Software · head to head
BlueCart vs Square for Restaurants
Square for Restaurants
Software
Restaurant POS system that works for you
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: BlueCart primarily focused on food and hospitality industry with limited applicability to other sectors; Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
- They diverge on capability: BlueCart covers Supplier ordering, Square for Restaurants covers Table management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which BlueCart and Square for Restaurants actually diverge.
| Attribute | BlueCart | Square for Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2014 | 2018 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 BlueCart
- Supplier ordering
- Spend analytics
- Budget tracking
- Inventory
- Order history
- Mobile ordering
- Xero
- Restaurant365
Only in Square for Restaurants
- Table management
- Menu customization
- Split checks
- Offline mode
- Real-time reporting
- Kitchen display
- Caviar
- DoorDash
Both cover
- QuickBooks
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
BlueCart
- Point of Sale
- Order Management
- Inventory Control
- Staff Scheduling
Square for Restaurants
- Point of Sale
- Order Management
- Inventory Control
- Staff Scheduling
Both are used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
BlueCart
- Primarily focused on food and hospitality industry with limited applicability to other sectors
- Requires supplier adoption for full functionality
Square for Restaurants
- The Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
- KDS and Kiosk are billed per device per month on top of the plan, so cost scales with terminals rather than locations
- Restaurants processing over $250,000 a year are moved to custom pricing rather than the published rates
Pricing, plan by plan
BlueCart
$10/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the BlueCart review.
Square for Restaurants
Free- FreeFree
- POS
- Menu management
- Basic reporting
- Plus$60/month
- Advanced features
- Live sales
- Seat management
- PremiumFree
- Custom pricing
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
Choose BlueCart if
- You need supplier ordering.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want spend analytics.
Choose Square for Restaurants if
- You need table management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want menu customization.
Questions people ask
- Is BlueCart or Square for Restaurants better?
- Neither clearly leads. BlueCart starts at $10/month and Square for Restaurants at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, BlueCart or Square for Restaurants?
- Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $10/month for BlueCart and Free for Square for Restaurants.
- Does BlueCart or Square for Restaurants run on more platforms?
- BlueCart runs on Web, Mobile. Square for Restaurants runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
- Yes. Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BlueCart starts at $10/month.
- What is BlueCart best used for?
- BlueCart is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
- What can BlueCart do that Square for Restaurants cannot?
- BlueCart covers Supplier ordering, Spend analytics, Budget tracking, Inventory. Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. Both handle QuickBooks, Web support, Ios support, Android support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
BlueCart: What is BlueCart's base pricing?
BlueCart pricing starts at $10 per month, with pricing tiers based on the number of orders processed per month.
SourceBlueCart: Who can use BlueCart?
BlueCart is designed as a wholesale order management platform for both buyers (restaurants, hospitality businesses) and suppliers in the food industry to streamline the procurement process.
Source