Lightspeed vs Square: The commerce platform that can keep up with you
Main features
Complete inventory system
Contactless, mobile payments
Item import tool
Complete omnichannel solution on one platform
Custom reorder points
Purchase order management
Complete multi-store management
Special orders and layaways
Customer relationship management
Integrated omnichannel Loyalty program
Complete built-in interactive reporting
Cloud-based across all devices
Track service and work orders
Extensive network of integrations
1:1 onboarding and 24/7 support
Local multi-lingual support teams around the world
Free trial accounts
Why ex-Square retailers are falling in love with Lightspeed
Our integrated eCom actually does it all
Don't settle for Square's third-party eCom. With our POS and eCom built to work with each other, run your entire store from one centralized interface - the way it should be.
Scale faster and sell more with Lightspeed
Growth with Square is very limited. Lightspeed lets you easily add locations, transfer inventory across multiple stores and centralize purchasing.
We give you full control of your inventory
Unlike Square, Lightspeed offers a complete inventory system. Sell serialized items, create bundles and organize products with many variations.
Process special orders / layaways for free
Square simply doesn't support this. Lightspeed lets you order products that aren't in stock and put them on hold for customers, all for free.
We help you get to know your customers
Square only provides half the equation. Lightspeed tracks in-store and online customer activity and information from a centralized interface.
All the support, all the time
You shouldn't have to pay for support. With Lightspeed, you get free 24/7 phone, email and chat support built-in.
“Logan Elliott, Bros Bike ShopWe brought Lightspeed in because to do inventory, to do losses, to do analytics, to make sure everything is crossed with each other. It’s the only way to keep track of everything, because doing it by paper, you never know what you’re making.
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Main features
Cloud-based
Offline mode with full feature set
Free trial accounts
Tablet & smartphone table-side ordering
Free 1:1 onboarding
Free 24/7 support
Cloud product & menu control
Fully customizable floor plan
Built-in customizable reports
Multi-location capabilities that help you grow
Advanced coursing and table service
Multiple check-splitting options and single-seat checkout
Built-in and add-on CRM and loyalty options
Self-order menu with kiosk and table service options
Flexible payment integrations
PMS integration
Extensive network of integrations
Ability to go fully paperless
Minimal investment in hardware
Local multilingual support teams all over the world
Supports partial payments
Why ex-Square restaurateurs are falling in love with Lightspeed
We set you up: you start on the right foot
Your success is our success. Unlike Square, Lightspeed gives unlimited personalised onboarding sessions included with any purchase.
We give you full control of your floor plan
Don't settle for Square's limited options. Lightspeed lets you build or change a floorplan to match the exact layout of your service floor in seconds.
Make better decisions with Lightspeed
Square POS only provides half the equation. Lightspeed has built-in reports that bring you valuable insight into your restaurant.
Set up coursing and split-bills with Lightspeed
Square simply doesn't support this. With Lightspeed, break up your menu by course and split the bill however your customers choose.
We support you around the clock
Unlike Square, Lightspeed sticks with you every step of the way. Get free, 24/7 support over phone, email and chat included with any purchase
We have 10+ years of POS experience
Square is four years behind us in experience. Backed by happy customers worldwide, you simply can't go wrong with Lightspeed.
“Kabir Kapoor, Owner, PastelWhen I open up Lightspeed, my main focus is the reports. The more data I can get about what customers ate and what they spent their money on, the better an experience I can create.
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Can Square integrate with Lightspeed POS?
Square is not one of Lightspeed’s supported integrated payment processors. Merchants may use Square’s payment processing for unintegrated payments if they so choose, but integrated payments are more secure and less prone to human error.
Lightspeed Payments is our preferred integrated payment processing solution for Lightspeed Retail merchants in Canada and the United States. We offer a favorable flat rate so you always know exactly what fees you’ll be paying, unlike interchange and interchange plus fees.
You can review the options for integrated payment processors for Lightspeed Retail here. You can also learn more about Lightspeed Payments for Retail here.
You can review the options for integrated payment processors for Lightspeed Restaurant here.
You cannot integrate Square’s POS systems with Lightspeed’s POS systems.
What is the difference between Square and Lightspeed?
Lightspeed Retail was designed with the realities of running a small or medium retail business in mind. Square for Retail is more bare bones. Square for Retail doesn’t have its own natively integrated eCom platform; Lightspeed Retail and Lightspeed eCom were built to work with each other seamlessly. Square for Retail has clunky, simple inventory management and purchasing tools, while Lightspeed Retail has features that save you time—such as being able to automatically add all items under their reorder points to your purchase orders.
Lightspeed Restaurant also meets more SMB growth needs than Square for restaurants. There are no options to facilitate self ordering with Square for restaurants, while there are with Lightspeed Restaurant. Square for restaurants cannot serve restaurants that require PMS integrations, while Lightspeed Restaurant can.
In addition, Lightspeed’s support is more available—we’re here for your 24/7 over the phone. Square isn’t.
Will Lightspeed teach me how to use Lightspeed POS?
Yes!
Switching to Lightspeed means getting personalized, one-on-one onboarding where we answer your questions and help you get to know Lightspeed. We’ll also supply you with webinars about Lightspeed to review whenever you’d like.
If you still have questions after your personal training sessions, Lightspeed support is available 24/7 over the phone for free.