Air Regi vs Nekti — which fits your restaurant?
Air Regi is Recruit's free-to-start POS, with the largest restaurant POS adoption in Japan. Nekti is an integration platform that runs POS together with the other plugins you need on one OS. They share the POS category, but their design and fit differ. This page lays out the differences using publicly-disclosed information from both vendors.
30-second verdict
What they share
Before differences, let's note what they both do. As POS systems, the core is similar.
- Cloud-based with multi-device access
- Sales records and daily reports
- Credit card / e-money / QR code payment support
- Runs on iPad / iPhone / Android tablets
- Customer support (email / phone, depending on plan)
Feature comparison
Based on each vendor's official information. "△" indicates conditional support (offered via an add-on or separate app). Note: Nekti’s features include some still in development.
| Feature | Air Regi | Nekti |
|---|---|---|
| POS / order managementCore of both | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sales analytics & daily reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| E-money / QR payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reservations (built-in)Air Regi uses a separate app (Air Reserve) | △ | ✓ |
| Shift management (built-in)Air Regi uses a separate app (Air Shift) | △ | ✓ |
| Auto-ingest Gurunavi/Tabelog bookingsNekti: to be added after the Paid plan starts | — | △ |
| AI chat / instructions | — | ✓ |
| SNS post auto-generation | — | ✓ |
| Add the features you needAir Regi adds them as separate apps | △ | ✓ |
| Hot Pepper integrationAir Regi’s own strength (Nekti will handle it by importing reservation emails, to be added after the paid plan starts) | ✓ | △ |
| Air Pay integration (terminal)Air Regi's unique strength | ✓ | — |
| Free planBoth have a free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
Cost structure differences
The pricing models are different. Air Regi keeps the core free and sells add-on apps for shifts / reservations / payments. Nekti lets you start on the Free plan (¥0), and there is only one Paid plan (reservations come with the Paid plan).
Air Regi
- POS core (monthly)¥0
- Air Shift (shifts)¥0+
- Air Reserve (reservations)¥0+
- Air Pay (payment terminal)+ processing fees
- AI / SNS / analyticsNot included
Nekti
- Free plan¥0 (core features)
- Paid planList price ¥10,000 / month (currently discounted at the founding price)
- Annual paymentThe price of 10 months
- ReservationsFrom the Paid plan
* For the latest pricing, please check each vendor's official site.
Using it alongside your tools
Keep Air Regi as-is and run Nekti alongside it — no need to replace anything.
Parallel operation
You can run both systems in parallel and switch gradually — a soft-landing migration.
Alongside your tools
Air Regi sales CSVs can be imported into Nekti. Product and customer data, too.
Switch window
It depends on store size and how many features you use, but we expect around 2–4 weeks (a pre-launch estimate).
Which to pick — by scenario
Concrete decision criteria, not a winner-loser ranking. This is about fit.
Air Regi fits when:
- You only need core POS and nothing more right now
- You want completely free, with zero initial investment
- You already use Recruit services (Hot Pepper, Air Pay, etc.) and want to stay in that ecosystem
- You want the simplest possible UI to keep staff training cost low
Nekti fits when:
- You want reservations, SNS, shifts, accounting, inventory consolidated into one
- You use 3+ booking portals (Gurunavi, Tabelog, etc.) and want auto-ingestion to save time (to be added after the paid plan starts)
- You want AI to halve the time spent on owner / manager admin work
- You want AI assistance for new-menu development and staff training
- You want the flexibility to add and swap plugins as needs evolve
Find the right fit for your store.
Answer 12 questions and find out free whether Nekti fits your store. Happy to walk you through a side-by-side comparison.