Square Payroll
Square Payroll is a full-service payroll software that automates tax filings, employee payments, and benefits management for small businesses using integrated time tracking and point-of-sale data.
TouchBistro
TouchBistro is an all-in-one point of sale and restaurant management system designed to help you streamline front-of-house operations, manage back-of-house tasks, and improve your overall guest experience.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Square Payroll | TouchBistro |
|---|---|---|
| Website | squareup.com | touchbistro.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Free | $69/month |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2009 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Toronto, Canada |
Overview
Square Payroll
Square Payroll simplifies how you pay your team by automating the most complex parts of business ownership. You can pay employees and contractors in just a few clicks, whether they are hourly or salaried. The platform automatically calculates, files, and pays your federal and state payroll taxes, ensuring you stay compliant without manual paperwork. Because it integrates directly with Square POS, your team's hours sync automatically, eliminating the need for manual data entry or messy spreadsheets.
You can manage everything from a single dashboard, including workers' compensation, health insurance, and 401(k) plans. The system supports flexible payment options like Instant Payments, allowing you to send funds to employees the same day they work. Whether you are running a single coffee shop or managing multiple retail locations, you get a straightforward tool that handles the back-office heavy lifting so you can focus on growing your business.
TouchBistro
TouchBistro is a dedicated restaurant management platform that runs on iPad, giving you the mobility to take orders at the table or manage your floor plan from anywhere. You can handle everything from menu management and staff scheduling to detailed sales reporting within a single interface. It simplifies complex workflows like splitting checks, managing modifiers, and tracking ingredient-level inventory so you can focus more on your guests and less on administrative tasks.
The platform is built specifically for the food and beverage industry, catering to everything from full-service restaurants and breweries to quick-service cafes and food trucks. By integrating your front-of-house POS with back-of-house tools like kitchen display systems and customer-facing apps, you create a unified ecosystem that reduces errors and speeds up service. You can also add specialized modules for loyalty programs, online ordering, and gift cards as your business grows.
Overview
Square Payroll Features
- Automated Tax Filings Let the software calculate, file, and pay your state and federal payroll taxes automatically to ensure total compliance.
- Time Card Sync Import employee hours directly from Square POS or the Team App to eliminate manual data entry errors.
- Instant Payments Access your funds immediately and pay your team the same day they work using your Square Balance.
- Benefits Integration Offer and manage health insurance, 401(k) plans, and workers' comp directly through your payroll dashboard.
- Contractor Payments Pay your independent contractors via direct deposit and let the system generate and file 1099-NEC forms.
- Employee Mobile App Give your team a dedicated app to track their hours, view pay stubs, and manage their tax forms.
TouchBistro Features
- Tableside Ordering. Take orders directly at the table on an iPad to increase accuracy and speed up your table turnover.
- Floor Plan Management. Design and edit your restaurant layout in real-time to track occupancy and manage server sections effectively.
- Menu Management. Update your menu items, prices, and descriptions instantly across all devices and your online ordering page.
- Inventory Tracking. Monitor your stock levels down to the ingredient to reduce waste and get alerts when items run low.
- Staff Scheduling. Manage your team's shifts and track labor costs directly through the POS to optimize your daily payroll.
- Reporting and Analytics. Access over 50 detailed reports from any device to see your top-selling items and peak labor hours.
- Kitchen Display System. Send orders instantly from the table to the kitchen to eliminate paper tickets and reduce communication errors.
- Customer Loyalty. Create custom rewards programs to keep your guests coming back and track their spending habits over time.
Pricing Comparison
Square Payroll Pricing
- $5 per person paid monthly
- No monthly base fee
- Direct deposit included
- 1099-NEC generation and filing
- Self-service contractor account
- Everything in Contractor plan, plus:
- $6 per person paid monthly
- Full-service tax filings
- Time card and POS integration
- Health insurance and 401(k) access
- Live phone and chat support
TouchBistro Pricing
- One POS license
- Menu management
- Table management
- Cloud reporting
- Staff management
- 24/7/365 support
- Everything in Solo, plus:
- Two POS licenses
- Multi-terminal sync
- Shared order queue
- Ideal for mid-sized venues
- Local server support
Pros & Cons
Square Payroll
Pros
- Seamless integration with Square Point of Sale
- Automatic tax filing saves hours of manual work
- Simple and transparent per-employee pricing model
- Easy setup process for new business owners
Cons
- Customer support can be difficult to reach
- Limited advanced HR features for large corporations
- Account freezes can occasionally delay payroll processing
TouchBistro
Pros
- Intuitive iPad interface is very easy to train new staff
- Reliable offline mode keeps you taking orders during internet outages
- Excellent customer support available 24/7 for urgent issues
- Industry-specific features like floor plan customization work great
- Seamless integration between the POS and kitchen display systems
Cons
- Requires specific hardware which adds to the initial setup cost
- Software updates can occasionally cause temporary sync issues
- Advanced features like loyalty and online ordering cost extra