Software · head to head
Square for Restaurants vs BentoBox
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: Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan; BentoBox bentoBox is now Clover, and its own site states that BentoBox products and services are only available to Clover POS customers
- They diverge on capability: Square for Restaurants covers Table management, BentoBox covers Website builder.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Square for Restaurants and BentoBox actually diverge.
| Attribute | Square for Restaurants | BentoBox |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $99/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Web |
| Founded | 2018 | 2013 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Square for Restaurants
- Table management
- Menu customization
- Split checks
- Offline mode
- Real-time reporting
- Kitchen display
- Caviar
- DoorDash
Only in BentoBox
- Website builder
- Online ordering
- Email marketing
- Gift cards
- Catering
- Event management
- OpenTable
- Resy
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Square for Restaurants
- Point of Salenot BentoBox
- Order Managementnot BentoBox
- Inventory Controlnot BentoBox
- Staff Schedulingnot BentoBox
BentoBox
- Restaurant websites with integrated online orderingnot Square for Restaurants
- Gift cards, events and catering enquiries from a restaurant's own sitenot Square for Restaurants
- Marketing and customer data capture for restaurants on Clover POSnot Square for Restaurants
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
BentoBox
- BentoBox is now Clover, and its own site states that BentoBox products and services are only available to Clover POS customers
- The pricing page publishes no plan price, setup fee, online ordering commission or contract length
- Existing customers wanting to add services are directed to a customer success manager or an email address rather than a self serve price
Pricing, plan by plan
Square for Restaurants
Free- FreeFree
- POS
- Menu management
- Basic reporting
- Plus$60/month
- Advanced features
- Live sales
- Seat management
- PremiumFree
- Custom pricing
- Dedicated support
BentoBox
$99/month- Starter$99/month
- Website
- Basic features
- Essential$199/month
- Online ordering
- Marketing
- Pro$399/month
- Full features
- Catering
Which should you pick?
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 Square for Restaurants or BentoBox better?
- Neither clearly leads. Square for Restaurants starts at Free and BentoBox at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Square for Restaurants or BentoBox?
- Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Square for Restaurants and $99/month for BentoBox.
- Does Square for Restaurants or BentoBox run on more platforms?
- Square for Restaurants runs on Web, Ios, Android. BentoBox runs on Web.
- Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
- Yes. Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BentoBox starts at $99/month.
- What is Square for Restaurants best used for?
- Square for Restaurants 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 BentoBox is typically brought in for.
- What can Square for Restaurants do that BentoBox cannot?
- Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. BentoBox covers Website builder, Online ordering, Email marketing, Gift cards. Both handle Web support.