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The NZ alternative to Kounta & Lightspeed Restaurant

A Kounta alternative for cafés that
miss the old Kounta.

Lightspeed bought Kounta in 2019 and the bills started moving. SmakSpace is NZ-built — flat NZD pricing, your choice of EFTPOS, kitchen display included, supported in NZ time. Free menu setup, with your customer list loaded on request.

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Updated
In one paragraph

Kounta was the Australian-built café POS acquired by Canada-based Lightspeed in 2019 and rebranded Lightspeed Restaurant. Many former Kounta operators report bill increases after the rebrand and a 1.5% surcharge for not using Lightspeed Payments. SmakSpace is the New Zealand-built alternative for cafés and restaurants: self-order kiosks, online ordering, table bookings, kitchen display and loyalty on a flat NZD subscription. Operators bring their own NZ EFTPOS terminal. We load your menu from our CSV template or a photo of the printed menu and set up modifiers with you, free; on request we also load your customer list and seed loyalty points for your regulars. Historical sales stay in Kounta, so export them before you cancel. Supported in NZ time.

Kounta / Lightspeed vs SmakSpace

A direct comparison for NZ operators.

Capability
Kounta / Lightspeed
SmakSpace
Pricing currency
AUD with annual subscription increases reported by many operators
NZD, flat per month
Payments
Many operators report a 1.5% surcharge if they do not use Lightspeed Payments
Bring your own NZ EFTPOS terminal — no surcharge for using it
Kitchen display
Often a separate add-on subscription per screen
Included on Professional and Enterprise plans
Contract term
Annual minimums and cancellation fees reported in many reviews
Month-to-month, cancel anytime, no exit fees
Support timezone
Email/chat queue in another timezone
NZ business hours, a local team replies by email within one working day
Data export
Limited self-serve export
Full CSV export of orders, menu, customers anytime
Xero workflow
Generic mapping; manual journal entries common
Native Xero sync — paid orders become invoices — plus GST-correct CSV exports
Migration support
You move yourself
We load your menu for you, and load your customer list on request — free, no per-row charge
Time to live
Weeks of onboarding
Designed for 48-hour onboarding
Migration timeline

Designed to go live in 48 hours.

Day 0

Free audit

We review your current Kounta / Lightspeed Restaurant setup, contract status, payments processor and add-ons. We tell you exactly what we can match and what we cannot.

Day 1

Menu + customer setup

We load your menu items, prices and categories from our CSV template, and set up modifiers with you. A Kounta export does not import directly, so skip it — send a photo of the printed menu and the AI lifts the items straight off it into hidden drafts you correct and publish. Ask us and we load your customer list and seed loyalty points for your regulars; historical sales stay in Kounta — export them for your records before you cancel.

Day 2

Payments setup

Your existing EFTPOS terminal keeps operating independently on the counter — we do not connect to it, and there is no new pinpad to buy. No surcharge from us.

Day 3

Soft launch

Run SmakSpace alongside Kounta for a service or two. The first morning rush on the new POS is the only way to know it fits. We sit on Zoom with you for it.

Day 7

Cutover

If you have gone kiosk-led or order-ahead, cancel Kounta / Lightspeed once you are comfortable; if you still need a till for the counter, keep it and run SmakSpace as the layer around it. We help you handle the cancellation paperwork and any final reconciliation.

Kounta migration FAQ

Real questions from former Kounta operators.

Kounta was an Australian-built café and restaurant POS, acquired by Canada-based Lightspeed Commerce in 2019. Lightspeed rebranded the product as Lightspeed Restaurant (O-Series, then K-Series). Existing Kounta customers were moved onto Lightspeed plans, and many report bill increases and a 1.5% surcharge if they don't use Lightspeed Payments. The Kounta brand name was retired around 2022.
Yes. SmakSpace is designed to work alongside the major NZ EFTPOS providers — Smartpay, Worldline, Verifone and Windcave — and we don't charge a surcharge for using your own terminal. Confirm the specific terminal model during setup so it all runs without surprises.
Onboarding is designed to take 48 hours from starting setup to taking your first direct order. We load your menu items, prices and categories from our CSV template or a photo of the printed menu and set up modifiers with you. On request we load your customer list and seed loyalty points for your regulars, and for bigger menus we can add item photos by hand on request; historical sales stay in Kounta, so export them before you cancel. You can run both systems in parallel for as long as you want before cutting Kounta off.
Many Kounta and Lightspeed Restaurant contracts have annual minimums and 30-60 day notice periods. The cleanest exit is at the next renewal date. We'll review your specific contract terms in the free audit and help you handle the cancellation paperwork.
SmakSpace is free to start (hosted QR menu, $0 forever), then NZ$49/month (Starter), NZ$99/month (Professional, includes Kitchen Display), or NZ$179/month (Enterprise) — flat NZD. Annual billing saves 20%. No per-order commission on direct orders. No surcharge for using your own EFTPOS terminal.
Yes, and we do the legwork. Ask us during onboarding and we load your Kounta customer list for you and seed loyalty points for your regulars, so they are not starting from zero. Order history stays in Kounta, so export it for your records before you cancel. Those customers stay with you — not with the platform — and you can email or SMS them through SmakSpace's built-in CRM.
Still curious? Book a 15-min call →

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