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Food & Restaurant · head to head

Tock vs Aloha POS

Tock logo

Tock

Food & Restaurant

All-in-one reservation and events platform

From
$199/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Aloha POS logo

Aloha POS

Food & Restaurant

Industry-leading restaurant POS solution

From
$150/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Tock tock To Go pickup/delivery takes a 3% cut of orders from restaurants, with the separate $5 to $10 delivery charge passed to the consumer, per a case study reproduced on the vendor's own site (Internet Archive capture, 25 December 2022); Aloha POS high upfront hardware costs ($1,000+ per terminal) make it expensive to deploy across multiple locations
  • They diverge on capability: Tock covers Reservations, Aloha POS covers Order management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Tock and Aloha POS differ
AttributeTockAloha POS
Starting price$199/month$150/month
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWindows, Android
Founded20141988

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 Tock

  • Reservations
  • Prepaid bookings
  • Event ticketing
  • Experiences
  • CRM
  • Toast
  • Square
  • Stripe

Only in Aloha POS

  • Order management
  • Labor scheduling
  • Inventory control
  • Enterprise reporting
  • Loyalty programs
  • NCR Back Office
  • Third-party delivery
  • Accounting software

Both cover

  • Table management
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Tock

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Aloha POS

  • 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.

Tock

  • Tock To Go pickup/delivery takes a 3% cut of orders from restaurants, with the separate $5 to $10 delivery charge passed to the consumer, per a case study reproduced on the vendor's own site (Internet Archive capture, 25 December 2022)

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Tock

$199/month
  • Basic$199/month
    • Reservations
    • Basic features
  • Plus$699/month
    • Events
    • Prepaid
    • Marketing
  • ProFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Full features

Aloha POS

$150/month
  • Essentials$150/month
    • POS
    • Basic reporting
  • Professional$250/month
    • Advanced features
    • Labor management
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Full suite

Which should you pick?

Choose Tock if

  • You need reservations.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want prepaid bookings.
Tock review

Choose Aloha POS if

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

Questions people ask

Is Tock or Aloha POS better?
Neither clearly leads. Tock starts at $199/month and Aloha POS at $150/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tock or Aloha POS?
Tock starts at $199/month and Aloha POS at $150/month.
Does Tock or Aloha POS run on more platforms?
Tock runs on Web, Ios, Android. Aloha POS runs on Windows, Android.
What is Tock best used for?
Tock is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can Tock do that Aloha POS cannot?
Tock covers Reservations, Prepaid bookings, Event ticketing, Experiences. Aloha POS covers Order management, Labor scheduling, Inventory control, Enterprise reporting. Both handle Table management, 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
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
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
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
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