Lightspeed vs Servio: an honest comparison for UK venues
Lightspeed Restaurant is a capable, widely used hospitality POS sold in tiered plans, usually paired with hardware kits and add-on modules. The practical difference is how much of the feature set sits behind higher tiers and extras.
| Servio | Lightspeed | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One price per plan, everything in | Tiered plans; features vary by tier |
| Hardware | None — your own devices | Hardware kits offered; setups typically hardware-based |
| QR ordering & KDS | Included on every plan | Depends on tier and add-on modules |
| Contract | Monthly, cancel anytime | Varies by plan; annual terms are common |
| Payments | Stripe at published UK rates, no markup | Lightspeed Payments; rates per their published terms |
| Time to go live | Same day | Varies with hardware and onboarding |
Comparison based on publicly available information and typical configurations, July 2026. Lightspeed's offering varies by plan, hardware and region — always check current details with Lightspeed directly.
Choose Lightspeed if…
You want a long-established vendor with a broad module catalogue and are comfortable choosing a tier, hardware kit and add-ons to assemble your feature set.
Choose Servio if…
You'd rather skip the tier-matrix: one published price, QR ordering and kitchen display included, no hardware to buy, live the same day, month-to-month.
The pricing, in detail
Tier-matrix pricing makes comparison genuinely hard: the number you see advertised is rarely the tier that has the features you need, and hardware kits plus payment processing land on top. Before you commit to any tier, write down the four numbers that make up your real bill — software at the tier with your features, add-on modules, hardware spread over a year, and card fees at your monthly volume — and demand the same four from every vendor. Servio's version of that sum is deliberately short: £199/month Growth (everything included), £0 hardware, Stripe's published rates. Our UK POS cost guide walks the whole calculation with published market prices if you want the full method.
Switching from Lightspeed: what it actually involves
Switching from Lightspeed is a menu-and-devices job: export your menu (or share its URL) and Servio's builder recreates it; any recent iPad or Android tablet becomes the till. Because Servio has no annual term, you can time the move to your Lightspeed renewal date and trial it free for 14 days beforehand — no card, no overlap cost beyond the days you choose to run both. Our guide to migrating your menu without the headache covers the details.
What you get with Servio, on every plan
Servio is one connected system rather than a bundle of modules: a cloud POS till for counter and floor orders, QR table ordering guests use without an app, a kitchen display that replaces paper tickets, and owner analytics that show the day in real numbers. It runs in the browser on the devices you already own, payments settle through Stripe (Servio never touches card data), and the price is on the pricing page, not behind a demo call. You can also see the wider market picture on our comparison page or check the maths in the UK POS cost guide.
Common questions
What's the main difference between Lightspeed and Servio?
Packaging. Lightspeed sells tiered plans where capabilities like advanced modules sit in higher tiers or add-ons, usually alongside hardware. Servio sells one price per plan with the whole platform included — QR ordering, kitchen display, inventory and owner analytics — running on devices you already own. Check Lightspeed's current UK tiers directly, as packaging changes.
Do I need new hardware with Servio?
No. Servio is fully cloud-based and browser-run: iPads, Android tablets and phones you already own become the till, the kitchen screen and the guest ordering surface. That removes both the upfront kit cost and the replacement cycle.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — 14 days, no card required, and founding venues can currently start a 30-day guided pilot with Growth at £99/month for their first six paid months afterwards. There's no contract either way.