Compare · Vietnam

    Refreshed 08/11/2026

    PEKO vs iPOS

    Written by PEKO Team.Last updated: 08/11/2026.

    Published: 05/01/2026

    Updated August 2026 iPOS is a strong F&B POS for table-service venues and chains. PEKO is the AI retention layer that runs on top — turning iPOS transaction data into churn predictions and automated win-back. Keep iPOS, add PEKO. iPOS is an F&B-specific POS, especially strong for chains; PEKO is the AI retention layer that plugs into it.

    iPOS is built for F&B — table service, kitchen displays, multi-outlet chain ops. Its CRM stores customers and points. PEKO doesn't replace any of that. It reads iPOS data and adds the missing piece: AI that predicts which customers are about to stop coming back and runs the win-back automatically.

    TL;DR
    • iPOS is an F&B-specific POS, especially strong for chains; PEKO is the AI retention layer that plugs into it.
    • PEKO predicts churn 3 days ahead and runs automated Zalo / SMS win-back — iPOS's CRM module doesn't.
    • Keep iPOS for orders, tables and chain ops; add PEKO free to bring lost customers back.

    What is iPOS? F&B-specific POS popular with Vietnamese chains and table-service restaurants, with strong front-of-house and chain management features.

    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 already run iPOS and don't want to change POS.
    • You want AI predicting churn at the customer level, not just monthly sales reports.
    • You want Zalo / SMS win-back that writes itself.
    • You manage 2–10 outlets and want one retention layer across all of them.
    • You want a free way to test retention before paying for any add-on.
    • 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 iPOS when

    • You don't have a POS yet and need F&B-first table management — PEKO is not a POS, so it cannot be your till; if you need both, LOOP is the AI POS in the same ecosystem and ships pre-connected to PEKO (see PEKO 360).
    • You only need basic customer storage, no AI or automated campaigns — if basic points really are enough, you don't need PEKO; the thing worth checking is whether the points actually get awarded, because the cashier bottleneck is the most common reason loyalty programmes die (PEKO enrols via receipt OCR and QR, so it never depends on the cashier remembering).
    • You already have a marketing team writing campaigns in iPOS — PEKO does not replace that team; the AI Agent only drafts the segments and campaigns for them to approve, which cuts the time without taking away control.
    • You want a single vendor for POS + light CRM — vendor consolidation is a fair reason; PEKO takes the opposite bet: keep the POS you already run at zero switching cost, with automatic API sync to 6 common POS systems.

    Feature by feature

    Feature by feature
    FeaturePEKOiPOS
    Product typeAI retention layerF&B POS (table service + chain)
    Replaces your POSNo — runs alongside iPOSYes, full F&B POS
    Customer list / pointsYes (synced)Yes
    AI churn predictionYes — 3 days aheadNo
    Auto-written win-back (AI)YesNo
    AI customer segmentationYesBasic groups only
    Zalo OA + mini appYesLimited
    Multi-channel automation (Zalo + SMS + email)YesManual broadcast
    Receipt OCRYesNo
    Direct online ordering (0% commission)YesAdd-on
    Table / order managementNo (use iPOS)Yes (core strength)
    Multi-outlet chain opsSingle retention view across outletsYes (full chain ops)
    Setup time10–15 minutes1–2 days per outlet
    Starting priceFree foreverQuote-based per outlet
    Best way to useRun alongside iPOSUse standalone
    In-product AI Agent that takes actions for youYes — 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 rewardNot stated in public documentation
    Redeem rewards on online orders?Yes — the same balance redeems online and in-storeNot stated in public documentation
    How many automated message types?10 types, including points- and voucher-expiry remindersNot 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 actionsNot stated in public documentation

    Product type

    PEKO

    AI retention layer

    iPOS

    F&B POS (table service + chain)

    Replaces your POS

    PEKO

    No — runs alongside iPOS

    iPOS

    Yes, full F&B POS

    Customer list / points

    PEKO

    Yes (synced)

    iPOS

    Yes

    AI churn prediction

    PEKO

    Yes — 3 days ahead

    iPOS

    No

    Auto-written win-back (AI)

    PEKO

    Yes

    iPOS

    No

    AI customer segmentation

    PEKO

    Yes

    iPOS

    Basic groups only

    Zalo OA + mini app

    PEKO

    Yes

    iPOS

    Limited

    Multi-channel automation (Zalo + SMS + email)

    PEKO

    Yes

    iPOS

    Manual broadcast

    Receipt OCR

    PEKO

    Yes

    iPOS

    No

    Direct online ordering (0% commission)

    PEKO

    Yes

    iPOS

    Add-on

    Table / order management

    PEKO

    No (use iPOS)

    iPOS

    Yes (core strength)

    Multi-outlet chain ops

    PEKO

    Single retention view across outlets

    iPOS

    Yes (full chain ops)

    Setup time

    PEKO

    10–15 minutes

    iPOS

    1–2 days per outlet

    Starting price

    PEKO

    Free forever

    iPOS

    Quote-based per outlet

    Best way to use

    PEKO

    Run alongside iPOS

    iPOS

    Use standalone

    In-product AI Agent that takes actions for you

    PEKO

    Yes — chat to create vouchers, segments, campaigns and settings; approval-gated (you click Approve)

    iPOS

    No — manual clicks through dashboards and dropdowns

    Can customers self-enrol without a cashier?

    PEKO

    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.

    iPOS

    Not clear from public documentation

    Can it earn points from other POS receipts?

    PEKO

    Yes — AI OCR reads receipts from any POS (KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, MISA, PosApp, Toast, Square). No POS swap or API required.

    iPOS

    Not clear from public documentation

    Can someone who did not pay join?

    PEKO

    Yes — anyone present scans the in-venue QR to join and receives a joining reward

    iPOS

    Not stated in public documentation

    Redeem rewards on online orders?

    PEKO

    Yes — the same balance redeems online and in-store

    iPOS

    Not stated in public documentation

    How many automated message types?

    PEKO

    10 types, including points- and voucher-expiry reminders

    iPOS

    Not stated in public documentation

    Abuse controls when customers claim their own points?

    PEKO

    Yes — rate limits, receipt age and value thresholds, 90-day brand-wide duplicate-image matching, risk-tiered actions

    iPOS

    Not stated in public documentation

    PEKO AI Agent

    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.

    Step-level FAQ

    Questions merchants ask at each step

    Try the AI Agent

    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

    The proposed voucher will appear here after you send a request.

    FAQ

    Do I need to drop iPOS to use PEKO?

    No. iPOS keeps doing what it does well — table management, kitchen tickets, chain operations. PEKO sits on top and reads the transaction data, so your front-of-house workflow doesn't change. The only difference is that there's now an AI layer watching the customer base behind the scenes.

    How does PEKO get data out of iPOS?

    Through a one-time API or CSV connection per outlet, set up in about 10 minutes. From then on PEKO pulls fresh data automatically. If you run a chain across multiple outlets, PEKO aggregates them into a single retention view, so you can see churn risk across the whole brand, not one outlet at a time.

    Why not just use iPOS's CRM features?

    iPOS's CRM is good at storage — customer records, point balances, basic groups. PEKO is good at action — predicting churn and writing the message that brings the customer back. They're complementary roles. Most operators we talk to wish their POS would 'do something' with the customer data; PEKO is that something.

    We run 5 outlets on iPOS — does PEKO see them as one brand?

    Yes. PEKO ingests transactions from every outlet and treats your customer base as one. A guest who visits 3 of your 5 outlets is recognised as a single high-value customer, and the AI scores their churn risk accordingly. Win-back campaigns can fire by brand, by outlet, or by segment — your call.

    What's the lift over iPOS's existing CRM module?

    The two things iPOS's CRM doesn't do: AI churn prediction and automated win-back. Those are exactly the two things that move repeat-visit rates in practice. Operators who turn PEKO on alongside iPOS typically see retention lift within 30–60 days; if you don't, the free plan means there's no cost to having tried.

    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.

    People also read

    Sources & citations

    These public sources support the competitor pricing, feature, and limitation claims in this comparison.

    1. iPOS.vn — Official product materials

      iPOS restaurant-management, CRM, integration, and pricing-positioning claims.

    2. PEKO — Plans and pricing

      PEKO free-plan, paid-plan, and included-feature claims used in the comparison.

    How we compare

    Every comparison on this site is written from a fair market analyst stance — no hit pieces, no puffery.

    1. 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.
    2. Acknowledge real strengths. Each page includes a "Choose iPOS when" block that names the scenarios where the competitor is genuinely the better pick.
    3. 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.
    4. Refreshed when the market moves. This page was last updated on 08/11/2026. Spot a stale claim after a competitor pricing or feature change? Email hello@heypeko.com and we'll refresh it.
    5. 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 iPOS?

    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.

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