NCR Silver Pro Restaurant POS Review: Pros, Cons, Alternatives

This article is out-of-date. NCR Silver Pro has been replaced with the company's Aloha Cloud product. For more information about Aloha point-of-sale, see NerdWallet's review.

NCR Silver Pro is a cloud-based point-of-sale system that runs on an iPad or Android tablet. It’s a product of the NCR Corporation, formerly known as the National Cash Register Company, the oldest cash-register manufacturer. But despite the company’s longtime industry status, its POS options NCR Silver Pro and Aloha POS are less comprehensive than newer competitors like Square and Clover.

Although this POS system has many happy longtime users and various useful features, such as email marketing and loyalty programs, its restrictive multiyear contracts make it a so-so choice for small-to-medium-size businesses.

NCR Silver Pro runs on an iPad or Android tablet with accompanying hardware like card readers and receipt printers. The software processes online and in-store orders. NCR Payments is also quote-based and comes with a three-year contract, exclusivity clause and early termination fee.

Features

In addition to the features listed below, NCR Silver Pro has built-in email marketing and loyalty programs, sales analytics, back-office reporting and multi-site management capabilities.

• Online ordering: NCR offers digital ordering and payment features for takeout and dine-in.

• Labor scheduling: This optional add-on helps with employee schedule management, including features for shift swapping and time-off requests.

• Gift cards: NCR Silver Pro has built-in capabilities to create and promote physical and virtual gift cards.

• Kitchen production: This back-of-house feature routes customer orders to the kitchen and displays them digitally.

• Payroll: NCR Silver Pro can integrate into the company’s outsourced HR management platform, connecting with your POS operations to track time and attendance, automate income and verify employees.

Software

Optional add-ons for both plans include kitchen production, advanced reporting, inventory and labor scheduling.

Hardware

NCR Silver Pro has two hardware bundles for in-person transactions. All NCR hardware is quote-based and offered through a monthly subscription payment.

Table Service Hardware Bundle

Includes 15-inch POS terminal, card reader that accepts chipped card and contactless payments, cash drawer and receipt printer.

Fast Casual & Quick Service Hardware Bundle

Includes 15-inch POS terminal with customer-facing display, card reader that accepts chipped card and contactless payments, cash drawer and receipt printer.

Ease of use

User reviews say NCR Silver Pro is user-friendly, with a simple interface that employees can learn to use quickly. It’s not as complex as some other POS systems, and hardware setup is included with the contract.

Marketing and loyalty

NCR Silver Pro offers basic loyalty tools and email marketing templates. Though some reviews say the templates aren’t as visually appealing as a dedicated email service like MailChimp, they’re functional and can be automated with personalized deals and coupons.

Pricing and multiyear contracts

Much of NCR Silver Pro pricing is subscription-based and quote-based, so it can be hard to estimate how much your business will end up paying to use the company’s hardware and software. Especially with its restrictive multiyear contract terms, it’s best to carefully review your contract and proceed with caution.

Limited integrations

For businesses seeking an online presence, NCR Silver Pro offers no integrations to major e-commerce sites like Shopify — only its own NCR Silver Commerce platform.

Square POS for Restaurants

Square for Restaurants offers a variety of industry-specific features with transparent and straightforward pricing. It offers a free software plan, an upgraded plan with a $60 monthly subscription fee and a premium plan with custom pricing.

Square’s current per-transaction fee for in-person payments is 2.6% plus 10 cents. Its restaurant POS hardware ranges from free readers to $1,339 complete hardware kits, depending on your restaurant’s needs. And unlike NCR Silver Pro, Square’s hardware can be purchased outright.

Square for Restaurants allows you to run front-of-house operations, such as menu setups, table maps, tabs and gratuity. It also provides reporting and employee management, as well as customer insights.

Clover POS Register

Clover is a popular POS system for restaurants, with various hardware and software options. Per-transaction fees start at 2.3% plus 10 cents for card-present transactions, with hardware starting at $499 for the Clover Flex.