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Restaurants · head to head

HotSchedules vs Lightspeed Restaurant

HotSchedules logo

HotSchedules

Restaurants

Restaurant employee scheduling software

From
$2/employee/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: HotSchedules hotSchedules is sold by Fourth and its pricing page publishes no rate, no per location or per employee cost, no module price and no minimum commitment; Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: HotSchedules 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 HotSchedules and Lightspeed Restaurant actually diverge.

Attributes where HotSchedules and Lightspeed Restaurant differ
AttributeHotSchedulesLightspeed Restaurant
Starting price$2/employee/month$69/month
Founded19992005

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 HotSchedules

  • Employee scheduling
  • Time tracking
  • Team messaging
  • Labor forecasting
  • Shift swapping
  • Compliance
  • All major POS
  • Payroll systems

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.

HotSchedules

  • Employee scheduling for restaurants and retailnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Labor cost management and optimizationnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Shift coordination for multiple locationsnot Lightspeed Restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Where each one falls short

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

HotSchedules

  • HotSchedules is sold by Fourth and its pricing page publishes no rate, no per location or per employee cost, no module price and no minimum commitment
  • Obtaining a price requires a sales call or a demo request
  • Fourth sells HotSchedules alongside separate products including Adaco and MacromatiX, each quoted rather than listed

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

HotSchedules

$2/employee/month
  • Scheduling$2/employee/month
    • Scheduling
    • Communication
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Full platform

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 HotSchedules if

  • You need employee scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time tracking.
HotSchedules 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 HotSchedules or Lightspeed Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. HotSchedules starts at $2/employee/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, HotSchedules or Lightspeed Restaurant?
HotSchedules starts at $2/employee/month and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month.
Does HotSchedules 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 HotSchedules best used for?
HotSchedules is most often used for employee scheduling for restaurants and retail, labor cost management and optimization, shift coordination for multiple locations. Of those, employee scheduling for restaurants and retail and labor cost management and optimization are not what Lightspeed Restaurant is typically brought in for.
What can HotSchedules do that Lightspeed Restaurant cannot?
HotSchedules covers Employee scheduling, Time tracking, Team messaging, Labor forecasting. Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Staff management. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HotSchedules: Does HotSchedules offer a free trial?

HotSchedules offers a promotional trial of one year free to new customers. Specific terms and conditions apply, and contact with their sales team is required to activate the offer.

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
HotSchedules: How is HotSchedules pricing determined?

HotSchedules pricing is customized based on business needs. Potential customers must contact Fourth's sales team via the demo request form to receive a personalized pricing quote.

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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