SoftPOS vs QR Payments: Which Fits Your Venue?

SoftPOS is a payment technology that turns an ordinary smartphone or tablet into a card reader, with no separate terminal. Your guest taps their card, phone or watch against your device and pays contactless. For hospitality it is an interesting option, but it is not the only one. QR payments at the table solve different problems: guests pay for themselves, split the bill and leave a tip without your team hauling a device from table to table.

Your team is running flat out, and yet table 12 is still waiting for someone with the card reader. Sound familiar? That is exactly what the choice between SoftPOS and QR payments comes down to. In this article we compare both payment systems honestly: how they work, what they cost you in time and hassle, and which one fits your type of venue best. You will learn when a restaurant terminal or SoftPOS makes sense, when QR wins, and why many venues end up choosing a combination.

What exactly is SoftPOS?

SoftPOS stands for Software Point of Sale. The idea is simple: you use the NFC chip that already sits in almost every modern smartphone and tablet to accept contactless payments. No separate terminal, no extra box. You install an app and your device becomes a card reader.

The guest pays the way they are used to: card, credit card, phone or smartwatch against your device. The transaction runs through a payment provider, just like with a classic restaurant terminal.

Where SoftPOS stands out:

• No separate hardware needed. Your existing phone or tablet is enough, as long as it has NFC.
• Usable on the move. Handy on a terrace, at a food truck or during an event.
• Quick to get started. Downloading and setting up an app takes little time.

So SoftPOS is mainly a modern version of the card reader. It solves the hardware problem: no more buying expensive terminals. But it does not automatically solve the biggest hospitality pain point. Someone from your team still has to walk to the table with the device to take payment.

Does SoftPOS always work?

Not every device is suitable. You need a phone or tablet with NFC and an operating system that supports the SoftPOS app. Apple has opened Tap to Pay on iPhone for providers, and on Android SoftPOS has run for longer. Check with your payment provider whether your specific devices are supported and what the current conditions are.

What are QR payments in hospitality?

With QR payments the guest scans a QR code on the table with their own phone. They see the live bill, choose what they want to pay, add a tip if they like and settle up straight away. No app download, no waiting for your team.

The big difference with SoftPOS: with QR payments the guest does the work, not your service staff. Your team no longer has to walk back and forth with a device. The table pays for itself when it is ready.

What QR payments at the table typically offer:

• Splitting the bill without mental arithmetic or payment requests, per item or divided equally.
• Leaving a tip via smart suggestions during checkout.
• Paying directly with the local wallets, Apple Pay or credit card.
• Asking for a Google review at the moment the experience is still fresh.

At venues that work with Splitty's QR payment solution we see payment time drop from an average of 13 minutes to around 15 seconds. That does not just save time, it changes how your evening runs. You can read more about the broader choice in our complete guide to choosing a hospitality payment system.

SoftPOS vs QR payments: the direct comparison

Both systems are modern and contactless. But they solve a different problem. SoftPOS replaces the terminal, QR payments replace the waiting. Below are the core differences.

Feature	SoftPOS	QR payments at the table
Who operates it	Your team, with a device	The guest, with their own phone
Hardware	Smartphone or tablet with NFC	QR stand on the table, no device
Splitting the bill	Manual, per payment	Automatic, per item or equal
Tip	Depends on setup	Smart suggestions, on average 5x more tips
Guest waiting time	Waits for your team	Pays for themselves, immediately
Google reviews	None	Automatic review request after payment
Mobile use	Yes, anywhere with the device	Yes, every table has a code

The core: SoftPOS makes card payments cheaper and more flexible for your team. QR payments take the payment moment away from your team and hand it to the guest. If you mainly want to cut the cost of a restaurant terminal, SoftPOS is interesting. If you want to lower workload, free up tables faster and collect more tips, QR payments win.

The real problem: the payment moment costs you revenue

Settling up is often the slowest moment of the whole evening. The guest wants to leave, your team is busy, and the bill sits there. On a busy Saturday that piles up.

Work it out simply. Say each table costs you 10 minutes of payment hassle, from asking for the bill to splitting and paying by card. On an evening with high turnover you lose dozens of minutes your team could have spent on hospitality. And every minute a table stays occupied after a finished meal is a minute you are not selling to a new guest.

The pain points every hospitality payment system has to solve:

• Waiting time. Guests want to pay, but it takes too long.
• Workload. Your team walks back and forth with the card reader, precisely at peak moments.
• Table turnover. Occupied tables after the meal cost covers.
• Splitting. Large groups with separate payment requests create hassle.
• Tips. Without a digital suggestion the tip jar stays thin.

SoftPOS mainly solves the hardware side. QR payments tackle the waiting, the workload and the table turnover at the same time. That difference decides which system really has an impact on your evening.

When does SoftPOS fit your venue?

SoftPOS is a fine choice in a number of specific situations. It is not bad technology, it simply does not fit everywhere.

SoftPOS is interesting when:

• You have a mobile or temporary setup. Food trucks, market stalls, festival stands or pop-ups benefit from card payments without a fixed terminal.
• You want to cut hardware costs. Not buying separate terminals saves on investment.
• Your service is small and personal contact is central. In a small venue where you bring the bill yourself, a device in your pocket can be enough.
• Your guests usually pay individually. No complicated splitting work, so the limitations of SoftPOS weigh less heavily.

Where SoftPOS hits its limits:

• Large groups that want to split. Settling up per person with a device takes time and causes frustration.
• Busy peak moments. Your team is still the bottleneck, because there is only one device per staff member.
• Increasing tips. Without smart suggestions the tip often stays at cash level.

In short: SoftPOS is a smart upgrade of the card reader, but it keeps the payment with your team. For a full picture of your options our blog on contactless payments in hospitality and its future helps.

When do QR payments win?

QR payments win as soon as speed, workload and splitting come into play. That is the case in most sit-down hospitality.

QR payments are the stronger choice when:

• You serve guests at the table. Restaurants, brasseries, cafés and terraces with table service benefit directly.
• Groups regularly want to split. Everyone pays their own share without arithmetic or payment requests. More on this in our guide on paying a custom amount and splitting the bill via QR.
• You know your peak moments. On busy evenings every table pays for itself, so your team stays free for service.
• You want more tips. Digital tip suggestions bring venues that work with Splitty on average 5x more tips.
• You want to be more visible online. After every payment an automatic review request follows, good for up to 7x more Google reviews.

The big plus: you need no extra hardware and no app download. The QR code sits on the table, the guest grabs their own phone. That way you lower workload without giving up your guest contact, because guests still order with your service staff and only pay for themselves at the end.

Want to know how QR payments compare to other hardware options? Then read our comparison of a payment kiosk versus QR payments: what fits your venue.

Hospitality payment systems: all the options in a row

The choice goes beyond just SoftPOS or QR. There are several payment systems for hospitality, each with its own strength. Below are the most important options.

Classic restaurant terminal

The familiar card reader. Reliable, known to every staff member and suitable for virtually any payment method. Downside: your team stays the bottleneck and you pay for the hardware. A good base, but not the fastest solution at peak moments.

SoftPOS

The terminal in your phone or tablet. Saves on hardware and is mobile. As mentioned, it does keep the payment with your team.

Payment kiosk or self-service unit

A fixed unit where guests pay for themselves. Works well for fast casual and takeaway, less so for table service where the guest prefers to stay seated.

QR payments at the table

The guest pays with their own phone, at the table, when they are ready. Ideal for sit-down hospitality that wants to lower workload and turn tables faster.

The combination

In practice many venues do not choose one system, but a combination. QR payments as the standard at the table, plus a terminal or SoftPOS on hand for guests who prefer to pay by card the classic way. That way you cover everyone. At Splitty this is deliberate: guests are never obliged to pay via QR, cash and card remain perfectly possible.

Want a complete overview of everything that runs in a modern venue? Then check out our complete guide to hospitality software.

Costs and points of attention per payment system

With a commercial choice it is not just the purchase that counts, but also what a system costs you in time and lost revenue. We deliberately do not name rates, because those differ per provider and change. Always ask your supplier for the current prices.

What to watch per payment system:

• Hardware costs. A classic restaurant terminal requires investment. SoftPOS saves on that. QR payments only need QR stands, no device.
• Transaction costs. Every payment method carries a cost per transaction. Compare the local methods, card and credit card with your provider.
• Payout. Check how fast you get your money. Splitty works via Stripe with weekly or monthly payout, straight to your account.
• Integration with your till. A system that syncs automatically with your till prevents manual work and errors. Splitty integrates with Lightspeed, Vectron, unTill and MplusKASSA.
• Hidden time costs. The slowest system costs you no euros on the invoice, but it does cost revenue in missed table turnover.

At Splitty the rule is: no fixed monthly costs, you only pay per transaction. For the broader cost picture of payment systems in hospitality, our guide to choosing a hospitality payment system is a good starting point.

Linking to your existing till

The big advantage of QR payments with till integration is that the bill is pulled automatically from your point of sale system. Your team does not have to type anything over and double payments are prevented. How such an integration works you can read, for example, in our explanation of linking the unTill till to Splitty, the Lightspeed integration, the Vectron integration or the MplusKASSA integration.

Practical example: the busy terrace

Situation. Say: a popular terrace with 40 tables on a Saturday evening in summer. Packed, guests in groups of 4 to 8, and everyone wants to leave around the same moment when it cools down.

Problem. The service staff run with one card reader from table to table. Every group wants to split, so precious time is lost per table on separate payments and payment requests. Guests who are finished stay seated because they are waiting for the bill. The table does not free up, while new guests stand waiting at the edge. And the tip jar stays thin, because no one has cash on them anymore.

Solution. On every table sits a QR stand. Guests scan, see the live bill from the till, split per item or equally, tip via the suggestion and pay with Apple Pay or a local wallet. Anyone who prefers to pay by card the classic way simply does so with the service staff. The team no longer has to walk past every table with a device.

Result. The checkout that used to take minutes now happens in around 15 seconds per guest. Tables free up faster, so more covers fit in the same evening. At venues that work with Splitty we see on average 5x more tips and up to 7x more Google reviews, because every payment automatically triggers a review request. The team keeps time for hospitality instead of payment hassle.

This is exactly where QR payments make the difference compared to SoftPOS: not your team, but the guest does the payment work.

How to choose the right payment system in 6 steps

No appetite for analysis paralysis? Work through these six steps and you will know which payment system fits your venue.

1. Map your type of service. Sit-down and table service, or mainly takeaway and individual? Table service points towards QR, takeaway towards a kiosk or SoftPOS.
2. Measure your checkout time. Time for a week how long it takes on average for a table to settle up. If that is structurally too long, then speed is your priority.
3. Look at your peak moments. Does your team get stuck on busy evenings? Then you want to take the payment away from the service staff.
4. Assess splitting. Do groups split often? QR with automatic splitting saves the most hassle.
5. Check your till integration. Choose a system that works seamlessly with your current till, so you do not have to enter anything twice.
6. Ask for current prices. Compare hardware and transaction costs at providers and count the hidden time costs.

For most sit-down hospitality QR payments come out best in this test, possibly supplemented with SoftPOS or a terminal for guests who prefer to pay by card the classic way. Want to run through this together for your specific situation? Get in touch, we will think along with you, no strings attached.

Summary

• SoftPOS turns your smartphone or tablet into a card reader and saves on hardware, but keeps the payment with your team.
• QR payments let the guest pay for themselves at the table: splitting, tipping and paying without waiting.
• SoftPOS fits well with mobile setups, food trucks and small venues with individual payment.
• QR payments win with table service, groups that split, busy peak moments and venues that want more tips and reviews.
• Many hospitality businesses choose a combination: QR as the standard, plus a terminal or SoftPOS for those who want to pay by card the classic way.
• Splitty settles up in around 15 seconds, delivers on average 5x more tips, up to 7x more Google reviews and integrates with Lightspeed, Vectron, unTill and MplusKASSA.
• No fixed monthly costs at Splitty: you only pay per transaction.
• Always ask your payment provider for the current prices and conditions.

Sources

• PCI DSS (PCI Security Standards Council) for payment security standards.

Compiled by Team Splitty - this article is based on official documentation from payment providers, industry research and practical experience within hospitality.