Cenvi vs Square, for restaurants and caterers
Pricing and fees re-checked against each provider’s public pricing page.
Keep the register simple. Let Cenvi run the rest.
Square is a fast, affordable register with online ordering. Cenvi runs what happens around it: catering quotes, deposits and contracts, dine-in reservations, inventory, and a phone line that answers every call and text. Keep Square and import its menu, or move everything to Flagship.
Square vs Cenvi.
Square is built around the counter. Cenvi is built around the booking. Below: what each costs and where each one is the better tool.
- Catering and private events are real revenue, not a side favor
- Quotes, deposits and contracts live in email threads and spreadsheets
- Calls go to voicemail during service, and those callers order somewhere else
The bill side by side
Monthly software price per location, before card processing.
What each one charges
Square Plus is the plan most restaurants need for floor plans, loyalty and marketing. Card processing is extra on both.
Square Plus
Register, online ordering, floor plans, loyalty and marketing
Concierge
Front Desk, catering, reservations, contracts, deposits, inventory and the books
Price, compared
Square's published plans per location, against Cenvi's two plans. Cenvi rows highlighted.
| Plan | Monthly | What it runs |
|---|---|---|
| Square Free | $0/mo, 2.6% + 15¢ in person, 3.3% + 30¢ online | Register, menus, pickup and local delivery, an online ordering page, invoices with deposits, estimates and contracts with e-signature. |
| Square Plus | $49/mo, 2.5% + 15¢ in person, 2.9% + 30¢ online | Adds floor plans, split checks, QR ordering, inventory, loyalty, marketing, staff tools, invoice payment schedules and a custom domain. Kitchen display is $30 per device a month. |
| Square Premium | $149/mo, 2.4% + 15¢ in person, 2.9% + 30¢ online | Adds coursing, seat management, third-party reservation integrations, advanced reporting and 24/7 phone support. |
| Cenvi ConciergeMonth to Month | $249/mo | Online store, catering pricing with guest-count tiers, contracts, deposits and scheduled balances, dine-in reservations, inventory, QuickBooks, and the 24/7 Front Desk phone and text line. Month to month. |
| Cenvi FlagshipWebsite and App | $499/mo | Everything in Concierge, plus Cenvi POS and a website and branded iOS and Android app that Cenvi builds, manages and optimizes for search. One-year contract, no setup fee. |
Square figures are from squareup.com restaurant pricing, its fees help article, hardware pages and press releases, checked October 17, 2026. Square's online rate covers card payments made online or through an invoice; manually keyed cards are 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan. Square Pro is custom pricing above $250,000 a year in processing. Cenvi plan prices are read live from our billing configuration, and Cenvi card processing runs on your own Stripe account at Stripe's published rate.
Feature by feature
Both take an order at the counter. Everything below is where they part ways.
| What changes | Square | Cenvi |
|---|---|---|
| Catering and Events | ||
| Catering pricingPer-person rates, guest-count tiers, trays and combos. | Not listed in Square plan features | Per person, per tray, guest-count tiers and combos |
| Deposits and scheduled balancesDeposit now, balance before the event. | Invoice deposits on Free, payment schedules on Plus and Premium | Milestone payments on every booking |
| Contracts and e-signatureTerms signed before the date is held. | Yes, with templates; required signature on Plus and Premium | Yes, with clauses that appear only when the booking needs them |
| Event sheets and date holdsStops you selling the same room or date twice. | Not listed; preorders and deferred sales tracking are | Yes, with Google Calendar sync |
| Answering the Phone | ||
| AI phone answeringWhat happens when someone calls during the rush. | Voice ordering in beta on Plus and Premium, for pickup orders on a Square business number | Front Desk answers calls and texts 24/7, takes orders, quotes catering and books dates |
| Dine-in reservationsTables from your own floor plan. | Through third-party reservation integrations on Premium | Built in, no per-cover fee |
| Website and App | ||
| Website and online orderingWhere guests order from you directly. | Website builder and commission-free ordering on every plan; custom domain on Plus | Online store on both plans; a website built and managed by Cenvi on Flagship |
| Branded iOS and Android appYour name on the App Store listing. | Not from Square; available through third-party apps | Yes, on Flagship |
| Google ordering and reviewsShowing up where guests search. | Order with Google and Google review monitoring on every plan | SEO and AI search optimization managed by Cenvi on Flagship |
| Money | ||
| Monthly softwareSquare is cheaper if a register is all you need. | $0, $49 or $149 per location | $249/mo on Concierge |
| Choice of processorWhose merchant account the money lands in. | Square processing; hardware on installments requires it | Your own Stripe account |
| Contract termWhat leaving costs. | No contract, no early termination fee | Concierge month to month; Flagship one year, no setup fee |
| Commission on your own ordersNeither takes a cut of the guests you bring yourself. | None | None. Commission only on new customers from the Cenvi marketplace |
| Inventory and food costKnowing what a plate costs before you price it. | Inventory on Plus and Premium | Counts, recipes, plate cost and live local ingredient prices |
Where each one wins
Straight answer.
You run a counter-service shop and mostly need a reliable register, online ordering and loyalty at a low monthly price. Square Free costs nothing a month, Plus is $49 per location, there is no contract, and the hardware is easy to buy.
Catering, private events and reservations are real revenue, and missed calls cost you orders. Cenvi quotes catering by the person or tray, holds the date with a contract and deposit, takes reservations off your floor plan, and answers every call and text. You can keep Square at the counter and import its menu into Cenvi, or run everything on Flagship.
Straight Answers
Square vs Cenvi, Answered
How much does Square for Restaurants cost?
Square sells the same plans to every business type: Square Free at $0, Square Plus at $49 and Square Premium at $149 per location a month. In-person card rates run from 2.6% + 15¢ on Free to 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium, and online or invoice payments are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium.
Can I use Cenvi with Square?
Yes. Connect Square once and your items, sizes and modifiers import into Cenvi, and auto-resync keeps them in step. You can keep Square at the counter and run catering, reservations and the phone on Cenvi.
Does Square answer the phone?
Square has AI voice ordering in beta on Plus and Premium. It works on Square business numbers and takes immediate pickup orders. Cenvi Front Desk answers calls and texts 24/7, takes orders, quotes catering and books open dates and tables.
Does Square do catering?
Square has invoices, estimates, deposits, contracts with e-signature, and payment schedules on its paid plans. Its plan features do not list event sheets, date holds or guest-count catering pricing. Cenvi has all three.
Does Cenvi take a commission on my orders?
Not on orders from your own channels. Orders from your own store, website, app, phone line and register carry no Cenvi commission. Cenvi charges a commission only on new customers it sends you through the Cenvi marketplace.
Is there a contract?
Square has no contract, though hardware bought on installments requires you to keep processing with Square. Cenvi Concierge is month to month. Cenvi Flagship, with the website and branded app, is a one-year contract with no setup fee.
Sources
Checked October 17, 2026. Tell us if something changed and we will fix it.
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Your Clients Earn Credit When They Book You Here
Corporate buyers like pharma reps, office managers and association organizers book through whichever channel pays them back. Every booking on Cenvi earns your client credit toward their next one. It costs you nothing, and it gives them a reason to come back to you instead of starting over somewhere else.
You Pay Nothing for It
The credit comes out of Cenvi's service fee, not your payout. You receive the full amount of every booking, exactly as you do today.
It Rewards the Person Who Books
The buyer sees what they will earn before they commit, so the repeat booking lands with you instead of drifting to whoever they call next.
It Builds With Every Booking
Credit accumulates and unlocks higher earn rates over time. The longer a client books through Cenvi, the more it costs them to go elsewhere.
They Can Cash It Out
Clients can trade their credit for a digital gift card from brands like Amazon, so the reward feels real from the first booking.
Rewards apply to bookings made through Cenvi, including from your own storefront. Program Terms.