Last.app vs Ágora: which software fits your restaurant best?

Next up in our comparison series is a name that anyone who's worked in hospitality for a while will have spotted on a bar at some point. Ágora has been on the market since 2008. It's developed by IGT Microelectronics in Madrid and has earned its place as a classic, complete POS, with a distributor network that reaches into many corners of Spain.

Last.app starts from a different idea. It's a connected, multi-platform operating system for restaurants that brings the dining room, delivery, bookings, your own sales channel and analytics into one place, so the restaurant can grow without technology holding it back. Ágora takes a different route: a Windows POS with a local server and a very broad catalogue of modules, particularly strong in inventory and purchasing.

In short, it's an open, cloud-based system that runs on almost any device, up against a very complete traditional POS backed by a distributor network. Let's see which one suits your restaurant better, looking at ease of use, the hardware you need, the support you get, reports, integrations and what you actually pay each month.

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Ease of use

Winner: Last.app, for an experience built around the pace of service

Both are built for hospitality, so neither starts from a generic interface. The difference is philosophy. Last.app is designed as a modern touch app with short flows, while Ágora keeps the logic of a classic desktop POS, highly configurable and organised by modules.

• Last.app feels much more like the apps we all use every day. It has big buttons, only a few steps to open a table, send an order to the kitchen or take payment, and the same logic across the POS, the handheld and the back office. When staff turnover is high, a new waiter who can work confidently on their first shift makes a real difference. That's why we talk about minutes to learn it, not days.
• Ágora offers a lot of functionality, and its users say it's simple day to day. The flip side is that much of its power lives in the configuration: single-terminal, multi-terminal or centralised installation, modules and licences activated per device, and a setup usually handled by a distributor. It isn't complicated once someone has set it up for you, but you depend more on that person.

If you want a system that practically explains itself, so your team doesn't need anyone's help to get started, Last.app has the edge. If you'd rather have a technician configure it to your needs and you value fine-grained control over every module, Ágora makes sense.

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Hardware freedom: do I have to buy new equipment?

Winner: Last.app

This is one of the clearest differences between the two.

• Last.app doesn't tie you to a proprietary POS. As a POS, it runs on 64-bit Windows 10 or later, on Android tablets (Android 9 or later, with Google Play) and on iPads running iPadOS 16 or later. The handheld runs on Android phones and on iPhones with iOS 16 or later. You can have an iPad at the bar, a Windows PC at the till and cheap Android phones as handhelds, and reuse what you already have if it's compatible.
• Ágora is built around Windows. Its POS needs a 64-bit Windows 10 machine with at least a 3 GHz processor and 8 GB of RAM, and printers are set up through Windows. The web apps for back office, handhelds, kitchen and inventory run on Chrome and Safari, but its documentation doesn't cover a full POS on iPad or an Android tablet. Ágora sells its own terminals (X100, X200, X300, X500 and the T11 handheld), and if you want to use Ágora Payments, you'll need its approved card terminals.

If you already have tablets or iPads, or want to kit out your dining room with lighter equipment, Last.app gives you far more flexibility. With Ágora, the sensible route is Windows PCs that meet its requirements, or its own hardware.

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Quick feature comparison

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Support and customer service

Winner: Last.app

In hospitality, problems never give you warning, and they tend to turn up at ten o'clock on a Saturday night, so this difference carries real weight.

• Last.app offers support seven days a week by phone, email and WhatsApp: regular support from 9:00 to 18:00 and emergency support from 18:00 to 6:00. Installation includes the initial setup, migrating your menu and products, and training your team as many times as needed during onboarding, all handled directly by Last.app.
• Ágora's fee includes basic support for technical issues with the software itself, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00. Installation, training, backups, hardware issues and support outside those hours are provided by the authorised distributor and contracted separately, so your real coverage depends on who you work with.

With a good distributor nearby, Ágora can give you very hands-on support. But if you want to know from day one what support you're getting, at what times and with no middleman, Last.app is clearer, and it covers weekends, when you're at your busiest.

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Security and access, reports and analytics

Contextual advantage for Last.app

The answer here depends on what you want to know about your business, because the two are built on different architectures.

• Last.app is built cloud-first, and if the connection drops, its POS can keep recording orders and sales for a while and sync them later. Its strength is the joined-up view: sales, channels, average ticket, products, tables and locations in real time, with custom reports and multi-location management included in every plan. For a group that needs to see its dining room, delivery, own channel and several locations together, that's a clear advantage.
• Ágora works with a local server in each venue and a centralised mode for groups, which requires an internet connection and the ACMS module, from €67/month. Its documentation doesn't spell out which functions keep working when the connection drops, though it does state that Ágora Payments transactions need internet to be authorised. On the other hand, its classic cost analysis is very thorough, with purchasing, suppliers, inventory and custom dashboards from the Professional plan.

If you run a restaurant group and need to read sales, channels, locations and operations together, Last.app is the better fit. If your restaurant revolves mainly around costs, recipe costing and classic profitability analysis, Ágora may even come out ahead in that area.

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Integrations and ecosystem

Effectively a tie, with two different ways of connecting

Both integrate with a wide range of software, so there's no clear winner here. The difference is in how the pieces connect.

• Last.app advertises more than 250 integrations. Glovo, Uber Eats and Just Eat integrate directly into the POS, with no extra layer. Around them you can connect booking tools like CoverManager or TheFork, accounting software like Holded, purchasing and stock tools like Prezo, Haddock or gstock, and cash machines like Cashdro, CashGuard or Cashlogy.
• Ágora has a very broad partner directory. Glovo, Uber Eats and Just Eat are listed there, alongside aggregators such as Deliverect, Sinqro or Zuplyit, although its documentation doesn't say whether the connection with each platform is direct. In Deliverect's case, the partner itself states that you need a subscription to both Ágora and Deliverect. Where Ágora really stands out is with ERPs, such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, Sage or a3ERP, which is very useful for groups with a large administrative structure.

If your priority is delivery and connecting new tools without depending on third parties, Last.app makes it easy. If your company already runs on a corporate ERP, Ágora has a very solid catalogue there.

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How pricing works: what you need to know

Winner: Last.app, for clarity

Both publish their prices, which is already a good starting point. The difference is in what each fee covers and what's left out.

• Last.app, a public SaaS model. In Spain, Last.app publishes three plans per location: Starter at €50/month + VAT with 2 POS licences, Growth at €95/month + VAT with 4 licences and Unlimited at €175/month + VAT with unlimited licences. There's a discount for annual billing. Installation is a one-off €500 + VAT covering setup, menu migration and team training, and multi-location management, clock-in and seven-day support are included in every plan. A few products are charged separately, such as the KDS (€35/month per location) and the commissions on the online shop and QR.
• Ágora, a lower entry price with services extra. Ágora publishes Basic at €34/month for 1 device, Starter Plus at €62/month for up to 4 and Professional at €90/month for up to 8, per venue and excluding VAT. The Enterprise and Ultimate plans are quoted on request. Its own page makes clear that the software price doesn't include professional or operational services: installation or commissioning, incidents caused by hardware, system maintenance, database management, product training, backups, consultancy, custom reports or development, and support outside business hours. Hardware isn't included either, multi-location management (ACMS) costs extra from €67/month, and Ágora Payments commissions aren't public.

Ágora can work out cheaper if you only need one device, but a lot of what ends up on the bill depends on what you agree with the distributor. With Last.app, you know from the start what you pay, what's included and what support you get, and if you need two terminals, the Starter plan already covers them.

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Which one should I choose?

In the end, the decision comes down mostly to how your restaurant works and where you want to take it.

Choose Ágora if:

• Your priority is costs and inventory. You want in-depth purchasing, supplier, delivery-note and inventory management inside the POS itself, and you'll be on the Professional plan or higher.
• You work with a corporate ERP. Your group already uses SAP, Microsoft Dynamics or Sage and you need the POS to integrate with that setup.
• You're comfortable with a Windows POS. You prefer Windows machines on the floor and a local server in each venue.
• You have a distributor you trust. You like having a local technician install the system, train your team and look after you, and you don't mind paying for those services separately.

Choose Last.app if:

• Your restaurant doesn't stop at the tables. You run a dining room, but also delivery, takeaway, bookings, direct orders or QR, and you want to manage all those channels from the same environment. This is where Last.app makes the most sense.
• You want hardware freedom. An iPad at the bar, Android phones as handhelds, the manager's iPhone and a Windows PC at the till: you mix devices and don't have to redo the installation every time you open a new location.
• You want a clear service with no middlemen. Implementation, training and seven-day support from the same team, without depending on which distributor you end up with.
• You run, or want to run, several locations. You need to see sales, channels and operations across all your locations at once, with multi-location management included in every plan.
• You want to grow without switching systems. Today you might only need a POS, but down the line you'll want the KDS, bookings, the online shop, loyalty or an integration you don't use yet. With more than 250 integrations and multi-platform hardware, the system is less likely to become the bottleneck.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What's the main difference between Last.app and Ágora?

Ágora is a classic hospitality POS that runs on Windows with a local server. It has a very broad catalogue of modules and a distributor network that handles implementation and extended support. Last.app is a cloud-based, multi-platform operating system for restaurants. The POS sits at its core, with delivery, bookings, online shop, QR, kitchen, marketing and more than 250 integrations around it, and Last.app handles the service directly.

Which is easier to use?

Both have users who praise how easy they are day to day. Last.app uses a modern touch interface, with short flows and the same logic on every device, so a new team can get up to speed straight away. Ágora keeps the logic of a classic desktop POS, and the distributor usually takes care of much of the configuration.

Can I use an iPad as a POS?

With Last.app, yes, as long as it runs iPadOS 16 or later. Ágora's official documentation says the POS needs a 64-bit Windows 10 machine and that the web apps, such as handhelds or kitchen displays, run on Safari, but it doesn't mention a full POS on iPad. If that's a requirement for you, it's worth confirming with Ágora before signing up.

Which has more integrations?

Last.app advertises more than 250 integrations, including direct integrations with Glovo, Uber Eats and Just Eat. Ágora doesn't publish a total figure, but its partner directory is broad and particularly strong in ERPs such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics or Sage. For delivery and new tools, Last.app is more direct; for a corporate ERP, Ágora has a long track record.

Which one works offline?

Last.app is cloud-first, but its POS can keep recording orders and sales for a while without a connection and sync them when it comes back. Ágora runs on a local server in the venue, but its documentation doesn't spell out which functions keep working when the connection drops. Ágora Payments transactions need internet to be authorised, and its centralised mode for multiple locations also requires a connection.

Which is cheaper?

It depends on how many devices and services you need. Ágora has a lower entry price (€34/month for one device) and offers a 30-day demo, but installation, training, hardware and out-of-hours support are arranged separately with the distributor. Last.app starts at €50/month per location with 2 licences, and the one-off installation fee already covers setup, migration and training. For two terminals and a full service, it's usually easier to budget for.

Which has better support?

Last.app offers direct support seven days a week, with regular support from 9:00 to 18:00 and emergency support from 18:00 to 6:00, and implementation and training included. Ágora includes software support Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00, and the rest of the service, including out-of-hours support, depends on the distributor you sign up with.

Which should I choose for a restaurant with a dining room and a lot of delivery?

That's exactly where Last.app's focus is: the same system manages the dining room, delivery, takeaway, your own channel and bookings, with Glovo, Uber Eats and Just Eat integrated directly into the POS. Ágora can also handle delivery through its platform directory and aggregators such as Deliverect or Sinqro, although in Deliverect's case the partner itself states that an additional subscription is needed.

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