Square vs Lightspeed — Australia 2026
Square vs Lightspeed POS compared for AU businesses. Card rates, EFTPOS, hardware costs, inventory management & Xero/MYOB integration.
Quick Verdict
Square for simplicity; Lightspeed for scale
Square's $0 POS software and 1.6% card-present rate (new accounts) remain the easy entry; hardware starts at $65 for the Reader, or Tap to Pay with no reader. Lightspeed retail is $129/$229/$329 per month ex GST, not $89, with 1.5% card-present on the retail table. Hospitality is Starter $79 / Essential $179 / Premium $359. Square systems are US-hosted. Choose Square for $0 software; choose Lightspeed when retail inventory or restaurant offline/table workflows justify the subscription.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Square | Lightspeed |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA, USA (Block Inc) | Montreal, Canada |
| Entry Price | Free | $129/mo ex GST |
| BAS Lodgement | POS system. BAS lodgement is via accounting software (Xero, MYOB), not Square. | POS. Accounting integration is listed; BAS lodgement is in Xero/MYOB, not Lightspeed. |
| STP Phase 2 | n/a | n/a |
| Payday Super | n/a | n/a |
| Modern Awards | N/A | N/A |
| Data Hosting | US | US/Canada |
| AU Support Hours | Mon-Fri 9am-5pm AEST on free restaurant POS; Restaurants Plus lists 24/7 phone | 24/7 |
| Phone Support | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 300+ apps | 200+ apps |
Pricing Comparison (AUD, Mar 2026)
Square Plans
Free POS
Free
AUD inc GST
- ✓Locations: unlimited
- ✓Registers: unlimited
Most Popular
Retail Plus
$109/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Locations: per_location
- ✓Registers: unlimited
- ✓Advanced Inventory: Yes
Restaurants Plus
$129/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Locations: per_location
- ✓Kds: unlimited
- ✓Mobile Pos Extra Monthly: 50
Appointments Plus
$40/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Locations: per_location
Appointments Premium
$90/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Locations: per_location
Premium
Quote
AUD inc GST
Lightspeed Plans
Retail Basic
$129/mo
AUD exc GST
- ✓Registers: 1
- ✓Locations: 1
- ✓Ecommerce: Yes
- ✓Loyalty: No
Most Popular
Retail Core
$229/mo
AUD exc GST
- ✓Registers: 1
- ✓Locations: 1
- ✓Ecommerce: Yes
- ✓Loyalty: Yes
Retail Plus
$329/mo
AUD exc GST
- ✓Registers: 1
- ✓Locations: 1
- ✓Ecommerce: Yes
- ✓Loyalty: Yes
- ✓Advanced Reporting: Yes
Hospitality Starter
$79/mo
AUD exc GST
- ✓Registers: 1
Hospitality Essential
$179/mo
AUD exc GST
- ✓Registers: 1
Hospitality Premium
$359/mo
AUD exc GST
- ✓Registers: 1
AU Compliance Scores
How we scoreScores are out of 5 and reflect depth of compliance support, ease of setup, and ongoing reliability for Australian businesses. Assessed March 2026.
Square
BAS Lodgement0/5
STP Phase 20/5
Payday Super0/5
Modern Awards0/5
GST Handling3/5
Bank Feeds0/5
Lightspeed
BAS Lodgement0/5
STP Phase 20/5
Payday Super0/5
Modern Awards0/5
GST Handling3/5
Bank Feeds0/5
Pros & Cons
Square
Pros
- Free POS software — $0/month on the base plan
- 1.6% flat card-present rate for new sellers (same rate across Visa, Mastercard, eftpos, JCB, Amex)
- Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android with no Square hardware
- Hardware from $65 Reader; Terminal $329; Register $1,099 — buy outright, no rental
- Offline card payments for up to 24 hours if enabled before the outage
- Retail Free includes standard inventory; Retail Plus adds POs, stocktakes and COGS
- Xero and MYOB integrations listed for sales sync
Cons
- Systems hosted in the United States — not AU data residency
- 1.6% is higher than Zeller's published 1.4% incl. GST in-person rate
- Pre-30 May 2024 accounts can still pay 1.9% on Reader, Stand and Tap to Pay
- Paid Plus is $109 (retail) or $129 (restaurants) per location, not the old $69 SKU
- eftpos-only cards, gift cards and Afterpay do not work in offline mode
- No in-product BAS or payroll
Lightspeed
Pros
- Retail inventory (variants, POs, catalogues, e-commerce) on every retail plan
- Hospitality offline mode listed on Starter, Essential and Premium
- 1.5% card-present on the AU retail payments row
- 24/7 chat and phone listed on the retail pricing table
- Accounting integrations listed for Xero/MYOB tax sync
- Separate retail and restaurant products instead of a generic till
Cons
- Retail from $129/month ex GST — not a free POS
- Hospitality public plans now start at $79, not the stored $40 Basic
- Privacy policy allows US/Canada (and other) storage — not AU-hosted
- Extra hospitality register $39/month; hardware is extra
- Restaurant inventory is an add-on on Starter (+$99)
- Card surcharging in the software ends 1 October 2026 under RBA reforms
Who Should Choose Square
Square is best suited for businesses that need cafe, retail shop, market stall.
Choose Square if you are:
- Cafe
- Retail Shop
- Market Stall
- Pop Up Store
- Food Truck
- Small Retail
Who Should Choose Lightspeed
Lightspeed is best suited for businesses that need multi location retail, hospitality venue, restaurant.
Choose Lightspeed if you are:
- Multi Location Retail
- Hospitality Venue
- Restaurant
- Omnichannel Retail
- Large Inventory