Çentik vs 5Loyalty: UK Loyalty Platform Comparison

Çentik vs 5Loyalty at a glance

The clearest distinction is operational. Çentik lets a venue add loyalty without replacing or integrating its till: customers use a browser-based card, Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, while staff can issue stamps through the physical Çentik NFC point or QR. 5Loyalty also supports web-based customer access and Apple/Google Wallet, so it should not be described as app-only. Its stronger differentiator is integration depth: its current site publishes integrations with Access, Lightspeed and Square, while its paid tiers extend into points, stamp cards, voucher automation, campaigns, referrals, subscriptions and optional online ordering. 5Loyalty +4 Çentik +4 5Loyalty +4

Who is Çentik best for?

Çentik is a strong fit when the requirement is to add a visible loyalty layer without turning the loyalty project into a POS migration. Its documented customer journey is deliberately simple: browser or Wallet on the customer side, and NFC or QR at the counter. The current plan also bundles CRM-style customer views, retention campaigns, analytics, QR Menu Pro and barista tools rather than selling each as a separate hospitality module. Çentik +1

• Independent cafés, bakeries and smaller hospitality businesses that want loyalty beside their existing till rather than inside it.
• Operators that want a physical NFC loyalty touchpoint at the counter while keeping QR as an alternative.
• Teams that want customers to start without installing a dedicated native app.
• Businesses that value a relatively simple public subscription model, self-service trial and bundled QR menu.
• Merchants comfortable with an explicit counter interaction for issuing loyalty rather than relying entirely on automatic POS transaction capture.

Who is 5Loyalty best for?

5Loyalty is better aligned with operators that want loyalty connected to a broader hospitality stack. Its published product includes POS integrations, percentage-based loyalty points, stamp cards, automated vouchers, Wallet passes and customer account controls. Higher tiers add campaign automation, referrals and subscriptions, while optional modules add online ordering and a branded native app. Companies House records 5LOYALTY LTD as an active UK private limited company incorporated in 2016, and Lightspeed independently lists its restaurant integration. Lightspeed +3 5Loyalty +3 5Loyalty +3

• Hospitality operators already using a supported Access, Lightspeed or Square workflow and wanting loyalty tied more closely to transactions.
• Businesses that need online ordering, click and collect, order to table or delivery in the same vendor ecosystem.
• Brands that specifically want a custom native iOS/Android app as an optional channel.
• Operators that need eGift vouchers, referrals or subscription-style customer programmes.
• Multi-site hospitality groups willing to accept a more modular commercial structure in exchange for broader integration options.

Pricing and total cost: compare the complete stack, not one headline number

5Loyalty's UK pricing page currently lists Core at £240 per year. Starter is then £75 per month for one location and two admin users; Plus is £150 per month for one location and five admin users. Additional locations are listed at £75 per month on Starter or £150 per month on Plus. Online Ordering is listed at £75 per month and the Native Mobile App at £200 per month. Event/Top-Up Cards, Multi-Venue Ordering and Enterprise are POA. 5Loyalty

There is a pricing-page inconsistency worth checking: an earlier add-on summary on the same 5Loyalty page displays $0 values, while the detailed add-on table later on the page lists £75, £200 or POA. Obtain a written quote before relying on add-on totals. Çentik has its own public inconsistency: its dedicated pricing page currently lists $19.99/month for the first location plus $4.99 for each extra location, whereas the English homepage still shows $9.99/month. The dedicated pricing page should be treated as the stronger pricing reference, but Çentik should resolve that discrepancy before this comparison is published. 5Loyalty +2 Çentik +2

Customer journey: both can avoid a mandatory native app

A simple app-versus-no-app comparison would be inaccurate. Çentik explicitly opens in the browser and lets customers add the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. 5Loyalty likewise documents a web app, My Account and Apple/Google Wallet QR codes, while its branded native app is sold as an optional add-on. The more meaningful distinction is the in-store interaction: Çentik explicitly centres NFC tap and QR at the counter, whereas 5Loyalty's published journey leans more heavily on POS integration, web accounts, QR and Wallet. 5Loyalty +4 Çentik +4 5Loyalty +4

POS integration and ordering are the biggest architectural difference

Çentik explicitly says it runs independently of the merchant's till. That reduces integration dependency but means buyers should not assume automatic transaction-level earning. 5Loyalty's proposition is more integration-led: it publishes Access, Lightspeed and Square integrations, and Lightspeed's own marketplace confirms loyalty and ordering compatibility with its Restaurant POS K-Series. If automatic earning, till redemption and unified ordering are central requirements, this difference should carry more weight than headline subscription price. Çentik +2 5Loyalty +2

Limitations and items to verify before buying

• Çentik pricing needs one canonical public figure: the dedicated pricing page shows $19.99/month while the English homepage still shows $9.99/month. Çentik +1
• Çentik's pricing page lists multi-location support, while its homepage FAQ still says multi-location dashboard management is in progress. A multi-site buyer should confirm the exact production status before rollout. Çentik +1
• No Access, Lightspeed or Square integration was verified for Çentik on the public pages reviewed; its stated model is POS-independent.
• No full online-ordering, eGift-voucher, referral, subscription or branded-native-app equivalent was verified for Çentik on the current public English pages.
• 5Loyalty's modular stack can become materially more expensive when Core, higher tiers, extra locations, ordering and a native app are combined. Use a written quote for the exact configuration. 5Loyalty
• A dedicated 5Loyalty NFC counter device was not found in the first-party product pages reviewed. If physical tap-to-earn is essential, ask 5Loyalty to confirm its current hardware options rather than assuming it is unsupported.
• 5Loyalty states that My Account can store marketing opt-in/out preferences, but a product feature statement is not the same thing as independent certification of UK GDPR or PECR compliance. 5Loyalty

Migration from 5Loyalty to Çentik

A migration should be treated as a data-mapping project rather than a simple account switch. The public 5Loyalty pages reviewed do not publish a detailed export or migration specification, while Çentik's public site explicitly documents migration only for existing paper punch-card balances. Before committing to a digital-to-digital move, request a sample export and agree exactly which customer, reward and consent fields can be imported. Çentik

• Inventory the source data: customer identifiers, email and phone fields, point balances, stamp balances, vouchers, rewards, birthday data, location history, referral or subscription status, consent records and suppression status.
• Map reward economics before migration. 5Loyalty points have a documented monetary value of £0.01 per point, whereas Çentik's current public English material is primarily stamp-based. Do not silently convert points into stamps without a merchant-approved conversion rule. 5Loyalty +1
• If the merchant relies on Lightspeed, Access or Square transaction-linked earning, document the replacement counter workflow because Çentik's public model is POS-independent.
• Assume existing Wallet passes will need to be reissued unless both vendors explicitly confirm portability. Test Apple Wallet and Google Wallet enrolment with a pilot group before the cutover.
• If a 5Loyalty branded native app is in use, prepare customer communications explaining the new browser/Wallet/NFC journey rather than expecting customers to discover the change themselves.
• Run a reconciliation before launch: total customers, active balances, outstanding rewards, consent statuses and a sample of individual account histories should match the approved migration rules.
• Keep a documented rollback/export copy and avoid deleting the legacy system until balances and redemptions have been validated.

UK data and marketing considerations

Consent data should not be treated as an optional migration field. ICO guidance says organisations normally need consent before sending unsolicited electronic-mail marketing to individual subscribers unless an applicable soft opt-in applies. For the products-and-services soft opt-in, the organisation must have obtained the details directly in the course of a sale or negotiation, market similar products or services, offer an opt-out when collecting the details and provide an opt-out in every subsequent communication. If customer information will be transferred outside the UK, assess whether UK GDPR restricted-transfer rules apply. This is an operational checklist, not legal advice. ICO +1

Decision checklist

• Choose the customer journey first: physical NFC/QR counter interaction, POS-led earning, web account, Wallet or branded app.
• List the POS and ordering systems that must remain in place and decide whether loyalty needs transaction-level integration.
• Compare the complete annual cost for the exact number of locations and admins, including Core/platform fees and optional modules.
• Separate must-have features from convenient extras: ordering, referrals, subscriptions, eGift vouchers, QR menu, campaigns and branded app.
• Request migration samples before signing if an existing loyalty database has meaningful balances or marketing permissions.
• Test the real staff workflow during a busy service period rather than judging only from customer-facing screenshots.
• For a UK rollout, verify consent handling, opt-outs, processors, hosting locations and international transfer arrangements with appropriate legal or privacy advice.

Frequently asked questions