Lightspeed Restaurant vs SkyTab vs TouchBistro
Lightspeed Restaurant is a cloud point of sale for restaurants, bars, cafes and hotel restaurants, run mainly on iPads. SkyTab is now presented as Shift4 Dine, a restaurant point of sale from Shift4 with its own hardware, built-in payment processing, online and QR ordering, reservations, loyalty, labour scheduling and cloud reporting. TouchBistro is an iPad-based point of sale and restaurant management system for full-service and quick-service restaurants and bars. All three are listed under Restaurant POS. The main differences are in price, audience and platforms.
Key differences
price
Starting prices: SkyTab at USD 29.99 per month; TouchBistro at USD 69 per month. They are in one currency and billed on the same basis. Lightspeed Restaurant does not publish a starting price.
audience
Not every audience is shared. Entries that only one product lists: Lightspeed Restaurant: Single-location restaurants; SkyTab: Table-service and quick-service restaurants; TouchBistro: Full-service restaurants.
platforms
Platform support differs. Lightspeed Restaurant: iOS; SkyTab: Web, iOS, Android; TouchBistro: Web, iOS.
countries covered
Country coverage differs. Lightspeed Restaurant names 12 countries, SkyTab names 5 countries and TouchBistro names 2 countries. 2 countries appear in every list.
integrations
Lightspeed Restaurant names 19 integrations, SkyTab names 25 integrations and TouchBistro names 20 integrations. 5 partners appear in every list.
Side by side
| Field | Lightspeed Restaurant | SkyTab | TouchBistro |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Lightspeed Restaurant is a cloud point of sale for restaurants, bars, cafes and hotel restaurants, run mainly on iPads. | SkyTab is now presented as Shift4 Dine, a restaurant point of sale from Shift4 with its own hardware, built-in payment processing, online and QR ordering, reservations, loyalty, labour scheduling and cloud reporting. | TouchBistro is an iPad-based point of sale and restaurant management system for full-service and quick-service restaurants and bars. |
| Best for | Single-location restaurants; Multi-location restaurant groups; Hotel restaurants; Bars, cafes, breweries and fine dining | Table-service and quick-service restaurants; Multi-location and enterprise groups; Bars, nightclubs, pizzerias and coffee shops | Full-service restaurants; Bars, breweries and wineries; Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants; Multi-unit restaurant groups |
| Pricing model | Subscription (tiered plans) plus quote-based Enterprise | Subscription per month | Subscription per location, with hardware and payments extra |
| Starting price | Not published | USD 29.99 per month | USD 69 per month |
| Free plan | Not published | Not published | No |
| Free trial | Not published | Yes | Not published |
| Contract | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Platforms | iOS | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS |
| Countries | Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and 6 more | Canada, Ireland, Spain, United Kingdom, United States | Canada, United States |
| Languages | Dutch, English, French, German, Norwegian, Spanish | English, Spanish | Not published |
| Number of integrations | 19 | 25 | 20 |
| Certifications | PCI compliant | Not published | Not published |
| Security practices | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Founded | Not published | Not published | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Canada | Not published | Toronto, Canada |
| Owner | Not published | Shift4 | Harris (acquired July 2026) |
| Last reviewed | 29 September 2026 | 29 September 2026 | 29 September 2026 |
Integrations
Named by all three
- 7shifts
- Craftable
- MarginEdge
- MarketMan
- Restaurant365
Named only by Lightspeed Restaurant
- Cloudbeds
- Fresh
- Lightspeed Delivery by Deliverect
- MEWS
- Oracle Opera Cloud Hospitality
- Otter
- Planday
- QuickBooks
- Resy
- Uber Direct
- Xero
Named only by SkyTab
- Backbar
- Birdeye
- ChowNow
- clickBACON
- DoorDash
- GrubHub
- Mailchimp
- Menufy
- Nory
- Opera Cloud
- ORCA
- Pour Controls
and 3 moreshow fewer
- Solink
- Textmunication
- TimeForge
Named only by TouchBistro
- Avero
- Bevchek
- Chase Payment Solutions
- Coverdash
- DAVO by Avalara
- DoorDash Online Ordering
- Freepour
- Moneris
- Optimum Control
- Push Operations
- UrbanPiper
- WISK.ai
and 1 moreshow fewer
- Worldpay
Which to choose
Lightspeed Restaurant
Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if you are in one of these groups: Single-location restaurants; Multi-location restaurant groups; Hotel restaurants.
SkyTab
Choose SkyTab if you fit its listed audience: Table-service and quick-service restaurants; Multi-location and enterprise groups; Bars, nightclubs, pizzerias and coffee shops.
TouchBistro
Choose TouchBistro if you are in one of these groups: Full-service restaurants; Bars, breweries and wineries; Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants.
What we could not confirm
Lightspeed Restaurant
- Billing period of the Starter, Essential and Premium prices, and which features each plan includes (the comparison ticks are not in the page text)
- Contract length and cancellation terms
- Payment processing rates
- Full integration list for L Series and U Series editions
- Legal entity, founding year, funding and employee count
- Security certifications beyond PCI compliance
- Whether an Android or web POS client exists
SkyTab
- What unit the monthly fee is charged per (terminal, location) and any setup or processing rates
- Contract term, renewal and early termination terms
- Founding year and headquarters of the SkyTab product
- Employee count and funding
- Security certifications
- Full list of countries served
TouchBistro
- Prices of add-ons (all quoted)
- Contract length and renewal terms
- Payment processing rates
- Countries where sold (Harris says 100+)
- Security certifications such as PCI DSS
- Named founders and employee count
- Whether TouchBistro POS is available on Android (site describes iPad only)
- Acquisition date: TouchBistro says July 9, 2026, Harris says July 7, 2026
Go further
Sources
Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.
Lightspeed Restaurant, reviewed 29 September 2026
- Product overview, FAQhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/
- Plans and priceshttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/pricing/
- Feature listhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/features/
- Hardwarehttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/hardware/
- Editions and country selectorhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/integrations/
- Partner marketplace listhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant-k-series/integrations/
- Multi-locationhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/multilocation-restaurant-pos/
- Paymentshttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/payments/
- Inventoryhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/inventory/
- Deliveryhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/delivery/
- Accountinghttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/accounting/
- Workforce and payrollhttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/payroll/
- Reservationshttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/reservations/
- Support and traininghttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/pos/restaurant/support-onboarding/
- Headquarters, scalehttps://www.lightspeedhq.com/about/
SkyTab, reviewed 29 September 2026
- UK homepage (skytab.com redirects to Shift4 Dine)https://dine.shift4.com/en-GB
- US pricinghttps://dine.shift4.com/en-US/pricing
- UK pricing and supporthttps://dine.shift4.com/en-GB/pricing
- Integrationshttps://dine.shift4.com/features/third-party-integrations
- Online orderinghttps://dine.shift4.com/features/online-ordering
- Labor managementhttps://dine.shift4.com/features/labor-management
- Reportinghttps://dine.shift4.com/features/reporting-and-analytics
- Reservationshttps://dine.shift4.com/features/reservations-and-waitlist
- Loyalty and marketinghttps://dine.shift4.com/features/loyalty-and-marketing
- Multi-locationhttps://dine.shift4.com/features/multi-location-management
- Mobile apphttps://dine.shift4.com/features/incharge-mobile-app
- Hardwarehttps://dine.shift4.com/pos-hardware
- Quick servicehttps://dine.shift4.com/restaurant-types/quick-service-restaurants
- Customershttps://dine.shift4.com/contact
- Legal entityhttps://dine.shift4.com/privacy-policy
TouchBistro, reviewed 29 September 2026
- Homepagehttps://www.touchbistro.com/
- Pricinghttps://www.touchbistro.com/pricing/
- Companyhttps://www.touchbistro.com/about-us/
- Integrationshttps://www.touchbistro.com/features/integrations/
- Hardwarehttps://www.touchbistro.com/hardware-requirements/
- Restaurant POShttps://www.touchbistro.com/pos-solutions/restaurant-pos/
- Back of househttps://www.touchbistro.com/restaurant-back-of-house-solutions/
- KDShttps://www.touchbistro.com/kitchen-display-system/
- Reservationshttps://www.touchbistro.com/reservations/
- Online orderinghttps://www.touchbistro.com/online-ordering/
- Loyaltyhttps://www.touchbistro.com/loyalty/
- Gift cardshttps://www.touchbistro.com/gift-cards/
- Marketinghttps://www.touchbistro.com/marketing/
- Paymentshttps://www.touchbistro.com/touchbistro-payments/
- Supporthttps://www.touchbistro.com/features/support/
- Staff managementhttps://www.touchbistro.com/features/staff-management-scheduling/
- Addresshttps://www.touchbistro.com/privacy-notice/
- Fundinghttps://www.touchbistro.com/press-releases/touchbistro-raises-150-million-from-francisco-partners-to-accelerate-growth-and-pursue-strategic-acquisitions-2/
- TouchBistro Onehttps://www.touchbistro.com/press-releases/touchbistro-launches-touchbistro-one-all-in-one-handheld-device-built-to-streamline-restaurants/
- Acquisitionhttps://www.harriscomputer.com/news/harris-acquires-touchbistro
- App Store: Reservationshttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/touchbistro-reservations/id1471434899