Compare
Square for Restaurants and Live Hospitality POS side by side: published prices, support, setup, payments and staff tools, with the source for every figure.
The short answer
Square for Restaurants pairs its POS with Square’s own payments and hardware, while Live is a fixed price per venue that works with the EFTPOS terminal you already have.
Square’s Free plan costs $0 a month plus processing fees, and Plus is $129 a month per location plus processing fees. Live is $41, $80 or $125 per venue a month billed yearly, or $49, $95 or $149 billed monthly, including GST, with free setup and 24/7 support on every plan.
Price at a glance
Live’s prices include GST. Where a competitor’s page doesn’t say whether GST is included, we show the price as published and mark it “GST not stated”.
| Topic | Live Hospitality POS | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Floor: $41 a month per venue, billed yearly ($490 a year), or $49 billed monthly. GST included | Free: $0 a month plus processing fees |
| Middle plan | Standard: $80 a month, billed yearly ($950 a year), or $95 billed monthly. GST included | Plus: $129 a month per location plus processing fees (GST not stated). Mobile POS +$50 a month per location. 30-day free trial |
| Top plan | Multi-venue: $125 per venue a month, billed yearly ($1,490 a year), or $149 billed monthly. GST included | Premium: custom pricing; businesses processing $250,000 or more a year may be eligible |
| Yearly billing | 2 months free: $490, $950 or $1,490 per venue a year | Not stated |
| Card processing | Keep your own EFTPOS: Tyro, Zeller, Square or your bank’s, at your provider’s rates | 1.6% per tap or insert; 2.2% online, invoices and manual entry |
| Minimum term | No minimum term: monthly plans run month to month | “No long-term contract required” |
| Hardware | Use your own tablets, computers and receipt printer | Stand $149 (iPad not included), Handheld $349, Terminal $329, Register $1,099 |
| Setup | Free full setup by our team | “Fast online sign-up”; a setup service is not stated |
Features
Live’s column covers confirmed Live features. Square’s column uses only what its pricing page says; anything it doesn’t mention is marked “Not stated”.
| Topic | Live Hospitality POS | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Support | 24/7 by phone and chat inside the app, on every plan | Free: phone Mon–Fri, 9 am–5 pm AEST. Plus: 24/7 phone support |
| Rostering and timesheets | Roster, clock on at the till, timesheets and payroll CSV (Standard and Multi-venue) | Square Shifts: free for up to 5 team members on Free, then $5 a month per extra employee. Shifts Plus included on Plus |
| Membership and loyalty | Your own tiers, automatic tier rules and tier discounts (Standard) | Square Loyalty from $49 a month per location |
| Happy hour | Automatic, with four offer types including buy one get one free (Standard) | Not stated |
| Inventory | Stock in ml, grams or pieces, recipes and stocktakes (Standard) | Square Restaurant Inventory by Marketman +$149 a month per location (Plus and Premium) |
| Tabs | Named tabs (Standard) | Bar tabs with card pre-authorisation, on all plans |
| Registers or devices | Floor 1, Standard up to 4, Multi-venue per venue | Unlimited countertop POS devices on Free and Plus |
Which suits you
Each is built for a different kind of venue. Here’s how to decide.
Switching
Four steps, and we do most of the work.
Upload your current menu with the demo form, or send it after your demo.
Menu, categories, options and modifiers, plus your floor plan and tables, all free.
Already take cards on a Square terminal? You can keep it. Live works alongside Tyro, Zeller, Square or your bank’s EFTPOS.
We roll Live out on your tablets and computers, connect your printer, and your team takes its first order.
FAQ
Yes. Live works with the EFTPOS terminal you already have, including Square, Tyro, Zeller or your bank’s, and card takings reconcile at till close.
It depends on your card volume. Square’s Free plan is $0 a month plus processing fees, and Plus is $129 a month per location plus processing fees. Live is $41 to $125 per venue a month billed yearly, or $49 to $149 billed monthly, including GST, and you pay your own EFTPOS provider’s rates.
Square’s page lists Square Shifts: free for up to 5 team members on the Free plan, then $5 a month per extra employee, with Shifts Plus included on Plus. Live includes rostering and timesheets from Standard, at $80 a month billed yearly ($95 billed monthly).
On 27 Sep 2026, from Square’s Australian restaurant pricing page. Check the source before you decide.
From each company’s own Australian pricing page, checked on 27 Sep 2026. Prices and features change, so check the source before you decide.
Square, Lightspeed and Toast are trademarks of their respective owners. Live Hospitality POS and Plain Sense Consulting are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Live Hospitality POS prices are from our pricing page.
Book a demo and upload your menu. We’ll show you your venue on Live and answer every comparison question.