Comparison

CAKE OrderPad vs Square

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CAKE OrderPad

Streamline restaurant operations with this mobile POS solution. Servers can efficiently manage orders, process payments, and handle customer profiles directly from an iPad, reducing wait times and improving service.

Highlights
  • Order queue and table views
  • Cash and credit card payments
  • Order splitting and item modifiers
  • Customer profiles
  • Time clock
  • Gift card functions
Features
Read full description

Designed to save time and embrace mobility; OrderPad will enable your servers to upsell, quickly move on the next table, or bust that long lunchtime queue. OrderPad brings the same ordering experience of the POS to the iPad. FEATURES: • Order Queue & Table Views. • Payments with Cash & Credit Cards. User oriented tip declarations, on-screen signature, & e-receipts. • Order Management: Splitting Orders, Item Modifiers, Sending Prep Tickets, Discounting Orders/Items, & Customer Profiles. • Tip Declarations. • Time Clock. • Cash Drawer Functions. • Gift Card Functions.

About

Square

This app is a comprehensive point-of-sale system designed for restaurants. It helps manage orders, payments, online ordering, menus, and table layouts. Gain insights with real-time sales reports and improve staff efficiency for dine-in, takeout, and online orders.

Highlights
  • Order and payment processing
  • Online ordering site creation
  • Menu management
  • Table and floor management
  • Real-time sales reports
  • Offline payment acceptance
Features
Read full description

The Square for Restaurants Point of Sale app helps you manage front- and back-of-house operations for your full-service restaurant, quick-service restaurant, fast-casual restaurant, bar, or brewery. Get the powerful point-of-sale system designed to serve guests who are dining in, getting takeout, or ordering online. Handle orders, set up menus, manage table layouts, accept payments, enable coursing, get insights from real-time sales reports, and more. ORDERS & PAYMENTS * Turn tables faster and keep lines moving. Increase staff efficiency with an easy-to-use, intuitive interface. * Empower servers to get every order right with the ability to enter orders the way people talk. * Take orders even when you’re short-staffed with QR codes. ONLINE ORDERING * Create a free, customizable online ordering site. * Manage all orders from your POS, including in-person, online, and third-party delivery orders. * Reach more diners with Google, Instagram, and Facebook selling integrations. MENU MANAGEMENT * Create and customize your menus from the office, remotely, or directly from your POS. * Keep service running smoothly with your staff always in the know of what’s selling and what’s about to sell out. FLEXIBLE PAYMENTS * Accept all major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay so you never have to turn a diner away. * Set up automatic tipping, move or assign checks to your staff, reopen closed checks, and manage voids with just a few taps. * Never miss a sale with offline payments. Learn more at https://squareup.com/us/en/payments/offline-payments-guide.  * Square handles all PCI compliance fees or chargebacks on your behalf. * Get deposits in your bank account as fast as the next business day or access your sales instantly with a Square Checking account. Learn more at squareup.com/us/en/banking.  FLOOR MANAGEMENT * Customize your floor plan with intuitive click-and-drag layouts. * Tip out staff, close out the cash drawer, manage comps and voids, and run close-of-day reports all from the POS. * Keep tables turning by monitoring their real-time status. * Stay on pace with coursing — letting the kitchen know when to hold or start firing dishes. SUPPORT * Customer support available to guide you through any questions. Learn more about Square for Restaurants and set yourself up from Square Dashboard before activating this app on an iOS device: https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Square at 4.3 against CAKE OrderPad's 3.0. Square also leads on review sentiment (34% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 months). CAKE OrderPad's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Square holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square has 4.2K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of CAKE OrderPad's written reviews are positive against 34% of Square's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CAKE OrderPad ships an update every 4 months, Square every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
CAKE OrderPad versus Square: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCAKE OrderPadSquare
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (9 ratings)4.3 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews34.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings94.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB790 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperCAKE CorporationBlock, Inc.

Customer experience

CAKE OrderPad

All ratings9 ratings
Positive44.4%
Neutral11.1%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Square

All ratings4,195 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative13.2%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive34.4%
Neutral7.5%
Negative58.1%

Bugs and requests

CAKE OrderPad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Square

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Orders not processing correctly
  • Transactions not completing
  • Inventory updates not syncing
  • Shift reports not printing properly
  • Card reader disconnection issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to split items across checks
  • Hold/save orders functionality
  • Improved inventory management
  • Better reporting and analytics
  • Mobile app for managing the restaurant

In-app purchases

None

CAKE OrderPad

No in-app purchases

None

Square

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CAKE OrderPad free?
CAKE OrderPad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Square free?
Square is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CAKE OrderPad or Square?
Square is rated higher. CAKE OrderPad averages 3.0 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Square averages 4.3 from 4.2K ratings.
Do CAKE OrderPad or Square have ads?
Neither CAKE OrderPad nor Square shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CAKE OrderPad or Square?
CAKE OrderPad ships an update every 4 months, and Square every 6 days. Most recently, CAKE OrderPad was updated on October 11, 2026 and Square on October 25, 2026.

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