restaurant crm software
Thanx vs Fivestars
Thanx and Fivestars are both loyalty-and-CRM platforms, but they are aimed at restaurants at opposite ends of the size ladder. Thanx is built for multi-location restaurant brands: its loyalty is card-linked, so purchases track automatically with no check-in, no scanning, and no card to carry, and enrollment lives inside digital ordering (Olo, Toast, Square, Deliverect). Fivestars was the widely used small-business loyalty network that SumUp acquired in 2021; the product now lives on as SumUp Connect, a points-and-rewards program aimed at small independents like cafes, quick-service spots, and shops.
So the honest split is scale and model, not a feature race. Thanx wants to be the retention engine for a growing brand, with margin-aware reward design and an ML-driven win-back engine, sold on custom, usually multi-year contracts. Fivestars (SumUp Connect) is the affordable, self-serve option for a single location, with a customer database, set-and-forget automated messaging, and a nearby-merchant acquisition angle, on published monthly tiers. Both tap a real appetite: 81% of non-members say they would join a loyalty program at a favorite restaurant, and on a 3-5% net margin business, the repeat visits a program drives are where the money is.
| Thanx | Fivestars | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is built for | ThanxMulti-location restaurant brands (roughly 40-plus locations) that want restaurant-specific, low-friction loyalty and a real retention program across sites. | FivestarsSmall independents (single-location cafes, quick-service spots, and retail shops) that want an affordable, self-serve rewards program without an enterprise rollout. |
| How loyalty is tracked | ThanxCard-linked. A guest links a payment card and purchases track automatically, with no check-in, no app scan, and no physical card, which sidesteps friction guests dislike (60% of members prefer an app to carrying a card). | FivestarsTraditional points collection at the register (phone number or check-in), plus a customer database. Simple and familiar, but it puts a step at the counter that card-linked tracking removes. |
| AI and automation | ThanxAutomation plus targeted machine learning: an ML win-back engine that re-targets lapsed guests and personalized lifecycle campaigns. The core value is card-linked tracking and margin-aware reward design, not broad generative AI. | FivestarsMostly automation with light AI: AutoPilot set-and-forget messaging and AI-assisted message drafting. Useful, but not a deep AI platform. |
| Acquisition versus retention | ThanxRetention-focused. Thanx is built to keep and win back your own guests, with lifecycle marketing and an ML win-back engine rather than a discovery network. | FivestarsAdds an acquisition angle: nearby-merchant screens promote you to other shops' customers, plus review prompts. A real draw for a small independent that needs new faces, not just repeat ones. |
| Pricing and commitment | ThanxCustom and quote-based, with no public pricing and typically multi-year contracts. An enterprise commitment that fits a brand, not a single cafe. Confirm terms with the vendor. | FivestarsPublished monthly tiers (reported around $99 Lite, $199 Plus, and $289 Pro for SumUp Connect). Lower commitment and easier to start or leave. Confirm current pricing with the vendor. |
| Platform and continuity | ThanxIndependent and restaurant-focused, with a self-service editor so operators change rewards, branding, and reward costs without developers. | FivestarsNow part of SumUp: the Fivestars brand has effectively folded into SumUp Connect and its payments ecosystem, which is a plus if you use SumUp and worth weighing if you do not. |
| Best fit | ThanxA growing multi-location restaurant brand that wants frictionless card-linked loyalty, margin-aware rewards, and ML win-back, and will sign a contract to get it. | FivestarsA small independent that wants an affordable, self-serve points program with some nearby-merchant acquisition, especially one already on SumUp payments. |
The verdict
Which one, and the catch either way.
Bottom line
Questions
What buyers ask.
What is the main difference between Thanx and Fivestars?
Is Fivestars still available?
Do Thanx or Fivestars run the rest of my restaurant's digital operation?
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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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