Jolt is a compliance-first platform built for franchise chains with big budgets. Sideworks is built for restaurant and hospitality managers who want one app to run every shift — with transparent pricing, no setup fees, and a free tier to start today.
Sideworks is a restaurant operations platform purpose-built for independent operators and small hospitality groups with 1–20 locations. It combines digital checklists with photo verification, staff scheduling, guest and employee feedback, event management, shift handoffs, and expense tracking in a single app — with a free tier and transparent per-location pricing. Jolt is a compliance-focused operations platform popular with franchise chains, offering digital checklists, temperature sensors, automated food labeling, and facial recognition time clocks — with pricing that starts around $200+/month per location and often includes setup fees.
| Sideworks | Jolt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Plans | ||
| Free tier | ✓ Checklists + 1 location | ✗ No free tier |
| Transparent pricing | ✓ Free tier + paid plans — see plans | ✗ Quote-based — requires demo |
| Pricing model | ✓ Per location | ~ ~$200+/month per location |
| Setup & training fees | ✓ None — self-serve | ✗ Up to $549 setup fee |
| Target Market | ||
| Industry focus | ✓ Restaurants & hospitality | ~ Food service, retail, construction |
| Best for | Independents & small groups (2–20 locations) | Franchise chains & compliance-heavy ops |
| User persona | Assistant managers & GMs | Operations / compliance managers |
| Core Features | ||
| Digital checklists | ✓ | ✓ |
| Photo verification | ✓ Timestamped on every task | ✓ Photo, QR, and signature |
| Shareable public links | ✓ No login required | ✗ All users need accounts |
| Staff scheduling | ✓ With labor cost estimates | ~ Manual drag-and-drop only |
| Guest feedback surveys | ✓ Built-in with sentiment | ✗ |
| Employee satisfaction surveys | ✓ | ✗ |
| Events & activations | ✓ Vendor collaboration | ✗ |
| Shift notes & handoffs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Manager goal tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Expense tracking | ✓ Approval workflows | ✗ |
| Work orders & maintenance | ✓ | ~ Task-based only |
| Document & SOP library | ✓ | ~ Embedded in checklists |
| Temperature monitoring (IoT) | ✗ | ✓ Bluetooth sensors + alerts |
| Automated food labeling | ✗ | ✓ Prep & expiration labels |
| Facial recognition time clock | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team messaging | ✓ Shift notes & handoffs | ~ One-way announcements only |
| Setup & Usability | ||
| Time to go live | ✓ Under 5 minutes | ~ Days to weeks with onboarding |
| Learning curve | ✓ Intuitive, no training | ~ Steeper — training recommended |
| Mobile-first | ✓ | ✓ |
| Third-party integrations | ~ Growing | ~ Limited — mostly exports |
| AI-powered workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
Jolt is a solid compliance tool for franchise chains. But if you run an independent restaurant, food hall, or hotel — here's why teams choose Sideworks.
In a quick 30-minute walkthrough, we'll show you how Sideworks can streamline your daily operations.
What to expect in your demo:
See how timestamped photo proof replaces clipboards and guesswork across every shift.
Explore how shifts, manager notes, and daily logs come together in one system.
Learn how real-time feedback surfaces problems before they escalate.
Walk through event planning, vendor coordination, and post-event reporting.
Get a tailored rollout plan based on your locations and team size.
See how Sideworks fits your operation.
Yes. Most teams get up and running on Sideworks in under 5 minutes. Start with our free checklist templates or recreate your existing workflows. There's no lengthy migration — you can run both tools side-by-side and transition at your own pace.
Not currently. If IoT temperature sensors and automated food labeling are a core requirement, Jolt may be a better fit for that specific need. Sideworks focuses on the full operations workflow — checklists, scheduling, feedback, events, and back office — for hospitality teams.
Yes. Sideworks offers a free tier that includes digital checklists and one location — no credit card required. Paid plans unlock additional features like multi-location support, scheduling, surveys, and event management. No hidden fees, no setup costs.
Jolt doesn't publish pricing on its website. Third-party reviews report approximately $200+/month for a single location, with a $549 setup fee that is sometimes waived. Multi-location discounts may apply. Sideworks publishes transparent per-location pricing — no sales call required.
No. Jolt requires a paid subscription and often charges a setup fee. Sideworks offers a generous free tier that includes digital checklists and one location — no credit card or sales call required.
Not for checklists. Sideworks checklists can be shared via public links — cleaning crews, vendors, and contractors can complete tasks with timestamped photo proof without creating an account or paying for extra seats. Jolt requires all users to have accounts.
Book a 15-minute demo and we'll show you how Sideworks fits your operation. Bring your biggest pain point — we'll solve it live.