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Restaurants · head to head

Lightspeed Restaurant vs Zomato

Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Restaurants

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zomato logo

Zomato

Restaurants

Indian food delivery and restaurant discovery app, now operating under parent brand Eternal

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zomato 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; Zomato restaurant commission of roughly 15 to 25 percent is commonly passed through as higher in-app menu prices, so the delivered price is not simply the counter price plus a fee.
  • They diverge on capability: Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Zomato covers Food delivery marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Lightspeed Restaurant and Zomato differ
AttributeLightspeed RestaurantZomato
Starting price$69/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree to download; delivery and platform fees per order, optional paid membership
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidiOS, Android, Web
Founded2005Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Only in Zomato

  • Food delivery marketplace
  • Zomato Gold membership
  • Dine-out table booking
  • Restaurant reviews and ratings
  • Blinkit quick commerce
  • Zomato for Business

What people use each for

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

Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Zomato

  • A diner in an Indian city ordering food delivery or comparing restaurants before eating outnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • A frequent orderer weighing whether Zomato Gold discounts outweigh its subscription costnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Someone booking a table at a partner restaurant through the dine-out featurenot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • A restaurant owner using Zomato for Business to manage online orders and view sales analyticsnot 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

Zomato

  • Restaurant commission of roughly 15 to 25 percent is commonly passed through as higher in-app menu prices, so the delivered price is not simply the counter price plus a fee.
  • The company exited most markets outside India in 2019, so international coverage is far narrower than the brand recognition suggests.
  • Zomato Gold benefits and discount depth vary by city and restaurant partner, and heavy users report the value of the membership eroding over time as terms are revised.
  • Delivery riders are engaged on a gig basis with pay tied to order volume and distance, a model that has drawn wage and working-condition criticism in India.
  • The 2024 rebrand of the parent company to Eternal, alongside the Blinkit and Hyperpure businesses, means Zomato the consumer app is now one product line inside a multi-business group rather than a standalone company, which affects how disclosures and strategy are reported.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Zomato

Free
  • Pay per orderFree
    • Delivery fee scaling with distance and demand
    • Platform fee on order total
    • Restaurant menu prices often marked up versus dine-in
  • Zomato Gold$299/month
    • Discounts and free-item offers at partner restaurants
    • Priority service and reduced wait times at partner dine-in venues
    • Delivery perks vary by plan tier and market

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 Zomato if

  • You need food delivery marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want zomato gold membership.
Zomato review

Questions people ask

Is Lightspeed Restaurant or Zomato better?
Neither clearly leads. Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69/month and Zomato at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lightspeed Restaurant or Zomato?
Zomato has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $69/month for Lightspeed Restaurant and Free for Zomato.
Does Lightspeed Restaurant or Zomato run on more platforms?
Lightspeed Restaurant runs on Web, Ios, Android. Zomato runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Zomato for free?
Yes. Zomato 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 Zomato is typically brought in for.
What can Lightspeed Restaurant do that Zomato cannot?
Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Staff management. Zomato covers Food delivery marketplace, Zomato Gold membership, Dine-out table booking, Restaurant reviews and ratings.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Zomato: Is Zomato only available in India?

Its core market is India; it exited most other countries in 2019 and has minimal presence elsewhere.

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
Zomato: What did Zomato rename to?

The parent company renamed itself Eternal Limited in 2024; the Zomato consumer app kept its own name.

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
Zomato: Does Zomato Gold apply to delivery or dine-in or both?

Both, though the specific discounts and which restaurants participate vary by plan tier and city.

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