Head to head
Compared side by side on published facts and the same six criteria every review is graded on — generated from the live directory, not a sales page.
Lightspeed
POS System · 3.7/5 mean
Lightspeed Commerce is a global cloud-based POS and commerce platform that provides retail, restaurant, and ecommerce businesses with integrated payments, inventory management, analytics, and omnichannel selling tools.
Read the full review →Square
POS System · 3.8/5 mean
Square offers simple, transparent payment processing ideal for small businesses. Flat-rate pricing, no monthly fees, and excellent software make it a top choice — but account holds and limited support are key concerns.
Read the full review →Square holds the higher standing — by grade, then mean category score. The row-by-row picture below is what should actually decide it for your business.
Both graded against the same six criteria. How we grade · Last fact-checked August 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026.
| Criterion | Lightspeed | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 3.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 5.0wins this criterion | 4.0 |
| Ease of use | 4.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Lightspeed | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | Not disclosed | 3.3% + $0.30 for Square Online and invoices on the free plan; 2.9% + $0.30 through the Payments API, or on Plus and Premium |
| Monthly fee | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Payout | Within 2 business days | Next business day |
| Contract | Not disclosed | Month-to-month |
| In-person rate | 2.6% + $0.10 (advertised on retail plans) | 2.6% + $0.15 (free plan); 2.5% + $0.15 (Plus); 2.4% + $0.15 (Premium) |
| Keyed rate | Not disclosed | 3.5% + $0.15 |
| International rate |
From the Lightspeed review
Square is easier to adopt, with free POS software, published flat rates, no monthly fee, and month-to-month terms — a better match for very small businesses that would find Lightspeed's cost and learning curve excessive. Lightspeed holds up for mid-sized retailers and multi-location operations that need its advanced inventory management and omnichannel tools.
Pick Square if you run a simpler small business and want free software with no monthly fee
Ideal for
Not recommended for
Ideal for
Not recommended for
The full reviews carry the pricing narratives, contract analysis and everything else behind these numbers — or let the matching funnel score the whole directory against your business.
| 5.0wins this criterion |
| Customer support | 3.0wins this criterion | 1.0 |
|---|
| Contract terms | 3.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
|---|
| Industry reputation | 4.0 | 4.0 |
|---|
| Not disclosed |
| Additional 1.5% on cards issued outside your account's country |
| Statement fee | Usually none | Not disclosed |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | Often around $15–25 | None |
|---|
| Early termination | Contract dependent | Not disclosed |
|---|
| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | September 2, 2026 |
|---|