The most annoying thing about running a bakery business is the accounting and recordkeeping you have to do. Whether you produce bread, cakes, pies or any other baked goods, you need an easy way to track and organize your business. Luckily, there is a variety of software for bakery business that can help you do it quickly, efficiently and professionally.
This review was set up just for the purpose of enhancing your productivity. Below are our recommendations.
ShopKeep
ShopKeep POS | Visit SiteRead our Review |
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Best for ease of use.
ShopKeep is one of the best all-around POS systems for small businesses, food-related or not. For bakeries, this affordable, easy-to-use iPad POS provides some handy features, such as raw ingredient tracking, employee management, integrated in-house payment processing, and email marketing (via integration with Mailchimp) to stay in touch with your customers, and a loyalty program to encourage repeat business. Since it can also support retail and integrates with barcode scanners, ShopKeep is also a good POS for small businesses that sell merchandise in addition to food items.
ShopKeep features an attractive and intuitive register interface with the option of tableside ordering, allowing you to move down your busy bakery line and take orders with your iPad to send back to the kitchen or main register. While sleek and uncluttered, ShopKeep’s ultra-customizable interface is also really enjoyable to use, with animations and sound effects (which you can turn off if you’re not into that kinda thing). The register can host 3,000 item buttons and makes it easy to ring up items, add modifiers, take payments, split tenders, apply quick discounting (item and order level), and issue returns and refunds.
Another cool bakery-related feature of the ShopKeep POS is its raw goods tracking function: Every time you sell a pastry or cupcake, ShopKeep will track the amount of sugar/eggs/flour/etc., that was used and let you know when ingredients are running low.
ShopKeep has a free plan with a pared-down feature set; paid plans are quote-based, but most merchants are somewhere in the neighborhood of $60-$80/month.
Pros
- Free plan available
- Runs on iPad, Android, and Clover hardware
- Multiple payment processing options (in-house or your own merchant account)
- eCommerce add-on with online ordering
Cons
- Lacking in advanced features
- Occasional bugs and glitches
Lightspeed Restaurant POS | Visit SiteRead our Review |
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Best for an advanced feature set.
Lightspeed Restaurant was established in 2014, but that doesn’t mean Lightspeed is a new kid on the block — Lightspeed’s Retail POS product been around since 2005. With the cloud-based Restaurant version of Lightspeed, the POS runs on the iPad exclusively, and you can access your back end through the Lightspeed website or a mobile app. You can process payments via Lightspeed Payments (Lightspeed’s in-house flat-rate processing), or connect with an integrated third-party processor.
One of the many benefits Lightspeed Restaurant offers is the ability to tie in records of raw ingredients to specific products for real-time raw goods tracking. Some more of its strongest back-end features include employee management, product management, customer management, and reporting. Lightspeed also boasts many third-party software integrations as well as paid add-ons for advanced features, including loyalty, self-order kiosk, online ordering, delivery management, a customer-facing display, and advanced reporting. And we can’t help but love Lightspeed’s sleek, modern UI.
Lightspeed could be the right POS for your bakery if you want a cloud-based iPad POS that offers a lot of bells and whistles (available with paid add-ons). However, with a base price of just $59/month (billed annually), Lightspeed could also be a good choice if you want an affordable POS with robust core functionality.
Pros
- “Quick serve” mode for fast order-taking
- Self-order menu option
- Orders from third-party food delivery services sent directly to your POS
- Lite Server local server option provides strong offline functionality
Cons
- Advanced features cost extra
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TouchBistro
TouchBistro | Visit SiteRead our Review |
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Best for offline data storage.
Toronto-based TouchBistro, est. 2011, is an iPad point of sale solution that serves the POS needs of food-related businesses of all types, from food trucks to fine dining. Even Gordon Ramsey uses it (and we know how hard to please that guy is). We think TouchBistro is great for bakeries because it’s affordable, easy to use, and allows you to take complex bakery orders with ease. It’s for these reasons (and others) that TouchBistro is the Apple Store’s number-one grossing food and drink app in 37+ countries.
TouchBistro is an ideal iPad POS option for bakeries that want a modern tablet-based system but also want the security of onsite data storage. TouchBistro differs from most other “mobile” POS systems in that all of your data is stored onsite. Rather than syncing back to the cloud, POS app data is stored directly on your iPad or a local Mac server. For the Standard (1-iPad) subscription, your entire bakery will be run and managed directly from the iPad. For two or more registers, you will need to set up a local server on a Mac Mini, Macbook Pro, or iMac, which will sync data to and from your iPad registers. However, you will need an internet connection to process credit card payments.
At $69/month (for one register), TouchBistro includes a lot of functionality at a very reasonable price point. Online ordering, loyalty, delivery, and gift cards are extra. Most essential features, though, are included in the core package — menu management, table management, cloud-based reporting, unlimited users, software integrations, and 24/7 support. While the system may not be advanced enough for some full-service restaurants, TouchBistro can work great for quick-serve eateries, such as bakeries and cafes.
Pros
- Integrates with Square and PayPal Here
- Can perform most functions offline
- Kiosk mode for self-ordering (billed as an additional license)
- Online ordering free for the first year (COVID-19 promotion)
Cons
- Mixed customer reviews
- No in-house payment processing
Square
Square POS | Visit SiteRead our Review |
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Best for a free POS.
Square is a simple and easy-to-use POS software that provides everything you need to sell baked goods and manage your bakery. Square is super popular among all kinds of small businesses in the foodservice sector, as it conveniently combines payment processing with cloud POS functionality and can be used on any hardware, from iPads to Android smartphones, to Square’s custom-built POS hardware solutions, such as Square Terminal and Square Register.
Oh yeah, and it’s free! Besides your hardware costs, all you pay is Square’s in-house payment processing fees. You even get a free card reader, a free eCommerce store, and a free Square Online Checkout link to sell online without setting up an online store. Inventory management, team management, menu management, reporting, invoicing, eGift cards, and unlimited devices all come with the free plan as well. All in all, Square is probably the most feature-rich free POS available — while also being the easiest to use.
Square does have several paid add-ons that extend its basic POS functionality, such as Square Loyalty, Square Payroll, and others. The POS also integrates with an extensive list of third-party software extensions, including advanced inventory management solutions, such as Shopventory. Square additionally has a restaurant-centric version of its POS called Square for Restaurants that is $60/month. However, most bakeries that do not need sit-down restaurant features such as floor planning and table management will be fine with the free version of Square. You’ll need Square for Restaurants if you want to integrate third-party food delivery services, or you can use your free Square Online Store to set up in-person pickup and local delivery options.
At 2.6% + $0.10, Square’s flat-fee payment processing is well-priced for low-volume businesses (processing less than $10 to $15K/month) with small ticket sizes. However, higher-volume, established businesses will likely be better off getting their own dedicated merchant account.
Pros
- Unlimited devices
- Free online store
- Free digital gift cards
- Can use on any hardware setup
Cons
- Not for high-volume businesses
- Limited live customer support
Toast
Toast POS | Visit SiteRead our Review |
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Best for restaurant-grade POS hardware.
While there are several iPad-based POS systems for cafes and bakeries, Toast is the top Android-based POS solution for restaurants. Toast offers numerous features and hardware options, all specifically designed for restaurant use. Couple its advanced functionality with best-in-class customer support, and you get a highly capable POS for any sized bakery, including even franchises and multilocation eateries. Toast even has a free Starter plan that includes core POS functionality (and payment processing). However, eateries that want advanced features (such as online ordering and delivery management) integrated into their POS will need to subscribe to the $165/month Essentials package.
Toast is a complete all-in-one POS and payment processing solution. It’s meant to be used with Toast’s custom-built Android hardware, which includes options, such as the Toast Go handheld ordering device, the Toast Flex POS monitor and customer-facing screen, and the Toast Tap contactless payment terminal. All of the hardware is built for restaurants, so it’s spill-proof and drop-resistant, with more RAM and longer battery life than consumer tablets. You’ll also have to use Toast’s in-house, flat-rate payment processing. So Toast is probably not the best choice if you want to use your own hardware or merchant account.
An interesting option Toast has added recently is digital ordering options, which you can purchase separately from the Toast POS offering. That means even bakeries that use a different POS can still use Toast to set up an online ordering website, a mobile ordering app, eGift cards, and contactless delivery options. Toast charges $75 to $175/month for its digital ordering solutions, and the first three months are free during COVID-19. In addition to online ordering and contactless delivery options, Toast allows for socially distanced dining experiences in your restaurant as well — Toast’s Pay at the Table feature allows guests to scan a QR code on their receipt and pay on their own device, no credit card handling or screen-touching required.
Pros
- Restaurant-grade hardware
- Excellent customer support
- Contactless ordering and payment options
Cons
- Must use with Toast payment processing
- Must use with Toast hardware
ShopKeep
| ShopKeep POS | Visit SiteRead our Review |
|---|
Best for ease of use.
ShopKeep is one of the best all-around POS systems for small businesses, food-related or not. For bakeries, this affordable, easy-to-use iPad POS provides some handy features, such as raw ingredient tracking, employee management, integrated in-house payment processing, and email marketing (via integration with Mailchimp) to stay in touch with your customers, and a loyalty program to encourage repeat business. Since it can also support retail and integrates with barcode scanners, ShopKeep is also a good POS for small businesses that sell merchandise in addition to food items.
ShopKeep features an attractive and intuitive register interface with the option of tableside ordering, allowing you to move down your busy bakery line and take orders with your iPad to send back to the kitchen or main register. While sleek and uncluttered, ShopKeep’s ultra-customizable interface is also really enjoyable to use, with animations and sound effects (which you can turn off if you’re not into that kinda thing). The register can host 3,000 item buttons and makes it easy to ring up items, add modifiers, take payments, split tenders, apply quick discounting (item and order level), and issue returns and refunds.
Another cool bakery-related feature of the ShopKeep POS is its raw goods tracking function: Every time you sell a pastry or cupcake, ShopKeep will track the amount of sugar/eggs/flour/etc., that was used and let you know when ingredients are running low.
ShopKeep has a free plan with a pared-down feature set; paid plans are quote-based, but most merchants are somewhere in the neighborhood of $60-$80/month.
Pros
- Free plan available
- Runs on iPad, Android, and Clover hardware
- Multiple payment processing options (in-house or your own merchant account)
- eCommerce add-on with online ordering
Cons
- Lacking in advanced features
- Occasional bugs and glitches
BakeSmart
BakeSmart is a bakery point of sale software specifically for bakeries that make custom cakes. The software claims to cover every aspect of running a bakery, from order-taking to production to product costing. Unlike the web-based POS software we’ve reviewed above, BakeSmart is an on-premise POS solution that is locally-installed at your business. However, the software does allow you to sell online. This software is a bit pricey, but if you specialize in custom cakes and like what you see in the demo, it could be the right choice for your bakery.
BakeSmart plans start at $199/month, plus a $999 installation fee.
Cake Boss
Cake Boss is a bakery software made specifically for home bakery businesses. You can use the software to manage recipes, determine production costs, generate quotes, add sketches or photos of finished products, and send customized invoices with your logo. However, CakeBoss doesn’t have an actual POS component, so it’s more for small home businesses that accept payments via check, cash, PayPal, etc. CakeBoss is web-based (runs from your internet browser) and affordably priced at $149 for the first year and then $20 annually after that. The company also offers a 30-day free trial.
Mountain Stream
Mountain Stream is a delivery management software geared toward the wholesale bakery industry. In addition to wholesale distribution, Mountain Stream also has features for bakeries offering home and retail delivery. The software is well-received by online reviewers and includes various features, such as online ordering, production planning, CRM, inventory management, and more. To accept online payments, you can use PayPal or Stripe payment gateways. Note that Mountain Stream is an eCommerce platform for wholesale and home delivery and not a POS for in-person selling.
Mountain Steam has two separate products called Streamline (for wholesale distribution) and Boomerang (for home and retail delivery). The pricing for Streamline starts at $249/month, plus a $499 installation fee; the pricing for Boomerang isn’t listed.
Conclusion
As a bakery owner, you might already be using software for your business. If not, you should consider changing your ways. Using the right accounting software for your bakery can make all the difference in terms of saving time, gaining efficiencies or freeing up your time to do things that are more enjoyable.