Revel vs Shopkeep

Revel and ShopKeep are two of the biggest names in the POS industry, offering some of the best iPad point-of-sale systems on today's market. With cutting-edge features, sleek hardware, and intuitive software, either one would be a great investment.

But they each have different strengths, and choosing the wrong POS option for your type of business could end up being a costly mistake.

Luckily, we're here to help.

Come with us as we explain the necessary details you need to know about each of these POS system solutions before you make up your mind.

Choose Revel If...

Revel POS System is the better choice for large businesses that require a more advanced system. It beats out ShopKeep in terms of advanced inventory management, self-service kiosks, and eCommerce support.

Choose ShopKeep If...

ShopKeep POS is a better choice for small businesses looking for a more intuitive interface at a reduced cost. It comes with several quality features for retail businesses and excellent customer service.

Revel POS VS ShopKeep POS System Comparison

	Shopkeep	Revel
Ideal For	Small and mid-sized retail and restaurant businesses	Larger, more established retailers and restaurants
Hardware Cost	$39 to $1,500	Quote-based
Software Cost	$49 per month starting	$99 per month per terminal
Online Transactions	Quote-based	Quote-based
In-Person Transactions	Quote-based	Quote-based
Mobile Device	Yes	Yes
Customer Service	24/7 Live Support	24/7 year-round support
Contract	No contract	Three-year minimum
What’s Missing	Ultra-complex inventory management features, appointment scheduling, and kitchen display system offerings	Transparent pricing model and strong customer support

Digging Into The Details

Revel's Best Features:

Third-Party Integrations

Third-party integrations are a major asset for businesses that want to expand their current POS system's offerings.

ShopKeep offers several ways to customize your system via third-party integrations.

However, Revel Systems has ShopKeep beat with its ultra-expandable POS solution.

Like ShopKeep, Revel integrates with Apple Pay, MailChimp, and QuickBooks, though it also integrates with QuickBooks' accounting software, Xero, alternative payment processing options like Bitcoin and PayPal, and eCommerce services like Magento and Shopify.

If you want a point-of-sale system that can be molded to fit the complex needs of your business, Revel POS is the better choice. However, it's important to note that the open API, which allows integration with certain third-party apps, is not free with Revel's standard POS solution.

Inventory Management

No matter what business type you run, having a quality inventory management system that can perform the mundane tasks of keeping stock, sending out low inventory notifications, and collecting inventory data, is a major time-saver. Plus, it can enhance the accuracy of your business.

Whether you run a restaurant with ingredient-level tracking needs or a large retail store with large product quantities, the inventory management tools found in Revel Systems products are highly adaptable. If you work in the food and beverage industry, you'll love the integrated menu-building feature, which keeps track of product availability in real-time.

You can also track inventory across multiple locations and consolidate data in one place.

Appointment Scheduling

If you run an appointment-based business, such as a nail salon or barber shop, you'll love the appointment scheduling features found within Revel POS. You can use the integrated CRM module to assign customers to your digital schedule.

Text notifications can be sent out as reminders about appointments, and notes can be input into the system to remind employees about specific customer details.

If you have loyal customers that continue coming back for the same service, this feature can be very helpful.

If the already robust appointment scheduling features aren't enough, you can obtain open API access to install additional schedule management features.

Employee Management

One thing that you'll find in Revel Systems POS solutions that you won't find in ShopKeep is an employee time-tracking feature. This feature provides you with real-time data sent to any internet-connected device, so you can have oversight of your business at all times.

This time-tracking feature is found within the employee management suite, which is functional in many aspects. You can handle administrative paperwork related to compliance and staffing, receive employee performance reports, and assign certain permissions to higher-level employees.

Customer Relationship Management

A comprehensive customer relationship management system is included within Revel Systems POS products, made up of loyalty programs and rewards features. With this feature-rich system, you can stay up to date with customer information and send out notices regarding events, discounts, and deals using Revel's email marketing tools.

This CRM suite allows you to link customer purchases to their "profiles," identifying preferences and trends per customer before compiling that data for use in your Revel Systems dashboard. This way, you can tailor loyalty rewards, discounts, and upsells to specific demographics or individuals.

ShopKeep's Best Features:

Customer Support

Though it's not the first aspect that comes to mind when shopping for a POS solution, customer support is extremely important.

It can mean the difference between losing a few days of business in the event of a system crash or being able to troubleshoot issues with ease and getting back on your feet.

Both Revel and ShopKeep offer customer support, whether live chat, email support, phone support, or online educational resources.

However, ShopKeep has much higher quality support. In fact, some of the main complaints surrounding Revel Systems have to do with the lack of customer support offered.

ShopKeep customers, on the other hand, constantly praise the support offered.

Pocket App

We live in a mobile world, and most people expect that anything they can do on their computers should also be able to be accomplished on their mobile devices. ShopKeep makes that desire a reality.

One of our favorite ShopKeep features is the Pocket mobile app, which was made in conjunction with Lightspeed. You can use this app on iOS and Android devices to track every element of your business, whether you're at your establishment or on vacation. The app can be set up to send you notifications regarding employees, inventory, orders, and more.

One of our favorite things about this app is that you can process sales from anywhere that you have an internet connection, as the mobile system has the ability to process credit cards.

Reporting Suite

Business decisions are made based on real data. Of course, collecting real data can be extremely time-consuming, which is why having a system that automatically collects, compiles, organizes, and presents data can be very beneficial.

While the reporting suite might not be as robust as the one found in Revel, ShopKeep wins when it comes to intuitive reporting and analytics. The way in which ShopKeep organizes its data makes it far more digestible, especially if you need simple insight into average cost reporting, customer reporting, and discount reporting.

With ShopKeep POS, you can print real-time reporting using your receipt printer attached to your cash register, making it easy to store physical report records. Beyond the standard reports that you would expect to find in a point-of-sale solution, ShopKeep has the ability to dive deep into more complex data, such as variant reports.

Loyalty Program

Any marketing expert will tell you that your loyal customers should be your main focus. You want to keep your best customers happy so they spread the word about your business and continue coming back. There is no better way to do that than with a comprehensive loyalty program.

The customer relationship management system is simpler than that of Revel Systems, though the loyalty program features found in ShopKeep are top-of-the-line.

You can use the loyalty program features in ShopKeep to keep track of your best and most loyal customers, offering discounts and gift cards, which you can print receipts for using your integrated receipt printer.

Customers will love the fact that they can quickly log into the ShopKeep by Lightspeed loyalty program app to see how many points they have. Your POS system will store any relevant customer information using this app, which you can then use down the line when creating email marketing campaigns.

With access to high-end loyalty program features like these, maintaining a loyal customer base has never been easier.

Website-Building Platform

A vast number of brick-and-mortar businesses are going hybrid these days. Some are creating full-fledged online stores with integrated delivery and shipping, while others are providing ways for customers to make contactless pickups.

Whatever the case is, if your business doesn't have a website, you're already behind.

Not very long ago, ShopKeep found its way into the eCommerce game, helping small businesses hybridize to sell online. One of the great things about the ShopKeep eCommerce platform is that it comes with built-in templates, which you can use to build a website and get your online business running in a pinch.

Whether you're looking to integrate curbside pickups or online ordering, the ShopKeep eCommerce platform makes even the most complex operations simple. Beyond the standard eCommerce tools, you'll find unique SEO optimization tools and intuitive search tools that can help your customers find what they are looking for quickly.

Revel Drawbacks:

One of the main drawbacks of Revel Systems is the company's lack of transparency when it comes to pricing. Additional feature costs and API pricing cost extra, though you have to get in touch with Revel Systems for a quote. Compared to many other similar point-of-sale providers, Revel Systems POS solutions also tend to be much more expensive.

Revel POS is also an iOS-exclusive solution, which can be frustrating for companies that aren't already using Apple hardware. As you probably know, iPads are more expensive than Windows and Android tablets, which can significantly impact the overall costs, especially if you need several iPad registers.

Lastly, the customer support offered by Revel POS is lacking. Many customers note that the company is difficult to get ahold of, and representatives often can't point people in the right direction. For a point-of-sale solution at this price, there should be better customer support.

ShopKeep Drawbacks:

ShopKeep merged with Lightspeed a few years ago, and while the system has seen some quality upgrades because of the merger, the company stopped sending out updates for the software. Even new customers won't get software updates from the company, meaning you'll have to deal with any current bugs that are in the system.

The other drawback is the lack of hardware compared to Revel Systems. Revel has plenty of hardware options, from mobile devices to tabletop terminals and beyond. While ShopKeep has certainly increased its hardware range in the past few years, the company is still unable to keep up with Revel's versatility.

Which Is A Better Value?

Though ShopKeep and Revel POS are often compared to one another, the fact of the matter is that these two POS systems are built for different needs. Because of the differing feature sets, you could say that they were developed to handle different operations entirely.

Overall, ShopKeep is a better choice for small businesses that don't have complex inventory management needs, while larger businesses should gravitate toward Revel Systems, thanks to its advanced inventory tracking and supreme eCommerce support.

When it comes to value, however, ShopKeep offers a better user experience at a lower cost. With that said, both of these systems are excellent, and we highly recommend each.