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Restaurants · head to head

7shifts vs Lightspeed Restaurant

7shifts logo

7shifts

Restaurants

Restaurant team management made easy

From
Free
Rated
-
Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Restaurants

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only 7shifts has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 7shifts pro plan pricing not published on the website; Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: 7shifts covers Employee scheduling, Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 7shifts and Lightspeed Restaurant actually diverge.

Attributes where 7shifts and Lightspeed Restaurant differ
Attribute7shiftsLightspeed Restaurant
Starting priceFree$69/month
Free tierYesNo
Founded20142005

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 7shifts

  • Employee scheduling
  • Time clocking
  • Team communication
  • Tip pooling
  • Labor compliance
  • Hiring
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in Lightspeed Restaurant

  • Floor plan management
  • Tableside ordering
  • Menu management
  • Staff management
  • Delivery integration
  • Advanced reporting
  • Uber Eats
  • DoorDash

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

7shifts

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Lightspeed Restaurant

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Both are used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

7shifts

  • Pro plan pricing not published on the website
  • No feature comparison details between free and Pro tiers shown

Lightspeed Restaurant

  • Starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • The kitchen display system is charged separately at $30 per screen per month
  • Lightspeed Reservations, reservation integrations and Lightspeed Tasks are add-ons on every tier below Enterprise rather than included features
  • Integrated payments are fixed to a default configuration on Starter, with custom configuration only from Essential upwards
  • Card processing rates and hardware costs are not published, and the vendor notes prices vary by business and industry

Pricing, plan by plan

7shifts

Free
  • CompFree
    • Basic scheduling
    • 1 location
  • Appetizer$29.99/month
    • Scheduling
    • Time clocking
  • Entree$69.99/month
    • Tip pooling
    • Labor compliance
  • The Works$135/month
    • Full features
    • Task management

Lightspeed Restaurant

$69/month
  • Starter$69/month
    • Customizable POS
    • Menu manager
    • Floor plans
  • Essential$189/month
    • All Starter features
    • Lightspeed AI
    • Tempo service pacing
  • Premium$399/month
    • All Essential features
    • Advanced inventory management
    • Raw API access

Which should you pick?

Choose 7shifts if

  • You need employee scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time clocking.

Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if

  • You need floor plan management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want tableside ordering.

Questions people ask

Is 7shifts or Lightspeed Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. 7shifts starts at Free and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 7shifts or Lightspeed Restaurant?
7shifts has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for 7shifts and $69/month for Lightspeed Restaurant.
Does 7shifts or Lightspeed Restaurant run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use 7shifts for free?
Yes. 7shifts has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69/month.
What is 7shifts best used for?
7shifts is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can 7shifts do that Lightspeed Restaurant cannot?
7shifts covers Employee scheduling, Time clocking, Team communication, Tip pooling. Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Staff management. Both handle QuickBooks, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

7shifts: What does 7shifts' free plan include?

The free plan includes basic scheduling and communication features. No credit card is required, and users can trial all features free for 14 days with no upfront commitment.

Source
Lightspeed Restaurant: How much does Lightspeed Restaurant POS cost?

Pricing starts at $69 per month for the Starter plan, $189 for Essential, and $399 for Premium. Enterprise plans require custom quotes.

Source
7shifts: Is there flexibility in billing between monthly and annual plans on 7shifts?

Yes, 7shifts allows you to choose between monthly and annual plans with no up-front commitment required. You can switch between billing frequencies as your business needs change.

Source
Lightspeed Restaurant: What does the Kitchen Display System cost?

Kitchen Display System screens cost $30 per month and are available to add on any plan.

Source
7shifts: How do I upgrade from the free plan to the Pro plan?

7shifts offers a Pro plan as an upgrade from the free version, but specific pricing and features are not published on the main website. Contact their sales team or book a demo to learn about Pro plan costs and capabilities.

Source
Lightspeed Restaurant: What's included in the Premium plan?

The Premium plan at $399 per month includes advanced inventory management, raw API access, full multi-location support, and revenue center customization for hotels.

Source
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