Food & Restaurant · head to head
Yelp Reservations vs Aloha POS
Aloha POS
Food & Restaurant
Industry-leading restaurant POS solution
- From
- $150/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Yelp Reservations basic Guest Manager plan caps at 500 covers per month; higher volume requires the Plus plan at $279/month (annual) or $349/month (monthly); Aloha POS high upfront hardware costs ($1,000+ per terminal) make it expensive to deploy across multiple locations
- They diverge on capability: Yelp Reservations covers Online reservations, Aloha POS covers Table management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Yelp Reservations and Aloha POS actually diverge.
| Attribute | Yelp Reservations | Aloha POS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $99/month | $150/month |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Windows, Android |
| Founded | 2004 | 1988 |
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 Yelp Reservations
- Online reservations
- Waitlist management
- Table assignments
- Yelp integration
- Guest messaging
- Analytics
- Yelp
- Toast
Only in Aloha POS
- Table management
- Order management
- Labor scheduling
- Inventory control
- Enterprise reporting
- Loyalty programs
- NCR Back Office
- Third-party delivery
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Yelp Reservations
- Managing restaurant reservations, waitlists and AI phone call answeringnot Aloha POS
Aloha POS
- Point of Salenot Yelp Reservations
- Order Managementnot Yelp Reservations
- Inventory Controlnot Yelp Reservations
- Staff Schedulingnot Yelp Reservations
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Yelp Reservations
- Basic Guest Manager plan caps at 500 covers per month; higher volume requires the Plus plan at $279/month (annual) or $349/month (monthly)
- Monthly billing costs more than annual billing at every tier, for example Basic Guest Manager is $159/month billed monthly versus $129/month billed annually
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
Yelp Reservations
$99/month- Basic$99/month
- Reservations
- Waitlist
- Plus$299/month
- Table management
- Analytics
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 Yelp Reservations if
- You need online reservations.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want waitlist management.
Choose Aloha POS if
- You need table management.
- You work on Windows, Android.
- You also want order management.
Questions people ask
- Is Yelp Reservations or Aloha POS better?
- Neither clearly leads. Yelp Reservations starts at $99/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, Yelp Reservations or Aloha POS?
- Yelp Reservations starts at $99/month and Aloha POS at $150/month.
- Does Yelp Reservations or Aloha POS run on more platforms?
- Yelp Reservations runs on Web, Ios, Android. Aloha POS runs on Windows, Android.
- What is Yelp Reservations best used for?
- Yelp Reservations is most often used for managing restaurant reservations, waitlists and ai phone call answering. Of those, managing restaurant reservations, waitlists and ai phone call answering is not what Aloha POS is typically brought in for.
- What can Yelp Reservations do that Aloha POS cannot?
- Yelp Reservations covers Online reservations, Waitlist management, Table assignments, Yelp integration. Aloha POS covers Table management, Order management, Labor scheduling, Inventory control. 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.
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