Toast vs Lightspeed Restaurant
Two point of sale tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Toast costs less for a six-person team.
Lightspeed Restaurant: Online ordering and pay at table on every plan.
| Compare | ToastToast Inc | Lightspeed RestaurantLightspeed |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Restaurant POS with kitchen displays and online ordering | Restaurant POS with floor plans, online ordering, and order-at-table |
| Starting price | Free | From $69/mo |
| Six-person team | $0/mo | $69/mo |
| On $10,000 of card sales | Rates by quote | Rates by quote |
| Plans | Starter kit $0/mo with higher processing (3.09% pay-as-you-go); Point of Sale plan from $69/mo with custom-built rates | Starter $69/mo; Essential $189/mo; Premium $399/mo; kitchen display $30/screen/mo; prices can vary by business |
| Pricing model | Free tier | Paid |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Users | Unlimited | Unlimited staff |
| Both connect to | QuickBooks Online | |
| Also connects to | No others on record | Xero |
| Team size | 2–10 people · 11–50 people · 51–200 people | 2–10 people · 11–50 people · 51–200 people |
| Available in | US · CA · UK | US · UK · CA · AU |
| Phone support | Every plan | Plans not stated |
| Live chat | Every plan | None listed |
| Support hours | Phone: 24/7/365 · Live chat: 24/7/365 | Not published |
| Incidents posted | 15 incidents posted on Toast Inc's status page, which covers all Toast Inc products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 9 marked major or critical by Toast Inc. Status page | 32 incidents posted on Lightspeed's status page, which covers all Lightspeed products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 9 marked major or critical by Lightspeed. Status page |
| Capterra score | 4.1 / 5 from 554 reviews | 4.4 / 5 from 216 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 2.6 / 5 from 1,504 reviews | Not listed |
| Fit: Retail shop | 20 | 15 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 96 | 92 |
| Fit: Service business | 10 | 10 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 5 | 5 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 5 | 5 |
| Fit: Online store | 10 | 10 |
| Why people pick it |
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| Where it falls short |
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| Visit Toast | Visit Lightspeed Restaurant | |
Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. Card sales costs include the plan price and card fees at US rates, at a $25 average sale. How we calculate prices
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