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Restaurants · head to head

CAKE POS vs Lightspeed Restaurant

CAKE POS logo

CAKE POS

Restaurants

Point of sale made for restaurants

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Restaurants

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CAKE POS pricing model based on 'no bill ever' but actual merchant fees, commission rates, or payment processing costs not disclosed; Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: CAKE POS covers Online ordering, 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 CAKE POS and Lightspeed Restaurant actually diverge.

Attributes where CAKE POS and Lightspeed Restaurant differ
AttributeCAKE POSLightspeed Restaurant
PlatformsIos, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20102005

Identical on both: starting price ($69/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 CAKE POS

  • Online ordering
  • Guest management
  • Reporting
  • Kitchen display
  • Grubhub
  • 7shifts

Only in Lightspeed Restaurant

  • Floor plan management
  • Staff management
  • Delivery integration
  • Advanced reporting
  • Uber Eats
  • Skip the Dishes
  • Xero
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Tableside ordering
  • Menu management
  • DoorDash
  • QuickBooks
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

CAKE POS

  • 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.

CAKE POS

  • Pricing model based on 'no bill ever' but actual merchant fees, commission rates, or payment processing costs not disclosed
  • Website claims zero upfront cost but does not detail ongoing operational costs
  • Customers must request quote to learn full cost of ownership

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

CAKE POS

$69/month
  • Essentials$69/month
    • POS
    • Online ordering
  • Professional$125/month
    • Guest management
    • Advanced features

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 CAKE POS if

  • You need online ordering.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want guest management.
CAKE POS review

Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if

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

Questions people ask

Is CAKE POS or Lightspeed Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. CAKE POS starts at $69/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, CAKE POS or Lightspeed Restaurant?
CAKE POS starts at $69/month and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month.
Does CAKE POS or Lightspeed Restaurant run on more platforms?
CAKE POS runs on Ios, Android. Lightspeed Restaurant runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is CAKE POS best used for?
CAKE POS is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can CAKE POS do that Lightspeed Restaurant cannot?
CAKE POS covers Online ordering, Guest management, Reporting, Kitchen display. Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Staff management, Delivery integration, Advanced reporting. Both handle Tableside ordering, Menu management, DoorDash, QuickBooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CAKE POS: Does CAKE POS have an upfront cost?

CAKE advertises 'no bill ever' and requires no down payment for POS terminals and payment processing. However, specific ongoing merchant fees or transaction costs are not disclosed.

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
CAKE POS: What is included in CAKE's pricing plans?

CAKE offers three tiers (Core, Growth, Enterprise) where Core includes POS terminal with payment processing and reporting. Growth and Enterprise add features like white-glove installation, business insurance, and partner integrations, but exact pricing is not published.

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
CAKE POS: How can I find out what CAKE POS actually costs?

CAKE does not publish pricing online. You must request a quote directly through the website to learn specific costs for your restaurant's needs.

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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