SpotOn Review (2025): What Your Business Needs to Know

SpotOn is a strong fit for restaurants that want tight control over labor and food costs and a low-risk entry price via a $0/month “Quick Start” plan with hardware bundled into processing fees. Its weak spots are flexibility: menu edits live in the back office, the integration marketplace is thin, and you can’t buy many peripherals directly.

In our hands-on tests, navigation was excellent, but everyday tasks needed a few extra taps than on Square or Toast. Service continuity is solid, with automatic offline mode, native KDS, QR/mobile ordering, and in-POS reservations, so you’re not scrambling for plug-ins mid-rush. Keep reading for the full feature breakdown, pricing gotchas, and how it stacks up to US rivals.

Is SpotOn POS Easy To Use? Our Test Results

Quick summary: SpotOn felt solid and easy to learn overall. We scored it perfectly for navigation accuracy (76% correct), due to its logical labelling and intuitive structure. But it lost a mark for task completion (4/5) as everyday actions like adding items/modifiers and finding discounts needed a few extra taps compared to other POS systems we used, such as Square or Toast.

We put SpotOn through the same hands-on hospitality tasks as every other POS on our best POS systems for restaurants roundup. This entailed building menus, ringing up checks, splitting bills, comping items, and pulling reports to see how quickly and accurately staff could get work done.

What stood out first was the labeling: most testers guessed the right place for core actions (Reports, Labor, Discounts) on the first try, which is why SpotOn hit a  76% navigation accuracy. We also liked having a dedicated training mode and deep interface customization so new hires can practice safely and managers can rearrange buttons without extra apps.

Processing orders felt clear, but slower than the best-in-class: adding items and modifiers needed extra confirmations, and discounts were buried a couple of levels down. That friction is what knocked task completion back slightly to 4/5, even though every task was still achievable.

Menu tweaks were another speed bump. You can’t adjust items on the terminal; edits live in the back-end, so mid-service changes mean a detour, which is something Square and Lightspeed avoid.

Despite those hiccups, testers stayed positive overall, describing SpotOn as “straightforward” and “clear”, but with just a few too many clicks on occasion.

SpotOn’s Key Features Explained

SpotOn shines where restaurants feel the pinch most: controlling labor and food costs. Its built‑in labor‑vs‑revenue dashboards, automatic tip pooling, full inventory and profit tools, plus flexible table/floor management and comprehensive reporting, made it one of our strongest performers in core hospitality operations.

It does have a few weak spots, such as menu edits needing to be done in the back-end, loyalty/marketing being paid add‑ons only. The integration marketplace is sparse, too, while accessory choice is practically nil.

But SpotOn covers service essentials well, with automatic offline processing, a native KDS, QR/mobile ordering, and in‑POS reservations, so you’re not scrambling for third‑party apps when things get busy or the Wi‑Fi drops. Let’s dive into its features in detail, one by one.

Staff & stock costs under control: labor‑vs‑revenue dashboards, tip pooling, and built‑in profit tools

SpotOn’s back office bakes in staffing tools that many other POS systems we tested treated as extras. Namely, you get a labor vs revenue view to schedule efficiently, automatic tip sharing to close shifts faster, and cost/profit reports at the item level, all without third‑party add-ons.

SpotOn also ticks every inventory box: you can bulk-upload items, push manual stock changes, set low/no‑stock alerts, build modifier groups, and crucially, run a built‑in cost/profit calculator to see margin per dish. By comparison, Square is a little less capable because it lacks a true cost/profit tool, while Zettle scores even less due to fewer stock controls.

The only trade-off (and it’s a pretty minor one) in this area for SpotOn is that we found that the front end takes a couple more taps to add items than Square or Toast, so servers may feel a tiny slowdown at first.

Full bill control: split any way, move tabs, add notes

SpotOn ticks every bill‑management box we assessed. You can split by item or by percentage/fixed amount, reassign checks between tables, and attach notes for the kitchen or bar. Zettle misses key options (no flexible split), and Lavu’s partial toolset plus clunky placement drags it down the pecking order further.

In busy service, being able to divide a round of cocktails by guest or move a bar tab to a dining table without starting over can save minutes and mistakes (something cheaper systems simply don’t let you do).

Flexible floor plans on the fly; menu edits stuck in the back office

SpotOn nails table and floor plan management. We found you can build and tweak layouts, move or merge tables, and reassign checks mid‑service, which are controls that less-specialized rivals like Epos Now and Zettle barely offer.

While that’s a major strength, menu/product creation lags slightly behind. Updates have to be done in the back-end, with more clicks and submenus than Square or Lightspeed, which let you adjust items from the terminal or do faster bulk edits. That might not be a huge issue for restaurants with largely fixed menus, but establishments with rotating dishes or stock may find this irritating.

Smooth, built‑in reservations & waitlists

SpotOn includes native reservations and waitlist management in the POS, scoring commendably in our US hospitality tests. You handle bookings and walk‑ins from the same dashboard as your tables discussed above, so hosts don’t juggle a third‑party app.

Square and Clover require integrations for these same jobs, adding setup time and extra fees (one reason they trail SpotOn here). Toast, however, scores perfectly: its OpenTable-style guest profiles and automated confirmations/notifications outstrip SpotOn’s lighter toolset, which is why SpotOn doesn’t get full marks here.

Always‑on service: automatic offline mode and built‑in KDS (but fewer tweaks than Toast/Lightspeed)

SpotOn auto-switches to offline and resyncs card payments on its own, which is why it scored near-perfectly in our offline tests. That slightly bettered Square (which required a manual toggle) and Lavu (which had fewer safeguards to cap the size of offline payments, but remains one of our top iPad POS systems for restaurants). It was short of Clover’s perfect score, however, which added tighter controls like transaction limits.

Its kitchen display system is built in and earns a near-perfect score, too. You can fire tickets and clear them quickly, but you miss one of the two “power” options: either layout editing or KDS-specific reporting, which Toast and Lightspeed offer.

Mobile & QR ordering is built in, although loyalty/marketing tools cost extra and perform poorer

SpotOn lets guests scan a QR, view a branded menu/landing page, and get order updates by SMS or email, which far bettered TouchBistro (online ordering but no in‑venue QR flow) and Zettle (no native QR/mobile ordering for restaurants at all), which simply don’t offer true self-serve mobile ordering.

The only thing SpotOn missed out on is that the mobile order flow can’t be expanded into multiple self-serve channels (e.g., kiosks) or deeper on-table payment options like Toast and Lightspeed allow for.

Customer engagement is also weaker. Loyalty and marketing live behind paid add-ons, and fewer checklist items are covered. Consequently, SpotOn lands a middling score here, behind Toast’s richer built-ins and Square/Clover’s broader, cheaper toolsets. The smaller integration marketplace, as we’ll come to next, also limits workarounds, which keeps that score down.

Deep, built‑in reporting, but a thin app store limits add‑ons

SpotOn gives you all core reports we looked for by default, including sales summaries, item/category performance, staff shift data, discount/void tracking, and refunds. That’s on par with Square, Toast, and Lightspeed, and just ahead of Zettle, which is missing team member/shift sales reporting.

However, while reporting is deep, it needs to be in some respect since you can’t integrate that many software programs for the same purpose, according to our research. Niche analytics or loyalty CRMs aren’t that commonplace at the time of writing, compared to the way Square or Clover users can with at least 10+ app categories offered with both.

Low‑risk pricing: free plan (hardware included), but accessory choice is thin

SpotOn lets US restaurants start on a $0/month plan with hardware bundled in, recouping costs through transaction fees, which is why it scored the second‑highest pricing mark in our hospitality rankings. That’s a gentler entry cost than rivals like Clover, where hefty upfront hardware costs can be a blocker.

However, SpotOn’s hardware ecosystem is comparatively closed. It’s short on extras you can buy directly from SpotOn, and instead only offers third‑party receipt printers with fewer connection options. By comparison, Clover and Toast earned 100% scores with their own-brand USB/Ethernet/Bluetooth models. As such, teams that want to expand with niche accessories may feel constrained by SpotOn.

How Much Does SpotOn Cost? Plans, Fees, And The Extras To Watch

Quick summary: SpotOn’s restaurant pricing starts with a $0/month “Quick Start” plan (hardware bundled, but you pay 2.89% + 25¢ and must meet processing minimums).

Paid tiers are $99/month for Counter‑service and $135/month for Full‑service, plus $3 per employee/month (minimum $75). Most cards run at 1.99% + 25¢ on the paid plans. There’s also a $1,000 on‑site implementation & training fee.

SpotOn’s free plan is why it scores perfectly for upfront costs in our US pricing rubric. However, it only gets a 4/5 for monthly costs from us because once you move past “Quick Start,” you’re into $99+ plans with per‑employee fees.

Hardware isn’t truly “free” outside the entry tier. SpotOn lists: Counter kit $850, Station $750, KDS $600. Despite those figures, all options are financable, meaning SpotOn is still a great choice to avoid upfront spend, unlike EPOS Now.

Processing is where SpotOn wins on paper: our scoring table gives it the lowest advertised US rate (1.99% + 25¢), beating Square’s 2.6% + 15¢. But remember that the free plan’s higher 2.89% + 25¢ could outweigh the $0 fee if you process high volumes.

Elsewhere, add-ons cost extra. Teamwork (labor & payroll), Order (online/QR ordering), Reserve (reservations), Loyalty, Websites, and Fresh KDS integrations are all listed as optional modules. As such, your real monthly total depends on how many you bolt on.

Is SpotOn good value compared to other platforms?

Because you can start free (hardware included) and still get industry‑low rates on paid tiers, SpotOn tied Zettle and SumUp at the top for overall US pricing. But Square’s entirely free core software and no employee fee might still be cheaper for very small teams, while Clover’s higher hardware outlay drags its value down.

Since SpotOn customizes quotes (and add‑on prices aren’t public), grab multiple quotes using our free quote comparison tool. You’re already comparing SpotOn, so why not use the same brief to price Square, Toast, and Clover so you can see the full monthly picture side by side.

What Customer Support Options and Availability Does SpotOn Offer?

SpotOn offers every major support channel we were looking for in our assessment criteria, including phone, email, live chat, in‑platform support modules, video tutorials, and a knowledge center. As such so it earned top marks here, matching Square, TouchBistro, and Lightspeed, and beating Clover and Lavu.

Where it slips is in its quality of support, not coverage. In one of our chat tests (asking “How can I view my sales and revenue reports?”), SpotOn’s support widget failed to deliver a usable answer, scoring zero marks. On the other hand, Square replied instantly and accurately (10/10 = 5/5), and Lightspeed also nailed it.

Similarly, its knowledge center returned the right articles, but not as consistently as the leaders in this area, like Square. As such, you may spend an extra search or two finding the exact guide.

How Does SpotOn Compare to Its Competitors?

Let’s compare how SpotOn performs compared to other top POS systems, starting with this comparison table. While SpotOn only made our top rankings in our hospitality criteria, we’ve included some options primarily suitable for Retail for a broader comparison of POS systems, such as Shopify.

How does SpotOn compare to other POS systems on price?

SpotOn straddles the gap between “free to start” tools and premium suites. It’s $0/month Quick Start plan (hardware bundled, higher 2.89% + 25¢ rate) undercuts Toast, Clover, and Lightspeed on upfront cost, while its paid tiers use a lower 1.99% + 25¢ rate that can beat Square’s percentage fee at scale.

The potential catches are a $1,000 on‑site implementation fee, $3 per employee/month (with a $75 minimum), and most advanced modules sold as add‑ons.

Square, Zettle, and SumUp also start free but don’t bundle hardware or implementation, and their processing percentages are higher or less negotiable. Clover and Toast advertise richer hardware bundles but ask for more cash (or longer financing) up front.

All of that is why SpotOn scores as one of the strongest overall on the price to get started, yet only middling once running, due to recurring add‑ons and per‑employee fees that stack up.

How does SpotOn compare to other POS systems on features?

Operationally, SpotOn punches above its weight: labor vs revenue dashboards, automatic tip pooling, full inventory/profit tools, flexible table/floor management, and comprehensive reporting put it alongside or ahead of Toast, Square, and Lightspeed on core restaurant control. Square lacks true cost/profit tracking, and Zettle misses staff/shift reporting entirely, for instance.

Service continuity is solid, too, with automatic offline mode, a native KDS, QR/mobile ordering, and built‑in reservations covered. That means fewer third‑party crutches than Square or Clover, though Toast/Lightspeed offer deeper KDS and guest tools.

Where SpotOn trails is flexibility. Menu edits are back‑end only (Square/Lightspeed allow on‑terminal tweaks), loyalty/marketing sit behind paid add‑ons (Toast bakes more in), the integration marketplace is tiny compared with Square/Clover, and SpotOn sells almost no accessories itself.

How We Reviewed SpotOn POS