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Loyalty, CRM & gift cards

Loyalty software ranking for small restaurants on a budget (2026, draft)

Only loyalty platforms sold to small restaurants on a budget are ranked here, with weights adjusted for this type of business. The overall ranking is always available too.

Updated Oct 17, 2026Public methodology · updated Oct 17, 2026

A small team with little time for marketing: low monthly cost, short commitments and a program that runs by itself.

Weigh more here than in the overall ranking: 12-month cost (reference restaurant), initial term, and early termination fee. Weigh less here: app with your brand.

The ranking

  1. 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

    8.5

    #1 for Small restaurants on a budget

    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
    Visit Square(opens in a new tab)Read the review

    PricingContract

    Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), ways to earn rewards, and rewards on your online orders. Weakest on POS systems it connects to.

  2. 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

    7.3

    #2 for Small restaurants on a budget

    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
    Visit SpotOn(opens in a new tab)Read the review

    PricingContract

    Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), rewards on your online orders, and digital gift cards. Weakest on POS systems it connects to.

  3. 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

    7.0

    #3 for Small restaurants on a budget

    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
    Visit Loyalzoo(opens in a new tab)Read the review

    PricingContract

    Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), ways to earn rewards, and automatic campaigns. Weakest on digital gift cards.

  4. 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

    6.8

    #4 for Small restaurants on a budget

    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
    Visit Clover(opens in a new tab)Read the review

    PricingContract

    Strongest on 12-month cost (reference restaurant), digital gift cards, and published pricing. Weakest on POS systems it connects to.

This is general information about published contracts, not legal advice: read your own contract and check with a lawyer before you sign.

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