POS system vs back-of-house management. Two completely different kinds of software. Apicbase (Antwerp, 2017) manages recipes and food costs. Hebtrek Connect runs your restaurant.
Apicbase is a Belgian back-of-house platform (founded 2017, Antwerp) for food & beverage management. It offers 9 modules including recipe management, inventory management, purchasing, food cost analysis and HACCP compliance. The platform serves 200+ customers in 18 countries, including chains such as CitizenM Hotels, Sodexo and The Avocado Show. It cannot process orders, accept payments or run your restaurant operationally.
Hebtrek Connect is a POS system for taking orders, processing payments, managing tables, integrating delivery platforms and directing drivers via the Naavi app. It is the software you need every day to run your business.
Apicbase
From ~€249/mo
Per location, modular, on quote
Hebtrek Connect
€0/month
Only €0.12-0.24 per order
Front-of-house vs back-of-house: two different worlds
Front-of-house: daily operations
€0/month + €0.12-0.24 per order
Back-of-house: cost management
From ~€249/month per location
A complete POS with delivery solution - ready to use immediately
No weeks or months of setup time. Hebtrek Connect works right after installation. Apicbase requires extensive data entry of recipes, ingredients and suppliers before you get value out of it.
GPS tracking, automatic order assignment to drivers and an advanced backoffice portal with real-time location and order statistics. Apicbase offers no delivery functionality.
€0/month vs ~€249+/month per location for Apicbase. And with Apicbase you still need a separate POS system, so the real cost is even higher.
| Feature | Hebtrek Connect | Apicbase |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | POS system | Back-of-house F&B management |
| Order processing | Yes, core function | No, no POS functionality |
| Accepting payments | Card, cash, online | No payment functionality |
| Table management | Full floor plan support | Not available |
| Delivery integrations | Native Thuisbezorgd.nl | No (only via Deliverect integration) |
| Food cost analysis | Basic reporting | Very extensive (9 modules) |
| Feature | Hebtrek Connect | Apicbase |
|---|---|---|
| Recipe database | Manage menu items | Full recipes with ingredients & cost price |
| Inventory management | Basic stock levels | Detailed per gram/unit, auto-depletion via POS |
| Purchasing/procurement | Not available | Supplier management, auto-ordering, Bidfood/Metro integration |
| Demand forecasting | Not available | Production planning & forecasts |
| Waste tracking | Not available | Detailed food waste tracking |
| HACCP compliance | Not available | Digital checklists, temperature logging |
| Menu engineering | Not available | Profitability analysis per menu item |
| Allergens & nutrition info | Basic | Extensive with automatic calculation |
| Feature | Hebtrek Connect | Apicbase |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen display (KDS) | Included | Not available |
| Customer display | Included | Not available |
| Driver app | Naavi app (iOS & Android) | Not available |
| GPS delivery tracking | Real-time via Naavi | Not available |
| Auto driver matching | Orders auto-assigned | Not available |
| Backoffice portal | Advanced (driver location, orders, stats) | Analytics dashboard (via POS data) |
| Revenue reporting | Real-time dashboard | Via POS integration |
| Feature | Hebtrek Connect | Apicbase |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | €0/month | From ~€249/month per location |
| Order cost | €0.12 (first 6 months) → €0.24 per order | No order fees (fixed subscription) |
| Setup cost | Free | On request (onboarding process) |
| Implementation time | Ready to use immediately | Weeks to months (data entry) |
| Contract | No contract, cancel any time | On request |
| Target audience | Independent restaurants | Multi-site chains (200+ customers, 1,000+ locations) |
| Language support | Dutch | NL, EN, FR, DE, ES, SV, FI + more |
| POS integrations | N/A (it is the POS) | 42+ POS systems (Lightspeed, Square, unTill, etc.) |
Apicbase does not replace a POS - so you pay for both systems
1 location, 500 orders/month
~€249 Apicbase + POS cost (minimum €50+)
Hebtrek €180+/mo cheaper
And Hebtrek is a complete system - no extra POS needed
3 locations, 1,500 orders/month total
~€249 x 3 Apicbase + POS cost per location
Hebtrek €390+/mo cheaper
All-in-one: POS + delivery + backoffice
* Hebtrek calculated at €0.24/order (after the first 6 months). First 6 months €0.12/order. Apicbase prices are indicative based on review sites (Capterra); exact prices on request from Apicbase.
An honest comparison also means naming Apicbase’s strengths
Apicbase excels at food cost analysis: full prime cost calculation (ingredient cost + waste + production cost). With 9 specialised modules for chains that want to track every cent. Capterra reviews rate the platform 4.6/5.
Apicbase integrates with almost every POS system: Lightspeed, Square, unTill, Oracle Simphony, NCR Aloha, Trivec and more. Plus links with Deliverect, Bidfood and Metro for purchasing.
With a 4.9/5 customer service score on Capterra and a dedicated onboarding team, Apicbase scores highly on support. They also offer the Apicbase Academy with video tutorials for self-onboarding.
No POS functionality
Apicbase cannot process orders or accept payments. You always need a separate till system.
High cost for independents
From ~€249/month per location is a significant investment, especially on top of your POS system costs.
Long setup time
Extensive data entry required: recipes, ingredients, suppliers. Reviewers confirm the setup is labour-intensive.
Steep learning curve
The most-mentioned drawback in reviews: the platform is extensive but complex, which requires training.
Apicbase is back-of-house software for food cost and recipe management, aimed at restaurant chains with multiple locations. It integrates with 42+ POS systems but is not a till itself. Customers like CitizenM and Sodexo use it alongside their existing POS.
Every restaurant needs a POS. Not every restaurant needs back-of-house management software. Start with Hebtrek Connect and expand when needed.
Apicbase sells you a cash register. Hebtrek gives you a cash register plus a place where guests actually order: hebtrek.nl, the Dutch ordering platform behind Hebtrek Connect.
There are no monthly fees and no setup costs. You only pay commission on the orders that actually come in: 8% when you deliver yourself and 28% when a Hebtrek courier rides the order. A quiet week simply costs less, because there is no subscription running in the background.
Orders from hebtrek.nl land in the same POS as your table orders, counter orders and delivery channels. One menu, one receipt printer, one revenue report. Nothing has to be maintained twice.