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Bistro vs TouchBistro

TouchBistro is an iPad POS built for full-service dining, with reservations and other modules sold as add-ons. Bistro runs on the devices you already own and answers your phone with an AI agent that books tables and events. Here's how to choose.

Try BistroSee pricing
CRITERIA
Bistro
TouchBistro
Monthly software
$9 to $180
From $69/mo per license on the Point of Sale plan. Some third parties note it is billed annually.
Hardware required
None. Use the phones and tablets you own.
Yes. iPad-based POS, hardware required. TouchBistro sells and finances it.
Payment processing
Stripe (≈ 2.9% + 30¢), published and flat. You connect your own account.
TouchBistro Payments (powered by Chase, US) or third-party processors. Rates are custom quoted, not published.
Bistro per-transaction fee
No platform fee on pay at table. Reservation deposits carry 1% + $1.00, paid by the guest.
Not applicable.
Reservations
Table and event bookings with optional deposits, included on Full Bistro OS.
TouchBistro Reservations is a separate add-on at $229/mo flat, on top of the $69 base.
AI phone agent
Answers your phone 24/7 in the caller's language and books tables and events.
None native. Reservations are a traditional booking system. AI call answering only via third-party integrations.
Private event bookings
Captured on the phone or web with deposits priced by party size and time of day.
Handled through the standard reservations add-on, no event-specific deposit rules.
Digital menu and QR per table
Included on every plan.
Menu management for the POS. Guest-facing QR ordering via add-ons.
Add-on modules
Features are bundled into the plan tiers. No per-module fees.
Online ordering, loyalty, marketing, gift cards and KDS are separate paid add-ons, most custom quoted.
Time to launch
Same day. No hardware shipping.
Longer. Depends on hardware install and setup.
Contract
Month to month. Cancel anytime.
Officially month to month. Reviewers report pressure toward annual contracts that are hard to exit.

TouchBistro pricing and features verified July 2026 against touchbistro.com and reputable reviews. TouchBistro quotes payment rates and most add-ons individually, so figures here that are not on its public pricing page are marked as such. Get a written quote before signing.

PICK BISTRO IF

  • You don't want to buy or run iPad POS hardware.
  • You want reservations and an AI phone agent without a $229/mo add-on.
  • You want private event bookings with deposits by party size and time of day.
  • You want a published, flat processing rate instead of a custom quote.
  • You want pay-at-table on your own Stripe account, month to month.

PICK TOUCHBISTRO IF

  • You need a full on-premise POS with a cash drawer, floor plan and kitchen printing.
  • You run a full-service restaurant with many terminals and staff roles.
  • You want tableside ordering hardware and restaurant-specific POS depth.
  • You are fine paying for reservations and other modules as add-ons.

READY?

Reservations, events and an AI phone agent, from $9 a month.

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