# Alternatives to SpotOn

SpotOn is a restaurant point-of-sale and management platform bundling handheld ordering, online ordering, loyalty, and marketing with integrated payments.

SpotOn ranks #4 of 9 in Restaurant POS & management, with an Alt Score of 96. It is licensed under Proprietary (commercial SaaS), sold by subscription from $0/station per month (All-In plan) and available on iOS and Web. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spoton/
Category: Restaurant POS & management

## Where SpotOn stands out

- **Staff scheduling & payroll** — 3 of 9 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Loyalty & gift cards** — 4 of 9 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Own hardware** — 4 of 9 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: SpotOn is a U.S.-based point-of-sale and management platform for restaurants and hospitality businesses, including full-service and casual dining, fine dining, quick service, fast casual, bars, nightclubs, breweries, and cafes/bakeries. It targets both single-location operators and multi-unit restaurant groups that want an integrated POS, payments, and marketing stack.
- **What you get**: A cloud restaurant POS with SpotOn-branded hardware (Station 15, Station 10, handhelds, kiosks, and a KDS), integrated SpotOn payment processing, and an AI-assisted menu builder. The platform bundles commission-free online ordering plus third-party delivery integrations, kitchen display, reservations and waitlist, loyalty and gift cards, marketing, reporting and analytics included at no extra cost, and employee scheduling with payroll data sync (SpotOn Teamwork). Reporting and management are accessible from any device, and 24/7 support is included on all plans.
- **How it works**: Restaurants choose a plan ranging from the All-In tier at $0/station per month (monetized through card processing rates such as 2.79% + $0.20) up to POS Essentials at $55/station per month or a custom Build Your Own package, with hardware sold separately (e.g., Station 15 from $750). The software runs on SpotOn's proprietary, closed-system terminals and handhelds for tableside ordering and payments, while a cloud dashboard centralizes menus, reporting, scheduling, and multi-location control. Offline mode keeps the POS taking orders and issuing kitchen tickets during internet outages, automatically syncing offline payments once the connection returns.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (commercial SaaS) (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Pricing model**: Subscription (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Starts at**: $0/station per month (All-In plan) (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Platforms**: iOS, Web
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-12)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Toast](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/toast.md) | 100 | Proprietary | iOS, Android, Web |
| 2 | [Clover](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/clover.md) | 96 | Proprietary / commercial (Clover Network, LLC, a Fiserv company) | iOS, Android, Web |
| 3 | [Lightspeed Restaurant](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lightspeed-restaurant.md) | 96 | Proprietary (commercial SaaS) | iOS, Web |
| 4 | [Lavu](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lavu.md) | 85 | Proprietary (commercial SaaS) | iOS, Web |
| 5 | [Revel Systems](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/revel.md) | 85 | Proprietary (commercial) | iOS |
| 6 | [Square for Restaurants](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/square-restaurants.md) | 85 | Proprietary | iOS, Web |
| 7 | [TouchBistro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/touchbistro.md) | 70 | Proprietary (commercial SaaS) | iOS, Web |
| 8 | [GloriaFood](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/gloriafood.md) | 55 | Proprietary SaaS (owned by Oracle) | Web, iOS, Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Restaurant POS & management checklist | SpotOn | Toast | Clover | Lightspeed Restaurant | Lavu | Revel Systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription | Freemium | Subscription | Subscription | ? | ? |
| Starts at | $0/station per month (All-In plan) | Free | ? | US$69/month | ? | ? |
| License | Proprietary (commercial SaaS) | Proprietary | Proprietary / commercial (Clover Network, LLC, a Fiserv company) | Proprietary (commercial SaaS) | Proprietary (commercial SaaS) | Proprietary (commercial) |
| Platforms | iOS, Web | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Web | iOS, Web | iOS |
| Tableside / handheld ordering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Menu management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Online ordering & delivery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kitchen display system | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory management | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Staff scheduling & payroll | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Loyalty & gift cards | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Reporting & analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offline mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payment processing included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Own hardware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | Partial |
| Multi-location | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for SpotOn. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary (commercial SaaS) — <https://www.spoton.com/hardware/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “SpotOn uses proprietary, secured, and closed-system hardware designed specifically for our software.”
- **Pricing model**: Subscription — <https://www.spoton.com/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: Per-station monthly subscription plus card payment processing fees; entry All-In tier is $0/station/month.
  - Quote: “POS Essentials $55/station per month”
- **Starts at**: $0/station per month (All-In plan) — <https://www.spoton.com/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: Revenue via processing rates (card present 2.79% + $0.20); next paid tier POS Essentials $55/station/month.
  - Quote: “All-In Plan $0/station per month”
- **Platforms**: iOS, Web — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spoton-restaurant-reports/id962149709> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: iOS companion apps by SpotOn Transact, Inc; cloud dashboard/reporting accessible from any device (Web). POS runs on SpotOn's own hardware.
  - Quote: “Requires iOS 13.0 or later. iPhone Requires iOS 13.0 or later. iPad Requires iPadOS 13.0 or later.”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.spoton.com/why-spoton/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “We're here 24/7. When you call, we pick up — day or night.”
- **Tableside / handheld ordering**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-pos/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Take orders and payments tableside on a full-featured portable point-of-sale.”
- **Menu management**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-pos/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Effortlessly build and modify your menu with just a few prompts.”
- **Online ordering & delivery**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-pos/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: Plus third-party delivery integrations (DoorDash, Uber Eats).
  - Quote: “Take back your profit with a commission-free online ordering system that connects to SpotOn POS.”
- **Kitchen display system**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/solutions/kitchen-display-system/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “SpotOn KDS shows your cooks the info they need, where they need it, even if the internet goes down.”
- **Inventory management**: Partial — <https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-pos/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: No native inventory; provided via integrations such as MarginEdge and Craftable.
  - Quote: “tracking inventory through integrations”
- **Staff scheduling & payroll**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/solutions/scheduling/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: Same page: Sync timecards and payroll data to cut errors, speed processing, and simplify payday.
  - Quote: “SpotOn Teamwork helps you build schedules in minutes, control labor costs, and empower your team with tools that connect directly with your point-of-sale.”
- **Loyalty & gift cards**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/solutions/loyalty/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: Gift cards offered too (physical and digital) per spoton.com/solutions/gift-cards/.
  - Quote: “SpotOn Loyalty lets restaurants create customizable rewards that work in-store and online.”
- **Reporting & analytics**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/solutions/reporting/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Restaurant analytics software from SpotOn is included with SpotOn POS at no extra cost.”
- **Offline mode**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-pos/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Automatically syncs all offline payments once your internet is back up.”
- **Payment processing included**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: Integrated SpotOn payments; processing rates bundled with every POS plan.
  - Quote: “Card present: 2.79% + $0.20”
- **Own hardware**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/hardware/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: SpotOn-branded Station 15, Station 10, Handheld, and guest-facing display.
  - Quote: “SpotOn uses proprietary, secured, and closed-system hardware designed specifically for our software.”
- **Multi-location**: Yes — <https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-management-system/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Centralized control over reporting, employee scheduling, and menu updates all from a single dashboard”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/