Food & Restaurant · head to head
Aloha POS vs Clover
Aloha POS
Food & Restaurant
Industry-leading restaurant POS solution
- From
- $150/month
- Rated
- -
Clover
Food & Restaurant
Point of sale system that grows with your business
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Aloha POS high upfront hardware costs ($1,000+ per terminal) make it expensive to deploy across multiple locations; Clover the App Store listing (Clover Network, Inc) requires an existing Clover merchant account to use the app at all; there is no self-serve signup or published subscription price inside the listing, confirming the product is sold only through merchant onboarding contracts
- They diverge on capability: Aloha POS covers Table management, Clover covers POS system.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Aloha POS and Clover actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Food & Restaurant).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Aloha POS
- Table management
- Order management
- Labor scheduling
- Inventory control
- Enterprise reporting
- Loyalty programs
- NCR Back Office
- Third-party delivery
Only in Clover
- POS system
- Payment processing
- Inventory management
- Employee management
- Reporting
- QuickBooks
- Yelp
- Gusto
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Aloha POS
- Point of Salenot Clover
- Order Managementnot Clover
- Inventory Controlnot Clover
- Staff Schedulingnot Clover
Clover
- Point of salenot Aloha POS
- Payment processingnot Aloha POS
- Business managementnot Aloha POS
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Aloha POS
- High upfront hardware costs ($1,000+ per terminal) make it expensive to deploy across multiple locations
- User interface is dated with functionality from 2005-era design, requiring training for staff familiar with modern applications
- Network connectivity issues cause terminals to lose access to central database when Wi-Fi drops, leading to transaction failures
- Requires proprietary terminals unlike competitors that run on standard iPads or Android tablets
- Complex customization requires expensive professional services and cannot be configured by restaurant staff
Clover
- The App Store listing (Clover Network, Inc) requires an existing Clover merchant account to use the app at all; there is no self-serve signup or published subscription price inside the listing, confirming the product is sold only through merchant onboarding contracts
Pricing, plan by plan
Aloha POS
$150/month- Essentials$150/month
- POS
- Basic reporting
- Professional$250/month
- Advanced features
- Labor management
- EnterpriseFree
- Custom pricing
- Full suite
Clover
$29/month- StarterFree
- Mobile payments
- Basic reporting
- Standard$14.95/month
- Full POS
- Employee management
- Inventory
Which should you pick?
Choose Aloha POS if
- You need table management.
- You work on Windows, Android.
- You also want order management.
Choose Clover if
- You need pos system.
- You work on Hardware, Ios, Android.
- You also want payment processing.
Questions people ask
- Is Aloha POS or Clover better?
- Neither clearly leads. Aloha POS starts at $150/month and Clover at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Aloha POS or Clover?
- Aloha POS starts at $150/month and Clover at $29/month.
- Does Aloha POS or Clover run on more platforms?
- Aloha POS runs on Windows, Android. Clover runs on Hardware, Ios, Android.
- What is Aloha POS best used for?
- Aloha POS is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling. Of those, point of sale and order management are not what Clover is typically brought in for.
- What can Aloha POS do that Clover cannot?
- Aloha POS covers Table management, Order management, Labor scheduling, Inventory control. Clover covers POS system, Payment processing, Inventory management, Employee management.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Aloha POS: What are the hardware options for Aloha POS?
Aloha offers two main products: Aloha Essentials POS which runs on Windows servers at your location, and Aloha Cloud POS which operates on Android-based mobile terminals connected to cloud systems. Hardware costs approximately $1,000 per terminal or available through subscription.
SourceAloha POS: What features does Aloha include for restaurant operations?
Aloha includes kitchen automation, table management, staff rosters, payment processing, inventory tracking, reporting, customer loyalty programs, and employee time tracking.
SourceAloha POS: Is Aloha POS available as a subscription?
Yes. NCR Aloha offers an all-in-one monthly subscription model that includes software, hardware, payment processing, and 24/7 customer support. Upfront implementation costs vary based on specific needs.
SourceAloha POS: What are the network requirements for Aloha POS?
Aloha Essentials requires a stable network connection between terminals and the Windows server. Network disruptions cause terminals to lose access to the central database, resulting in transaction failures and payment errors.
Source