Fourth Inventory vs PlateSense
Fourth Inventory
fourth.comPlateSense
platesense.aiSide by side
| Figure | Fourth Inventory | PlateSense |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $59/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Restaurant Inventory Management Software | 7.5 (#20) | 7.9 (#10) |
| Integrations | Fourth lists POS partners including Aloha, Toast, Simphony, Revel, PAR POS, and Lightspeed U Series. | The site describes invoice submission by upload or email forwarding and mentions Sysco in an example; it does not identify a named POS integration on the pages reviewed. |
| Purpose | Fourth Inventory centralizes restaurant procurement, supply-chain management, and inventory operations on one platform. | PlateSense is restaurant inventory and recipe costing software that uses supplier invoices to update food costs. |
| Security | Fourth lists GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, SOC 1 Type II, and SOC 2 Type II compliance or accreditation, while its data centers list ISO 27001 and SOC 1/2/3. | The privacy policy says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, uses Firebase Authentication and restaurant-level Firestore data isolation, and is stored on Google Cloud servers in the United States. |
| Support | Fourth publishes sales and support phone numbers of +1 (877) 539-5156 and +1 (877) 720-8578 on its inventory page. | Support is available at [email protected], and the company says it aims to respond within a few hours during business days. |
Plans
In their own words
Fourth Inventory
Fourth Inventory is a web and API platform for restaurant procurement, supply-chain management, and inventory operations. It consolidates suppliers, supports supplier engagement, and enables direct ordering with predictive purchasing. Automatic stock tracking follows depletion to ingredient level across menus, while the mobile app updates central inventory records in real time. Recipe and menu engineering include ingredient costing, nutritional values, portion sizes, and plating guidance. Production and prep tools use demand forecasts and digital instructions to manage preparation and track waste. POS integrations update stock information and show on-hand inventory; listed partners include Aloha, Toast, Simphony, Revel, PAR POS, and Lightspeed U Series. APIs cover inventory, recipe and menu engineering, menu cycles, and POS gateway integrations. The purchase-to-pay and inventory solution comes in four editions with different control levels. It supports multi-location operations, purchase orders, transfers, labor and payroll tools, compliance, allergen tracking, and nutrition information. Pricing is on request.
PlateSense
PlateSense is restaurant inventory and recipe-costing software that uses supplier invoices to update food costs. It extracts invoice items, quantities, units and prices, and sends entries needing a decision for review before they affect inventory. Kitchens can track ingredient stock, purchase and count history, average inventory cost and latest delivery cost. Reusable prep recipes and menu build sheets link ingredient costs to dish food cost and contribution margin, recalculating as costs change. Its assistant, Sage, answers questions about invoices, ingredients and recipe costs and can help users navigate the app. The free plan reads 15 invoices per month automatically and includes inventory, recipes, menu costing, price alerts and Sage. PlateSense Pro costs $59 a month, billed per location, and includes unlimited invoices, inventory, recipes and menu items for a team on one account. New kitchens get a 30-day trial with everything included and no card; afterward the account pauses while its data remains available. PlateSense runs on Android, iOS and the web, with invoice submission by upload or email forwarding. It does not currently compare expected ingredient usage from sales with actual usage.