Lightspeed Restaurant vs. Aloha Cloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Lightspeed Restaurant
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
The Lightspeed Restaurant POS, from Lightspeed in Montreal, is a restaurant POS and management system designed to enable users to sync the user's menu with major food delivery apps, manage all orders and and reach new customers.
$69
per month 2.6% + 10¢
Aloha Cloud
Score 7.2 out of 10
N/A
Aloha POS is a point-of-sale software solution with features such as highest market share in the industry and streamline food preparation and delivery.N/A
Pricing
Lightspeed RestaurantAloha Cloud
Editions & Modules
Lightspeed Restaurant Essentials
$69
per month 2.6% + 10¢
Lightspeed Restaurant Plus
$189
per month 2.6% + 10¢
Lightspeed Restaurant Pro
$399
per month custom per purchase rates
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Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Lightspeed RestaurantAloha Cloud
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Lightspeed RestaurantAloha Cloud
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

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Best Alternatives
Lightspeed RestaurantAloha Cloud
Small Businesses
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.1 out of 10
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Shopify
Shopify
Score 8.8 out of 10
Shopify
Shopify
Score 8.8 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Lightspeed RestaurantAloha Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(25 ratings)
8.8
(8 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(3 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(9 ratings)
8.5
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
Lightspeed RestaurantAloha Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
Lightspeed
One thing Upserve [POS (formerly Breadcrumb)] does well is splitting customer checks is very easy and intuitive. We used to host a lot of groups (pre pandemic) and splitting checks can be a nightmare. But they let you split it evenly by number or by item. You can even split one item (say, an app) across multiple checks.
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NCR VOYIX
Aloha POS is well suited for any kind of full-service restaurant, from high volume establishments to low volume, intimate fine dining settings. The universality to the system makes it an asset for any operation. I don't see much need for Aloha POS when it comes to fast casual, or fast food establishments, as Aloha POS is geared more toward constant communication and planning between the front of house service and back of house prep. For counter service, I believe this would be underutilized, and these establishments would be fine with a simpler service.
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Pros
Lightspeed
  • Reporting: Upserve's backend reporting system is unparalleled in this industry. It's extremely robust and gives us eyes into every nook and cranny of our business.
  • Intuitive: The Upserve POS is nearly as intuitive as Square. The ease of use really helps us provide great service without spending a fortune in training.
  • Extras: A quality POS system is assumed with Upserve. It has all the bells and whistles and it's very effective. What takes Upserve over the top is all the added features. Our online ordering system, loyalty program, delivery platform integration, KDS system, and soon to be inventory management are all provided for free with our system. The other benefit is all these features are seamless and work really well.
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NCR VOYIX
  • Extremely user-friendly. The layout and simplicity of the program made for fast, accurate transactions. This was an easy system to learn for all of our users and made training a much more streamlined process.
  • Versatility - even in the largest of transactions, my options for payment were wide-ranging (from charging to house accounts to accepting check, cash, or card). My ability to update price keys and users was extremely helpful where other systems have proven to be difficult to navigate.
  • Great support. As we transitioned to newer versions of Aloha, we always had a great line of communication with customer support, and fast, friendly service.
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Cons
Lightspeed
  • On the KDS, the system will re-fire tickets when we split checks and sometimes when simply closing out.
  • On the KDS, when someone adds onto an order that has already been bumped from the screen and doesn't put the new item at the end of the queue. It bumps it to the front and keeps the original time of the original order. This makes it difficult to process the order and determine the priority of which order should be fulfilled.
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NCR VOYIX
  • Sometimes you need tech support to help add or delete tabs.
  • The programs are always growing and updating so sometimes you need assistance.
  • The tech support isn't always available or takes time for them to respond.
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Usability
Lightspeed
Upserve is very intuitive. It utilizes a tab system along the left side of the screen for easy access to menu categories. After choosing the tab you want to view (i.e. Food), all the food items and/or sub categories show up instantly on the screen. once your items are chosen, you are a card swipe away from starting the payment process. Very easy. That said, there are a few minor issues with usability. For example, splitting checks is really quite difficult. You have to create new checks one at a time, then have to go searching for the checks to ring guests up. Really not intuitive on this front. Thankfully, it's not incredibly inhibitive
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NCR VOYIX
Overall, Aloha POS's usability is phenomenal. The interface is extremely easy to navigate through. All buttons and tabs are easy to add or delete. Having a piece of software that is easy to toggle through creates a much more efficient workplace. I love the ease of use. A brand new employee can jump right into the system and use it with no issues.
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Support Rating
Lightspeed
Seriously, if I could give a 12 rating I would. Upserve support is 24/7 and completely free. No extra fees on evenings or weekends and they are fast. You can actually start a chat support straight from your ipad screen. 90% of our support issues have been solved in just a few minutes from the chat screen. That said, I prefer the phone. Calling into Upserve support is just as easy and everyone is always friendly and fast
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NCR VOYIX
There were a lot of instances where I had to call back or a problem wasn't resolved, specifically with Aloha loyalty.
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Alternatives Considered
Lightspeed
Lavu is the worst POS system I have ever encountered. It was the most frustrating part of everyone’s shift. They were never available for customer service, Upserve is. Their system would shut down across regions, Upserve does not. Upserve (at the time Breadcrumb) was highly rated and praised for simplicity.
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NCR VOYIX
Aloha is much better than Revel and MICROS. Revel is not set up to handle very large volume of transactions & use. Aloha has many more features than the other two, with more thorough reports, etc. I personally have used ALOHA at several restaurants through the years, but I have never been a part of the implementation process.
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Return on Investment
Lightspeed
  • Bestsellers and slower items rise to the top in reporting features, making analysis quicker.
  • Dramatically reduced server error
  • Posed a challenge to continue face-to-face contact between servers and cooks; the POS tends to end conversations about special orders, special customer requests or restrictions, and generally conveys the nuances that contribute to excellent service. So we have to make a conscious effort to continue talking to each other.
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NCR VOYIX
  • Through reprint, we were able to identify an issue around drink sales and create a plan to increase them.
  • We were able to speed up the check-out process, allowing us to move people through faster.
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ScreenShots

Aloha Cloud Screenshots

Screenshot of Aloha bundle