Square QR code ordering or WaiterPilot: which fits your restaurant?
If you run Square, or want a POS with QR ordering and payment built in, Square is the better fit: on its Plus ($49) or Premium ($149) plan per location per month, guests order and pay from a table QR, and orders go to your POS and kitchen printers. WaiterPilot fits if you want guests to ask and order by chat in their own language, next to any till, for $200 per location per month. It takes no payment and has no POS link. Square facts checked 15 October 2026.
Updated
How do Square QR code ordering and WaiterPilot compare?
Square's QR ordering is an online ordering page inside its POS, with payment. WaiterPilot is a conversation at the table, without payment, next to whatever till you use.
| WaiterPilot | Square QR code ordering | |
|---|---|---|
| Ordering style | Guests chat in their own words. It answers from your menu, asks for required choices such as size or side, and the guest confirms an order card. | Each table gets its own QR code that opens your Square Online ordering page in the phone's browser. Guests order and pay; orders from the same table combine into one ticket. |
| Conversation in the guest's language | Yes. The chat answers in the language the guest writes in (tested in English, Arabic and Spanish). Buttons are in English or Arabic; dish names show as written on your menu. | Not stated on the pages we read. |
| POS | No POS or printer link. Orders appear on WaiterPilot's staff board and kitchen screen; staff enter the sale in your till. | Part of Square. Orders are sent to your Square POS and kitchen printers. |
| Payments | None. Guests see a live bill with tax and any service charge you set, split it evenly or see their own share, and pay your staff. | Guests pay on their phone with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Square Pay. Square charges card processing on each payment. |
| Hardware | None to buy. Guests use their phones; staff use phones or tablets you already have. | Kitchen printers, or the Square KDS app at $30 per device per month on Plus ($20 on Premium). |
| Pricing model | $200 per location per month after 30 days free, or $2,000 per location per year. No per-table, per-order or per-user fees. | QR code ordering is listed on Plus ($49 per location per month) and Premium ($149), not on the Free plan. Card processing is extra: Square lists online card payments at 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium (3.3% + 30¢ on Free). |
| Commission | 0% on orders. | No per-order commission listed; a processing fee on each card payment. |
| Contract | None. | Square says you can cancel or switch plans anytime. |
| Trial and setup | 30 days free. Setup is free: we load your menu from a PDF or photos, print your QR cards and train your staff. Most restaurants are live within two weeks of the first call. | 30-day free trial on Plus and Premium. You build the ordering page and generate the QR codes in Square. |
Square prices are US prices. Square's pricing differs by country, so check the page for yours.
When is Square the better choice?
When you run Square or want one system for orders, payments and the kitchen, at a lower monthly fee.
- You already run Square. QR code ordering is part of the Plus and Premium plans, so orders land in the POS you use.
- Guests should pay from their phone. Square takes Apple Pay, Google Pay and Square Pay. WaiterPilot takes no payment.
- Your kitchen works from printed tickets. Square sends orders to your kitchen printers. WaiterPilot has no printer connection.
- You want the lowest monthly software fee for a POS with QR ordering. Square Plus is $49 per location per month, plus processing. WaiterPilot is $200 per location per month and doesn't include a POS or payments.
- Every sale must be in one system with no re-entry. With Square the order and the payment are in the same POS. With WaiterPilot, staff enter each sale in the till by hand.
When does WaiterPilot fit better?
When guests need a conversation, not only a menu and a cart, or when you don't want to change your till.
- Many guests don't read your menu's language. They ask and order by chat in their own language. Arabic answers can follow your restaurant's own dialect. See multilingual ordering.
- Guests ask a lot before ordering. Answers come from your menu, and anything the menu doesn't say goes to staff. For allergies, staff always have the final word.
- You don't run Square and don't want to switch POS. WaiterPilot runs next to any till, or none. See how it works next to your POS.
- You want guests to call a waiter or ask for the check from the table. Requests appear on the floor screen within seconds, and a check request says cash or card, so the waiter brings the card machine.
- You want setup done for you. We load your menu, print your QR cards and train your staff, free. See pricing.
What does each cost for one location?
Square's software fee is lower; WaiterPilot takes nothing from each payment because it takes no payments. Your own card terminal's fees still apply with WaiterPilot.
Square: QR code ordering is on Plus at $49 per location per month or Premium at $149. Card payments carry Square's processing fee; Square lists online card payments at 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium, so ask Square which rate applies to your QR orders. A Square KDS screen in the kitchen adds $30 per device per month on Plus.
WaiterPilot: $200 per location per month after 30 days free, or $2,000 per location per year. 0% commission, no contract, no tax added, and setup, QR cards and training free. Guests pay your staff on the terminal you already have, at the rates you already pay.
To compare your own numbers, try the cost calculator.
Questions about Square and WaiterPilot
Does WaiterPilot work with Square?
It works next to Square but doesn't connect to it. Orders appear on WaiterPilot's screens, staff enter the sale in Square, and guests pay on your Square terminal.
Is Square's QR code ordering free?
Not on the Free plan. Square's US restaurant pricing page lists QR code ordering on Plus ($49 per location per month) and Premium ($149), with card processing on top.
Does Square let guests order in their own language?
The Square pages we read don't say. WaiterPilot's chat answers in the language the guest writes in; its buttons are in English or Arabic.
Can I try both for free?
Yes. Square offers a 30-day free trial on Plus and Premium, and WaiterPilot's first 30 days are free.
Does either take a commission on orders?
Neither lists one. Square charges a processing fee on each card payment. WaiterPilot charges 0% commission and takes no payments.
Do Square QR orders print in the kitchen?
Yes, Square says orders go to your POS and kitchen printers. WaiterPilot orders don't print; the kitchen works from WaiterPilot's kitchen screen.