24/7 support from $41 a month
Chat inside the app and the help centre, on every plan. On Square, 24/7 support comes with Plus, at $129 a month per location.
Live vs Square
Square for Restaurants and Live Hospitality POS side by side: prices, support hours, setup and staff tools, with the source for every figure.
- Free full setup
- 24/7 Australian support
- No minimum term
Live puts support, setup and staff tools in one price
Square’s Free plan is $0 a month, with phone support weekdays 9 am–5 pm AEST. Square’s 24/7 phone support comes with Plus, at $129 a month per location. Live includes 24/7 support and free full setup on every plan, from $41 a month billed yearly.
Rostering and inventory are in Live Standard at $80 a month billed yearly ($95 billed monthly), GST included. Square lists Restaurant Inventory by Marketman at +$149 a month per location, and Square Shifts at $5 a month for each team member over five.
Live costs less than Square Plus and includes more
Live’s prices include GST. Square’s page doesn’t say whether GST is included, so we show its prices as published.
| Topic | Live Hospitality POS | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Plan with 24/7 support | Floor: $41 a month per venue, billed yearly ($490 a year), or $49 billed monthly. GST included | Plus: $129 a month per location plus processing fees (GST not stated). The Free plan has phone support weekdays, 9 am–5 pm AEST |
| 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. Mobile POS +$50 a month per location |
| 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 |
| Card fees | 1.65% + 10c through Stripe, GST included | Set by Square; plans are priced “plus processing fees” |
| Hardware | Runs on your own tablets, computers and receipt printer. Cards go through a Stripe reader, from A$329 | Not included: Stand $149 (iPad not included), Handheld $349, Terminal $329, Register $1,099 |
| Setup | Free full setup by our team: your menu, floor plan and devices | “Fast online sign-up” |
Rostering and inventory come with Live
Square’s column uses only what its pricing page says.
| Topic | Live Hospitality POS | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Support | Chat inside the app and the help centre, 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, then $5 a month per extra employee |
| Inventory | Stock in ml, grams or pieces, recipes and stocktakes (Standard) | Restaurant Inventory by Marketman: +$149 a month per location (Plus and Premium) |
| Happy hour | Automatic, with four offer types including buy one get one free (Standard) | Not listed on the pricing page |
Why venues pick Live over Square
Free setup by our team
We build your menu, floor plan and devices. You start trading on your own tablets and computers.
Staff tools in the same system
Roster, clock on at the till, timesheets and payroll CSV, from Standard.
Happy hour and membership built in
Automatic happy hour and your own membership tiers, from Standard. Nothing extra to add on.
Switch from Square to Live
Four steps. We do most of the work.
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Send us your menu
Upload your current menu with the demo form, or send it after your demo.
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We build your venue
Menu, categories, options and modifiers, plus your floor plan and tables, all free.
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Check your fees
Card payments go through Stripe at 1.65% + 10c. We set it all up with you before you start.
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Start trading
We roll Live out on your tablets and computers and connect your printer. Your team takes its first order.
Live and Square, answered
Card payments cost 1.65% + 10c
Cards go through Stripe at that rate, GST included. Plans are priced separately, from $41 a month billed yearly.
Live includes more than Square’s entry plan
Square’s Free plan is $0 a month, with weekday phone support. Live Floor is $41 a month billed yearly ($49 billed monthly) with 24/7 support and free full setup. Standard at $80 adds rostering, inventory, happy hour and membership.
Rostering is included in Live Standard
Square Shifts is free for up to 5 team members, then $5 a month per extra employee. Rostering, timesheets and payroll CSV are in Standard at $80 a month billed yearly ($95 billed monthly).
These figures were checked on 18 Oct 2026
They come from Square’s Australian restaurant pricing page. Check the source before you decide.
Every figure comes from the company’s own page
From Square’s Australian pricing page, checked on 18 Oct 2026. Prices change, so check the source before you decide.
- Square for Restaurants pricing (Australia), checked 18 Oct 2026. The page doesn’t say whether prices include GST.
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.
See Live with your own menu, then decide.
Book a demo and upload your menu. We’ll show you your venue on Live and answer your comparison questions.
- Free full setup
- 24/7 Australian support
- No minimum term