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Restaurants · head to head

Clover vs Lightspeed Restaurant

Clover logo

Clover

Restaurants

Point of sale system that grows with your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Restaurants

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Clover the App Store listing (Clover Network, Inc) requires an existing Clover merchant account to use the app at all; there is no self-serve signup or published subscription price inside the listing, confirming the product is sold only through merchant onboarding contracts; Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: Clover covers POS system, 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 Clover and Lightspeed Restaurant actually diverge.

Attributes where Clover and Lightspeed Restaurant differ
AttributeCloverLightspeed Restaurant
Starting price$29/month$69/month
PlatformsHardware, Ios, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20122005

Identical on both: 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 Clover

  • POS system
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Employee management
  • Reporting
  • Yelp
  • Gusto
  • PCI DSS

Only in Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Clover

  • Point of salenot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Payment processingnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Business managementnot Lightspeed Restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Where each one falls short

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

Clover

  • The App Store listing (Clover Network, Inc) requires an existing Clover merchant account to use the app at all; there is no self-serve signup or published subscription price inside the listing, confirming the product is sold only through merchant onboarding contracts

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

Clover

$29/month
  • StarterFree
    • Mobile payments
    • Basic reporting
  • Standard$14.95/month
    • Full POS
    • Employee management
    • Inventory

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 Clover if

  • You need pos system.
  • You work on Hardware, Ios, Android.
  • You also want payment processing.

Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if

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

Questions people ask

Is Clover or Lightspeed Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. Clover starts at $29/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, Clover or Lightspeed Restaurant?
Clover starts at $29/month and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month.
Does Clover or Lightspeed Restaurant run on more platforms?
Clover runs on Hardware, Ios, Android. Lightspeed Restaurant runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Clover best used for?
Clover is most often used for point of sale, payment processing, business management. Of those, point of sale and payment processing are not what Lightspeed Restaurant is typically brought in for.
What can Clover do that Lightspeed Restaurant cannot?
Clover covers POS system, Payment processing, Inventory management, Employee management. Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Staff management. Both handle QuickBooks, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clover: Does Clover publish pricing on their website?

Pricing is not shown on Clover's main site or dedicated pricing page. To get a quote, you must contact their sales team directly.

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
Clover: Do I need a credit card to try Clover?

The site does not disclose whether a trial period exists or what sign-up requirements are. Contact sales to ask whether a free trial is available and what payment information is required.

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
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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