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Lightspeed Restaurant vs Salonist

Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Software

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Salonist logo

Salonist

Software

Complete salon software from India

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Salonist has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium; Salonist free plan limited to 50 appointments per month
  • They diverge on capability: Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Salonist covers Appointment booking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Lightspeed Restaurant and Salonist differ
AttributeLightspeed RestaurantSalonist
Starting price$69/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
Founded20052017

Identical on both: 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 Lightspeed Restaurant

  • Floor plan management
  • Tableside ordering
  • Menu management
  • Delivery integration
  • Advanced reporting
  • Uber Eats
  • DoorDash
  • Skip the Dishes

Only in Salonist

  • Appointment booking
  • Billing & invoicing
  • Inventory management
  • Loyalty programs
  • GST compliance
  • Marketing automation
  • Business analytics
  • Razorpay

Both cover

  • Staff management
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Salonist

  • Indian salon managementnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • GST billingnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Customer loyaltynot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Inventory controlnot Lightspeed Restaurant

Where each one falls short

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

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

Salonist

  • Free plan limited to 50 appointments per month
  • Pricing listed in AED (UAE currency) with regional variations
  • Offline capabilities not clearly documented for mobile app
  • Advanced AI features (AI Automation Marketing) only on Expert plan

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Salonist

Free
  • Marketplace ListingFree
    • 50 appointments/month
    • Online booking
    • Staff scheduling
  • Essential$2900/year
    • Point of Sale
    • Sales reports
    • Customer history
  • Advance$4180/year
    • All Essential features
    • Customer surveys and loyalty
    • Gift cards and campaigns
  • Expert$6580/year
    • All Advance features
    • Multi-branch management
    • Dedicated account manager

Which should you pick?

Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if

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

Choose Salonist if

  • You need appointment booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want billing & invoicing.
Salonist review

Questions people ask

Is Lightspeed Restaurant or Salonist better?
Neither clearly leads. Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69/month and Salonist at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lightspeed Restaurant or Salonist?
Salonist has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $69/month for Lightspeed Restaurant and Free for Salonist.
Does Lightspeed Restaurant or Salonist run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Salonist for free?
Yes. Salonist has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69/month.
What is Lightspeed Restaurant best used for?
Lightspeed Restaurant is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling. Of those, point of sale and order management are not what Salonist is typically brought in for.
What can Lightspeed Restaurant do that Salonist cannot?
Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Delivery integration. Salonist covers Appointment booking, Billing & invoicing, Inventory management, Loyalty programs. Both handle Staff management, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Salonist: Does Salonist offer a free plan?

Salonist offers a free Marketplace Listing plan with 50 appointments/month, online booking, staff scheduling, and marketplace access. Unlimited staff are included on every plan.

Source
Salonist: What features are included in the Essential plan?

Essential ($2,900 AED/year or approximately $59/month) includes Point of Sale, sales reports, customer history, coupon management, retail product and expense tracking, automated reminders, memberships, e-wallet, and staff commission tracking.

Source
Salonist: Does Salonist support multiple locations?

Multi-branch management is available on the Expert plan ($6,580 AED/year) with centralized reporting and a dedicated account manager.

Source
Salonist: What payment gateways does Salonist support?

Salonist integrates with multiple payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, and other regional providers. The Advance plan and above include multiple payment integration options.

Source
Salonist: Does Salonist have a mobile app?

Yes, Salonist offers mobile apps for iOS and Android allowing clients to browse services, check prices, view customer reviews, and book appointments.

Source
Salonist: What is included in the Advance plan?

Advance ($4,180 AED/year or approximately $109/month) adds customer survey management, loyalty rewards, gift cards, SMS/email campaigns, inventory management, lead management system, and advanced onboarding to Essential features.

Source
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