Clover vs Lightspeed
Lightspeed scores higher overall (71 vs 69), but the right choice depends on your size and card mix. The right choice when inventory complexity is your real problem — accept the payments bundle and the learning curve as the price of depth.
Updated 2026-08-07Clover
All-in-one POS hardware with app market flexibility
69/ 100
2.7Merchant Score
- Pricing
- 2.9
- Features
- 4.1
- Ease of use
- 3.9
- Customer support
- 3.0
- User reviews
- 3.2
- Pricing model
- Flat rate, plan-tiered
- Headline rate
- 2.6% + $0.10
- Monthly fee
- $14.95/mo
- Contract
- Varies by reseller — read carefully
- Payouts
- 1-3 business days
- Hardware
- Station $1,699, Flex $599
Strong fit for
- Restaurants and retail wanting premium countertop hardware
- Merchants buying direct from Clover
- Businesses wanting app-market flexibility
Lightspeed
Deep retail and hospitality POS with bundled payments
71/ 100
3.7Merchant Score
- Pricing
- 3.0
- Features
- 4.4
- Ease of use
- 3.6
- Customer support
- 3.7
- User reviews
- 3.3
- Pricing model
- Flat rate, POS-bundled
- Headline rate
- 2.9% + $0.30 online · 2.6% + $0.10 in person
- Monthly fee
- $89/mo
- Contract
- Annual software agreements common
- Payouts
- 1-2 business days
- Hardware
- Purchased or leased, varies
Strong fit for
- Retailers with complex or multi-location inventory
- Restaurants needing floor and menu management
- Businesses that outgrew simple POS
Which one is cheaper for your business?
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