Buy Square for Restaurants if…
8.6/10Cafes and counter-service venues under about A$250k a year in card sales that want published rates.
From A$0/mo + 1.6% in person
Check Square for Restaurants pricingChoose Lightspeed Restaurant if…
8.2/10Table-service restaurants and bars that need coursing, bar mode and multi-venue, and can negotiate a processing rate.
From A$79/mo (Starter)
Check Lightspeed Restaurant pricingInteractive calculator
Flat-rate (Square) vs interchange-plus contract: monthly cost
Interchange-plus quote (your numbers)
Transactions / month
1,579
Square effective rate
3.21%
processing only
Square all-in / month
US$1,978
Contract all-in / month
US$1,651
effective 2.46% processing
Contract saves per year
US$3,926
Formula & assumptions
Square fees use published rates: US (Square Free) in-person 2.6% + 15¢, online 3.3% + 30¢; AU in-person 1.6%, online 2.2% (sellers signed up from 30 May 2024). Source: squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees and squareup.com/au/en/pricing.
Transactions = volume ÷ average ticket. Interchange-plus = volume × (blended interchange % + processor markup %) + transactions × per-transaction fee.
Assumptions you control: blended interchange (default 1.9% US is a rough mixed debit/credit card-present estimate; AU interchange is far lower, try 0.5–0.8%), markup, software subscription and hardware costs. Toast and Lightspeed do not publish one fixed rate, so enter the numbers from your own quote. Hardware is straight-line amortised over the months you set. Early-termination fees, chargebacks, PCI fees and tax are not included.
Spec comparison
| Feature | Square for Restaurants | Lightspeed Restaurant | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software from | A$0 (Free); Plus A$129/location | Starter A$79; Essential A$179; Premium A$359 | 80% |
| In-person card rate | 1.6% (published) | Quoted; not on hospitality price page | 95% |
| Online / manual entry | 2.2% | Quoted | 60% |
Since 1 October 2026 every dollar of card fees comes out of your margin, so the processing rate now matters more than the software fee. Pick Square if you want a published 1.6% with no monthly fee; pick Lightspeed only if your restaurant needs its table-service features and Lightspeed quotes you a card rate low enough to cover the A$79+ monthly fee.
How we compared them
We read the RBA conclusions paper and FAQs, the ACCC surcharge guidance, Square’s Australian fee and pricing pages, and Lightspeed’s Australian hospitality pricing page on 4 November 2026. We have not processed payments on either system for this article. Lightspeed does not publish a hospitality card rate, so we show the rate you would need from them to break even with Square rather than guess it.
What changed on 1 October 2026
- The RBA removed its prohibition on no-surcharge rules, and the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa networks introduced no-surcharge rules from that date. Amex, PayPal and UnionPay did the same.
- Lower interchange caps for domestic cards also started on 1 October 2026. Foreign-card caps follow on 1 April 2027.
- Weekend and public holiday surcharges are not card surcharges and remain legal, per the ACCC.
Older Lightspeed pages still advertise “automatic card surcharging”. Turn it off and check your receipts, because the networks’ rules now prohibit it.
Published prices side by side
| Item | Square for Restaurants (AU) | Lightspeed Restaurant (AU) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry software | A$0/mo | A$79/mo |
| Mid tier | A$129/mo per location (Plus) | A$179/mo (Essential) |
| Top tier | Custom (Premium) | A$359/mo |
| In-person card rate | 1.6% | Quoted |
| Online / keyed | 2.2% | Quoted |
| Lightspeed extras | — | Register +A$39; KDS +A$40/screen; Inventory +A$99 on Starter |
The rate Lightspeed has to beat
A cafe takes A$60,000 a month in in-person card sales.
- Square Free: A$60,000 × 1.6% = A$960/month. Before October you could surcharge most of that back; now it is A$11,520 a year off your margin.
- Lightspeed Starter costs A$79 before processing. To match Square’s total, its rate must be at or below (960 − 79) ÷ 60,000 = 1.468%.
- Add a second register (A$39) and one KDS screen (A$40) on Lightspeed and the break-even rate drops to (960 − 158) ÷ 60,000 = 1.337%.
| Monthly card sales | Square cost at 1.6% | Lightspeed Starter break-even rate |
|---|---|---|
| A$20,000 | A$320 | 1.205% |
| A$60,000 | A$960 | 1.468% |
| A$120,000 | A$1,920 | 1.534% |
Take that table to your Lightspeed quote. At A$120k a month you also cross Square’s A$250k-a-year custom pricing threshold, so ask Square for a quote too. Run your own numbers in the calculator above.
Which kitchens fit which system
- Square suits counter-service cafes, bakeries and takeaway where tickets are simple and you want to know your exact cost before you sign.
- Lightspeed suits table-service restaurants and bars that use coursing, bar mode, pay at table, multi-venue reporting or the PMS integration, and whose volume earns a negotiated rate.
- Both need a plan for internet drops; see our offline mode card limit comparison.
- Rostering is a separate decision; see best cafe rostering software in Australia.
See Square for Restaurants AU · Get a Lightspeed quote
Sources
- Reserve Bank of Australia, Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging: Conclusions Paper, 31 March 2026 (rba.gov.au), read 4 Nov 2026.
- ACCC, Card surcharges, read 4 Nov 2026.
- Square AU, Learn about Square fees and Square for Restaurants pricing, read 4 Nov 2026.
- Lightspeed AU, Hospitality POS pricing, read 4 Nov 2026.
General information, not financial advice. Processing rates vary by business; get both quotes in writing.
FAQ
Can I still surcharge eftpos or credit cards in Australia?+
No. The RBA's conclusions paper (31 March 2026) removed its ban on no-surcharge rules, and eftpos, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, PayPal and UnionPay all prohibited card surcharges from 1 October 2026. The ACCC says weekend and public holiday surcharges that do not depend on payment method are still allowed.
What does Square charge in Australia in 2026?+
Square's Australian support centre, read 4 November 2026, lists 1.6% for card-present payments for sellers who signed up on or after 30 May 2024, and 2.2% for online, invoices and manually entered payments. Some older accounts on Square Reader are on 1.9%. Businesses over A$250,000 a year in sales with average tickets above A$15 can ask for custom rates.
How much is Lightspeed Restaurant in Australia?+
Lightspeed's Australian hospitality pricing page lists Starter at A$79, Essential at A$179 and Premium at A$359 a month, each with one register. Extra registers are A$39 a month and a kitchen display is A$40 a month per screen. Payment processing rates are not printed on that page.
Can I still add a weekend surcharge?+
Yes. The ACCC says businesses can still charge surcharges not based on how the customer pays, including hospitality weekend or public holiday surcharges. These must still be disclosed properly under the Australian Consumer Law.