When deciding between Cake POS and Square POS, it’s essential to compare their key features, pricing, usability, integrations, and support to determine which system is better suited for your specific business needs. Both Cake POS and Square POS offer robust solutions, but they are targeted toward different types of businesses and have distinct strengths and weaknesses. Here’s an in-depth comparison:
1. Overview of Cake POS and Square POS
- Cake POS is a point-of-sale system designed explicitly for the restaurant and hospitality industry. Developed by Sysco, it is tailored to handle the specific needs of restaurants, bars, cafes, and similar establishments. Cake offers specialized features like table management, guest tracking, and delivery integration, making it an ideal fit for foodservice businesses.
- Square POS is a more generalized POS solution that caters to a wide range of industries, including retail, restaurants, beauty salons, and service-based businesses. It has flexible software and hardware options that can be adapted to various use cases, but its strength lies in its ease of use and broad range of applications.
2. Hardware & Software Compatibility
Cake POS:
- Hardware: Cake POS offers purpose-built hardware specifically designed for restaurants. This includes a terminal, cash drawers, receipt printers, and guest-facing displays.
- Software: The software focuses on restaurant-specific needs such as order management, tableside ordering, and delivery coordination. It runs on a closed system, meaning it’s highly integrated with Cake’s proprietary hardware.
- Hardware Costs: You’ll need to purchase Cake’s proprietary hardware, which might add significant upfront costs.
Square POS:
- Hardware: Square POS offers a wide range of hardware options, including Square Stand, card readers, registers, and mobile devices. Square’s hardware works across multiple platforms, including iOS devices, making it highly flexible.
- Software: Square POS software can be used across various devices and is highly adaptable. It’s ideal for businesses that may want to use their own devices rather than purchasing proprietary hardware.
- Hardware Costs: Square hardware can be more affordable upfront because many businesses already own compatible devices like iPads or smartphones.
Key Difference: Cake POS is restaurant-specific with custom hardware, while Square POS offers more flexible hardware options and compatibility across multiple devices.
3. Features
Cake POS:
- Table Management: Offers advanced features to optimize seating arrangements, table status, and server assignments.
- Order Management: Has a specialized interface for handling orders in a fast-paced environment, including kitchen display systems (KDS).
- Guest Management: Cake offers built-in features for guest tracking, customer profiles, and loyalty programs.
- Delivery & Takeout Integration: Cake POS integrates with third-party delivery services and offers built-in tools for managing delivery orders.
- Online Ordering: Provides online ordering features that directly integrate with your POS for seamless operations.
Square POS:
- Customization: Square POS can be customized with features for restaurants, retail, and service businesses. This includes features like item tracking, sales reports, and inventory management.
- Payment Processing: Square is a payment processor in itself, meaning you don’t need a third-party payment processor. This makes Square extremely streamlined for businesses focused on payment solutions.
- Employee Management: Offers advanced employee management features like clock-in/clock-out, sales tracking by employee, and permissions.
- Inventory Management: Square has robust inventory management features, making it more suitable for retail and multi-product businesses.
- E-commerce: Square integrates with Square Online, providing an all-in-one solution for businesses that want to manage both in-person and online sales.
Key Difference: Cake POS is specialized for restaurants with table and order management, while Square POS offers more general business features like employee management and e-commerce integration.
4. Payment Processing
Cake POS:
- Payment Processing: Cake POS uses Worldpay for payment processing. This means you’re locked into using Worldpay’s services, which could mean higher transaction fees than some other processors.
- Transaction Fees: Worldpay’s fees vary based on the business size and volume, and it may not be as transparent or affordable as some other options.
Square POS:
- Payment Processing: Square has its own built-in payment processor, which is one of its biggest selling points. It supports all major credit cards, contactless payments, and other methods like Google Pay and Apple Pay.
- Transaction Fees: Square’s transaction fees are highly transparent, with a standard fee of 2.6% + 10¢ per in-person transaction in the U.S. There’s no monthly fee for payment processing.
Key Difference: Cake POS locks you into using Worldpay, while Square POS offers its built-in payment processing, which can be more straightforward and transparent.
5. Pricing
Cake POS:
- Subscription Cost: Cake POS starts at $69 per month per terminal.
- Hardware Cost: Cake’s hardware needs to be purchased separately, adding to the initial cost of the system.
- Transaction Fees: Since Cake uses Worldpay, transaction fees are separate and could vary, but may not be as competitive as other processors.
- Additional Costs: Additional costs for online ordering, KDS, and delivery integrations might be extra, depending on your needs.
Square POS:
- Subscription Cost: Square POS has a free plan for basic functionality, which can be appealing to small businesses. The Square for Restaurants plan starts at $60 per month for one location, plus $40 for each additional POS device.
- Hardware Cost: Square’s hardware is more affordable upfront and can be as low as $49 for a basic card reader, making it more cost-effective.
- Transaction Fees: Square’s transparent pricing for transaction fees makes it easier to estimate costs.
Key Difference: Square POS offers a free plan and affordable hardware options, making it more cost-effective for small businesses or startups, while Cake POS has a higher entry cost due to its proprietary hardware and Worldpay fees.
6. Ease of Use
Cake POS:
- Usability: Cake POS is designed specifically for restaurants, so it has a more tailored interface for handling orders, tables, and guests. It is generally easy to use for restaurant staff with minimal training, but its specialized features could require more time to learn.
- Training: Cake provides training and customer support, but its system may require a bit of onboarding for restaurants to fully utilize the advanced features.
Square POS:
- Usability: Square POS is renowned for its ease of use and quick setup. The interface is intuitive, making it simple for staff to get accustomed to quickly, especially for businesses that don’t need industry-specific features like table management.
- Training: Square’s platform is user-friendly, and with a free plan, you can explore the system without much commitment.
Key Difference: Both systems are user-friendly, but Square POS has an advantage in being easier to set up and learn for businesses in different industries, whereas Cake POS is designed specifically for restaurants and may require more onboarding.
7. Customer Support
Cake POS:
- Support: Cake offers 24/7 support, including phone support, email, and live chat. Being a specialized system, Cake’s customer service is tailored to help with restaurant-specific problems.
- Onboarding: Cake provides in-depth onboarding for its customers, which can be beneficial for restaurants that need to fully integrate the POS with their operations.
Square POS:
- Support: Square offers live support, email, and phone support, but only during business hours. Square’s support has been criticized for being harder to reach at times, especially for businesses that require immediate assistance during off-hours.
- Self-Service Resources: Square has a wealth of online resources, forums, and video tutorials that can help resolve common issues without needing live support.
Key Difference: Cake offers 24/7 specialized support for restaurants, while Square’s support is more generalized and limited to business hours.
8. Integrations
Cake POS:
- Third-Party Integrations: Cake POS integrates with many third-party applications tailored to the restaurant industry, such as delivery services, reservation systems, and marketing tools. However, it is not as flexible as Square in terms of integrating with non-restaurant software.
- API Access: Cake offers an API, but it is more restrictive in terms of how businesses can connect it to custom apps or services.
Square POS:
- Third-Party Integrations: Square has a vast marketplace of integrations, including accounting software (like QuickBooks), e-commerce platforms, marketing tools, payroll services, and more. It is much more flexible for businesses that need various integrations outside of restaurant-specific applications.
- API Access: Square offers robust API access, making it highly customizable for businesses that want to build custom workflows or integrate with unique software.
Key Difference: Square POS offers more flexibility in integrations, while Cake POS focuses on restaurant-specific integrations.
9. Reporting and Analytics
Cake POS:
- Restaurant-Specific Reports: Cake POS provides detailed analytics focused on restaurant performance, including sales trends, labor costs, menu performance, and guest behavior.
- Real-Time Data: You can access real-time reporting on multiple devices to monitor your restaurant’s performance from anywhere.
Square POS:
- Generalized Reporting: Square offers a wide range of reports, but its analytics are more generalized. However, with Square for Restaurants, you can access restaurant-specific reports like sales by item, modifier reports, and labor cost tracking.
- Dashboard: Square’s centralized dashboard is intuitive and can show sales trends, inventory data, and employee performance.
Key Difference: Cake POS offers more in-depth, restaurant-specific reports, while Square provides more generalized reports but covers multiple industries.
Final Thoughts: Cake POS vs. Square POS
- Choose Cake POS if you are a restaurant, café, or bar owner looking for an industry-specific system with advanced features like table management, delivery integration, and guest management. Its restaurant-focused features make it a strong contender for food and beverage establishments.
- Choose Square POS if you want a flexible, affordable, and easy-to-use POS system with broad industry applications. Square is better for businesses that need a general-purpose POS system with robust payment processing, customization, and integrations across industries.
The best solution depends on your business type, size, and specific needs. Cake POS excels in the restaurant industry, while Square POS is a versatile system that can cater to a broader audience with easier entry costs and flexible features.
