Comparison

Order Entry vs Square

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

Head to head
About

Order Entry

This iPad-based point-of-sale application provides a comprehensive restaurant management system. It replaces traditional terminals with wireless devices, offering a cloud-based solution for single and multi-unit operators.

Highlights
  • iPad-based point-of-sale
  • Handheld wireless terminals
  • Cloud-based POS system
  • Restaurant management
  • Suitable for single and multi-unit operators
Features
Read full description

NorthStar Order Entry is a full-function, iPad-based, point-of-sale application for single and multi-unit restaurant operators. NorthStar Order Entry delivers a complete restaurant POS system with handheld, wireless iPads replacing traditional POS terminals in a true cloud-based POS system. NorthStar Order Entry is a product of Custom Business Solutions, Inc. (CBS) of Irvine, CA.

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 Order Entry's 3.1. Square also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 19). Order Entry's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (13 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 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square has 4.2K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Order Entry ships an update every 6 weeks, Square weekly. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Order Entry versus Square: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrder EntrySquare
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (19 ratings)4.3 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews—34.4% of reviews
Number of ratings194.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS13 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB779 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperCustom Business Solutions Inc.Block, Inc.

Customer experience

Order Entry

All ratings19 ratings
Positive47.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative42.1%

Square

All ratings4,184 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative13.1%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive34.4%
Neutral7.5%
Negative58.1%

Bugs and requests

Order Entry

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

Order Entry

No in-app purchases

None

Square

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Order Entry free?
Order Entry 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, Order Entry or Square?
Square is rated higher. Order Entry averages 3.1 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Square averages 4.3 from 4.2K ratings.
Do Order Entry or Square have ads?
Neither Order Entry nor Square shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Order Entry or Square?
Order Entry ships an update every 6 weeks, and Square weekly. Most recently, Order Entry was updated on September 26, 2026 and Square on September 26, 2026.

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