Toast vs. Lightspeed: Honest POS Comparison, Pricing & Features

Even though Lightspeed POS offers impressive flexibility, some weaknesses show up once restaurants start using it day to day. 

Key Features: Toast vs Lightspeed

Here’s a side-by-side comparison focused on what speeds up service and cuts errors in daily restaurant operations.

My take: For high-touch dining rooms with courses and multiple stations, Toast’s FOH/KDS depth removes the most friction. If you need an iPad-first setup that adapts to different concepts and scales by adding what you need, Lightspeed’s flexibility usually wins.

Toast Feature Highlights

If your service relies on sequencing, Toast maintains a disciplined order flow. Coursing, fires/holds, and station rules work together to ensure the right items appear on the right screen at the right time.

When you add a bar station or second line, you don’t rebuild the stack (menus, roles, and rules), update once, and show up everywhere.

For teams that live on dining-room timing, Toast minimizes “where’s that ticket?” moments and keeps expo ahead of the floor.

Lightspeed Feature Highlights

If you value flexibility across concepts, Lightspeed lets you set up fast on iPads and standardize later. 

Menu edits are quick, modifiers are easy to maintain, and multi-location controls ensure sites remain consistent without locking you to a single hardware path.

Inventory and analytics travel well across locations, so you can experiment (counter service today, table service tomorrow) without starting from scratch.

For operators who change formats or expand gradually, Lightspeed favors adaptability over rigid structure.

Hardware: Toast vs. Lightspeed

Hardware setup shapes how fast your team moves and how restaurant business stays when the room is full. 

Both POS systems deliver reliable devices, but they approach durability and flexibility differently.

Toast leans on rugged, purpose-built gear, while Lightspeed POS relies on iPads—lighter, easier to scale, and friendlier to budgets.

My take: Toast’s hardware is built to handle the heat—literally—making it ideal for full-service kitchens and high-volume setups. Lightspeed offers iPad flexibility, lighter startup costs, and easier replacement, which works well for operators testing new locations or switching formats. 

For most operators, the best choice depends on whether you value durability or adaptability in your point-of-sale layout. 

Pricing: Toast vs. Lightspeed

The sticker price tells only part of the story. What really affects your bottom line are the processing fees, add-ons, and hardware costs that show up every month.

My take: Toast leans toward a deeper, all-in-one build with tight integrations and guided setup (great for operators planning steady growth). Lightspeed keeps pricing simpler and hardware more flexible, which helps restaurants scale locations or test new formats with less upfront investment.

Customer Service: Toast vs. Lightspeed

Support isn’t just about solving bugs; that’s why I’ve compared how quickly your staff can recover when orders pile up and the system stalls. 

My take: Toast gives you structured, hands-on onboarding—ideal for growing restaurants that want consistent processes across teams. Lightspeed suits operators who prefer independence, with responsive chat and solid documentation for self-managed rollouts. 

If you want a strong customer support and restaurant-focused help, Toast fits better; if you value flexibility and quick self-service, Lightspeed wins on convenience.

Who’s the winner?

I don’t want to disappoint you, but there is no winner. Each POS is tuned for different service models. Your call should hinge on dining style, station layout, and how you plan to scale over the next 12–24 months.

If you lean Toast

You run dine-in service or a hybrid room where table management, coursing, and KDS routing decide the night—ideal for established restaurants focused on consistency.

You want a single platform to manage menus, inventory, and online ordering rules across terminals and sites.

You’re fine with integrated payment processing and proprietary hardware if it keeps the line disciplined when customers pay.

• What you get: tight FOH<>BOH coordination via the KDS, accurate inventory ties to menu changes, and analytics tools that reflect real service.
• Watch-outs: quote-led pricing, contracts, and higher device costs as you expand.

If you lean Lightspeed

You prefer iPad-based pos hardware with a user-friendly interface and fast rollouts across concepts.

You value flexible plans, modular add-ons, and easy connections to delivery, accounting, and advanced inventory management.

You want latitude on processors (lightspeed payments available) and peripherals, not a single-vendor stack.

• What you get: quick onboarding, lighter hardware swaps, and clear workflows for menus, inventory, and online ordering—good for evolving formats.
• Watch-outs: fewer native controls for complex coursing and more reliance on integrations for deeper pos software automation.

Quick decision check

• Coursing + multi-KDS + dine-in? Choose Toast.
• Counter-service + iPad rollout + launch this week? Choose Lightspeed.
• Multi-location control of menus, inventory management, and reports? Toast usually wins.
• Testing formats or seasonal pop-ups? Lightspeed’s flexibility reduces risk.

Cost reality in one line

What moves the needle isn’t the subscription, it’s payment processing on your real card mix. Model last month’s in-person and online ordering volume to see the true gap.

My guidance to wrap it up

If your service lives or dies on pacing and station discipline, Toast POS gives you the control to keep the room steady. 

If you’re prioritizing flexibility, iPad rollouts, and lower swap costs, Lightspeed POS is the more adaptable choice. 

In the end, pick the system that matches today’s workflow—and the way you plan to grow.