This page is a POS system comparison of Lightspeed and Allvio across the same 43 capabilities an Australian venue asks its software for, and the shape of the Lightspeed column is the whole story. Thirteen rows are included in what you sign for. Twenty cost extra, as a paid add-on or by moving up a tier. Two mean a separate product to buy and set up. Three do part of the job at no extra charge, two are a no, and three sit outside what the product is for, which describes its scope rather than counting against it. Allvio covers 34 of the 43 outright and does part of the job on the other 9, inside one subscription. You will not find a Lightspeed figure below, because your quote is yours. What you will find is which rows are on the list and which are on the quote.
What Lightspeed genuinely does well
The till is mature and it shows. Lightspeed is a yes on every selling and payment row but one: the touchscreen till for counter and table service, cards and cash and split and part payments, the table plan and open tabs, kitchen screens or dockets, discounts and happy hour pricing, refunds and voids and exchanges, and cash up and end of day. It is a yes on stock counts and low stock alerts, and on floor plan and table assignment, where Allvio only does part of the job on both: no stocktake at the register yet, and no visual floor plan designer. Loyalty and rewards, availability rules and trading hours, clock in and out, and timesheets ready for pay are all included as well.
Behind it there is a long Australian installed base inherited from Kounta and the largest local integrations catalogue of anyone selling here. If your favourite supplier or delivery partner plugs into exactly one point of sale, it is often this one, and that advantage is not in the table below.
All 43 capabilities, and which side of the invoice each falls on
Capability | Lightspeed | Allvio |
|---|---|---|
Selling and taking payment | ||
Touchscreen till for counter and table service | Yes | Yes |
Card, cash, split and part payments | Yes | Yes |
Table plan and open tabs | Yes | Yes |
Kitchen screens or dockets | Yes | Yes |
Stock counts and low stock alerts | Yes | Part of it, no stocktake at the register yet |
Discounts, happy hour and price levels | Yes | Yes |
Gift cards | Costs extra, paid add-on | Yes |
Refunds, voids and exchanges | Yes | Yes |
Cash up and end of day | Yes | Yes |
Online ordering | ||
QR ordering at the table | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Pickup and takeaway from your own site | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Menu built and changed in one place | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Modifiers, sizes and dietary flags | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Part of it, no nested modifiers yet |
Online payment and split bills | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Part of it, no online bill splitting yet |
Upsells and promo codes | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Part of it, no automatic upsell prompts yet |
Orders land straight in the kitchen | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Bookings and reservations | ||
Booking diary | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Floor plan and table assignment | Yes | Part of it, no visual floor plan designer yet |
Bookings from your own website | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Deposits and no show protection | Part of it, redeems a deposit taken elsewhere | Part of it, no automatic no show fee yet |
Waitlist and walk ins | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Confirmations and reminders to guests | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Ticketed events and set menus | No | Part of it, no ticket pricing tiers yet |
Availability rules and trading hours | Yes | Yes |
Knowing your customers | ||
One customer record | Part of it | Yes |
Visit and spend history | No | Yes |
Notes, preferences and allergies | Part of it | Yes |
Segments such as regulars and lapsed | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Loyalty and rewards | Yes | Yes |
Marketing | ||
Email campaigns | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
SMS campaigns | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Automated messages such as birthday and win back | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Campaign results tied back to spend | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Your team | ||
Rostering | Another product, a rostering tool | Yes |
Clock in and out | Yes | Yes |
Timesheets ready for pay | Yes | Yes |
Leave and availability | Another product, the rostering tool | Yes |
Staff app on their own phone | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Part of it, phone browser, no native app yet |
Back office | ||
Invoices and quotes | Not what it does | Yes |
Payroll and payslips | Not what it does | Yes |
GST and BAS figures | Not what it does | Yes |
Seeing how you are doing | ||
Sales and end of day reporting | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Yes |
Reporting on your phone | Costs extra, add-on or higher tier | Part of it, phone browser, no native app yet |
The four rows that will decide it for you
Start with online ordering, because all seven rows there cost extra. QR ordering at the table, pickup and takeaway from your own site, the menu, modifiers and sizes, online payment, upsells and promo codes, and orders landing straight in the kitchen: every one is an add-on or a higher tier. On Allvio those are part of the subscription, and the menu behind the till and the menu on the ordering page are the same menu, so taking the lamb off at 7pm is one action instead of two.
Next, the diary. The booking diary, bookings from your own website, the waitlist and guest confirmations and reminders all cost extra, and ticketed events and set menus is a no. On deposits Lightspeed does part of the job at no extra charge: the till can redeem a deposit that a reservation platform already took, which tells you where the deposit actually lives. If you take bookings at all, that is four or five lines added to a quote before the diary is doing what an owner means by a diary.
Third, marketing. Email campaigns, SMS campaigns, automated birthday and win back messages and campaign results tied back to spend all cost extra, and so do segments such as regulars and lapsed. Visit and spend history is a no, so the history those campaigns would draw on is not there. That is a large part of why marketing quietly never happens at a lot of venues.
Fourth, the two rows that mean a separate product: rostering, and leave and availability, are bought and set up elsewhere. That is a second signup, another setup, another thing to teach the staff and another bill every month. Sales and end of day reporting and reporting on your phone also cost extra, which surprises owners more than anything else on the list.
Where those 20 come from, and what they are not
Twenty rows costing extra is not an accusation. It is a description of how the product is sold: a strong till at the centre, with capability added as you ask for it, much of it acquired rather than built in one place. That suits an operator who wants the till and nothing else, and it keeps the entry price low. It also means your quote depends entirely on which of the twenty you turn out to need, and most owners find that out in month four rather than month one. The three not what it does rows are invoicing, payroll and GST and BAS figures, and one Allvio subscription covers invoicing, pay runs and the books. Nothing here judges how well anything is written: it maps who buys and runs what.
Who should still choose Lightspeed
An independent retailer or busy cafe that wants a proven retail POS system, one specific local integration and nothing else should call them. So should a group already running Lightspeed across several sites with somebody whose job includes the software: replacing something that works is a real cost.
But if you are one owner and the list of things you need keeps growing, the useful question is what the whole thing costs once it does all of them. Allvio Complete, the all in one business software plan, is $399 per month ex GST for one location and $299 per month for each extra location, with every app switched on and no per app or per user charge. Hardware is bought outright from $1,499 ex GST for a single station, and the trial is 30 days with no card. Price the twenty before you sign anything.
Frequently asked questions
Which Lightspeed features cost extra in Australia?
Twenty of the 43 capabilities in this comparison sit on a paid add-on or a higher tier. That includes all seven online ordering rows, the booking diary and bookings from your own website, the waitlist and guest reminders, gift cards, email and SMS campaigns, customer segments, a staff app, and both reporting rows. Your quote depends on which of the twenty you end up needing.
Does Lightspeed include bookings and rostering?
Not in the base product. The booking diary, website bookings, waitlist and guest reminders all cost extra, and ticketed events and set menus is a no. Rostering, and leave and availability, mean buying and setting up a separate rostering tool. Clock in and out, timesheets and floor plan and table assignment are included.
What is the best Lightspeed alternative for an Australian venue?
If you want ordering, bookings, marketing, rostering and the books in one subscription rather than on a quote, Allvio covers 34 of the 43 rows outright and does part of the job on the other 9. Allvio Complete is $399 per month ex GST for one location and $299 per month for each extra location, with a 30 day trial and no card.
Is Lightspeed the same as Kounta?
Kounta is now part of Lightspeed, which is where much of its Australian installed base and its local integrations catalogue came from. That history is worth knowing when you compare quotes, because the integration you rely on may be the reason you stay.
Every cell above comes from each vendor's own published material, checked in August 2026. Products change constantly: always confirm current capability directly with each vendor before deciding.