GoTab vs Otter vs SambaPOS vs SkyTab

GoTab is a US restaurant and venue POS built around one open tab that follows the guest, whether staff or the guest starts it by QR code. Otter started as a tablet that gathers orders from delivery apps and is now sold as a restaurant point of sale system. SambaPOS is a Windows-based restaurant POS sold as a one-time licence rather than a subscription. SkyTab is now presented as Shift4 Dine, a restaurant point of sale from Shift4 with its own hardware, built-in payment processing, online and QR ordering, reservations, loyalty, labour scheduling and cloud reporting. All four are listed under Restaurant POS. They differ in price, audience and platforms.

Key differences

  • price

    Starting prices: GoTab at USD 15 per month; Otter at USD 79 per location per month; SambaPOS at USD 339 one-time payment; SkyTab at USD 29.99 per month. The currency or billing basis differs, so they are not directly comparable.

  • audience

    Not every audience is shared. Entries that only one product lists: GoTab: Food halls and multi-vendor venues; Otter: Quick service and fast casual restaurants taking online orders; SambaPOS: Restaurants that prefer a one-time licence; SkyTab: Table-service and quick-service restaurants.

  • platforms

    Platform support differs. GoTab: Web, iOS, Android; Otter: Web, iOS, Android; SambaPOS: iOS, Android, Windows; SkyTab: Web, iOS, Android.

  • integrations

    GoTab names 28 integrations, Otter names 34 integrations, SambaPOS names 17 integrations and SkyTab names 25 integrations. 4 partners appear in every list.

Side by side

GoTab vs Otter vs SambaPOS vs SkyTab: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
FieldGoTabOtterSambaPOSSkyTab
What it isGoTab is a US restaurant and venue POS built around one open tab that follows the guest, whether staff or the guest starts it by QR code.Otter started as a tablet that gathers orders from delivery apps and is now sold as a restaurant point of sale system.SambaPOS is a Windows-based restaurant POS sold as a one-time licence rather than a subscription.SkyTab is now presented as Shift4 Dine, a restaurant point of sale from Shift4 with its own hardware, built-in payment processing, online and QR ordering, reservations, loyalty, labour scheduling and cloud reporting.
Best forFood halls and multi-vendor venues; Bars, breweries and entertainment venues; Operators who want guests to order from their phones; Full-service restaurantsQuick service and fast casual restaurants taking online orders; Restaurants on several delivery apps; Food stands, small cafes and food trucks; Multi-store and high-volume restaurantsRestaurants that prefer a one-time licence; Venues that customise their screens and reports; Cafes, bars, delivery and pool or beach venuesTable-service and quick-service restaurants; Multi-location and enterprise groups; Bars, nightclubs, pizzerias and coffee shops
Pricing modelSubscription per locationSubscription per locationOne-off licenceSubscription per month
Starting priceUSD 15 per monthUSD 79 per location per monthUSD 339 one-time paymentUSD 29.99 per month
Free planNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Free trialNot publishedNot publishedYesYes
ContractNot publishedMonthly plans renew monthly; hardware leases need 24 monthsNot publishedNot published
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android
CountriesUnited StatesAustralia, Canada, United Kingdom, United StatesNot publishedCanada, Ireland, Spain, United Kingdom, United States
LanguagesEnglish, SpanishNot publishedNot publishedEnglish, Spanish
Number of integrations28341725
CertificationsNot publishedCCPA, GDPRNot publishedNot published
Security practicesNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Founded2016Not published2011Not published
HeadquartersArlington, United StatesLos Angeles, United StatesNot publishedNot published
OwnerNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedShift4
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 202629 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

Named by all four

  • 7shifts
  • DoorDash
  • Grubhub
  • UberEats

Named only by GoTab

  • Avero
  • Compeat
  • Deliveroo
  • Ekos
  • Fishbowl
  • Givex
  • Just Eat
  • Klaviyo
  • meez
  • MEWS
  • QuickBooks
  • Schedulefly
and 5 more
  • Shopify
  • Stayntouch
  • Tripleseat
  • Untappd
  • Xero

Named only by Otter

  • Clover
  • Deputy
  • DoorDash Drive
  • Epos Now
  • ezCater
  • Flipdish
  • GoTab
  • Homebase
  • Hungry Panda
  • Lavu
  • Lightspeed
  • Loyverse
and 13 more
  • Micros
  • Brink
  • POSitouch
  • Postmates
  • Revel
  • Seamless
  • Shift4
  • Skip the Dishes
  • Slice
  • Square
  • Squirrel Systems
  • Stripe
  • Toast

Named only by SambaPOS

  • Dojo
  • Extra360
  • Getir
  • Global Payments Integrated
  • GloriaFood
  • Ingenico (OKC GMP3 and TSM)
  • Jetrik
  • PaymentSense
  • RestaJet
  • takeaway.com
  • Worldline TIM
  • Yemeksepeti

Named only by SkyTab

  • Backbar
  • Birdeye
  • clickBACON
  • Deliverect
  • Mailchimp
  • Menufy
  • Nory
  • Opera Cloud
  • ORCA
  • Pour Controls
  • Shogo
  • Solink
and 2 more
  • Textmunication
  • TimeForge

Which to choose

GoTab

Choose GoTab if you are in one of these groups: Food halls and multi-vendor venues; Bars, breweries and entertainment venues; Operators who want guests to order from their phones.

Otter

Choose Otter if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Quick service and fast casual restaurants taking online orders; Restaurants on several delivery apps; Food stands, small cafes and food trucks.

SambaPOS

Choose SambaPOS if you are in one of these groups: Restaurants that prefer a one-time licence; Venues that customise their screens and reports; Cafes, bars, delivery and pool or beach venues.

SkyTab

Choose SkyTab if you are in one of these groups: Table-service and quick-service restaurants; Multi-location and enterprise groups; Bars, nightclubs, pizzerias and coffee shops.

What we could not confirm

GoTab

  • Contract length and cancellation terms
  • Funding history, parent company and team size
  • Security certifications and PCI status
  • Which US states or other countries it is sold in
  • Price of dedicated hardware
  • App store listings for the Manager App

Otter

  • Base prices of the Lite and Standard order-aggregation plans (the details page lists features but not the plan prices)
  • Enterprise or multi-location pricing (the site offers a quote)
  • Founding year, founders, funding and parent company: the site has no About page and states none of these
  • Employee count
  • Full list of countries and which integrations work in which country; the vendor's own customer claims differ (100,000+ restaurants on the homepage, 275k+ customers and 40+ countries on the why-otter page)
  • Interface languages of the product (the marketing site has Spanish, French and Portuguese versions)
  • Security certifications such as SOC 2 or PCI level
  • Free trial or free plan
  • Whether Otter is owned by or affiliated with another company: the legal terms mention affiliates but name none

SambaPOS

  • Reseller pricing and any local price differences
  • Trial length and limits
  • Headquarters, team size, ownership and funding
  • Specific country list
  • Security certifications

SkyTab

  • What unit the monthly fee is charged per (terminal, location) and any setup or processing rates
  • Contract term, renewal and early termination terms
  • Founding year and headquarters of the SkyTab product
  • Employee count and funding
  • Security certifications
  • Full list of countries served

Go further

GoTab profileOtter profileSambaPOS profileSkyTab 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.

GoTab, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepage: products, business types, pricing notehttps://gotab.com
  2. Plan prices, add-ons, card processinghttps://gotab.com/pricing
  3. Company story and founderhttps://gotab.com/about-us
  4. Integration approachhttps://gotab.com/integrations
  5. Partner directoryhttps://gotab.com/integration-partners
  6. POS and hardwarehttps://gotab.com/products/point-of-sale-pos
  7. Kioskhttps://gotab.com/products/self-ordering-kiosk
  8. QR ordering and Easy Tabhttps://gotab.com/products/mobile-ordering-payment
  9. KDShttps://gotab.com/products/kitchen-display-system-kds
  10. Named customershttps://gotab.com/testimonials
  11. Address in Arlington, Virginiahttps://gotab.com/contact-us

Otter, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepage: positioning, pricing bundles, comparison, claimshttps://www.tryotter.com
  2. POS bundle prices, processing fees, hardware termshttps://www.tryotter.com/pricing
  3. Order aggregation plan details, add-on prices, hardware priceshttps://www.tryotter.com/pricing-details-aggregate
  4. Integration partner listhttps://www.tryotter.com/integrations
  5. POS product pagehttps://www.tryotter.com/products/otterpos
  6. Order Managerhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/order-management
  7. Kitchen displayhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/kds
  8. Kioskhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/kiosk
  9. Online orderinghttps://www.tryotter.com/products/online-ordering
  10. Cateringhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/catering
  11. Menu managementhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/menu-management
  12. Loyaltyhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/loyalty
  13. Marketing automationhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/marketing
  14. Ratings and reviewshttps://www.tryotter.com/products/ratings-and-reviews
  15. Financialshttps://www.tryotter.com/products/financials
  16. Analyticshttps://www.tryotter.com/products/analytics
  17. Live alertshttps://www.tryotter.com/products/live-alerts
  18. Website builderhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/website-builder
  19. Virtual brandshttps://www.tryotter.com/products/virtual-brands
  20. Inventory Savings cash backhttps://www.tryotter.com/products/inventory-savings
  21. Otter Go apphttps://www.tryotter.com/products/app
  22. Company claims, customer nameshttps://www.tryotter.com/why-otter
  23. FAQ topicshttps://www.tryotter.com/faq
  24. Legal terms by regionhttps://www.tryotter.com/legal
  25. Legal entity, billing and cancellation termshttps://www.tryotter.com/legal/tech-services
  26. Legal entity and Los Angeles addresshttps://www.tryotter.com/legal/privacy-policy
  27. Page discovery; UK and Australian site versionshttps://www.tryotter.com/sitemap.xml

SambaPOS, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Overview, integrations, menuhttps://sambapos.com/
  2. Licence price and featureshttps://sambapos.com/sambapos-v5-pro/
  3. KDS pricehttps://sambapos.com/sambapos-kds/
  4. Mobile client pricehttps://sambapos.com/sambapos-mobile-client/
  5. History, reachhttps://sambapos.com/about-company/
  6. Free downloadhttps://sambapos.com/download/

SkyTab, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. UK homepage (skytab.com redirects to Shift4 Dine)https://dine.shift4.com/en-GB
  2. US pricinghttps://dine.shift4.com/en-US/pricing
  3. UK pricing and supporthttps://dine.shift4.com/en-GB/pricing
  4. Integrationshttps://dine.shift4.com/features/third-party-integrations
  5. Online orderinghttps://dine.shift4.com/features/online-ordering
  6. Labor managementhttps://dine.shift4.com/features/labor-management
  7. Reportinghttps://dine.shift4.com/features/reporting-and-analytics
  8. Reservationshttps://dine.shift4.com/features/reservations-and-waitlist
  9. Loyalty and marketinghttps://dine.shift4.com/features/loyalty-and-marketing
  10. Multi-locationhttps://dine.shift4.com/features/multi-location-management
  11. Mobile apphttps://dine.shift4.com/features/incharge-mobile-app
  12. Hardwarehttps://dine.shift4.com/pos-hardware
  13. Quick servicehttps://dine.shift4.com/restaurant-types/quick-service-restaurants
  14. Customershttps://dine.shift4.com/contact
  15. Legal entityhttps://dine.shift4.com/privacy-policy