Food & Restaurant · head to head
Lightspeed Restaurant vs TouchBistro
Lightspeed Restaurant
Food & Restaurant
One restaurant POS to power it all
- From
- $69/month
- Rated
- -
TouchBistro
Food & Restaurant
All-in-one POS built for restaurants
- From
- $69/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium; TouchBistro requires annual contracts with no monthly billing option
- They diverge on capability: Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, TouchBistro covers iPad POS.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lightspeed Restaurant and TouchBistro actually diverge.
| Attribute | Lightspeed Restaurant | TouchBistro |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | iPad |
| Founded | 2005 | 2010 |
Identical on both: starting price ($69/month), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Food & Restaurant).
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
- Staff management
- Delivery integration
- Advanced reporting
- Uber Eats
- DoorDash
- Skip the Dishes
Only in TouchBistro
- iPad POS
- Table management
- Staff scheduling
- Inventory tracking
- Customer relationship management
- 7shifts
- MarketMan
Both cover
- Menu management
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Ios support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Lightspeed Restaurant
- Point of Sale
- Order Management
- Inventory Control
- Staff Scheduling
TouchBistro
- 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.
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
TouchBistro
- Requires annual contracts with no monthly billing option
- Add-on pricing for features like online ordering, reservations, loyalty programs is not transparent and requires custom quotes
- Limited to iPad hardware, reducing flexibility compared to multi-device systems like Lightspeed or Clover
- Mandatory use of TouchBistro Payments for new customers reduces payment processor options
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
TouchBistro
$69/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the TouchBistro review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if
- You need floor plan management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want tableside ordering.
Choose TouchBistro if
- You need ipad pos.
- You work on iPad.
- You also want table management.
Questions people ask
- Is Lightspeed Restaurant or TouchBistro better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69/month and TouchBistro at $69/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Lightspeed Restaurant or TouchBistro?
- Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69/month and TouchBistro at $69/month.
- Does Lightspeed Restaurant or TouchBistro run on more platforms?
- Lightspeed Restaurant runs on Web, Ios, Android. TouchBistro runs on iPad.
- What is Lightspeed Restaurant best used for?
- Lightspeed Restaurant is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
- What can Lightspeed Restaurant do that TouchBistro cannot?
- Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Staff management, Delivery integration. TouchBistro covers iPad POS, Table management, Staff scheduling, Inventory tracking. Both handle Menu management, QuickBooks, Xero, Ios support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
TouchBistro: Can TouchBistro process payments offline?
Yes. TouchBistro has offline payment capabilities where you can accept payments and store credit card information when offline, with transactions processing once Internet is restored. However, you cannot dip or tap the card in offline mode; you must swipe instead.
SourceTouchBistro: Can I integrate TouchBistro with DoorDash or Uber Eats?
Yes. TouchBistro integrates with delivery platforms through Deliverect and UrbanPiper, which aggregate orders from DoorDash, Uber Eats, and other services directly into your TouchBistro POS, eliminating manual order entry.
SourceTouchBistro: What are the minimum hardware requirements for TouchBistro?
TouchBistro runs on Apple iPads and works with compatible printers, cash drawers, and payment terminals. The system leverages iPad hardware you may already own, potentially reducing initial hardware costs compared to dedicated POS systems.
SourceTouchBistro: Do I have to sign a long-term contract with TouchBistro?
Yes. All TouchBistro plans require annual contracts, and the system requires TouchBistro Payments (powered by Chase) for payment processing on all new customer accounts.
Source