Restaurant POS comparison

Fleksa vs Sides: a Sides alternative with the modern UX and bundled pricing

Sides is a newer DACH restaurant platform with strong QR ordering UX. Fleksa is a more mature bundled platform with the same modern feel — POS, online ordering, reservations, KDS, website included — at transparent monthly pricing and with hardware flexibility Sides doesn't match.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-07

TL;DR — who should pick what

Pick Fleksa

You want a modern bundled platform but also need a real restaurant POS, KDS, reservations, and website — not primarily a QR ordering layer. Independent or 1–10 location DACH restaurant.

Pick Sides

QR ordering and pay-at-table UX is your single biggest pain. Your existing POS is fine and you just want a strong QR/ordering layer on top.

It depends

You want the modern UX but are uncertain about Sides' depth on POS, reporting, multi-location. Compare Fleksa Bundle's full feature set against Sides' QR-first product.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Twenty rows, no spin. Where Sides is honestly better, we say so.

FeatureFleksaSidesWinner
POS terminal softwareMature full POSLighter POS, ordering-focusedFleksa
QR ordering UXStrong, nativeStandout — their key differentiatorSides
Pay-at-tableNativeNative, very polishedSides
Direct online orderingIncluded, 0% commissionIncluded; per-order fee on some tiersFleksa
Restaurant website builderIncludedNot offeredFleksa
ReservationsNativeVia partner integrationsFleksa
Kitchen Display SystemIncludedYes, modern UXTie
Loyalty / rewardsIncludedLimitedFleksa
Multi-location reportingNativeBuilding outFleksa
Hardware policyBYOD or SunmiWeb-first, hardware-lightTie
TSE compliance (Germany)YesYesTie
Pricing transparencyPublished, monthlyPublished for QR; sales-quoted for POSFleksa
MaturityProduction-stableNewer; rapid feature iterationFleksa
Best forRestaurants wanting full bundled platformRestaurants where QR/pay-at-table is the priorityDepends

Pricing — Sides pos cost vs Fleksa

Real numbers, sourced from each vendor's pricing page. Prices change — confirm against Sides's current pricing before signing.

Cost itemFleksaSides
Software (entry)€99/mo Essentials~€69/mo entry tier per location
Software (full bundle)€199/mo (was €300)€129–€199/mo with QR + ordering tiers
Online ordering commission0%Per-order fee on some plans
HardwareBYOD free, Sunmi from ~€300Web-first; printers and KDS hardware separate
SetupFreeGenerally free / self-serve for QR
ContractMonthly, no commitmentMonthly available

Honest Sides pos review — where Sides still wins

Vendor comparison pages that pretend the competitor has no advantages lose credibility instantly. Here's what Sides actually does better.

  • 1Standout QR ordering and pay-at-table UX — among the best in DACH for the customer-facing flow.
  • 2Modern, well-designed product across what they ship — fewer legacy edges than older POS systems.
  • 3Strong fit as an add-on to existing POS for restaurants that want QR ordering without a full platform switch.

Where Fleksa wins

  • Mature full POS with table management, modifiers, course timing, split bills — Sides is QR-first and POS depth is lighter.
  • Bundled platform — POS + ordering + KDS + reservations + website at one price. Sides is primarily ordering; you'd still need a POS underneath.
  • Reservations module included natively. Sides relies on partner integrations.
  • Restaurant website builder included. Sides doesn't ship one.
  • Hardware-flexible — BYOD or Sunmi. Sides is web-first which is good, but for KDS and printing you still need restaurant-grade hardware.
  • Proven multi-location reporting and operations features Sides is still building out.

Switching from Sides to Fleksa

  1. 1Export menu and customer data from Sides Backoffice.
  2. 2If Sides was running on top of an existing POS, plan whether to keep that POS or consolidate to Fleksa's integrated POS.
  3. 3Migrate QR ordering — Fleksa's native QR ordering covers the same use cases with bundled-back-of-house integration.
  4. 4Typical timeline: 5–10 days for a single-location switch.
  5. 5Concierge migration support included for the first 30 days.

Restaurant POS comparison FAQ

Sides has tiered pricing — entry around €69/mo per location, mid-tier €129–€199/mo with QR ordering and online ordering. POS-tier features may be sales-quoted. Hardware is web-first; printers and KDS hardware are separate purchases. Year-1 cost for a single-location café using QR + online ordering: typically €1,500–€3,500.

On entry tier monthly fee, sometimes — Sides at €69/mo entry vs Fleksa at €99/mo Essentials. But Sides at that tier has lighter POS depth and no native website builder. By the time you add the modules to reach Fleksa Bundle parity, total cost is similar or higher than Fleksa's €199/mo Bundle.

Sides has a POS module, but the product's strength is QR ordering and pay-at-table — POS depth is lighter than mature players like Fleksa, Orderbird, or Gastronovi. For a restaurant where QR is primary and POS is secondary, fine. For a restaurant where POS is the operational backbone, Fleksa's deeper POS makes more sense.

For restaurants wanting QR ordering plus a full bundled platform, Fleksa is the strongest alternative. For QR-only as add-on to existing POS, GoTab and Sunday are international peers; in DACH, Sides remains a strong choice for that specific niche.

No — Sides ships an online ordering page but not a full restaurant website builder. Fleksa includes a real restaurant website (hero, menu, hours, reviews, location, online ordering) in every plan.

Yes, Sides is TSE-compliant for German operations. Same compliance footprint as Orderbird, Gastronovi, and Fleksa on this dimension.

Sides has invested heavily in QR-ordering UX polish — pay-at-table flows, split-bill UX, tipping prompts. Fleksa's QR ordering is solid and bundled with the rest of the platform; Sides may have a slight UX edge on the customer-facing flow specifically. For most restaurants, the bundled platform and POS depth matter more than that UX delta.

Technically possible via integrations, but the practical answer: Fleksa's native QR ordering covers the same use cases as Sides' QR for most restaurants, without paying two vendors. The hybrid only makes sense if Sides' QR-specific UX is irreplaceable for your concept.

Typical 5–10 days for a single-location switch. Day 1: data export. Days 2–4: setup. Days 5–7: parallel run. Day 10: cutover.

Fleksa is built on the same modern web stack with a polished UX. Sides may have a slight edge on customer-facing QR/pay-at-table polish; Fleksa has substantially more depth on POS, reporting, multi-location, and website. Different priorities — both modern.

The honest verdict

Sides earned its reputation on great QR ordering UX, and that part is real — for restaurants where QR ordering is the single biggest priority, it's competitive. The honest gap is depth: Sides is QR-ordering-first, with POS, reservations, multi-location, and website all lighter than the established players. Fleksa lands the same modern UX with mature POS depth, full bundle, and hardware flexibility. If you're standing up a new restaurant tech stack, Fleksa is the safer all-in. If you're adding QR to an existing POS, Sides is a reasonable add-on.

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