North vs TouchBistro
A POS that keeps up with service.
TouchBistro starts at $89 a month in Canada, then charges monthly for kitchen screens, gift cards, online ordering, reservations and more. Reviewers describe glitches, crashes and bugs since its move to the cloud.
| Item | TouchBistro | North |
|---|---|---|
| Software | From $89/mo | $0 |
| Kitchen screens | $28 a screen a month | $0 |
| Card processing | Quote only | 2.49%, published |
| Contract | Set in your quote; auto-renews | None |
| On-site server | Mac server for multi-iPad venues | None |
What owners run into
Owners report glitches and crashes, and every extra is a monthly add-on.
01
Glitches and crashes
Reviewers on Capterra Canada and Trustpilot describe frequent glitches and crashes, menu and printer settings changing on their own, and bugs since TouchBistro began moving settings off the iPad app.
With North: Built to a speed budget on a base iPad: a new line on the cheque in under 50 ms.
Sources: TouchBistro on Capterra Canada; TouchBistro on Trustpilot; TouchBistro: feature removal status
02
Add-ons for the basics
Kitchen screens are $28 a screen a month, gift cards $35, and online ordering, loyalty, reservations, inventory and profit tools are each billed on top.
With North: Everything North does is included, for every device.
Sources: TouchBistro pricing
03
A server in the back office
Venues with several iPads have run TouchBistro on a Mac server on site, whose version had to match the iPads.
With North: No on-site server. Devices sync with the cloud and keep working offline.
Sources: TouchBistro help: the Mac Pro Server
Savings calculator
What a year on TouchBistro costs, next to North.
Set your card sales, card mix and devices. We add up a year of software fees and card processing at each company’s Canadian prices. If you know what you pay now, put it in.
A year on North instead of TouchBistro
North costs more$3,276
more a year at these rates.
| A year | TouchBistro | North |
|---|---|---|
| Card processing2.10% effective vs 2.49% | $25,200 | $29,880 |
| Software and devicesPOS $89/mo and one kitchen screen $28/mo | $1,404 | $0 |
| Total | $26,604 | $29,880 |
North is free software with one blended card rate of 2.49% on every card. Other companies’ figures are their Canadian list prices where published, and marked estimates where not, checked October 2026; your quote may differ. Hardware and taxes aren’t included. Sources and assumptions.
Sources
TouchBistro quotes card rates (interchange plus a markup). We use 2.10% on every card, an estimate; put in your own rate if you have it. Prices are in Canadian dollars before tax, checked October 2026.
Free to start. Free to stay.
Create your account, import your menu, draw your floor and pair your iPads with a code. No contract to sign and nothing to pay for the software, ever.