The Aloha POS System Review for 2018

What Is the Aloha POS System?

The Aloha POS system is one of the most widely used restaurant POS systems in the industry. The Aloha POS offers three terminal options, along with multiple mobile POS options for you to choose from. Unfortunately, to access information on Aloha prices, you’ll need to ask for a demo from their sales team. That said, many Aloha POS reviews from customers cite steep prices as one of the biggest downsides of this POS option.

The Different Aloha POS System Terminals

Aloha point of sale systems rely on central terminals, and Aloha offers three different versions of these terminals—the P1532, the P1535, and the XR7. All three will be varying iterations of traditional countertop point of sale hubs.

The Aloha POS price that your business will have to pay will likely depend on which of these terminals you opt for. That said, NCR—the parent company of Aloha POS—doesn’t provide much information on Aloha prices on their website.

No matter which of the three Aloha point of sale system terminals you opt for, you’ll be able to access all of the capabilities of the cloud-based Aloha POS software. We’ll go into greater detail on all of these features in the next section, but it’s worth mentioning now that all of these features are tailored to the needs of restaurants and cafés.

The Most Notable NCR Aloha POS System Capabilities

Now that you’re familiar with the basics of the NCR Aloha POS system, it’s time to start looking at the details. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available on Aloha POS prices or many of the crucial details on your Aloha POS options. That said, NCR does provide a pretty lengthy list of all the things that Aloha point of sale systems are capable of doing for your business.

Though the NCR site doesn’t reveal much about any of Aloha’s downsides, we do know that Aloha POS systems can all allow you and your employees access to the following capabilities:

• Tip sharing capabilities can make it easier for you to divvy up checks fairly between your employees.
• Food order modifications helps improve customer satisfaction.
• Store location management will make growing that much easier.
• Takeout and delivery systems can widen your restaurant’s reach.
• Check splitting and seat-by-seat payments will make life easier for your customers and your employees as patrons pay for their meals.
• Server management systems can address some serious HR pain points.
• Diverse payment processing—including virtual wallets—allows your customers to pay in whatever way is most convenient for them.
• Payment security measures will allow greater peace of mind for both you and your customers as you process payments through your Aloha POS.
• Cloud-enabled mobile capabilities will let you access your Aloha point of sale software even while you’re on the go.
• Loyalty programs and gift card capabilities encourage return business to shore up your business’s customer base.

If you want to access any more in-depth information, you can request a demo from the NCR Aloha sales team.

What Customers Focus on in Their Aloha POS Reviews

Sometimes, when you’re searching for a financial product for your small business, overviews and guides can only tell you so much—as a result, many business owners want to read through Aloha POS reviews from customers who are business owners just like them.

With that in mind, we combed through Aloha POS reviews from customers and we’ve synthesized some common themes to give you a good idea of what business owners think of this POS system option. So, without having to parse through all of the Aloha POS reviews from customers on the internet, you can get an idea of the reasons business owners like you would or wouldn’t recommend Aloha POS systems:

Positive Aloha POS Reviews

Generally speaking, Aloha POS reviews from happy customers tend to focus on how user-friendly this POS system option is. Employees are able to ring up customers quickly and accurately. Plus, Aloha point of sale systems are able to handle more complicated orders like split tabs or checks by seat.

On top of that, because so many restaurants, bars, and cafés use Aloha POS systems, most employees you hire will be familiar with the ins and outs of the Aloha POS manual. Consequently, you won’t necessarily need to worry about setting up a thorough Aloha POS training for every new employee you onboard, especially if you tend to hire based on previous experience.

All in all, because Aloha restaurant POS systems are so widely used across the industry, the main advantages that they come with will derive from that ubiquity.

Negative Aloha POS Reviews

However, for every happy customer writing an Aloha POS review, there are also quite a few unhappy customers doing the same thing. So, what do negative Aloha reviews tend to focus on?

First, and perhaps most importantly, many negative Aloha POS reviews complain about Aloha prices. Though there are very few details on Aloha POS prices online—including on the NCR website—it is worth noting that many customers say they are unhappy with the pricing.

Another pain point that many users seemed to encounter is with Aloha POS support. Many reviewers say they were unsatisfied with the service they received from Aloha support staff. So, if you anticipate needing help with setting up or optimizing your new Aloha POS system, these complaints are something to keep in mind before purchasing one.

Overall, the main focus of most negative reviews that customers leave about Aloha POS systems is that the support doesn’t measure up to the cost that the Aloha POS entails. As a result, most Aloha complaints will cite both of these downsides.

The Top Two Alternatives to the Aloha POS System

Not quite convinced that the Aloha point of sale system is the right fit for your business?

Whether you’re looking for a POS system for your restaurant or your retail store or your farm stand, you’ve got a lot of options to choose from. And if you have even the slightest hesitation toward Aloha POS systems, then you should shop around and consider your alternatives. Only then will you know how Aloha compares, and whether or not it’s the best option for you.

Here are our picks for the top two alternatives to the Aloha POS system:

Square POS

In contrast to Aloha, Square POS systems have few barriers to entry—namely, Square POS systems offer more affordable options than Aloha POS systems.

If you don’t already use Square for your small business’s transactions, you’ve almost certainly come across a Square POS as a consumer. Because of the affordable, straightforward, and transparent POS systems that Square offers, they’re a favorite of small businesses everywhere.

The cost of Square POS hardware can range anywhere from free to $999, while the transaction fees will either be an even 2.75% or 2.5% + $0.10 per transaction. Conversely, Aloha prices aren’t even available on the NCR website.

Be sure to note, though, that four of the five POS hardware options that Square offers will also require an additional device—like a tablet or a smartphone—to function. As such, if your business doesn’t already have access to one of these devices, you’ll need to calculate that into Square’s total cost for your business.

Clover POS

Similarly, Clover POS systems offer more affordable POS system options, and they’re much more transparent about costs than Aloha POS systems are. Unlike Square POS, however, none of the Clover POS systems will require you to come to the table with a smart device for their POS systems to be fully functioning.

Clover POS systems come with transaction fees that start at 2.3% + $0.10 and their hardware ranges in price from $59 all the way up to $1,499. You’ll also have to pay for a Clover software plan, which will set you back either $14 or $29, depending on which plan you go for.

Though Clover is slightly newer to the scene, their comprehensive POS systems are so intuitive as to give incumbent names like Square and Aloha a run for their money.

The Verdict on the Aloha Restaurant POS System

Now that you’re made it through our review of the Aloha POS system—and its top competitors—what’s the verdict?

Well, with the little information that we do have, we can tell that the Aloha system can’t quite compete with newcomers like Square and Clover. Additionally, the very absence of information is another downside to this POS system option—if you’re not able to easily access transparent, straightforward stats about any financial product, then you might decide to lean toward their more forthright competitors.

All in, you’ll be the ultimate decider on the verdict on whether Aloha point of sale system is right for your business. So, if you’re convinced an Aloha system could be a fit for you, be sure to gather more information before purchasing it.

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from Fundera Ledger https://www.fundera.com/blog/aloha-pos/