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Software plans
| Plan | Price | Billed per | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $69/monthLightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | location | |
| Essential | $189/monthLightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | location | |
| Premium | $399/monthLightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | location | |
| Enterprise | Quote onlySee my price for Lightspeed Restaurant (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | location |
Processing rates and fees
| Fee | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| In-person card rate | 2.6%Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | per transaction · In person |
| In-person fee per transaction | 10¢Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | per transaction · In person |
| Card-not-present rate | 2.9%Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | per transaction · Card not present |
| Card-not-present fee per transaction | 30¢Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | per transaction · Card not present |
| License for each additional POS device | Not publishedSee my price for Lightspeed Restaurant (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Lightspeed Restaurant Help Center (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · Lightspeed's pricing page doesn't say how many POS devices each plan covers or what another one costs. Merchant Maverick (Dec 2025) reported that each plan includes one register license and each extra one costs $59 a month; that report is too old to use, and Lightspeed doesn't publish the figure. | per additional device (after the first) |
What one $35 sale costs in card fees
Example · Lightspeed Restaurant. With the card rates in the table above. Example, not a quote.
In person
- Ticket
- $35
- 2.6% of a $35 ticketIn-person card rate
- $0.91
- 10¢ per transactionIn-person fee per transaction
- $0.10
- Card cost of one sale
- $1.01
Card not present
- Ticket
- $35
- 2.9% of a $35 ticketCard-not-present rate
- $1.02
- 30¢ per transactionCard-not-present fee per transaction
- $0.30
- Card cost of one sale
- $1.32
Paid by your customers
With this program your customers pay the card cost on the cards it covers, so those cost your restaurant $0 in our estimate. A surcharge only covers credit cards: your restaurant still pays the vendor's rate on debit. We show what your customers pay apart and never add it to your cost. Card network rules and state laws apply, and some states limit surcharges.
| Card type | Dual pricing or cash discount | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Credit cards | Your customers | Your customers |
| Debit cards | Your customers | Your restaurant, at the card rate |
It isn't free: your customers pay it
| Fee | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card surcharge (paid by your customers) | Not publishedLightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · You choose the percentage; Lightspeed publishes only the 3% cap. | per transaction · In person |
Current promotion
Buyout of your current contract
Up to $1,000Source: Lightspeed (opens in a new tab)- Conditions
- Lightspeed may reimburse the cancellation fee your current payment processor charges you, up to $1,000 including fees and taxes, as an adjustment to your settlement account. For new or current customers in the US and Canada who sign a Lightspeed Payments order form, are approved and process at least $25,000 in card volume; you send proof of the fee within 6 months of reaching that volume. Lightspeed decides who qualifies, it cannot be combined with other promotions, and Lightspeed calls it a limited-time offer with no end date and can end or change it at any time. The terms page is not listed on Lightspeed's site and is linked from its golf payments page, not from its restaurant pages.
- Valid until
- The vendor publishes no end date. We take it down if we can't re-check it within 30 days.
Counts in the RTC Score only if our reference restaurant qualifies.
The switching or signing incentive is one of the criteria with the most weight in the RTC Score. We count a promotion only while it's current, with a fixed published amount and conditions our reference restaurant meets. "Up to" amounts, buyouts of your current contract and unpublished amounts don't count. The cost calculator subtracts one only when your numbers qualify.
Hardware
- Ownership
- You buy itLightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · You buy the hardware, from Lightspeed's store or with your quote; the Service Agreement treats it as a purchase (§3). You can also use a supported iPad and peripherals you already own.
- Works with another processor
- YesLightspeed Restaurant Help Center (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · The POS app runs on an iPad or an iPhone, so orders can be taken at the table.
| Item | Upfront | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| iPad station (iPad 11 + Mobile Tap card reader) | $518Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · $449 for the iPad 11 (11th generation) plus $69 for the Mobile Tap, Hospitality, the Bluetooth card reader that pairs with an iPad for Lightspeed Payments, both from Lightspeed's US store. No stand; the stand option is listed apart. You can also use a compatible iPad you already own. | — |
| Countertop iPad station (iPad 11 + Lightspeed Stand + Mobile Tap) | $687Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · $449 iPad 11 + $169 Lightspeed Stand for iPad + $69 Mobile Tap, Hospitality, all from Lightspeed's US store. | — |
| Mobile Tap, Hospitality (card reader) | $69Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | — |
| Smart Terminal, Hospitality (US) kit (payment terminal) | $234Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · $234: a mobile payment terminal with its charging dock, used next to the iPad POS. | — |
Hardware warranty
The same rows for every POS: how long the main terminal is covered against defects when you get it a standard way (buying, leasing, renting, a subscription or a loan), the conditions, including what it leaves out and what keeping it costs, and the price to replace that terminal outside the coverage.
| Hardware warranty included | 1 yearSource: Apple (opens in a new tab)The coverage is the manufacturer's: the POS terminal is an iPad, and Apple's limited warranty covers defects for one year from the original purchase. Lightspeed's own warranty is shorter and runs on top of it: 30 days under its Service Agreement (§3.2), and its hardware store FAQ says 14 days on Apple products (one year on hardware that isn't Apple). After that, repairs and replacements go through Apple. |
|---|---|
| Warranty conditions | Not covered: normal wear and tear, opened or tampered units, liquids, accidents, misuse, cosmetic damage, or use with products Lightspeed did not provide. You must check the shipment within 5 business days of receiving it or Lightspeed's warranty does not apply, and the warranty cannot be transferred (§3.1, §3.2). Under the contract you pay return shipping and a restocking fee may apply, and if Lightspeed cannot repair or replace a unit it refunds the net purchase price; the store FAQ instead promises an overnight replacement with a prepaid return label for defective units under warranty. Lightspeed has no responsibility for hardware bought elsewhere. Hardware given at a discount or for free must be paid back at its value if you stop using the POS within 24 months, don't start Lightspeed Payments within 30 days, or fall below a $100 daily average on Lightspeed Payments (§3.5). The store says extended warranties exist on some products, with no price shown on the restaurant listings.Source: Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) |
| Price to replace the main terminal | $449 one-timeSource: Lightspeed (opens in a new tab)An iPad on its own: Lightspeed Restaurant runs on an iPad, which costs $449 in Lightspeed's US store. The stand is extra ($169, or $199 with the payments mount), and so are the payment devices (the Mobile Tap reader is $69). |
The RTC Score only counts how long defects are covered. What the coverage leaves out (accidents, theft, loss) and what it costs to keep are in the conditions. A protection plan sold separately doesn't count; if the vendor offers one, it's in the conditions. The replacement price isn't added to the 36-month cost, because there's no public data on how often equipment fails.