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Sling vs Lightspeed Restaurant

Sling logo

Sling

Software

Free employee scheduling software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Software

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sling has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Sling the free plan is limited to 30 users; Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: Sling covers Employee scheduling, Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Sling and Lightspeed Restaurant differ
AttributeSlingLightspeed Restaurant
Starting priceFree$69/month
Free tierYesNo
Founded20152005

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Sling

  • Employee scheduling
  • Time tracking
  • Team messaging
  • Task management
  • Shift swapping
  • Labor cost tracking
  • Toast
  • Square

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.

Sling

  • Building and publishing shift schedules for hourly staffnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Tracking clock in and clock out and labour costnot Lightspeed Restaurant
  • Messaging and announcements across a shift based teamnot Lightspeed Restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Where each one falls short

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

Sling

  • The free plan is limited to 30 users
  • Time tracking on mobile, labour cost tracking and overtime analysis require the Premium plan
  • Kiosk time clock, hours and wages reporting, no show tracking, sick leave and PTO tracking require the Business plan
  • The lowest advertised per user rates of $1.70 and $3.40 require annual billing

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

Sling

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Scheduling
    • Messaging
    • Basic features
  • Premium$2/user/month
    • Time tracking
    • Overtime alerts
  • Business$4/user/month
    • Labor costs
    • Reporting

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Sling if

  • You need employee scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time tracking.
Sling 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 Sling or Lightspeed Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. Sling starts at Free and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sling or Lightspeed Restaurant?
Sling has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Sling and $69/month for Lightspeed Restaurant.
Does Sling or Lightspeed Restaurant run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Sling for free?
Yes. Sling has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69/month.
What is Sling best used for?
Sling is most often used for building and publishing shift schedules for hourly staff, tracking clock in and clock out and labour cost, messaging and announcements across a shift based team. Of those, building and publishing shift schedules for hourly staff and tracking clock in and clock out and labour cost are not what Lightspeed Restaurant is typically brought in for.
What can Sling do that Lightspeed Restaurant cannot?
Sling covers Employee scheduling, Time tracking, Team messaging, Task management. Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Staff management. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
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