Quick answer: the main difference is POS-first versus loyalty-first
Lavu is built around a restaurant POS. Its current product pages position an iPad-based POS alongside payments, online ordering, kitchen display, inventory, labor and other restaurant operations, while its loyalty tools sit inside that broader environment. Çentik is narrower by design: it focuses on digital loyalty, customer retention, NFC/QR interactions, digital cards, campaigns, analytics and a QR menu while running independently of the merchant’s POS. Sources: lavu.com/restaurant-pos/ ; lavu.com/online-ordering/ ; centik.app/en ; centik.app/en/how-it-works
| Criterion | Çentik | Lavu |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Standalone loyalty and retention layer for cafés and repeat-visit businesses; does not require a POS change. Centik | Restaurant POS and operations platform with loyalty inside or connected to the POS ecosystem. lavu.com |
| Customer loyalty interaction | Browser-based digital card; NFC Çentik Stamp and QR can update the same loyalty card; Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are supported. Centik | Lavu Loyalty can award points from configured menu items and redeem points for discounts at checkout; loyalty numbers can be entered manually or a supported physical card can be used. |
| POS dependence | Core loyalty workflow is documented as independent of the POS. Centik | Native loyalty workflow is executed from the Lavu POS checkout flow. Lavu Support |
| Restaurant operations | Loyalty, campaigns, customer analytics and QR menu are the focus; a separate POS remains necessary for checkout and core restaurant operations. | POS, payments, online ordering, KDS, inventory and labor/operations tooling are part of the broader product stack. |
| Online ordering | Not positioned as a full restaurant order-routing platform on the current public English product pages. Centik | Lavu offers online ordering and MenuDrive; current materials describe saved customer profiles, loyalty points, CRM/customer engagement and automated email marketing in that stack. lavu.com |
| Integrations | Current comparison should treat Çentik as POS-independent rather than claim specific U.S. POS integrations unless separately verified. Centik | Lavu publishes an integrations directory covering loyalty/marketing, accounting, inventory, delivery and other restaurant tools, and also advertises an open API. lavu.com |
| Customer app requirement | No app install is required for the core customer journey; the card can open in the browser and can be added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Centik | The documented Lavu Loyalty flow is handled through POS checkout and customer loyalty identifiers/cards; do not assume an app-free wallet flow equivalent to Çentik unless separately verified. Lavu Support |
| Pricing evidence | The Çentik U.S. brief supplied for this page lists $19.99/month and $4.99 per additional location, but the current public English pricing page displays ₺999/month per location. Confirm the U.S. price before publishing a hard USD claim. Centik | Lavu’s site says POS pricing depends on configuration, device count and Marty. Capterra, updated August 26, 2026, lists a starting price of $59/month. Marty is separately advertised at $49, $99 and $199/month tiers on Lavu’s current homepage. |
| Independent review context | No equivalent large independent review corpus was verified for Çentik in this research. | Capterra shows 4.2/5 from 259 reviews, updated September 15, 2026; review themes include ease of use and customization alongside some complaints about billing or support. Individual reviews are anecdotal. Capterra |
How the loyalty workflows differ at the counter
Çentik’s current English product documentation describes a lightweight counter flow: the customer uses the Çentik Stamp via NFC or presents a personal QR code, and the same digital card updates in the browser. The customer can also add the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. The product is explicitly positioned as working without a POS integration for its core stamp flow. Sources: centik.app/en ; centik.app/en/how-it-works
Lavu’s support documentation describes a POS-native loyalty flow. Operators assign loyalty points to menu items, then access Lavu Loyalty from checkout to award points. Customers can be identified through a loyalty number such as a phone number, or through supported physical cards; points can later be exchanged for configured discounts. Lavu notes that loyalty features may need to be enabled by Customer Care. Sources: support.lavu.com/en/knowledge/assigning-loyalty-points-to-menu-items ; support.lavu.com/en/knowledge/awarding-loyalty-points-and-redeeming-loyalty-discounts
When Lavu is the better fit
- You are choosing or replacing the restaurant POS itself and want loyalty to live inside the same checkout and operations environment.
- You need restaurant functions beyond loyalty, such as integrated ordering, kitchen display workflows, inventory, payment processing or labor tools.
- Your loyalty design benefits from transaction-linked item points and discount redemption directly inside the POS checkout.
- You want to use Lavu’s published ecosystem of restaurant integrations and are comfortable evaluating a broader POS implementation, hardware and payment configuration.
- You prefer one vendor to cover more of the restaurant technology stack, even if that means a larger implementation scope than a standalone loyalty tool.
When Çentik is the better fit
- You want to keep your current POS and add a separate loyalty layer rather than replace checkout, payment or kitchen systems.
- Your priority is a fast customer interaction through NFC or QR, with no required app install for the core loyalty experience.
- You want the customer’s loyalty card available in a browser and optionally in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
- You are a café or other repeat-visit business that values digital stamp-card behavior, customer segmentation, campaigns and repeat-visit analytics more than deep restaurant POS operations.
- You want to pilot loyalty with a relatively small operational change before committing to a full POS migration.
Limitations to understand before choosing
Çentik is not a substitute for a full restaurant POS. A business that needs order entry, payment processing, kitchen routing, inventory or payroll still needs those systems elsewhere. Lavu is much broader, but that breadth also means the buying decision is not only about loyalty: device count, payment setup, hardware, online ordering, add-ons and contract terms can materially affect scope and cost. Lavu’s own site says pricing depends on configuration, devices and Marty, so a written quote is more reliable than a single headline number. Source: lavu.com/ lavu.com
For Lavu contracts, avoid generalizing from one promotion. A current Lavu Starter Kit page describes a 36-month contract for that specific offer, while other configurations may differ. Ask for the exact term, cancellation conditions, payment-processing requirements and all recurring fees in writing before signing. Source: go.lavu.com/starter-kit go.lavu.com
Pricing: compare total system cost, not just the loyalty line item
The cleanest comparison is total cost for the job you actually need done. Lavu’s public site currently prices Marty separately at $49/month for Insights, $99/month for Automation and $199/month for Autopilot, while stating that overall Lavu pricing varies by configuration and device count. Capterra’s provider-verified listing, updated August 26, 2026, gives Lavu a $59/month starting price. Those numbers are not automatically equivalent to a complete restaurant setup or to a loyalty-only purchase. Sources: lavu.com/ ; capterra.com/p/118828/Lavu/
For Çentik, the U.S. market brief supplied for this comparison states $19.99/month for Pro and $4.99/month for each additional location. However, the current public English pricing page displays ₺999/month per location. Because the public and supplied pricing contexts do not match, the USD price should be confirmed and the public U.S. pricing page aligned before publication. Sources: centik.app/en/pricing ; docs.google.com/document/d/1-bKD60H9jQNxBy7iAa0wbSOvnqTNg6J2ldNow-tCJv4/edit?tab=t.0 Centik
Migration considerations: moving from Lavu loyalty to Çentik
A migration should start with data mapping, not a switch-off date. Export or document customer identifiers, current point balances, available rewards, loyalty-card identifiers, consent or communication preferences, location ownership and any rules that affect how balances were earned. Then define how each Lavu concept maps to Çentik: for example, whether a points balance becomes a stamp count, a reward entitlement or a manually preserved starting balance. Do not promise one-to-one migration until both systems’ export/import capabilities and the customer’s data permissions have been verified.
- Freeze program rules for a short cutover window so balances do not change in two systems at once.
- Test a sample of customer profiles, balances and rewards before moving the full dataset.
- Preserve an audit file that records the old value, mapped value and migration timestamp for each customer.
- Verify consent and communication preferences before importing customers into any campaign or messaging workflow.
- Pilot at one location or with staff accounts first, then expand after reward redemption and reporting are validated.
- Keep the existing POS in place unless the business has separately decided to replace it; Çentik’s core value proposition is that loyalty can be added without a POS migration.
Decision checklist for U.S. cafés and restaurants
- Are you buying a POS, or only improving loyalty and retention?
- Must loyalty earnings be calculated automatically from item-level POS transactions?
- Do you want customers to use a browser/NFC/QR/Wallet flow without installing an app?
- Do you need KDS, online ordering, inventory, payroll or payment processing from the same vendor?
- What is the all-in monthly cost after hardware, extra devices, processing, add-ons and location fees?
- What are the contract length, cancellation terms and data-export options?
- Can you test the loyalty workflow at one location before committing to a broader rollout?
Independent review context on Lavu
Capterra lists Lavu at 4.2 out of 5 from 259 reviews, with 4.3 for ease of use and 4.2 for customer service as of September 15, 2026. Recent verified reviews include positive comments about ease of use and feature coverage, while some users report billing, support or hardware/connectivity frustrations. Review sites are useful for pattern-spotting, but individual experiences should not be treated as universal product facts. Source: capterra.com/p/118828/Lavu/reviews/ Capterra
Is Çentik a replacement for Lavu POS?
No. Çentik is positioned as a loyalty and retention layer, not a full restaurant POS. If you use Lavu for checkout, payments, kitchen workflows or inventory, replacing Lavu would require a separate POS decision. Çentik can instead be evaluated as a loyalty layer alongside an existing POS.
Does Lavu have its own loyalty program?
Yes. Lavu’s support documentation describes an in-house loyalty service where operators assign points to menu items and customers redeem points for configured discounts through the POS checkout flow. Lavu also lists third-party loyalty and marketing integrations.
Does Çentik require customers to install an app?
No for the documented core flow. Çentik says the loyalty card opens in the browser, works with NFC or QR at the counter, and can be added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
Which is better for a café that already likes its current POS?
If the goal is specifically to add loyalty without changing the POS, Çentik matches that requirement more directly because its core flow is documented as POS-independent. If the café also wants to replace checkout, payments, ordering or operations systems, Lavu should be evaluated as the broader platform.
Which is better for a restaurant that needs POS, payments and operations in one system?
Lavu is the more directly relevant product to evaluate because it is a restaurant POS platform with payments, online ordering, KDS, inventory and other operating functions. Çentik would still require a separate POS and operations stack.
How much does Lavu cost in 2026?
Lavu’s current site says pricing depends on configuration, number of devices and whether Marty is activated. Capterra lists a starting price of $59/month as of August 26, 2026. Marty is advertised separately at $49, $99 and $199 per month. Request a written quote for your actual setup.
How much does Çentik cost in the U.S.?
The U.S. market brief supplied for this comparison lists $19.99/month plus $4.99 for each additional location, but the current public English pricing page displays ₺999/month per location. Verify and align the U.S. public price before publishing a definitive USD figure. Centik
Keep your POS and test a lighter loyalty layer
If your restaurant already has a checkout system you want to keep, evaluate Çentik as a focused loyalty and retention layer. Start by testing the customer journey, reward rules and staff workflow at one location before rolling it out more broadly.
Explore Çentik