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Food & Restaurant · head to head

SpotOn vs Lightspeed Restaurant

SpotOn logo

SpotOn

Food & Restaurant

Restaurant tech that works as hard as you

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Restaurant logo

Lightspeed Restaurant

Food & Restaurant

One restaurant POS to power it all

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: SpotOn credit card processing issues with handheld devices reported by users; Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69 a month for Starter, rising to $189 for Essential and $399 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: SpotOn covers Cloud POS, Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where SpotOn and Lightspeed Restaurant differ
AttributeSpotOnLightspeed Restaurant
Starting priceOn request$69/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Founded20172005

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 SpotOn

  • Cloud POS
  • Online ordering
  • Reservations
  • Loyalty programs
  • Marketing tools
  • Reporting
  • Google
  • Yelp

Only in Lightspeed Restaurant

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

Both cover

  • DoorDash
  • QuickBooks
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

SpotOn

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Lightspeed Restaurant

  • 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.

SpotOn

  • Credit card processing issues with handheld devices reported by users
  • System crashes and lost tickets in high-volume restaurants
  • Customer tabs can disappear from system, resulting in lost revenue
  • Menu edits live only in back office; no real-time updates to handhelds
  • Limited hardware options with no direct accessory purchases available

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

SpotOn

On request
  • All-In PlanFree
    • Hardware included
    • Card present: 2.79% + $0.20
    • Keyed: 3.79% + $0.20
  • POS Essentials$55/month
    • Best value
    • Card present: 2.45% + $0.15
    • Hardware discounted

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 SpotOn if

  • You need cloud pos.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want online ordering.
SpotOn 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 SpotOn or Lightspeed Restaurant better?
Neither clearly leads. SpotOn starts at On request and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SpotOn or Lightspeed Restaurant?
SpotOn starts at On request and Lightspeed Restaurant at $69/month.
Does SpotOn or Lightspeed Restaurant run on more platforms?
SpotOn runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lightspeed Restaurant runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is SpotOn best used for?
SpotOn is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can SpotOn do that Lightspeed Restaurant cannot?
SpotOn covers Cloud POS, Online ordering, Reservations, Loyalty programs. Lightspeed Restaurant covers Floor plan management, Tableside ordering, Menu management, Staff management. Both handle DoorDash, QuickBooks, Web support, Ios support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SpotOn: What hardware does SpotOn require?

SpotOn provides proprietary hardware including countertop terminals (Station 15 at $750), tableside handhelds ($297), and kitchen display systems. All hardware is included with the All-In Plan or purchased separately with other plans.

Source
SpotOn: Does SpotOn have online ordering?

Yes, SpotOn offers commission-free online ordering with a white-label app option and integration into their Core Bundle. The system supports QR code ordering and digital menus.

Source
SpotOn: What payment processing fees does SpotOn charge?

Fees vary by plan. All-In Plan: 2.79% + $0.20 for card-present transactions. POS Essentials: 2.45% + $0.15. Business or custom plans offer negotiated rates.

Source
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