PEKO vs Marsello
Written by PEKO Research Team.Last updated: 10/07/2026.
Published: 05/01/2026
Updated October 2026: PEKO is the better pick for most independent cafés, restaurants and service venues in Southeast Asia: 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 Marsello if you're a retail brand on Shopify, Lightspeed Retail, or Vend and want the deepest possible POS-native integration.
Marsello is a strong choice for retail brands on Shopify or Lightspeed that want loyalty bundled with email and SMS marketing. PEKO is the better fit for F&B operators who specifically want AI predicting which guests are about to churn, with native Zalo OA in Vietnam.
What is Marsello? Loyalty + email marketing platform popular with Shopify, Lightspeed, and Vend retailers and some hospitality operators.
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 run an F&B business and want a product purpose-built for restaurants, not generalised retail.
- You operate in Vietnam and need Zalo OA as a first-class channel.
- You want AI churn prediction included by default, not a separate add-on.
- You want 0% commission direct ordering as part of the same platform.
- 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 Marsello when
- You're a retail brand on Shopify, Lightspeed Retail, or Vend and want the deepest possible POS-native integration: PEKO's connector list is narrower; it syncs with 6 common POS systems in Vietnam and reads receipts by OCR everywhere else, which covers venues but not deep retail stacks.
- Your top priority is template-driven email and SMS marketing flows rather than churn prediction: PEKO runs plain rules too; the prediction layer is optional and every AI-written message waits for your approval before it sends.
Why owners switch from Marsello 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 in Singapore or RM99 in Malaysia/month on the Standard plan, 0% commission, cancel anytime.
Feature by feature
| Feature | PEKO | Marsello |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Marsello 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 Marsello 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 Marsello sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Setup time | About 15 minutes, self-serve | Not stated in the Marsello sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Starting price | Free up to 300 members, then $35/month; 0% commission; cancel anytime | Tiered, $99–$499+/mo |
| F&B-native (POS, table mode, etc.) | Yes | Retail-first |
| AI churn prediction | Built-in | Not core to the product |
| Zalo OA (Vietnam) | Yes | No |
| Direct ordering / 0% commission | Yes | Not included |
| POS focus | F&B (KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, LOOP, Square, Toast) | Shopify, Lightspeed, Vend |
| 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 Marsello 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 Marsello 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 Marsello sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Setup time
About 15 minutes, self-serve
Not stated in the Marsello sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Starting price
Free up to 300 members, then $35/month; 0% commission; cancel anytime
Tiered, $99–$499+/mo
F&B-native (POS, table mode, etc.)
Yes
Retail-first
AI churn prediction
Built-in
Not core to the product
Zalo OA (Vietnam)
Yes
No
Direct ordering / 0% commission
Yes
Not included
POS focus
F&B (KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, LOOP, Square, Toast)
Shopify, Lightspeed, Vend
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
Marsello is loyalty only. PEKO + LOOP is loyalty and a free POS.
Marsello: loyalty from $99. PEKO + LOOP: PEKO loyalty free up to 300 members, plus LOOP POS free for one outlet, since 2019.
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
Is Marsello good for restaurants?
Marsello can technically be used by restaurants, but its core workflows, integrations, and templates are built around retail. PEKO is purpose-built for F&B, with table-friendly capture, POS integrations like KiotViet/iPOS/Sapo, and Zalo OA in Vietnam.
Does Marsello support Zalo OA?
No. Marsello focuses on email, SMS, and review channels for English-speaking markets. PEKO supports Zalo OA natively for Vietnamese operators.
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 Marsello have receipt scanning?
The Marsello sources cited on this page do not mention receipt scanning (checked October 2026), so ask Marsello 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 Marsello's loyalty programme?
The Marsello 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 Marsello by chatting with AI?
The Marsello 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
Does PEKO include a POS?
Not by itself: PEKO runs alongside any POS. If you also want a POS, LOOP POS, our sister product, is free for one outlet, and PEKO customers get 50% off LOOP's paid plans.
People also read
Term
Add-on conversion
Share of bookings that accept a prompted add-on (scalp massage, paraffin, hot-towel). A scripted add-on prompt at check-in converts at 25–40% in trained salons, pure margin.
Answer
Advocado vs PEKO: the quick answer?
Advocado is the PSG-subsidised, Singapore-headquartered incumbent; PEKO is the AI-first, free-to-300-members challenger: pick Advocado for the grant, PEKO for Receipt Scan, Group Check-In and AI Agent setup, with AI churn prediction and messaging that runs itself.
Answer
AI customer retention for F&B in 2026. Complete guide for cafés, restaurants, and chains
AI customer retention in 2026 = per-customer cadence churn detection + AI-personalised Zalo OA messages + send-time optimisation + dynamic RFM. Operators who deploy all four lift repeat rate by 15–25 points and beat rule-based programs by 2.3–3.1× ROI.
Sources & citations
These public sources support the competitor pricing, feature, and limitation claims in this comparison.
- Marsello: Official pricing
Marsello plan and add-on pricing.
- Marsello: Official platform materials
Marsello loyalty, email, SMS, and customer-marketing feature scope.
- 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.
- 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 Marsello 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 Marsello?
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.
How we check this content: Editorial policy · Chính sách biên tập (tiếng Việt)