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Food & Restaurant · head to head

Aloha POS vs Squire

Aloha POS logo

Aloha POS

Food & Restaurant

Industry-leading restaurant POS solution

From
$150/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Squire logo

Squire

Beauty & Salon

The operating system for barbershops

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Squire booking fees of $1-3 per appointment add significant cost beyond subscription, increasing total cost of ownership
  • They diverge on capability: Aloha POS covers Table management, Squire covers Online booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aloha POS and Squire actually diverge.

Attributes where Aloha POS and Squire differ
AttributeAloha POSSquire
Starting price$150/month$30/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWindows, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryFood & RestaurantBeauty & Salon
Founded19882015

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Squire

  • Online booking
  • Walk-in queue
  • Point of sale
  • Team management
  • Instant payouts
  • Client app
  • Marketing tools
  • Business analytics

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Aloha POS

  • Point of Salenot Squire
  • Order Managementnot Squire
  • Inventory Controlnot Squire
  • Staff Schedulingnot Squire

Squire

  • Barbershop managementnot Aloha POS
  • Walk-in handlingnot Aloha POS
  • Team payrollnot Aloha POS
  • Client bookingnot 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

Squire

  • Booking fees of $1-3 per appointment add significant cost beyond subscription, increasing total cost of ownership
  • Limited to barbershops and beauty salons; not suitable for other service industries
  • Walk-in and waitlist features only available on higher-tier plans, limiting functionality for drop-in appointments
  • POS system tightly integrated; cannot use with alternative payment processors or systems
  • Customer data locked into Squire platform with limited export options

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

Squire

$30/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Squire review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Aloha POS if

  • You need table management.
  • You work on Windows, Android.
  • You also want order management.
Aloha POS review

Choose Squire if

  • You need online booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want walk-in queue.
Squire review

Questions people ask

Is Aloha POS or Squire better?
Neither clearly leads. Aloha POS starts at $150/month and Squire at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aloha POS or Squire?
Aloha POS starts at $150/month and Squire at $30/month.
Does Aloha POS or Squire run on more platforms?
Aloha POS runs on Windows, Android. Squire runs on Web, 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 Squire is typically brought in for.
What can Aloha POS do that Squire cannot?
Aloha POS covers Table management, Order management, Labor scheduling, Inventory control. Squire covers Online booking, Walk-in queue, Point of sale, Team management. Both handle Web support.

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.

Source
Squire: What are Squire's pricing tiers?

Squire offers Pro plans starting at $30/month for independent barbers, Pro-Complete at $100/month for full shops, Executive tiers at $100-150/month, and Titan at $250/month. All include scheduling, POS, and customer management features.

Source
Aloha 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.

Source
Squire: Does Squire charge booking fees?

Yes, Squire charges customers $1-3 per booking for online scheduling, in addition to the monthly subscription cost. This is a key cost factor beyond the base subscription.

Source
Aloha 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.

Source
Squire: What integrations does Squire support?

Squire integrates with Square, QuickBooks, Google Calendar, and Stripe. It also offers an API for custom integrations and works with Zapier to connect to hundreds of other applications.

Source
Aloha 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
Squire: What core features does Squire provide?

Squire includes online appointment scheduling, integrated POS system, customer relationship management, loyalty reward programs, promo codes, and automated text reminders.

Source
Squire: Does Squire support walk-in customers?

Yes, Squire supports walk-in booking through its waitlist feature, which is available on all plans except the basic Pro tier.

Source
Squire: Who founded Squire and how is it backed?

Squire was founded by Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant in 2016. The company raised $162M in funding as of February 2026 and achieved a $750M valuation in 2021.

Source
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