PEKO vs CandyBar
Written by Peko Research Team.Last updated: 10/07/2026.
Published: 10/07/2026
Updated October 2026 — PEKO is the better pick for most independent cafés, restaurants and service venues in Singapore: guests earn by snapping any receipt with no POS integration, the whole table joins via Group Check-In, and an embedded AI Agent sets up vouchers and campaigns from one message, from free up to 300 members.
Choose CandyBar if you only want a punch card and will never run a campaign.
CandyBar is a simple, honest digital stamp card; PEKO is an AI-first loyalty platform that runs alongside whatever POS a venue already uses. This page compares the two on facts from CandyBar's own pricing page. See how PEKO shows up in-market on our Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines country pages.
- CandyBar lists US$45 a month per outlet with 500 SMS included and no contract; PEKO starts free for 300 members.
- CandyBar enrols the payer on a counter tablet; PEKO enrols the whole table with no staff step.
- CandyBar's win-back is manual SMS; PEKO's AI flags drifting regulars and drafts the WhatsApp message.
What is CandyBar? Simple digital stamp card: one counter tablet, SMS included, priced in US dollars with no contract.
The PEKO ecosystem
PEKO and LOOP are two products from the same company. PEKO is the AI retention layer and runs alongside the POS you already use. LOOP is the AI-native POS that covers operations: recipe-level inventory, staff shifts, table plans and the kitchen display. Each works on its own, and run together they share one dataset, so nothing has to be entered twice. See PEKO + LOOP in one ecosystem
Choose PEKO when
- You want every guest at the table to become a member, not only the one who pays.
- You want no staff step at the counter: guests snap the receipt or scan the table QR.
- You want win-back on WhatsApp, drafted by AI, instead of manual SMS blasts.
- You want to start free — PEKO is free up to 300 members, then S$49 (SG) or RM99 (MY).
- You'd rather chat to your loyalty tool than click through 10 dropdowns — PEKO's AI Agent creates vouchers, segments and campaigns for you, and you only click Approve.
Choose CandyBar when
- You only want a punch card and will never run a campaign — CandyBar's single screen is hard to beat for that, while PEKO runs plain stamp cards too if you later want more.
- Your guests do not use WhatsApp and SMS must be included in the price — CandyBar bundles 500 SMS, while PEKO can send SMS but puts its default channel on WhatsApp.
- You prefer a US-dollar price with no local entity involved — CandyBar bills in USD, while PEKO bills in S$ or RM with local WhatsApp support.
Why owners switch from CandyBar to PEKO
1.Receipt Scan Loyalty: Snap any receipt. Points land in seconds.
Traditional loyalty CRM: Integration project or a specific POS. PEKO: Any POS that prints a receipt. Receipt Scan Loyalty →
2.Group Check-In: The whole table joins, not just the one who pays.
Traditional loyalty CRM: Only the person who pays. PEKO: Everyone at the table. Group Check-In →
3.AI-first operations (PEKO AI Agent): Prompt it. PEKO does it.
Traditional loyalty CRM: 10+ clicks across menus; staff need training. PEKO: One message to the AI Agent; you approve. AI-first operations (PEKO AI Agent) →
PEKO pricing: free up to 300 members, then S$49/month on the Standard plan, 0% commission, cancel anytime.
Feature by feature
| Feature | PEKO | CandyBar |
|---|---|---|
| Earn by snapping any receipt (no POS integration) | Snap any receipt. Points land in seconds. Works with any POS that prints a receipt. | Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Whole table joins (Group Check-In) | The whole table joins, not just the one who pays. 4 guests = 4 members. | Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Change setup by chatting with an AI Agent | Prompt it. PEKO does it. Approval-gated: the Agent proposes, you decide. | Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Setup time | About 15 minutes, self-serve | Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Starting price | Free up to 300 members, then S$49/month; 0% commission; cancel anytime | US$45 (≈ S$60) a month per outlet, +US$25 per extra outlet |
| SMS included | SMS available; WhatsApp is the default channel | 500 SMS a month included |
| Contract | None, cancel anytime | None |
| Who can join | Everyone at the table (Group Check-In) + receipt scan | The payer, on the counter tablet |
| Staff step | None | Staff hands over the tablet |
| Win-back | AI flags drifting regulars; WhatsApp + email | SMS campaigns, manual |
| Works with your POS | Yes, no integration needed | Yes, standalone |
| PDPA terms | Guests opt in on their own phone; PDPA Singapore (2012) / Malaysia (2010) | Not listed in our sources (checked Oct 2026) |
| Member export | CSV export anytime, no exit fee | Customers → Export CSV |
| In-product AI Agent that takes actions for you | Yes — chat to create vouchers, segments, campaigns and settings; approval-gated (you click Approve) | No — manual clicks through dashboards and dropdowns |
| Can customers self-enrol without a cashier? | Yes — customers scan a table/receipt QR or photograph the bill and PEKO's OCR credits points automatically. Cashier is out of the enrolment loop. | Not clear from public documentation |
| Can it earn points from other POS receipts? | Yes — AI OCR reads receipts from any POS (KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, MISA, PosApp, Toast, Square). No POS swap or API required. | Not clear from public documentation |
| Can someone who did not pay join? | Yes — anyone present scans the in-venue QR to join and receives a joining reward | Not stated in public documentation |
| Redeem rewards on online orders? | Yes — the same balance redeems online and in-store | Not stated in public documentation |
| How many automated message types? | 10 types, including points- and voucher-expiry reminders | Not stated in public documentation |
| Abuse controls when customers claim their own points? | Yes — rate limits, receipt age and value thresholds, 90-day brand-wide duplicate-image matching, risk-tiered actions | Not stated in public documentation |
Earn by snapping any receipt (no POS integration)
Snap any receipt. Points land in seconds. Works with any POS that prints a receipt.
Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Whole table joins (Group Check-In)
The whole table joins, not just the one who pays. 4 guests = 4 members.
Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Change setup by chatting with an AI Agent
Prompt it. PEKO does it. Approval-gated: the Agent proposes, you decide.
Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Setup time
About 15 minutes, self-serve
Not stated in the CandyBar sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Starting price
Free up to 300 members, then S$49/month; 0% commission; cancel anytime
US$45 (≈ S$60) a month per outlet, +US$25 per extra outlet
CandyBar pricing — checked on 2026-10-07
SMS included
SMS available; WhatsApp is the default channel
Contract
None, cancel anytime
Who can join
Everyone at the table (Group Check-In) + receipt scan
The payer, on the counter tablet
Staff step
None
Staff hands over the tablet
Win-back
AI flags drifting regulars; WhatsApp + email
SMS campaigns, manual
Works with your POS
Yes, no integration needed
Yes, standalone
PDPA terms
Guests opt in on their own phone; PDPA Singapore (2012) / Malaysia (2010)
Not listed in our sources (checked Oct 2026)
Member export
CSV export anytime, no exit fee
Customers → Export CSV
In-product AI Agent that takes actions for you
Yes — chat to create vouchers, segments, campaigns and settings; approval-gated (you click Approve)
No — manual clicks through dashboards and dropdowns
Can customers self-enrol without a cashier?
Yes — customers scan a table/receipt QR or photograph the bill and PEKO's OCR credits points automatically. Cashier is out of the enrolment loop.
Not clear from public documentation
Can it earn points from other POS receipts?
Yes — AI OCR reads receipts from any POS (KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, MISA, PosApp, Toast, Square). No POS swap or API required.
Not clear from public documentation
Can someone who did not pay join?
Yes — anyone present scans the in-venue QR to join and receives a joining reward
Not stated in public documentation
Redeem rewards on online orders?
Yes — the same balance redeems online and in-store
Not stated in public documentation
How many automated message types?
10 types, including points- and voucher-expiry reminders
Not stated in public documentation
Abuse controls when customers claim their own points?
Yes — rate limits, receipt age and value thresholds, 90-day brand-wide duplicate-image matching, risk-tiered actions
Not stated in public documentation
Where PEKO is weaker
- PEKO is more than a punch card, so there are more settings — the AI Agent sets them up from one message, so you never have to learn the screens.
- PEKO has no Singapore or Malaysian merchant base to cite yet; the 3,000 onboarded venues are in Vietnam — local pricing, WhatsApp support and onboarding help are included.
- PEKO is not a POS — it runs alongside the till you already own and reads its receipt.
From your chat request to a live merchant setup — 5 steps.
Here's the before/after workflow: the strikethrough line is how other tools make you do it, the line below is how PEKO's AI Agent does it for you.
Click a step to run it in the demo below.
Sample prompt
“20% off weekday lunch for lapsed diners we haven't seen in 30 days, cap 1 per customer.”
Ready-to-paste voucher request — drop it straight into the AI Agent chat.
Questions merchants ask at each step
Ask, review, approve.
Describe the voucher you want in one sentence. PEKO's AI Agent drafts the full configuration; you approve it with one click — no 10-step form.
Your request
Or try one of these:
Proposed voucher
FAQ
How much does CandyBar cost compared with PEKO?
CandyBar's pricing page lists US$45 a month per outlet with 500 SMS, plus US$25 per extra outlet. PEKO is free up to 300 members, then S$49 in Singapore or RM99 in Malaysia, with 0% commission.
Can I move my CandyBar customers to PEKO?
Yes. In CandyBar go to Customers → Export CSV and import the file in PEKO. Punch counts map to PEKO stamps, so guests keep their progress.
Does CandyBar work in Malaysia?
CandyBar prices in US dollars and its pricing page does not limit it to one country. Confirm SMS delivery and support for Malaysian numbers before signing.
Do I still need to learn a complicated dashboard?
No. PEKO's embedded AI Agent takes actions for you — creating vouchers, building segments, drafting campaigns — inside the product. You describe what you want in chat, the Agent configures it, and you only click Approve. The full dashboard is there when you want it, but on any given day you can run PEKO by messaging the Agent.
Does CandyBar have receipt scanning?
The CandyBar sources cited on this page do not mention receipt scanning (checked October 2026), so ask CandyBar directly. With PEKO: Guests photograph the receipt your POS already prints. PEKO's AI reads the total, items, receipt number, date and time, and credits points in seconds. It works with any POS that prints a receipt, with no integration project and no cashier step, so enrolment no longer dies at peak hour.
Can a whole table join CandyBar's loyalty programme?
The CandyBar sources cited on this page do not describe a whole-table sign-up (checked October 2026). With PEKO: Every guest at the table scans one QR and joins in about 10 seconds with a welcome reward. Four guests become four members you can reach again, instead of one. Traditional programmes only ever enrol the payer.
Can I set up CandyBar by chatting with AI?
The CandyBar sources cited on this page do not mention an AI agent that builds setup from a message (checked October 2026). With PEKO: No more hunting for buttons to create one voucher. Tell the embedded AI Agent what you want in plain language, for example "20% off for regulars who haven't visited in 3 weeks, WhatsApp only, cap 500 redemptions", and it builds the voucher, segment or campaign for you. You review and click Approve; nothing goes live without you. The same AI watches for regulars who are drifting and drafts the win-back for you, 24/7.
Does receipt-scan loyalty miss transactions?
Receipt Scan records every sale a guest chooses to claim, whatever the payment method, including cash and e-wallets that payment-linked loyalty misses. Guests are prompted by the QR on the receipt and the table, Group Check-In enrols everyone at the table, and the AI Agent can send a reminder to members who stop claiming. Full answer: heypeko.com/answers/does-receipt-scan-loyalty-capture-every-sale
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Sources & citations
These public sources support the competitor pricing, feature, and limitation claims in this comparison.
- CandyBar pricing
Monthly price, extra-outlet price, included SMS and no contract. Checked 2026-10-07.
- PEKO — pricing details
PEKO's listed SG/MY plan prices and free-plan limit.
How we compare
Every comparison on this site is written from a fair market analyst stance — no hit pieces, no puffery.
- Public materials first. Competitor pricing, feature, and limitation claims are sourced from their own website, marketing collateral, and public reviews (Capterra, G2, App Store) — see the Sources & citations block above.
- Acknowledge real strengths. Each page includes a "Choose CandyBar when" block that names the scenarios where the competitor is genuinely the better pick.
- Same feature grid. Every comparator uses the same feature axes (pricing, setup time, messaging channel, churn prediction, data ownership, and more) so you can read across vendors on the same grid.
- Refreshed when the market moves. This page was last updated on 10/07/2026. Spot a stale claim after a competitor pricing or feature change? Email hello@heypeko.com and we'll refresh it.
- No pay-to-rank. We take no payment from competitors to shape rankings or hide weaknesses. If you spot bias, tell us and we'll rewrite the section.
Ready to try PEKO instead of CandyBar?
Start free in 15 minutes — or book a 15-minute demo and we'll run the AI Agent on a sample of your data so you can see the churn saves live.
No POS yet? Open with LOOP
PEKO adds retention to the POS you already run. If you have not picked a POS yet, LOOP is the AI POS from the same company — the two share one dataset, so nothing is entered twice.