-based platform for restaurants combining point-of-sale terminals, kitchen display systems, and online order management, with integrations for delivery services, reservations, inventory, and accounting systems. |
| features.capabilities | `{"kds":true,"pci_dss":true,"inventory":true,"venue_type":"multi","offline_mode":true,"pricing_model":"per_location","multi_location":true,"target_segment":"smb","online_ordering":true,"hardware_ecosystem":true,"loyalty_gift_cards":true,"payment_processing":"built_in","delivery_integrations":true}` | `{"kds":true,"pci_dss":true,"inventory":true,"venue_type":"multi","offline_mode":true,"reservations":true,"pricing_model":"processing_pct","multi_location":true,"target_segment":"smb","emv_contactless":true,"online_ordering":true,"hardware_ecosystem":true,"loyalty_gift_cards":true,"payment_processing":"built_in","delivery_integrations":true}` |
| integrations.count | 10 | 26 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Amazon"},{"name":"eBay"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Google Pay"},{"name":"Apple Pay"},{"name":"Instagram"},{"name":"Facebook"},{"name":"TikTok"},{"name":"Stripe"},{"name":"Adyen"},{"name":"Epson"},{"name":"Uber Eats","native":false,"category":"delivery"},{"name":"Upserve Gift Cards","native":true,"category":"gift_card"},{"name":"Upserve Online Ordering","native":true,"category":"online_ordering"},{"name":"WebRezPro","native":false,"category":"property_management"},{"name":"Wrapped Gift Cards","native":false,"category":"gift_card"},{"name":"APICBASE","native":false,"category":"inventory"},{"name":"Astro Loyalty","native":false,"category":"loyalty"},{"name":"BPL Digital Online Ordering","native":false,"category":"online_ordering"},{"name":"Inventory Planner by Sage","native":false,"category":"inventory"},{"name":"Xero","native":true,"category":"accounting"},{"name":"QuickBooks","native":true,"category":"accounting"},{"name":"MYOB","native":true,"category":"accounting"}]` | `[{"name":"Delivery platforms"},{"name":"DoorDash","native":true,"category":"delivery","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Grubhub","native":true,"category":"delivery","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Uber Eats","native":true,"category":"delivery","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Toast","native":false,"category":"pos"},{"name":"Wix","native":false,"category":"ecommerce","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"WooCommerce","native":false,"category":"ecommerce","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"OpenTable","native":false,"category":"reservations"},{"name":"Resy OS","native":false,"category":"reservations"},{"name":"Thrive Inventory","native":false,"category":"inventory","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"SKU IQ","native":false,"category":"inventory","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Stream","native":false,"category":"menu_orders"},{"name":"Bookkeep","native":false,"category":"accounting","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"QuickBooks","native":false,"category":"accounting","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Xero","native":false,"category":"accounting","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"NetSuite","native":false,"category":"accounting","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Sage Intacct","native":false,"category":"accounting","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Zoho","native":false,"category":"accounting","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"INFI","native":false,"category":"kiosk"},{"name":"Jotform","native":false,"category":"forms"},{"name":"Kliken","native":false,"category":"marketing"},{"name":"Facebook","native":false,"category":"social","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Printful","native":false,"category":"fulfillment"},{"name":"Shippo","native":false,"category":"shipping"},{"name":"SmarterSign","native":false,"category":"menu_boards"},{"name":"Weglot","native":false,"category":"localization"},{"name":"Fomo","native":false,"category":"social_proof"},{"name":"Trustpilot","native":false,"category":"reviews"},{"name":"Poptin","native":false,"category":"conversion"},{"name":"KioskBuddy","native":false,"category":"kiosk"},{"name":"Whoosh","native":false,"category":"operations"},{"name":"SyncPenguin","native":false,"category":"sync","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Instagram","native":false,"category":"social","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Google","category":"search"},{"name":"Ring Cheer Chime","category":"notifications"},{"name":"Web Accessibility"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"$89/month","features":["Retail POS","1 included register","Integrated Payments","Inventory Management","Lightspeed Wholesale","PO Sync","Built-in Lightspeed eCommerce","In-store and online loyalty","Advanced sales, staff and inventory reports","Accounting, ecommerce and marketing integrations","Mobile Scanner App","Landed Costs","Insights","API access","Workflows","Custom User Roles","SSO"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":89,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Essential day-to-day needs for independent retailers","contactSales":true},{"free":false,"name":"Core","summary":"$149/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":149,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Management tools to facilitate business growth","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$289/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":289,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Advanced customization and scalability for established retail operations","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Extra locations"},{"name":"Additional registers"},{"name":"Lightspeed Capital"}],"summary":"From $89/month. 14-day free trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/retail/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-22T13:48:48.267Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":149,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Square Free"},{"free":false,"name":"Square Plus"},{"free":false,"name":"Square Premium"}],"summary":"Free plan available; paid plans include 30-day free trial","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://squareup.com/us/en/restaurants","retrievedAt":"2026-09-22T14:47:25.235Z","freeTrialDays":30}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | high | low |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":149,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":49,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | yes | yes |

## Capabilities (Restaurant POS Software)

| Capability | Lightspeed Restaurant | Square for Restaurants |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Venue type | Multi-concept | Multi-concept |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| PCI DSS compliant | ✓ | ✓ |
| EMV chip / contactless payments | - | ✓ |
| **Reliability** |  |  |
| Offline mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Front of house** |  |  |
| Online ordering | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reservations / waitlist | - | ✓ |
| Loyalty / gift cards | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Back of house** |  |  |
| Kitchen display system (KDS) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory management | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Integrations** |  |  |
| Delivery integrations (DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub) | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Hardware** |  |  |
| Proprietary hardware ecosystem (terminals/KDS) | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Market** |  |  |
| Multi-location support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Target segment | SMB / independent | SMB / independent |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payment processing | Built-in / proprietary processor | Built-in / proprietary processor |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | Per location | % of transactions |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:06:14.793Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*