Lightspeed vs Square

March 15, 2025 | Author: Sandeep Sharma
10
Lightspeed
Lightspeed is the leading provider of cloud-based POS software. Our customers typically see a 20% growth in sales after their first year. Now is the time to join the growing list of independent businesses that choose Lightspeed POS to handle their everyday needs. Lightspeed Restaurant allows you to create your menu in seconds, update your floor plan directly in the system, impress customers with photos of items and allow your staff to focus on creating a unique restaurant experience.
30
Square
Accept credit cards on your iPhone, Android or iPad. Send invoices free with Square Invoices. Signing up for Square is fast and free, and there are no commitments or long-term contracts like with alternative services.
Lightspeed and Square are, in a way, two unlikely companions in the universe of business tools, both offering point-of-sale systems that let you take payments, track sales and generally attempt to tame the chaos of running a business. They both come with mobile solutions for those on the move and boast integrations for hardware like card readers and terminals. They also share an obsessive love for reporting and analytics, ensuring that you know just how poorly (or brilliantly) you're doing on any given day.

Now, Lightspeed, if we’re being honest, is the slightly more sophisticated of the two. It's been around since 2005 and hails from the cool, maple-syrup-scented land of Canada. Its main goal in life is to serve the medium-to-large businesses that need heavy-duty tools for managing inventories, multiple locations and complex eCommerce setups. If you own a multi-location retail empire or a chain of restaurants, Lightspeed is the kind of gadget that would gladly organize your world while you sip something strong. It’s like the business version of a high-tech butler—except, of course, without the tea.

Square, on the other hand, is the younger, scrappier cousin, born in 2009 in the U.S. It’s all about the small businesses, the upstarts, the folks with a single kiosk and a dream of conquering the world with an ever-so-slightly used cash register. While it has some bells and whistles, Square’s charm lies in its simplicity and its approachability for solo entrepreneurs who just need to get paid without the need for an entire corporate army to help. It’s also an enthusiast of helping out in other ways—like offering loans, payroll services and the kind of chipper attitude you get from someone who isn’t bogged down with inventory across multiple continents.

See also: Top 10 Retail software
Author: Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep is a marketing expert with a wealth of knowledge in various domains: customer relationship management, social media management, advertising, search engine optimization, website building, Sandeep has established himself as a multifaceted professional. He honed his skills while working at Salesforce and Hubspot, where he gained invaluable insights into the industry. Now, as the proud owner of a small advertising consulting agency, Sandeep continues to provide innovative and effective strategies to businesses, helping them thrive in the competitive landscape of digital marketing. You can contact Sandeep via email sandeep@liventerprise.com