# CAKE POS vs Square for Restaurants

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Square for Restaurants

| Attribute | CAKE POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 58.6 (24% (low)) | 78.5 (58% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | All-In-One Restaurant Point of Sale with 24/7 Human Support. Restaurant POS system designed for quick service, full service, bars, and multi-location concepts. | A cloud-based operating system for restaurants and food service businesses that integrates payment processing, order and inventory management, staff scheduling, customer loyalty programs, and real-time analytics in a unified platform. |
| features.capabilities | `{"kds":true,"inventory":true,"venue_type":"multi","pricing_model":"processing_pct","multi_location":true,"target_segment":"smb","online_ordering":true,"hardware_ecosystem":true,"loyalty_gift_cards":true,"payment_processing":"built_in","delivery_integrations":true}` | `{"pci_dss":true,"inventory":true,"venue_type":"multi","offline_mode":true,"pricing_model":"processing_pct","multi_location":true,"target_segment":"smb","emv_contactless":true,"online_ordering":true,"hardware_ecosystem":true,"loyalty_gift_cards":true,"payment_processing":"built_in","delivery_integrations":true}` |
| integrations.count | 25 | 1 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Coverdash"},{"name":"Fisherman"},{"name":"Dolce"},{"name":"7shifts"},{"name":"Quickbooks"},{"name":"Xero"},{"name":"Shogo"},{"name":"Davo"},{"name":"Olo"},{"name":"Uber Eats"},{"name":"DoorDash"},{"name":"Checkmate"},{"name":"eCards"},{"name":"Paytronix"},{"name":"Restaurant 365"},{"name":"LRS Table Tracker"},{"name":"Crunchtime Kitchen"},{"name":"Orca"},{"name":"CheddrSuite"},{"name":"Epson"},{"name":"Cheftab"},{"name":"NCR"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Elo Touch"},{"name":"Sysco"}]` | `[{"name":"Delivery platforms"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":["US","CA","JP","AU","GB","FR","IE","ES"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Core","summary":"No monthly bill; cost built into processing rate","features":["POS terminal with payment processing","Reporting and analytics","Lifetime equipment replacement","Online ordering","24/7 U.S. human support"],"description":"For single-location restaurants that want essentials supported for life.","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Growth","summary":"No monthly bill; cost built into processing rate","features":["Everything in Core","Virtual or white-glove installation","Business insurance (Coverdash)","Access to working capital","Sysco partner integrations","AI reporting & management","Online ordering and loyalty","24/7 bilingual platinum support","Professional website design"],"description":"Everything in Core plus premium tools and white-glove setup.","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Scale","summary":"No monthly bill; cost built into processing rate","features":["Enterprise integrations","Dedicated account manager","Multi-location AI reporting","Platinum 24/7 support","Exclusive partner perks"],"description":"For multi-location brands that want customization, deeper data, and enterprise support.","contactSales":true}],"summary":"No monthly software or hardware fees. Cost is built into your processing rate. Three plans: Core (single-location), Growth (most value), and Scale (enterprise/multi-location).","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://trycake.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T16:51:37.866Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Square Free","summary":"Free with per-transaction processing fees","features":["POS app for card, mobile wallet, and cash payments","Online ordering profile and basic website","Item library with inventory tracking","Invoicing and estimates","Appointment scheduling","Business checking and savings accounts"],"description":"Essential POS and business tools with variable processing fees","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Square Plus","summary":"Lower processing fees with advanced POS and marketing","features":["Advanced POS for food, beverage, retail, and appointments","Lower in-person and online card processing fees","Custom loyalty rewards program","Unlimited email marketing","500 free text messages monthly, then 3¢ per text","Staff scheduling and attendance tracking"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"text"},"kind":"per_unit","amount":0.03,"currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD","description":"First 500 texts free per month"}],"description":"Advanced POS features with lower processing fees and marketing tools","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Square Premium","summary":"Premium support and lowest processing fees","features":["All Square Plus features","24/7 priority phone support","Advanced reporting and analytics","Lowest in-person and online card processing fees","2,500 free text messages monthly, then 1.5¢ per text","No gift card load fees"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"text"},"kind":"per_unit","amount":0.015,"currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD","description":"First 2,500 texts free per month"}],"description":"Highest-tier features with 24/7 support and lowest processing fees","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Square Pro","summary":"Custom pricing for $250k+ annual transaction volume","features":["Custom processing fees","Hardware discounts","Onboarding and implementation support","Technical specialists","Dedicated account management"],"description":"Custom enterprise pricing for high-volume processors","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"annual_processing":"$250,000+"}}],"summary":"Free tier plus usage-based processing fees. Paid tiers unlock lower processing rates and expanded features. Custom pricing for enterprise volume.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T10:26:29.291Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |

## Capabilities (Restaurant POS Software)

| Capability | CAKE POS | Square for Restaurants |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Venue type | Multi-concept | Multi-concept |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| PCI DSS compliant | - | ✓ |
| EMV chip / contactless payments | - | ✓ |
| **Reliability** |  |  |
| Offline mode | - | ✓ |
| **Front of house** |  |  |
| Online ordering | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reservations / waitlist | - | - |
| Loyalty / gift cards | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Back of house** |  |  |
| Kitchen display system (KDS) | ✓ | - |
| Inventory management | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Integrations** |  |  |
| Delivery integrations (DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub) | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Hardware** |  |  |
| Proprietary hardware ecosystem (terminals/KDS) | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Market** |  |  |
| Multi-location support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Target segment | SMB / independent | SMB / independent |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payment processing | Built-in / proprietary processor | Built-in / proprietary processor |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | % of transactions | % of transactions |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:34:08.232Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*