Lightspeed Restaurant review

Lightspeed Restaurant is built for operators who care about pacing and numbers. Every plan includes the customizable POS with coursing, modifiers and floor plans, plus Lightspeed Tempo to pace service, Lightspeed AI to answer performance questions, advanced inventory to track, order, receive and prep stock, and multi-location management. Online ordering, order and pay at table with QR codes, pre-auth bar tabs and single-view reconciliation of payments and deposits round out the front of house. Starter costs $69 a month, Essential $189 and Premium $399, with an Enterprise tier on quote. The kitchen display is the main extra, at $30 per screen a month, and reservations and the Tasks checklist app are add-ons too. With no free plan and paid kitchen screens, Lightspeed costs more than Square for a small cafe, but its inventory and reporting depth suit restaurants with large menus or several sites.

Who it is for

Busy full-service restaurants and groups that want deep inventory, reporting and multi-site tools.

Price

Starter from $69 a month; Essential $189 a month; Premium $399 a month; KDS $30 per screen a month.

Starter Simplify your daily operations. 69 USD
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 6, 2026.

Key features

• Customizable POS with menu manager, modifiers, coursing and floor plans
• Lightspeed Tempo for service pacing and Lightspeed AI for performance questions
• Online ordering, order and pay at table and pre-auth bar mode
• Advanced inventory management and multi-location management
• Kitchen Display System at $30 per screen a month on every plan

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Advanced inventory and multi-location tools on every listed plan
• Strength: Offline mode and 24/7 support
• Strength: Raw API access for custom reporting
• Weakness: No free plan
• Weakness: Kitchen display is extra on every plan
• Weakness: Reservations and Lightspeed Tasks are add-ons

Key facts

• Plans: Starter $69, Essential $189, Premium $399 a month
• KDS: $30 per screen a month
• Offline mode: Yes
• Support: 24/7

Where it ranks

Lightspeed Restaurant is No. 4 in our Best POS Systems for Restaurants verdict.