Esplanda vs Square
Square alternatives for owners who want the work done
Esplanda is the Square alternative for owners who want the register and the work around it. Esplanda POS is included on every plan, and the plan you pick sets how much of your ordering, pricing, marketing and reviews Esplanda does for you.
Esplanda plans: Visibility $99, Operations $299 or Done-For-You $599 per location per month, with Esplanda POS included on every plan. 14-day free trial, no credit card needed to start.
Side by side
A register on its own, or Esplanda
Choosing a Square alternative? Here is what an independent store gets at the counter and around it, from a register used on its own and from Esplanda.
| What you're comparing | A register on its own | Esplanda |
|---|---|---|
| At the counter | Rings the sale and takes the card | Esplanda POS rings the sale with ID scans, bottle deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match deals built in, and keeps selling offline |
| Ordering | You count the shelf and write each distributor order | Run-out warnings on every plan; purchase orders timed to delivery days on Operations, and sent inside your limits on Done-For-You |
| Shelf prices | You check what nearby stores charge and change the tags yourself | Shelf prices at stores near you on every plan; price changes staged for one tap on Operations, and moved above your margin floor on Done-For-You |
| Supplier invoices | You key each invoice in by hand | Photograph the invoice and every line is checked against your order, on every plan |
| Marketing | You write and send every offer yourself | A loyalty program built from your register sales on every plan; email and SMS campaigns written on Operations, and sent inside your discount ceiling on Done-For-You |
| Reviews | You find and answer reviews site by site | Google, Yelp and Facebook reviews in one inbox, with an alert when one needs a reply; replies drafted on Operations, and 3, 4 and 5 star reviews answered on Done-For-You |
| Selling online | A separate store to set up and keep in step by hand | Your own online shop for pickup and local delivery, run from the same stock count as the counter, with no percentage of online sales |
| Delivery apps | Each app's menu kept up by hand | Each app's margin after commission on every plan; one catalog on your DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart and Grubhub accounts on Operations and Done-For-You |
| Who does the work | You do, before opening or after closing | Visibility advises you, Operations prepares the work for one-click approval, and Done-For-You runs inside limits you set once |
| Price | The register's fee, plus your own hours for everything around it | One price per location per month, Esplanda POS included: Visibility $99, Operations $299, Done-For-You $599 |
What each plan does, line by line: Esplanda pricing.
At the counter
A Square alternative built for liquor stores
Esplanda POS is included on every plan, with the jobs a liquor, convenience or grocery counter runs all day built in.
ID scans
The register reads the barcode on the license, checks date of birth and expiry, and saves the check with the sale.
Bottle deposits
Set per container type for your location, charged at the sale and refunded on returns.
Cases and singles
One item sells as a single bottle or a full case, with stock kept right.
Mix-and-match deals
Rules such as any six wines at the case price apply automatically and are recorded.
Keeps selling offline
Internet down on a Friday night? The register keeps ringing, printing and scanning IDs, then syncs when the line is back.
One set of numbers
The sale, the stock count and your ordering share one catalog, so there's nothing to reconcile after close.
The full counter: our POS system with inventory management and the liquor store POS system. Running a corner store with a beer cooler? See our convenience store POS system.
The work around the register
Ordering, prices, marketing and reviews, done with you or for you
Esplanda runs the register and the work around it from one catalog. The plan you pick sets how much of that work Esplanda does for you.
- The work done, by plan. Visibility advises you. Operations prepares purchase orders, price changes and campaigns for one-click approval. Done-For-You runs inside limits you set once.
- One price. Esplanda POS is included on every plan, with unlimited users and no per-seat or module fees.
- You stay in charge. On Operations, nothing changes a price, sends or spends without your OK, and you can switch to approve-everything mode at any time. See why Esplanda is safe to trust.
Illustrative example
Ordering
Run-out warnings early enough to act, on every plan. On Operations and Done-For-You, distributor orders are drafted from what sold and timed to each delivery day.
Shelf prices
Public shelf prices at stores near you show where you're high on the bottles people shop around for, and your margin floor is kept.
Invoices by photo
Snap the sheet the driver hands you. Esplanda matches it to the order and flags what didn't arrive or arrived at a different cost, on every plan.
Marketing
A loyalty program built from your register sales on every plan. Win-back offers inside your discount ceiling, prepared for your approval on Operations and sent on Done-For-You.
Reviews
Google, Yelp and Facebook reviews in one inbox. Replies are drafted in your voice for your approval on Operations; on Done-For-You, 3, 4 and 5 star reviews are answered inside your tone rules, and 1–2 star reviews always come to you. See our review management software.
Online and delivery apps
Your own shop for pickup and local delivery from the same stock count as the counter, with no percentage of your online sales, and each delivery app's margin after commission on every plan. See our POS with online ordering.
Cost
One price, the register included
Esplanda prices per location per month: Visibility $99, Operations $299, Done-For-You $599. Esplanda POS is included on every plan, and the plan sets how much of the work Esplanda does for you.
- Pick how much work you want done. Every plan includes Esplanda POS with ID scans, deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match. Unlimited users, no per-seat or module fees.
- Compare the whole bill. Add up what you pay today for the register, card processing, hardware and the tools around them, then set that total beside one Esplanda plan.
| Cost | With Esplanda | Worth checking on your bill today |
|---|---|---|
| Software and the register | Included in your plan: $99, $299 or $599 | Is the register billed apart from the tools for ordering, marketing and reviews? |
| Hardware | Optional and bought once. Esplanda POS runs on a desktop, tablet or phone you already have | Do you buy or lease your hardware from your register company? |
| Card processing | Optional. From 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online; your rate is set when First American approves your account | What did last month's statement cost, every fee included? |
| Setup | No setup fee | Did you pay a setup or installation fee? |
| Users and modules | Unlimited users, no per-seat or module fees | Is there a charge per user or per module? |
| Contract | Month to month, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card needed to start | How long is the contract, and can you export your data when you leave? |
| Online orders | No percentage of online sales | Is there a cut of every online order? |
| Text messages | Carrier fees passed through at cost, not marked up | Are texts capped, or charged per message? |
| More than one store | Each location runs its own plan; three or more locations are quoted | How is a second or third store priced? |
Compare on your own numbers: run one month's card statement through the credit card processing fee calculator, and see credit card processing for small business for how Esplanda's rate is set. Every plan in full: Esplanda pricing.
Switching
Switching from Square to Esplanda POS
Move the register to Esplanda POS, included on every plan, and run the whole store from one catalog.
Moving from Square
Plan the move with POS data migration: what comes across to Esplanda POS, and how the move runs.
Your data stays yours
You can export all of your data, any time — products, customers, sales, purchase orders, suppliers. If you leave, you take everything.
Built for the counter
Esplanda POS is built for liquor and wine, convenience, grocery and retail counters; see our retail POS system. Running a restaurant? Compare Esplanda vs Toast.
Square is a trademark of its owner. Esplanda is an independent company and is not affiliated with Square.
Questions
Square alternatives: questions owners ask
Who are Square's competitors for an independent store?
Esplanda is the Square competitor built for independent liquor and wine, convenience, grocery and retail stores. Esplanda POS is included on every plan, with ID scans, bottle deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match deals built in, and the plan you pick sets how much of the ordering, pricing, marketing and reviews Esplanda does for you. Running a restaurant? See Esplanda vs Toast.
What should a liquor store look for in a Square alternative?
The counter jobs a liquor store runs all day, built in: ID scans that read date of birth and expiry, bottle deposits by container type, case breaks and mix-and-match deals. Esplanda POS has all four on every plan, keeps selling offline and syncs when the line is back, and shares one catalog with your ordering. See the liquor store POS system.
How much does Square cost compared with Esplanda?
Esplanda is $99, $299 or $599 per location per month, with Esplanda POS included on every plan, no setup fee, unlimited users and no annual contract. To compare, add up what you pay today for the register, card processing and hardware, plus the tools and hours that go into ordering, pricing, marketing and reviews. Then set that total beside one Esplanda plan; Esplanda pricing shows what each plan does.
What does Esplanda do beyond the register?
The work around the sale. Visibility tells you what to reorder, flags prices that are off market and alerts you when a review needs a reply. Operations prepares purchase orders, price changes, review replies and campaigns for one-click approval. Done-For-You sends purchase orders inside your limits, moves prices above your margin floor and replies to 3, 4 and 5 star reviews.
Can I switch from Square to Esplanda?
Yes. Your register moves to Esplanda POS, which is included on every plan, and your ordering, pricing, marketing and reviews run from the same catalog. See POS data migration for what comes across and how the move runs.
What hardware does Esplanda POS run on?
A desktop app on a Windows or Mac computer at the counter, plus iOS and Android apps for tablets and phones, with standard receipt printers, cash drawers, barcode scanners and ID readers. A tested hardware set is optional, bought once and separate from the plan.
Does Esplanda process card payments?
Yes, and it's optional: the plan price is the same whoever processes your cards. Esplanda processes card payments as a reseller for First American Payment Systems, a Deluxe company, which approves, funds and owns your merchant account. Rates start at 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online, and your rate is set when First American approves your account, from your current statement.
Is there a free trial of Esplanda?
Yes. Esplanda has a 14-day free trial, and no credit card is needed to start. Esplanda is month to month, with no annual contract and no setup fee.
The register, and the work around it
Start free today, or book a demo and we'll walk through Esplanda on a store like yours.
14-day free trial, no credit card needed to start. Esplanda POS included on every plan, from $99 per location per month.
