TouchBistro vs Clover: Comparing Their Features, Pricing, and Merchant Reviews

In the last several years restaurants have modified their operations and modernized to keep up with changing consumer behavior—including an increase in online ordering, takeout, and food delivery apps. Your POS system impacts the efficiency of operations and streamlines the customer experience. For small and medium sized businesses in the restaurant industry, there are many providers to choose from; this article explores the differences between two leading options: TouchBistro and Clover.

TL;DR

  • The largest difference between the two is the operating system; TouchBistro operates on the Apple iOS, Clover is primarily an Android product.
  • Pricing for Clover lacks transparency, while TouchBistro shares various options for basic services and add ons up front.
  • Merchant reviews for several restaurant POS systems are similar, with mixed user reviews for pricing, equipment, customer support, and user experience.

Comparing TouchBistro and Clover POS Systems

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two restaurant POS systems is the operating systems. The TouchBistro POS solution runs on the Apple iOS, and the Clover POS systems use an Android operating system and proprietary hardware. 

For TouchBistro, users enjoy the intuitive ease of use of Apple devices and can use any Apple iPhone or iPad to download restaurant management apps. For Clover, Android tablets and hardware must be used and users download applications from Clover’s App Marketplace.

Both offer a variety of apps in the marketplace, including inventory management, order management, restaurant management, menu management, tableside ordering, and floorplan management. Clover systems come equipped with basic capabilities, but many of the desired features come from applications in the marketplace. Though many apps have free versions, the paid version typically has more robust functionality—meaning the app you need may cost more.

Another difference is Clover is exclusively a cloud-based operating system, and TouchBistro has cloud capabilities but can also be hardwired to act as a local connection in the event of an internet outage. Stax offers several Clover point-of-sale systems which are all WiFi or LTE enabled in case the internet goes down.

Clover is available for restaurants in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. TouchBistro is available in the same geographies and also can operate in Mexico and more than 100 other countries. However, for businesses operating outside the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Mexico, some TouchBistro functionality is limited.

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Pricing Comparison: TouchBistro and Clover POS

For Clover products, pricing is not listed transparently on their website. Clover advertises they are an all-in-one solution where businesses can pay monthly as a subscription or in full for an annual contract, and that merchants “can expect to pay a monthly software fee plus processing rates per transaction.” 

However, because Stax offers a subscription pricing model with no interchange markup, small and medium sized businesses can save substantially by choosing a payment processor that offers POS hardware and software, without having to purchase directly from Clover. Our pricing starts at $99 per month and we offer several Clover terminals, including the Clover Flex, Clover Mini, Clover Station Solo and Duo.

For TouchBistro, there are a number of options available, with monthly subscriptions that can be selected as an add-on. Standard POS pricing starts at $69 per month for one license. There are several other features promoted as add-ons by TouchBistro to improve customer engagement, these include:

  • Online ordering starting at $50 per month
  • Customer loyalty programs starting at $99 per month
  • Marketing capabilities starting at $99 per month
  • Gift card creation, both digital and physical, starting at $25 per month
  • Reservations starting at $229 per month
  • For multiple licenses, the price is $129 per month for two, $249 per month for up to five, and $399 per month for unlimited.

The fees above do not include payment processing fees. When considering a restaurant POS, review the mix of payment types and volume of payments to determine the projected cost. 

Touchbistro Vs Clover: Comparing Their Features, Pricing, And Merchant Reviews | Merchant Using Stax Payment Processing

Merchant Review FAQs

Specs and pricing information are important to understand when evaluating your POS solutions, but the merchant reviews speak volumes. 

Overall, on the G2 comparison site, TouchBistro has a slight edge on Clover, with users saying TouchBistro is easier to use, administer, and do business with. However, there are fewer reviews for Clover on G2 and the direct comparison does lack some information needed to make a true comparison. 

Other popular review sites, such as Capterra, yield similar results—mixed reviews and  similar ratings from users. For either TouchBistro or Clover, the “likelihood to recommend” hovers around 60-66%. 

How do Lightspeed, Square and Toast POS systems compare? 

There are several other restaurant point of sale options available, including Lightspeed, Square, and Toast POS. If you’re researching POS systems, you’re bound to see a variety of comparison materials for the various options. 

Each vendor offers a different array of POS features. This comparison looks at Clover, Lightspeed and Toast and shows just how similar the results are. Each has a user satisfaction score of 98-99%, a range of pricing depending on add ons, and a laundry list of available features. When comparing TouchBistro to Square, the results are similar, with different pain points and a comparable user review score. 

There are a handful of reputable, trusted options to choose from. Small businesses, especially in the restaurant industry should consider a few options and compare the pricing and functionality in order to choose the option best suited to their business.

Available Point of Sale Integrations

TouchBistro is sold as an all-in-one POS and restaurant management system. As such, there are several integrations available, including accounting, business insights and analytics, inventory management, payroll, and more. There are far too many APIs to list here, but some highlights include QuickBooks, Restaurant 365, Square payment processing, and Chase Merchant Services.

Similarly, Clover also offers a suite of APIs, including Shopify, DocuSign, MailChimp, QuickBooks, and more. Many integrations are available with both TouchBistro and Clover, so when evaluating your options, have your list of most-used applications handy to ensure the POS system integrates with them.

Customer Support Overview for TouchBistro and Clover

Overall, the customer satisfaction scores for both TouchBistro and Clover POS software are in the high 90s. Both offer 24/7 customer support, but TouchBistro does have a slight edge by offering in-person onboarding, but the score difference between the two is minimal.

With any review site, there are a mix of complaints and glowing reviews about the customer service and functionality of the product—and the overall score varies from site to site. Ultimately, it looks like a draw between the two with neither TouchBistro or Clover winning outright across all metrics and review sites.

Final Words

For small and medium sized businesses in the restaurant industry, choosing a payment processing partner and your POS solution isn’t an easy choice. Our best advice is to do thorough research and comparisons of your top options before choosing your partner.

Both TouchBistro and Clover are trusted and well-rated restaurant POS options. The user experience is similarly rated, the integrations are comparable, and the functionalities are closely matched. 

Stax offers several Clover POS options with our award-winning customer service and cost-effective payment processing subscription. Ready to learn how Stax can help your business get the most out of your POS software and hardware? Get in touch!

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