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Fivestars alternatives (2026): Fivestars is now SumUp Connect

Fivestars has not shut down: SumUp bought it in 2021 and sells it in the US as SumUp Connect, at $269 or $349 a month, or $199 and $289 with SumUp's own POS. fivestars.com now opens SumUp's loyalty page, and the customer app is now called SumUp. To leave, choose by your till and whether you need texts.

We make FaveCard. It is one of the eight alternatives on this page, which are listed by what each does best, not ranked.

Last verified: 8 November 2026, by the FaveCard team

What happened to Fivestars

Fivestars was a loyalty and marketing service for local businesses in the US, founded in 2010: customers joined on a tablet by the till and collected rewards, and the business sent them texts, emails and app messages. Here is what happened to it, dated:

  • 14 October 2021. SumUp announces it is buying Fivestars for $317 million in cash and stock (SumUp's press release). Fivestars then had 12,000 businesses in its network, SumUp said.
  • May 2024. SumUp starts selling SumUp Connect, its loyalty and marketing program for the US (SumUp's press release). The release does not mention Fivestars, but SumUp's pages still call its loyalty system "Fivestars by SumUp".
  • May 2025. fivestars.com starts sending visitors to SumUp's loyalty page. The Internet Archive has the home page answering as before on 9 May 2025, and redirecting from 13 May 2025.
  • Today. The customer app in the US App Store is called SumUp, and its update note says "Fivestars is now part of SumUp" and that accounts and rewards stay the same (App Store). Owners still sign in at dashboard.fivestars.com, now titled SumUp Connect Dashboard, and customers still join by texting 578277 (5STARS) (SumUp's loyalty page).

SumUp has not published an end date for Fivestars businesses or a move to another product: its US help for SumUp Connect has no such article (SumUp's help, checked on 7 November 2026). So a business on Fivestars is on SumUp Connect today, and SumUp has not said that will end.

SumUp sells Connect in the US. Its rewards terms for customers also cover Canada, but we found no SumUp Connect offer for Canadian businesses.

What SumUp Connect costs now

SumUp shows two packages on its US pricing page (SumUp Connect pricing, checked on 7 November 2026): Connect Plus at $269 a month, with the customer directory, automatic messages and 2 standard promotions a month, and Connect Pro at $349 a month, which adds unlimited AI-enhanced messages, Review Boost and text-to-join.

With SumUp's own POS, the bundles are $199 a month with Connect Plus and $289 a month with Connect Pro, with installation and training, and their money-back guarantee needs a 12-month subscription (SumUp POS pricing).

The pricing page says "no complicated contracts", but SumUp does not publish a price per location, a free trial, a set-up or hardware fee, how to cancel, or how to take your customer list with you. You get a plan through a demo, so ask for those in writing. These are SumUp's published prices: what you pay today, and for how long, is in your own agreement.

For comparison, SumUp said Connect started at $49 a month when it was new, in May 2024, and Fivestars' own pricing page showed its plans without prices until fivestars.com moved to SumUp in 2025.

The best Fivestars alternative for each need

Find the line that sounds like your business. Each card takes you to the details below.

SumUp Connect and eight alternatives side by side

Compared on what a Fivestars owner asks first: the price for one location, how customers join and earn, texts and email, the till it needs, and whether you can bring your customers. There is no overall winner.

SumUp Connect (formerly Fivestars), for reference

NameBest forPrice to start (one location)How customers join and earnTexts and emailTillBring your customers
SumUp Connect (formerly Fivestars)Points and texts at a SumUp till, and new customers from its networkConnect Plus $269; $199 with SumUp POSA phone number at the till, or a text to 5STARS (Connect Pro); pointsTexts, email and push messages, sent automaticallyWorks best with SumUp POS; some other POS systemsTaking your list away: not published, ask SumUp

The alternatives, A to Z

NameBest forPrice to start (one location)How customers join and earnTexts and emailTillBring your customers
BonusQRA free plan with Wallet passesFree plan; Basic $22A QR code and a one-click sign-up; stamps and other reward typesNo texts; push and email messages from BasicNot neededNone found on its pages
BoomerangmeBringing customers over with their stamps or pointsBusiness $199, or $164 billed yearlyA card in Apple or Google Wallet or on the web; stamps, points and six more card typesThrough your own text and email providersNot needed; Square, Toast and others can connectYes: up to 20,000 customers a file, with balances
Clover RewardsBusinesses that already sell with CloverNot shown on the pages we could readPoints or punch cards, at the Clover till or in the Clover app (Clover's blog, 2020 and 2021)Offers by email, text or the Clover app (Clover's blog, 2021)Clover POSClover's team could help import members (Clover's blog, 2021)
FaveCardWe make thisA stamp card that brings regulars back, free to start, with no long-term contractFree plan; Pro and Business prices on our pricing pageA QR code or link, then email and first name, no app; stamps onlyNo texts or email campaigns; Wallet messages on the Business planNot needed; no POS connectionNo: customers join again by QR code
Kangaroo RewardsPoints, texts and email next to any tillCore $79, invoiced yearly unless agreed; campaigns from Plus $199Its app, a QR code, or a phone number on its counter tablet; pointsFrom Plus; texts bought in blocks of 500Not needed; 1 POS or online-shop link on CoreYes: customers and points, by you or by its team
Loopy LoyaltyA Wallet stamp card with push messagesStarter $25, or $250 a yearA card added to Apple or Google Wallet; stampsNone: push messages to the Wallet cardNot needed; staff stamp with its phone appCustomers through Zapier or Make; its guides show no way to bring over earned stamps
Square LoyaltyBusinesses that already take payments with SquareIn Square Plus: $49 per locationA phone number at checkout; pointsLoyalty texts; 500 marketing texts a month on PlusSquare POS, Square Online or Square InvoicesCustomers by spreadsheet; points one by one or through its API
Toast LoyaltyRestaurants on ToastNot published; in Marketing Essentials or on its ownA phone number or email at the till, guest screen, kiosk or online order; pointsTexts and email in Marketing Essentials, up to a text limitToast POSYes: members and points, by Toast's team

As shown on each company's own pages on 7 November 2026: US dollars, one location, per month and billed monthly unless stated. Clover's current merchant pages and Toast's pricing could not be read, so no price is given for either. Sources are linked in each section.

When to choose each one

What each one does well, what to keep in mind, and its price on the day we checked.

BonusQR: best for a free plan with Wallet passes

A loyalty card in Apple Wallet, Google Wallet or the phone's browser. Customers scan your QR code and get the card after a one-click sign-up.

Choose it when

  • You want to start without a monthly fee: the Free plan has no time limit and includes Apple and Google Wallet passes.
  • You want more than stamps: the Free plan has several reward types, such as cashback and rewards for visits or spend, and Basic adds points.

Keep in mind

  • No texts for loyalty, and no push or email messages on the Free plan; those start on Basic.
  • Customers create an account to use the card; the pages we read describe no phone-number check-in.
  • We found no way to bring in your customer list or their points on its pages. No till is needed; a link to your till through its API is built by your POS supplier on request and priced separately.

Price: Free plan; Basic $22 a month billed monthly. Checked on 7 November 2026 on BonusQR's pricing page.

Boomerangme: best for keeping your customers' stamps or points

A Wallet loyalty app with eight card types, made for local businesses, agencies and franchise chains.

Choose it when

  • You want customers to keep what they earned: you upload a file of up to 20,000 customers with their points or stamps, and the card shows that balance as soon as they add it (Boomerangme's help).
  • You want points as well as stamps, and cashback, membership, gift or discount cards too.
  • You want your till connected: it lists Square, Toast and others among its integrations.
  • Staff can find a customer by name, phone number or email in its scanner app.

Keep in mind

Price: Business $199 a month, or $164 a month billed yearly. Checked on 7 November 2026 on Boomerangme's pricing page. More in our Boomerangme comparison.

Clover Rewards: best if you already sell with Clover

Clover's own loyalty, which Clover's blog describes as part of the Clover POS, with points or punch cards and the Clover app for customers.

Choose it when

  • You sell with Clover: its blog calls the rewards, promotions and feedback apps "included with your Clover POS" (Clover's blog, March 2021).
  • You want customers to check in at your counter: the blog describes check-in on the customer screen by text or email, or in the Clover app (Clover's blog, August 2020).
  • You want offers sent for you: the 2021 post describes promotions by email, text or the Clover app.

Keep in mind

  • Clover's current help and pricing pages load only with scripts we could not read, so we cannot confirm today's plans, prices or how customers join. Ask Clover before you decide.
  • It needs a Clover POS: no page we read offers Clover Rewards without one.
  • The 2021 post says Clover's team can help import loyalty members; it does not say whether their points move with them.

Price: Not shown on the pages we could read on 7 November 2026; ask Clover.

FaveCard: best for a stamp card that brings regulars back, free to start

We make FaveCard. Customers scan a QR code, join with their email and first name, and keep a stamp card on their phone, with no app to download.

Choose it when

  • You mostly want regulars to come back: a stamp card with rewards at the stamp counts you choose.
  • You want to start without a monthly fee or a long contract: the Free plan has no time limit and needs no credit card, and paid plans renew month by month or year by year.
  • You want the card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet with your logo: the Pro plan.
  • You want a phone or tablet at the counter where customers stamp their own card, and messages on their lock screen: the Business plan.

Keep in mind

  • It does not do what many Fivestars owners use every day: no points, no texts, no email campaigns and no POS connection, and customers join with an email, not a phone number alone.
  • No import: your Fivestars customers join again by scanning a QR code, and their Fivestars points do not move.
  • Several locations: write to us at hello@favecard.co and we'll help you set it up.

Price: Free plan; the Pro and Business plans are on our pricing page. No long-term contract.

Kangaroo Rewards: best for points, texts and email next to any till

Loyalty and marketing from a company in Montreal, for businesses that sell in store and online.

Choose it when

  • You want customers to join at the counter with a phone number: on its tablet app, the customer types a phone number or email, and points follow from the amount spent (Kangaroo's help).
  • You want to bring your list yourself: you can upload up to 20,000 customers from a spreadsheet, and their points as transactions (Kangaroo's help).
  • You want email, text and app messages from one place: its campaigns are on the Plus and Elite plans.
  • You want help switching: its pricing page offers 6 months free and moving your members and points for you; the terms of that offer are not on the page.

Keep in mind

  • Customers use Kangaroo's free app, a QR code or your counter tablet. One of its home pages says a branded app and a digital wallet pass are available when you want them; its pricing and FAQ pages do not mention Apple or Google Wallet, and a Kangaroo blog post lists Apple Wallet and Google Pay for its own-brand app, which comes with the Elite plan.
  • Texts are bought in blocks of 500 credits that do not roll over to the next month; the price of a block is not published.
  • No free plan. Its pricing page leads to a demo, while its page for online shops offers a free trial. Its terms say Kangaroo invoices yearly unless agreed otherwise in writing, and the agreement renews by itself unless you give notice at least 90 days before the term ends.

Price: Core $79, Plus $199 and Elite $349 a month, in US dollars, invoiced yearly unless agreed otherwise. Checked on 7 November 2026 on Kangaroo Rewards' pricing page.

Loopy Loyalty: best for a Wallet stamp card with no tablet

Digital stamp cards for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, run by PassKit, Inc. (a Delaware company).

Choose it when

  • You want every card in Apple or Google Wallet from the first day: customers add your card without an app or an account.
  • You want to reach customers without paying for texts: unlimited push messages to the Wallet card, on every plan.
  • Your customer list is in a spreadsheet: Loopy's help shows how to add customers through Zapier or Make and Google Sheets (Loopy Loyalty's help).

Keep in mind

  • Stamp cards only: no points, no texts and no email.
  • Customers added that way get no email from Loopy, so you send them their card link; its import guides show no way to bring over the stamps they already earned, so you add those by hand.
  • No free plan: a 15-day trial.

Price: Starter $25 a month or $250 a year, in US dollars. Checked on 7 November 2026 on Loopy Loyalty's pricing page. More in our Loopy Loyalty comparison.

Square Loyalty: best if you already take payments with Square

Points at the Square checkout, part of Square's own till, online store and invoices.

Choose it when

  • You sell with Square: customers join with their phone number at the end of a sale, with no app, and get a text with a link to their points, in Cash App unless the business turns that off (Square's help).
  • You want texts too: in the US, Square Plus includes email campaigns and 500 marketing texts a month, then 3¢ a text.
  • You want to bring your customer list: the Square Dashboard imports customers from a spreadsheet.

Keep in mind

  • Points are earned through Square's own till, online store or invoices; other systems need a developer connection through Square's Loyalty API.
  • Points are added one customer at a time in the Dashboard, or through Square's API; its help does not describe a bulk import of balances.
  • The Wallet pass is Apple Wallet only.
  • Loyalty is not in Square Free, and the price is per location.

Price: In Square Plus, $49 a month per location in the US. Checked on 7 November 2026 on Square's pricing page. More in our Square Loyalty comparison.

Toast Loyalty: best for restaurants on Toast

Toast's own loyalty for restaurants, part of the Toast account, sold in its Marketing Essentials bundle with gift cards, email and text marketing, or on its own.

Choose it when

  • Your restaurant runs on Toast: guests join with a phone number or email, no name needed, at the till, on the guest-facing screen, at a kiosk or with an online order (Toast's help).
  • You want points to add up by themselves: once a guest pays with a card while using their rewards, that card is linked to their account and earns points too.
  • You want your old members and points moved for you: Toast's Customer Care imports them from a spreadsheet, so guests can keep redeeming (Toast's help).

Keep in mind

  • Toast's pricing pages refused our reader, and its help publishes no loyalty price.
  • Text marketing needs a live website and a toll-free number that can take up to 14 business days, and texts stop at the limit you buy (Toast's help).
  • Its loyalty help does not mention Apple or Google Wallet: guests get a digital card through a link or the Local by Toast app.

Price: Not published; Toast's help points to the Subscriptions page of your Toast account (Toast's help). Checked on 7 November 2026.

When to stay with SumUp Connect

SumUp Connect does a lot that a stamp card app does not. It may still be the right choice if you want:

  • points added at checkout by themselves on a SumUp POS, with rewards shown on the checkout screen;
  • customers who need only a phone number, with no app and no smartphone, and staff who can find them by name or part of the number;
  • text-to-join with the 5STARS short code for signs, menus and social posts (Connect Pro);
  • texts, emails and push messages sent for you on a birthday, after a first visit or when a customer has not been back for 90 days, with AI help writing them;
  • a customer directory built from purchase history;
  • new customers from its network: your business shows on the customer screens of nearby businesses that also use it, and on the map in the SumUp app;
  • Review Boost and Appointment Boost for reviews and bookings;
  • phone support from 9 AM to 9 PM ET, 7 days a week, and installation and training on the POS plans;
  • your members keeping their accounts and points, with nothing to move.

It suits a busy café, quick-service restaurant, salon or shop that takes payments with SumUp and wants loyalty and messages to run on their own.

Before you switch

Leaving any loyalty program means your regulars start again somewhere new. A few steps make that easier:

  • Ask SumUp in writing when your agreement ends, what notice it needs and how to get your customer list. Its pages do not say.
  • Check what the new app can bring in (the last column of the table). Toast, Kangaroo Rewards and Boomerangme describe bringing customers in bulk with their points or stamps; Square only through its API, which is made for developers.
  • Tell your regulars at the counter and on a sign by the till, with a QR code to join the new card.
  • Think about the rewards your regulars have already earned: SumUp's terms for customers say rewards end when a business ends its rewards program. You could honor them by hand for a while, or start everyone with a welcome reward on the new card.
  • Before you send texts from a new app, check its rules on consent. SumUp's help counts a customer as opted in to its texts once they reply "Y" to its welcome text, and Toast says the business is responsible for the consents the law requires.

How to choose by business type

Café, coffee shop or quick-service restaurant

Visits are short and frequent, so joining has to take seconds. If your till is Square, Clover or Toast, its own loyalty runs at checkout. Next to any till, a QR code by the register leads to a Wallet card from Loopy Loyalty, BonusQR or Boomerangme, or to a FaveCard card (in the phone's browser on the Free plan, in Wallet from the Pro plan), and Kangaroo Rewards takes a phone number on a counter tablet.

Salon, spa or barbershop

Clients come back every few weeks, so messages between visits matter more than a fast join. For texts and email sent for you without SumUp Connect, Kangaroo Rewards has them from its Plus plan. If Wallet messages are enough, Loopy Loyalty sends push messages on every plan, and FaveCard sends Wallet and birthday messages on the Business plan.

Shop or boutique

Baskets vary, so points that follow spending often fit better than stamps: Square Loyalty, Kangaroo Rewards, Boomerangme and BonusQR (from Basic) have points. A stamp card from Loopy Loyalty or FaveCard fits a shop where each visit is much the same.

How we checked this

We make FaveCard. We started from SumUp's and Fivestars' own pages, then picked the alternatives a Fivestars owner in the US is most likely to weigh: the loyalty built into tills many of them use (Square, Clover and Toast) and apps that work next to any till. We judged each on the same points: the price for one location, how customers join and earn, texts and email, the till it needs, and whether you can bring your customers. Every fact about another company comes from its own website, help center, blog, terms or app-store listing, never from review sites, other comparison pages or AI answers, and was checked on 5 November 2026 and again on 7 and 8 November 2026. Fivestars' history before 2026 comes from dated Internet Archive copies of fivestars.com. Clover's current help and pricing pages load only with scripts we could not read, so its facts come from Clover's own blog posts of 2020 and 2021 and are dated; Toast's pricing pages refused our reader, so no Toast price is given. We did not book demos or sign up anywhere. FaveCard's facts come from our product as it runs today. We give no scores and no overall winner. Prices and plans change, so check the linked page before you sign up, and if you see an error, tell us through our contact page and we will correct it.

Update log

  • 8 November 2026: facts checked again. For the customer app we now say only what its App Store page says: it is called SumUp and Fivestars is now part of SumUp. The 578277 (5STARS) text-to-join number and the 12-month condition of SumUp's money-back guarantee now link to the SumUp pages that state them. Kangaroo Rewards' own pages mention a digital wallet pass and, on its page for online shops, a free trial, so we say that.
  • 7 November 2026: facts checked again and corrected. Loopy Loyalty's import guides cover the stamp card but show no way to carry over stamps customers already earned, and Loopy is run by PassKit, Inc., a Delaware company. BonusQR's link to your till is built by your POS supplier and priced separately. Boomerangme is described in its own words. A Kangaroo Rewards blog post lists Apple Wallet for its own-brand app on the Elite plan. Square's texted link opens the customer's points in Cash App unless the business turns that off. On consent, we now say how SumUp's help counts a customer as opted in to texts.
  • 5 November 2026: first version. Everything on this page checked on 5 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fivestars still in business?

Yes, under another name. SumUp bought Fivestars in October 2021 and sells the product in the US as SumUp Connect, which it started selling in May 2024. Since May 2025, fivestars.com opens SumUp's loyalty page, and the customer app in the US App Store is now called SumUp; its update note says Fivestars is now part of SumUp and accounts and rewards stay the same. SumUp has not announced an end date for the product. Checked on 7 November 2026.

Who owns Fivestars now?

SumUp. It announced the deal on 14 October 2021, for $317 million in cash and stock. SumUp's US marketing page still calls its loyalty system "Fivestars by SumUp", its loyalty page tells customers to join by texting 578277 (5STARS), and the business dashboard is still at dashboard.fivestars.com. Checked on 8 November 2026.

How much does Fivestars (SumUp Connect) cost?

On SumUp's US pricing page, Connect Plus is $269 a month and Connect Pro $349 a month. With SumUp's own POS, the bundles are $199 a month with Connect Plus and $289 a month with Connect Pro, and their money-back guarantee needs a 12-month subscription. The page says there are no complicated contracts, but it gives no price per location, trial, set-up fee or way to cancel, so ask SumUp in writing before you sign. When Connect was new, in May 2024, SumUp said it started at $49 a month. Checked on 7 November 2026.

Do I need SumUp's POS to use SumUp Connect?

No. SumUp says Connect works best with its own POS and can also work with many other POS systems, but its pages do not list which ones. On its own, Connect costs $269 or $349 a month; with SumUp POS, the bundles cost $199 or $289 a month and include installation and training. Checked on 7 November 2026.

What happened to the Fivestars app?

It is now the SumUp app. Its App Store update note says Fivestars is now part of SumUp and that accounts and rewards stay the same. Customers still sign in with their phone number and see their points there. We found no Fivestars or SumUp Connect app for businesses in the App Store or Google Play: owners use the Connect tablet, the Fivestars software on their POS and the online dashboard.

Can I take my Fivestars customers with me?

Ask SumUp first: its pages do not say how to take your customer list away. Then check the new app. Toast's team imports members and point balances from a spreadsheet, Kangaroo Rewards lets you upload customers and points yourself, and Boomerangme takes files of up to 20,000 customers with their stamps or points. Square imports customers from a spreadsheet, with points added one by one or through its API, and Loopy Loyalty adds customers through Zapier or Make; its guides show no way to carry over the stamps customers already have. We found no import on BonusQR's pages, and FaveCard, which we make, has none: customers join again by QR code. Before you text anyone from a new app, check its rules on consent; Toast, for one, says the business is responsible for the consents the law requires.

What is the best Fivestars alternative for a café, salon or small shop?

There is no single best one: it depends on your till and on whether you need texts. If you take payments with Square, Clover or Toast, start with the loyalty your till sells, since it works at checkout. If you want points, texts and email next to any till, Kangaroo Rewards does all three from its $199 Plus plan. If a card on your customers' phones is enough, Loopy Loyalty starts at $25 a month with Apple and Google Wallet, BonusQR has a free plan with Wallet passes, and FaveCard, which we make, has a free plan with a stamp card in the phone's browser. Prices from each company's own page on 7 November 2026.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Fivestars?

Yes, if you can do without some of what SumUp Connect sends for you. SumUp Connect costs $269 a month on its own and includes automatic texts, email and push messages. Square Plus, with loyalty and 500 texts a month, is $49 a month per location; Kangaroo Rewards starts at $79 a month, invoiced yearly unless agreed, with text and email campaigns from its $199 Plus plan; Loopy Loyalty starts at $25 a month with push messages instead of texts. BonusQR and FaveCard have free plans. Prices from each company's own page on 7 November 2026.

Free plan, with no app for your customers to download. Apple and Google Wallet passes on paid plans.

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BonusQR, Boomerangme, Clover, Fivestars, Kangaroo Rewards, Loopy Loyalty, Square, SumUp and Toast are trademarks of their owners. FaveCard is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by any of them.