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Apicbase vs Lightspeed Restaurant

Apicbase logo

Apicbase

Software

F&B management for multi-unit operations

From
$200/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Software

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Apicbase the Growth plan starts from 5 outlets, so a single site or a pair of restaurants is below the entry point; Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: Apicbase covers Centralized recipes, Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apicbase and Lightspeed Restaurant actually diverge.

Attributes where Apicbase and Lightspeed Restaurant differ
AttributeApicbaseLightspeed Restaurant
Starting price$200/month$69/month
Founded20172005

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Apicbase

  • Centralized recipes
  • Inventory management
  • Procurement
  • Food cost analytics
  • Menu engineering
  • HACCP
  • POS systems
  • Accounting software

Only in Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Apicbase

  • Recipe and menu engineering with costed ingredientsnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Food cost and margin tracking across outletsnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Inventory and stock counts for multi-site restaurant groupsnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Purchasing and supplier price managementnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Allergen and nutrition data on menusnot Lightspeed Restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant

  • Point of Salenot Apicbase
  • Order Managementnot Apicbase
  • Inventory Controlnot Apicbase
  • Staff Schedulingnot Apicbase

Where each one falls short

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

Apicbase

  • The Growth plan starts from 5 outlets, so a single site or a pair of restaurants is below the entry point
  • Priced per location, with the per-location fee falling only as outlet count rises
  • Monthly billing carries a 15 percent surcharge over annual
  • No prices are published for any tier

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

Apicbase

$200/month
  • Standard$200/month
    • Recipe management
    • Inventory
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Full features

Lightspeed Restaurant

$69/month
  • Starter$69/month
    • POS
    • Menu management
    • Payments
  • Essential$189/month
    • Online ordering
    • Delivery
    • Advanced reporting
  • Premium$399/month
    • Multiple locations
    • API access

Which should you pick?

Choose Apicbase if

  • You need centralized recipes.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want inventory management.
Apicbase review

Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if

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

Questions people ask

Is Apicbase or Lightspeed Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. Apicbase starts at $200/month and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apicbase or Lightspeed Restaurant?
Apicbase starts at $200/month and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month.
Does Apicbase or Lightspeed Restaurant run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Apicbase best used for?
Apicbase is most often used for recipe and menu engineering with costed ingredients, food cost and margin tracking across outlets, inventory and stock counts for multi-site restaurant groups, purchasing and supplier price management. Of those, recipe and menu engineering with costed ingredients and food cost and margin tracking across outlets are not what Lightspeed Restaurant is typically brought in for.
What can Apicbase do that Lightspeed Restaurant cannot?
Apicbase covers Centralized recipes, Inventory management, Procurement, Food cost analytics. Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Staff management. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
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