restaurant crm software
Fivestars vs TapMango
Fivestars and TapMango are loyalty platforms built for the small independent rather than the national chain, and both promise the same outcome: turn one-time diners into regulars you can reach on purpose. The difference starts with whose name is on the program. Fivestars, the widely used SMB loyalty network, was acquired by the payments company SumUp in 2021 and now lives on as SumUp Connect, so the loyalty increasingly rides alongside taking payments. TapMango takes the opposite tack: it gives your restaurant a fully branded rewards program, its own mobile app, and an in-store tablet, all carrying your name, and integrates with most POS systems rather than steering you toward one payment rail.
Both lean on automation more than genuine AI, so this is not a contest of who has the smarter model. Fivestars runs set-and-forget AutoPilot messaging with some AI-assisted drafting; TapMango runs triggered campaigns, segmentation, and scheduled promotions across SMS, email, and push. The real decision is about shape and ownership: a loyalty product inside a payments ecosystem with clearer entry pricing (Fivestars, now SumUp Connect), or a white-labeled, register-agnostic app with a deeper promo toolbox and flat pricing (TapMango). On a 3-5% net margin business, where 81% of non-members say they would join a program at a favorite spot and 60% of members prefer an app to a punch card, either can pay for itself. What differs is how much the program feels like yours, and how easily it moves if you change your register.
| Fivestars | TapMango | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose program it is | FivestarsRuns on SumUp's product and network as SumUp Connect. The tooling is capable, but guests engage within SumUp's ecosystem rather than a program that looks entirely like yours. | TapMangoFully white-labeled. Your own branded rewards program, mobile app, and in-store tablet, all carrying your name, so it reads as your restaurant's loyalty rather than a third party's. 60% of members prefer an app to a card, and this is your app. |
| Ecosystem and POS fit | FivestarsTied to SumUp's payments ecosystem, so it fits most naturally if you use or are open to SumUp for card processing. Loyalty and payments increasingly come as a pair. | TapMangoIntegrates with most POS systems and does not push a payment rail, so it stays more register-agnostic. Easier to keep if you change processors. |
| Campaign and marketing tooling | FivestarsAutoPilot set-and-forget automation plus AI-assisted message drafting, a customer database, review prompts, and acquisition through nearby-merchant screens. Simple and hands-off, lighter on depth. | TapMangoA deeper promo toolbox: points, punch cards, instant wins, flash sales, gift and voucher tools, and online ordering, pushed over SMS, email, and push. More levers to pull, and more to set up. |
| Pricing model | FivestarsReported SumUp Connect tiers around $99, $199, and $289 a month, which gives you a clearer entry point to model (confirm current pricing with the vendor). | TapMangoCustom flat monthly pricing, quoted, and marketed as unlimited campaigns with no per-message fees. Predictable and friendly to heavy SMS senders, but you have to ask for the number. |
| AI reality | FivestarsLight AI: AutoPilot automation with AI-assisted drafting, not a deep AI platform. Honest positioning, useful for a busy owner who wants the messaging to run itself. | TapMangoMarketing automation rather than AI: triggered campaigns, audience segmentation, and scheduled promotions. Branded tooling is the pitch, not machine learning. |
| Acquisition vs retention | FivestarsHistorically leaned on a merchant network and nearby-merchant screens to bring in new customers, so there is a discovery angle alongside retention. | TapMangoFocused on retaining and marketing to your existing base through your own app and channels, not a customer-acquisition network. You drive the reach, and you keep the relationship. |
The verdict
Which one, and the catch either way.
Bottom line
Questions
What buyers ask.
Is Fivestars or TapMango better for a small restaurant?
Do Fivestars or TapMango use real AI?
Will my guest data stay mine if I use Fivestars or TapMango?
Keep comparing
Other CRM & loyalty matchups.
References
Every figure on this page drills down.
3 sourced statistics cited here across 2 publications. Each number links to the research hub, and each entry there links out to its primary source.
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