Frequent, small purchases: visit-based rewards (buy 9, get the 10th), fast sign-up at the counter and gift cards.
Weigh more here than in the overall ranking: ways to earn rewards, digital gift cards, and physical gift cards.
The ranking
Square Loyalty
By Square
Square's points, visits or items loyalty program, built into Square's POS and included in the Square Plus plan along with email and text campaigns, a customer directory and gift cards.
RTC SCORE
8.3
#1 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Published price: loyalty comes inside Square Plus at $49 a month per location, billed month to month with a 30-day free trial.
- Guests earn by points, visits or items, with VIP tiers, and redeem in the restaurant or online.
- Unlimited email campaigns and 500 texts a month included, with automated welcome, birthday and win-back campaigns.
Cons
- Only works with Square's own POS.
- Gift card loads cost up to 2.5% on Square Plus, on top of card processing.
- Phone support on Square Plus only on weekdays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific; 24/7 support needs Square Premium.
- Initial term
- Month to month
Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), ways to earn rewards, and digital gift cards. Weakest on POS systems it connects to.
TapMango
By TapMango
A loyalty and marketing platform for counter-service businesses such as coffee shops, quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, with a customer-facing tablet at the register, text and email campaigns, online ordering and an app with your brand. It connects to Toast, Square, Clover and many other POS systems, or runs on its own tablet.
RTC SCORE
7.2
#2 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- One fee covers loyalty, text and email campaigns, surveys, online ordering and an app with your brand in the App Store and Google Play.
- An 8-inch tablet with stand, branded key tags, design and onboarding come with the plan.
- Connects to Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed and more than 40 POS systems, or runs on its own tablet.
Cons
- No published price: the quote depends on locations, tablets and how many messages you send.
- Term, renewal and exit terms are only shared on the sales call.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Strongest on ways to earn rewards, digital gift cards, and rewards on your online orders. Weakest on published pricing.
SpotOn Loyalty
By SpotOn
SpotOn's points-or-visits loyalty program, sold as an add-on to SpotOn's restaurant POS. Guests earn and redeem in the restaurant, on its online ordering and in the GoTo Place app, and every sign-up feeds SpotOn's email and text campaigns.
RTC SCORE
7.1
#3 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Published price: the loyalty add-on is $65 a month on top of a SpotOn POS plan.
- Guests earn and redeem in the restaurant, on your online ordering and in the GoTo Place app, and rewards apply automatically at checkout.
- Email campaigns, guest feedback after payment and digital gift cards come with SpotOn POS without a monthly fee.
Cons
- Works only with SpotOn's own POS.
- Text campaigns cost extra by volume, and SpotOn does not publish the price.
- The cheapest way in, the All-In POS plan, carries a two-year term, a processing minimum and an exit fee equal to the months left.
- Initial term
- 24 months
Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), digital gift cards, and rewards on your online orders. Weakest on ways to earn rewards.
Loyalzoo
By Loyalzoo
Points or punch-card loyalty, text, email and push marketing, and paid memberships for small shops, cafes and restaurants. It runs on its own on any tablet or phone, or connected to Clover, Square and other POS systems.
RTC SCORE
6.9
#4 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Published prices: Grow at $77 a month with no setup fee and a 7-day free trial.
- Works with or without a POS: connects to Clover, Square and others, or runs on any tablet or phone.
- Unlimited email and push messages, a branded web app and wallet passes on every plan.
Cons
- Texts are not included on Grow: each one costs about $0.03 in credits sold in blocks of 100.
- No gift cards, and loyalty tiers and targeted rewards start on the $167 Smart plan.
- Prepaid months are not refunded, and the terms are governed by English law.
- Initial term
- Month to month
Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), ways to earn rewards, and app with your brand. Weakest on digital gift cards.
Incentivio
By Incentivio
Ordering, loyalty, marketing and guest data platform for restaurant groups with several locations, including coffee brands, with branded apps, email and text campaigns, and digital gift cards. Priced by quote.
RTC SCORE
6.8
#5 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Ordering, branded apps, loyalty, email and text campaigns and digital gift cards in one platform.
- Publishes a broad POS list: Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, SpotOn, PAR Brink, Oracle Simphony and more.
- Its public terms cap price increases at once a year and 5% plus inflation.
Cons
- Price and setup come only with a quote, with an implementation fee due when you sign.
- 12-month term that renews by itself unless you give 90 days' notice, with no exit for convenience.
- Built for groups with 5 or more locations.
- Initial term
- 12 months
Strongest on ways to earn rewards, digital gift cards, and rewards on your online orders. Weakest on published pricing.
Clover Rewards
By Clover
Clover's built-in points loyalty program, included in Clover's Essentials and Restaurant Growth software plans along with a customer database, promotions, private feedback and gift cards.
RTC SCORE
6.6
#6 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Rewards is included at no extra charge in Clover's Essentials plan, published at $29.95 a month with the Clover Mini bought outright.
- Comes with a customer database built from card sales, promotions by email and text, private feedback from receipts and gift cards.
- Points sync across all your Clover devices and eligible locations.
Cons
- Only works with Clover's own POS and devices, which cost $849 or more up front.
- Contract length and termination fees depend on who sells you Clover, and are not published on clover.com.
- Points only, with no visit-based program or tiers documented, and no text allowance or price per text published.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), digital gift cards, and published pricing. Weakest on ways to earn rewards.
Paytronix
By Paytronix
Loyalty, gift card, online ordering and guest marketing platform for restaurant chains, quick service and coffee brands, and also for groups with a few locations. It connects to many POS systems and is priced by quote.
RTC SCORE
6.2
#7 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Loyalty, gift cards, online ordering and campaigns on one platform, with email messaging included in every loyalty subscription.
- Publishes its text price: $0.01 per message, with no monthly fee on a 10-digit number.
- A long published list of supported POS systems, including Toast, SpotOn, Heartland, PAR Brink and Square.
Cons
- Platform price, setup, term and exit terms come only with a quote; the public terms page asks for an email first.
- Short codes for texting cost $750 or $1,250 a month, charged during setup too.
- Support is second level: your own IT team calls first, with no direct line for store managers; 24/7 only for emergencies.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Strongest on ways to earn rewards, rewards on your online orders, and automatic campaigns. Weakest on digital gift cards.
PAR Punchh
By PAR Technology
Loyalty and guest marketing platform from PAR Technology for restaurant chains and franchises, with points, tiers and referrals, offers by text and email, and branded apps. Priced by quote.
RTC SCORE
5.9
#8 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Points, visits, tiers, referrals and banked-currency programs, with email, text and push built in.
- Guests can use Apple and Google Wallet passes, with no app download.
- A dedicated engagement manager, plus optional campaign execution and strategy services.
Cons
- Price, setup and term come only with a quote; it's built for chains and franchises.
- Renews for a year at a time unless you give 60 days' notice, with no early exit for convenience.
- PAR's partner directory doesn't list Square, Clover, Shift4 POS, Lightspeed or SpotOn.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Strongest on ways to earn rewards, rewards on your online orders, and automatic campaigns. Weakest on published pricing.
SumUp Connect
By SumUp
SumUp's loyalty and automated marketing service, formerly Fivestars, for neighborhood businesses such as coffee shops and quick-service restaurants. Guests join with their phone number at checkout and earn points, and automatic text, email and push messages bring them back.
RTC SCORE
5.1
#9 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Published prices: Connect Plus is $269 a month on its own, or $199 a month bundled with SumUp's POS software.
- Guests join with just a phone number at checkout or by text, and AutoPilot sends birthday, first-visit and win-back offers on its own.
- POS and loyalty phone support 9 AM to 9 PM ET, 7 days a week.
Cons
- Connect Plus only includes 2 promotions a month; unlimited promotions need Pro, at $349 a month alone or $289 with SumUp POS.
- The guarantee requires a 12-month subscription, and the agreement's exit terms are not public.
- Apart from SumUp's own POS and Shopify, SumUp does not name the POS systems it connects to.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), published pricing, and automatic campaigns.
Thanx
By Thanx
Loyalty, guest data and marketing platform for restaurant brands with several locations, with card-linked or check-in rewards, branded ordering apps and automatic campaigns. Priced by quote.
RTC SCORE
4.7
#10 for Coffee shops and quick service
Pros
- Guests can earn automatically with a linked card, with no app or check-in at the counter.
- Branded app and web ordering with loyalty built in, plus automatic campaigns by email and push.
- A dedicated customer success manager, with a published 4-hour average response time.
Cons
- Price, term and setup come only with a quote; it sells to brands with several locations.
- Renews automatically for a term as long as the first unless you give 60 days' notice, and there's no early exit for convenience.
- Text campaigns and gift cards need separate partner platforms.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Strongest on rewards on your online orders, ways to earn rewards, and automatic campaigns. Weakest on digital gift cards.
Not enough verified data to rank
We only rank a loyalty platform once we've verified enough of its key facts. These are listed so you know we looked at them.
This is general information about published contracts, not legal advice: read your own contract and check with a lawyer before you sign.