Compliance by MAPAL vs Culinary Key vs FreshCheq

Compliance is the digital checklist and food safety module of Mapal OS, a hospitality back-of-house platform. Culinary Key is a web-based food safety records system for UK kitchens. FreshCheq is restaurant software that replaces paper food safety and operations logs with digital ones. All three are listed under Digital Food Safety Checklists & Audits. The main differences are in price, audience and platforms.

Key differences

  • price

    Starting prices: Culinary Key at GBP 40 per location per month; FreshCheq at USD 60 per month. The currency or billing basis differs, so they are not directly comparable. Compliance by MAPAL does not publish a starting price.

  • audience

    The audiences they list differ. Listed for one product only, for example: Compliance by MAPAL: Multi-site restaurant and catering operators; Culinary Key: UK independent kitchens and cafes; FreshCheq: Restaurant franchises and multi-store brands.

  • platforms

    Platform support differs. Compliance by MAPAL: Web; Culinary Key: Web; FreshCheq: Web, iOS, Android.

Side by side

Compliance by MAPAL vs Culinary Key vs FreshCheq: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
FieldCompliance by MAPALCulinary KeyFreshCheq
What it isCompliance is the digital checklist and food safety module of Mapal OS, a hospitality back-of-house platform.Culinary Key is a web-based food safety records system for UK kitchens.FreshCheq is restaurant software that replaces paper food safety and operations logs with digital ones.
Best forMulti-site restaurant and catering operators; Hotels and catering businessesUK independent kitchens and cafes; Small multi-site food businessesRestaurant franchises and multi-store brands; Independent restaurants going paperless; Operators facing third-party food safety audits
Pricing modelQuote onlySubscription per locationSubscription
Starting priceNot publishedGBP 40 per location per monthUSD 60 per month
Free planNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Free trialNot publishedYesNot published
ContractNot publishedNo contract statedNot published
PlatformsWebWebWeb, iOS, Android
CountriesFrance, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United KingdomUnited KingdomNot published
LanguagesEnglish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, SwedishEnglishNot published
Number of integrations7Not publishedNot published
CertificationsNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Security practicesPublished information security policy (no certification named)Not publishedNot published
Founded2012Not publishedNot published
HeadquartersNot publishedNot publishedNot published
OwnerNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

No partner appears in every list.

Named only by Compliance by MAPAL

  • ADP
  • Alkimii
  • BAYZAT
  • Berger-Levrault
  • cashpad
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Aloha

Named only by Culinary Key

Culinary Key does not name any integrations in the material we reviewed.

Named only by FreshCheq

FreshCheq does not name any integrations in the material we reviewed.

Which to choose

Compliance by MAPAL

Choose Compliance by MAPAL if you are in one of these groups: Multi-site restaurant and catering operators; Hotels and catering businesses.

Culinary Key

Choose Culinary Key if you fit its listed audience: UK independent kitchens and cafes; Small multi-site food businesses.

Our profile lists a weaker fit: Businesses outside the UK: the product is built around UK rules such as Safer Food Better Business, FHRS ratings and the 14 UK allergens.

FreshCheq

Choose FreshCheq if you fit its listed audience: Restaurant franchises and multi-store brands; Independent restaurants going paperless; Operators facing third-party food safety audits.

What we could not confirm

Compliance by MAPAL

  • Any price or plan
  • Full integration list (the vendor shows logos without names)
  • Contract term and renewal
  • Supported temperature sensor brands
  • Team size and funding
  • Which country is headquarters
  • Security certifications

Culinary Key

  • Integrations
  • Native mobile apps
  • Founding year, headquarters, team size
  • Customer names
  • Security certifications and hosting
  • Hardware such as sensors

FreshCheq

  • Whether the price is per location
  • Contract term and cancellation terms
  • Company legal name, headquarters, founding year and team size
  • Countries and languages supported
  • Security certifications and hosting details
  • App store listings (links not published on the site)

Go further

Compliance by MAPAL profileCulinary Key profileFreshCheq profile

Other comparisons with these products

Sources

Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.

Culinary Key, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepage: positioning, trial, company number, founderhttps://www.culinarykey.co.uk/
  2. Pricing tiers and trialhttps://www.culinarykey.co.uk/pricing
  3. Feature listhttps://www.culinarykey.co.uk/features
  4. About: audience, annual pricehttps://www.culinarykey.co.uk/about
  5. Renewal and cancellation termshttps://www.culinarykey.co.uk/legal/terms-of-service
  6. Page discoveryhttps://www.culinarykey.co.uk/sitemap.xml

FreshCheq, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepage: positioning, customer logoshttps://www.freshcheq.com
  2. Tools and onboardinghttps://www.freshcheq.com/how-it-works
  3. Pricehttps://www.freshcheq.com/pricing
  4. Users, hardware, platformshttps://www.freshcheq.com/faq
  5. Background and supporthttps://www.freshcheq.com/about