PEKO vs Utop
Written by PEKO Research Team.Last updated: 10/07/2026.
Published: 05/21/2026
Updated October 2026: PEKO is the better pick for most independent cafés, restaurants and service venues in Vietnam: 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 Utop if you are a new brand and need first-time customers from Utop's existing network.
Utop (part of the Sovico/FPT group) is a consumer app that lets customers earn points across many F&B, retail and travel brands with a single app. PEKO is own-brand loyalty: the venue owns all of its customer data, and AI runs retention for it.
- Utop = coalition loyalty (one app, many brands); PEKO = own-brand loyalty + AI retention.
- On Utop you don't fully own customer data; on PEKO it's the venue's asset.
- Utop is for new-customer acquisition via the network; PEKO is for retaining the customers you already have.
What is Utop? Utop is a Vietnamese consumer coalition-loyalty app (Sovico/FPT ecosystem) where customers earn points across multiple F&B, retail and travel brands in a single app, not a per-venue loyalty platform.
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 to fully own your venue's customer data (phone numbers, purchase history, RFM).
- You want AI to predict which customers are about to lapse and write personalised Zalo OA win-back for you.
- You already have regulars and keeping them matters more than attracting new ones.
- You want native integration with the POS you already use (KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, LOOP, MISA CukCuk).
- You want your own loyalty brand (Mini App, vouchers, tiers) that is not mixed with other brands.
- 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 Utop when
- You are a new brand and need first-time customers from Utop's existing network: PEKO does not bring new customers from an existing network; in return you keep all customer data and your full margin.
- Your customers shop across many brands and like one app for all of them: true; PEKO is a retention layer for independents and mid-sized chains, not a multi-brand consumer app.
- You have no budget or staff to run your own loyalty and accept sharing data and margin: PEKO does not bring customers from a network, but its free plan (up to 300 members) lets you run your own programme at no cost.
- Acquisition is the priority and retention comes second: PEKO does not bring new customers from an existing network; in return you keep all customer data and your full margin.
Why owners switch from Utop 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 880.000₫/month on the Standard plan, 0% commission, cancel anytime.
Feature by feature
| Feature | PEKO | Utop |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Utop 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 Utop 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 Utop sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Setup time | About 15 minutes, self-serve | Not stated in the Utop sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Starting price | Free up to 300 members, then 880.000₫/month; 0% commission; cancel anytime | Not stated in the Utop sources on this page (Oct 2026) |
| Loyalty model | Venue's own loyalty (own-brand) | Coalition loyalty (many brands) |
| Customer data ownership | Venue owns 100% | Shared with the Utop platform |
| AI churn prediction | Yes, 3 days ahead | No |
| AI-written Zalo OA win-back | Yes (Vietnamese AI) | No (platform sends multi-brand notifications) |
| RFM segmentation | Automatic, per venue | No (data shared with the platform) |
| Own brand (Mini App, vouchers) | Yes, fully the venue's | Shown inside the shared Utop app |
| POS integration | KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, LOOP, MISA CukCuk | Via the Utop API / supported POS |
| New customers from a network | No (your own marketing) | Yes (multi-brand Utop customers) |
| Price / business model | Free for 300 identified customers, then 880k+/month | Transaction fee / points discount for the platform |
| Main audience | Venues that want retention and their own data | Brands that want acquisition through a coalition |
| 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 Utop 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 Utop 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 Utop sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Setup time
About 15 minutes, self-serve
Not stated in the Utop sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Starting price
Free up to 300 members, then 880.000₫/month; 0% commission; cancel anytime
Not stated in the Utop sources on this page (Oct 2026)
Loyalty model
Venue's own loyalty (own-brand)
Coalition loyalty (many brands)
Customer data ownership
Venue owns 100%
Shared with the Utop platform
AI churn prediction
Yes, 3 days ahead
No
AI-written Zalo OA win-back
Yes (Vietnamese AI)
No (platform sends multi-brand notifications)
RFM segmentation
Automatic, per venue
No (data shared with the platform)
Own brand (Mini App, vouchers)
Yes, fully the venue's
Shown inside the shared Utop app
POS integration
KiotViet, iPOS, Sapo, LOOP, MISA CukCuk
Via the Utop API / supported POS
New customers from a network
No (your own marketing)
Yes (multi-brand Utop customers)
Price / business model
Free for 300 identified customers, then 880k+/month
Transaction fee / points discount for the platform
Main audience
Venues that want retention and their own data
Brands that want acquisition through a coalition
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
Utop is loyalty only. PEKO + LOOP is loyalty and a free POS.
Utop: loyalty sold as a plan. 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
Do Utop and PEKO compete directly?
Not really; they are two different models. Utop is coalition loyalty (one app, many brands) focused on acquisition. PEKO is a venue's own loyalty with AI retention.
If customers use Utop at my venue, can I see their data?
Only partly. Coalition platforms usually keep most of the data on their side.
A small venue can only pick one. Which?
It depends on the stage. A brand under 12 months old that needs first-time customers fits Utop. A venue that already has more than 300 regulars fits PEKO.
Can PEKO push customers into the Utop app?
Yes. A venue can use PEKO to send a Zalo OA message inviting regulars to download Utop for an extra experience.
How do the costs compare?
Utop usually takes a transaction fee or a share of points under the merchant agreement. PEKO has a free plan for 300 identified customers.
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 Utop have receipt scanning?
The Utop sources cited on this page do not mention receipt scanning (checked October 2026), so ask Utop 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 Utop's loyalty programme?
The Utop 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 Utop by chatting with AI?
The Utop 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, Zalo 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.
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Sources & citations
These public sources support the competitor pricing, feature, and limitation claims in this comparison.
- Utop: Official rewards ecosystem
Utop coalition rewards, merchant network, and consumer-app model.
- 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 Utop 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.
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How we check this content: Editorial policy · Chính sách biên tập (tiếng Việt)