At ten to seven on a Saturday, the phone is the most expensive thing in a restaurant. Someone has to stop plating, packing or seating to take an order that might run to four minutes, with "hang on, what does everyone want?" in the middle. Loman AI is built for exactly that call: it takes the order, takes payment and sends the ticket to your POS. If you're searching for a Loman AI alternative, you may be wondering whether you need all that, whether a cheaper tool would do, or whether something that also answers WhatsApp and Instagram would suit you better.
This page compares Loman AI and Klugon honestly. They overlap less than you might think. Loman AI is a restaurant phone-ordering system with POS integrations. Klugon is a general AI receptionist that a restaurant can use to answer menu, allergen and opening-hours questions and take table bookings, on the phone and on messaging apps. Klugon does not take orders into a POS and does not take card payments on the phone.
Every Loman AI fact here comes from Loman AI's own website, checked in October 2026. Loman AI doesn't publish its prices, so where we can't verify something we say "not published". See Loman AI's pricing page for the current details.
The short verdict on a Loman AI alternative
Pick Loman AI if phone orders for pickup and delivery are a big part of your trade and you want them to land in Toast, Square, Clover, SpotOn, Shift4, Aloha, Olo or Stream without anyone re-keying them. Pick it too if you want card payment on the call, phone reservations via OpenTable or Resy, calls routed to a live line, or a product built for multi-location brands. Klugon does none of those things.
Pick Klugon if your phone is mostly questions and table bookings rather than orders, if you don't need POS integration, if you want a published price and a self-serve trial, or if you want the same assistant answering WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and your website.
The honest summary: if the job is "take the order and put it in the POS", choose Loman AI. Klugon is not a phone-ordering system.
What each product is
Loman AI in brief
Loman AI describes itself as a 24/7 AI phone answering system for restaurants. According to the Loman AI homepage, it takes phone orders for pickup and delivery and sends them to your POS, takes credit card payments over the phone, lets customers book reservations by phone, suggests add-ons and popular combos, and recognises repeat callers. It names integrations with Toast, SpotOn, Square, Clover, Shift4, Aloha by NCR, Olo and Stream, plus OpenTable and Resy for reservations. It targets single-location restaurants, multi-unit groups and enterprise brands, with shared menus and per-store overrides for groups.
Klugon in brief
Klugon is an AI receptionist for small businesses of many types. It's sold as three products: an AI voice agent for calls, an AI social agent for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, and an AI chatbot for your website. For a restaurant, it answers from your menu, allergen matrix, opening hours and policies, books tables into its own built-in calendar, takes enquiries and flags anything your team needs to handle. The restaurant AI receptionist guide covers the details.
Does Loman AI integrate with POS and reservation systems?
Yes, according to its own site, as of October 2026:
- POS: the homepage and pricing page list Toast, SpotOn, Square, Clover, Shift4, Aloha by NCR, Olo and Stream. The homepage says Loman "takes AI phone orders for pickup and delivery, and sends them to your POS". The Premium plan lists "Complete POS integration".
- Reservations: OpenTable and Resy are listed, and Premium lists "Automated phone reservations". SevenRooms is not listed on the pages we checked.
- Menus: the pricing page lists automatic menu updates and out-of-stock AI menu updates.
- Custom integrations: available on Enterprise by contacting Loman.
Klugon has none of these. It doesn't read or write to any POS, and it doesn't connect to OpenTable, Resy, SevenRooms or any reservation system. If you rely on any of those, that alone may settle it.
Loman AI vs Klugon at a glance
Klugon prices are in US dollars. Loman AI does not publish prices.
| Loman AI | Klugon | |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | Flat software fee; page says "No per minute fees" | Flat monthly plan per product, with included minutes or conversations |
| Entry price | Not published ("Request pricing") | Voice Starter $99/month (1,000 minutes) plus $9 per number |
| What's included | Starter: answering, enquiries, menu updates, call transfer, outbound SMS, dashboard. Premium adds ordering, payments, POS integration, reservations, upsells | Answering, table booking, menu and allergen answers, lead capture, handover flag, inbox, analytics |
| Channels | Phone | Phone; WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and website chat as separate products |
| Phone ordering | Pickup and delivery, sent to POS | No. The AI can note an order request for staff to confirm |
| Payments on the call | Yes, credit cards | No |
| Booking | Phone reservations; OpenTable and Resy listed | Klugon's built-in calendar only |
| Handover to staff | Routes calls to a live line, takes voicemail with transcript, or messages your team | Flags the conversation and posts to Slack or Zapier; no call transfer |
| Setup | Team handles POS connection, menu import and testing; "24–48 hour onboarding" on the pricing page, "under 24 hours" on the homepage | Self-serve; voice testable in the browser during the trial |
| Contract or trial | Not published | Monthly or yearly; 7-day free trial, card required, no phone number during the trial |
Phone ordering and payments
This is the heart of Loman AI and the biggest gap in Klugon.
How Loman AI handles orders
Loman AI takes the order on the call, for pickup or delivery, and sends it to your POS, so it prints in the kitchen like any other ticket. Its homepage says it "securely takes credit card payments over the phone", and the Premium plan lists takeout and delivery ordering, secure payment over the phone, a dynamic upsell engine and smart guest memory. For a pizzeria or a busy takeaway, that removes the longest calls of the night from the counter.
Taking card details on the phone brings card-security obligations. The PCI Security Standards Council sets those standards; ask any provider how it handles them.
What Klugon can do with orders
Klugon can't take an order into a POS and can't take a payment on a call. What it can do:
- answer "what's in the set meal?", "is the jalfrezi hot?", "do you deliver to my street?" and "how long is delivery tonight?" from the menu and information you give it;
- search your menu, if you enter it as products with prices, and tell the caller what things cost;
- send the caller to your online ordering link, if you have one;
- take an order request as a note with the customer's name and number, and flag it so your staff can call back and confirm.
That last option is a workaround, not ordering. Nothing prints in the kitchen, nothing is paid for, and a person still has to call back. For a takeaway that takes a handful of phone orders a night and gets far more questions, it can still take pressure off. For a business that takes 80 phone orders on a Friday, it doesn't. The page on AI takeaway ordering is candid about that.
Reservations and table booking
Reservations on Loman AI
Loman AI says customers can book reservations by phone 24/7, and lists OpenTable and Resy among its integrations. The pricing page lists "Automated phone reservations" on Premium. How the reservation integrations work in detail is not published.
Table booking on Klugon
Klugon books tables into its own calendar. Restaurants set this up by creating a bookable "service" for each party size, with how long a table turns, and listing the tables that can take it (each table is added as a staff member). Klugon offers a time only if one of those tables is free for the whole length, and you set opening hours, minimum notice, buffer, booking window and closed dates. The booking is confirmed in the conversation with a reference and appears in your dashboard.
There's no floor plan, no deposits, no confirmation texts or emails and no reminders. On a call, the AI can book and cancel but not move a booking; in chat and on WhatsApp it can. And it doesn't talk to OpenTable, Resy or anything else. If your book is in one of those, Klugon can send online bookers your link, or you can keep a block of tables in Klugon. Our OpenTable alternative page sets out those options, and how restaurants take reservations 24/7 covers the wider picture. The AI appointment scheduler page explains the booking engine.
Handover to staff
Handover on Loman AI
Loman AI's homepage says it can route calls to a live line, take a voicemail with a transcript, or message your team with caller details. The pricing page lists "Automated call transfer" on Starter.
Handover on Klugon
Klugon doesn't transfer calls. When the AI decides a caller needs a person, it marks the conversation "Needs a person" in your inbox and, on the Business plan and above, posts a notification to Slack or Zapier. The AI takes the caller's details and tells them someone will call back. Klugon doesn't send email alerts, doesn't record calls and doesn't text anyone. For "my order's late" or "you forgot the naan", a callback after the rush is often fine. For anything that needs a person right now, Loman AI's live routing is better.
Pricing
Loman AI's pricing, as of October 2026
Loman AI's pricing page shows Starter and Premium plans, plus Enterprise, each with a "Schedule a demo" button and the heading "Request Pricing from Loman!". The prices themselves are not published. The page describes a flat software fee and says "No per minute fees. No hidden costs." Starter lists up to 50 calls handled at once. Setup fees, minimum terms and any trial are not published.
Klugon's pricing
Klugon's voice agent is $99 a month on Starter (1,000 minutes, one number), $299 on Business (3,600 minutes) and $499 on Scale (6,000 minutes), or 20% less billed yearly. Each phone number is $9 a month, and extra minutes cost $15 per started 100. WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger are on the social agent from $79 a month, plus $19 a month for a WhatsApp number. The website chatbot starts at $49 a month. See the pricing page for everything.
A worked example
Say a small Italian restaurant gets 20 calls a day averaging two minutes: about 1,200 minutes a month. Most are table bookings and questions; about five a day are takeaway orders.
- Klugon: voice Starter $99, a $9 number and two started blocks of 100 extra minutes at $15 ($30) comes to $138 a month. The five daily orders would become callback notes or be sent to the online ordering link.
- Loman AI: not published, so we can't compare the price. You'd get the orders taken and paid for, and into the POS.
The useful question isn't which is cheaper. It's what those five orders a day are worth to you, and what it costs to have someone call each one back. If the answer is "a lot", get a quote from Loman AI.
Channels beyond the phone
Loman AI is a phone product. Its Starter plan lists outbound SMS and Premium lists "intelligent SMS updates". WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger are not listed on its pricing page.
Klugon has no SMS of any kind, but it answers WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger and your website chat with the same assistant as the phone, into one inbox. You can reply yourself on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger within Meta's 24-hour window. For restaurants whose guests DM to ask about tables, dietary options and opening hours, that's a real difference. WhatsApp needs a Meta Business setup and Instagram needs Meta app review; the WhatsApp AI chatbot page explains both.
Menus and allergens
Loman AI lists automatic menu updates, out-of-stock menu updates and a "restaurant knowledge graph". Klugon answers from documents you upload (menu, allergen matrix, drinks list, policies) and from a product list you enter by hand. There's no menu import from a POS, so you keep it up to date yourself.
Allergens need a firm rule whichever product you use. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance covers your obligations for the 14 allergens. Set the AI to list which dishes contain an allergen, never call a dish safe, tell the guest to check with staff, and flag the conversation.
Setup and getting live
Setting up Loman AI
Loman AI's homepage says it can be running in under 24 hours, that onboarding takes under an hour of your time, and that its team handles the POS connection, menu import and testing. The pricing page says "24–48 hour onboarding". Setup includes forwarding your existing number to Loman.
Setting up Klugon
Klugon is self-serve, with no sales call:
- Sign up and enter your business details and opening hours.
- Start the voice trial (card required).
- Upload your menu, allergen matrix and policies, and enter menu items as products if you want price answers.
- Create table services and list your tables; set notice, buffer and closed dates.
- Write handover rules for complaints, late orders, large parties, allergy questions not covered, suppliers and press.
- Pick a voice and greeting, and test in the browser.
- After the trial converts, buy a number and forward your restaurant line to it.
You can't buy a phone number during the trial. Klugon doesn't port numbers; you keep yours by forwarding. Our article on keeping your number with call forwarding explains how.
A sample order call on Klugon
A sample call. The takeaway and the caller are made up, and the voice on Klugon is AI-generated. It shows honestly what happens when someone rings to order and there's no POS integration.
AI: Hello, thanks for calling Bella Forno. How can I help?
Caller: Hi, do you deliver to Ashfield Road?
AI: Yes, Ashfield Road is in our delivery area. Delivery is £2.50 and the minimum order is £15.
Caller: Great. Is the diavola very spicy?
AI: The diavola has spicy salami and fresh chilli, so it's one of the hotter pizzas on the menu. The 12-inch is £12.95. If you'd like something milder, the salsiccia has fennel sausage without chilli.
Caller: OK, I'd like two diavolas and a garlic bread for delivery.
AI: The quickest way to order is through our website, where you can pay and get a delivery time straight away. Or I can take your order request now and someone from the kitchen will call you back to confirm and take payment. Which would you prefer?
Caller: Just take it, please.
AI: Of course. Can I have your name, number and the house number on Ashfield Road?
Behind the scenes: the caller's details and the order request were saved as a lead with a note, the conversation was flagged "Needs a person" and a message went to the kitchen's Slack channel. Someone then had to call back, confirm and take payment. With Loman AI, according to its website, the order and payment would have gone straight into the POS. If your Friday has dozens of calls like this, that callback step is the cost of choosing Klugon.
What to measure in the first month
- Calls by type. Read through the inbox for a week and count orders, bookings and questions. That ratio tells you which product you actually need.
- Callbacks. How many order requests needed a callback, and how long they waited.
- Bookings taken by the AI. Klugon's analytics page shows them by day and hour.
- Questions without a good answer. Klugon's insights page lists them so you can add the answers.
- Phone time at the counter. Ask staff whether they're picking up less during service.
Where Loman AI is the better choice
- You take phone orders for pickup or delivery and want them in Toast, Square, Clover, SpotOn, Shift4, Aloha, Olo or Stream. Klugon has no POS integration.
- You want payment on the call. Loman AI takes cards. Klugon takes no payments on calls.
- Your reservations are in OpenTable or Resy and you want phone bookings to go straight in. Klugon has no reservation integrations.
- You want calls routed to a live line. Loman AI lists call transfer. Klugon only flags and someone calls back.
- You want upsells on orders. Loman AI lists a dynamic upsell engine for add-ons and combos.
- You run several sites. Loman AI offers shared menus with per-store overrides and analytics by location. Klugon has no multi-location features.
- You'd rather someone else set it up. Loman AI's team handles the POS connection, menu import and testing.
- You want texts to customers. Loman AI lists SMS. Klugon has none.
Where Klugon is the better choice
- Your calls are mostly questions and table bookings, not orders. Klugon handles those for a published, low price: $99 a month for 1,000 minutes, plus $9 for a number.
- You want to see the price before you talk to anyone. Klugon's prices and trial are on the website, and setup is self-serve.
- Your guests use WhatsApp and Instagram. One assistant answers the phone and your messaging channels, into one inbox.
- You don't use a POS that Loman AI supports, or you don't want the AI touching your POS at all.
- You're not only a restaurant. Cafés, delis and bakeries that also take bookings or sell products can use Klugon's general booking and catalogue. See cafés.
- You serve guests in several languages. Klugon answers calls in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and Arabic. Loman AI says it supports multiple languages but doesn't list them on the pages we checked.
- You're in Europe. Klugon is run by a German company under the GDPR.
Weighing up other restaurant tools? Our Slang AI alternative page compares Klugon with a reservation-focused restaurant specialist.
How to switch from Loman AI to Klugon
Only switch if you've decided phone orders no longer need to go into your POS automatically. If they do, stay with Loman AI.
- Decide what happens to phone orders. Send callers to your online ordering link, take order requests as notes for staff to call back, or tell callers to order in person. Brief your team.
- Decide where bookings go. Klugon's calendar, or your existing reservation link.
- Gather your information: menu, allergen matrix, opening hours, delivery area and charges, collection times and policies.
- Start the Klugon voice trial and build the assistant from those documents.
- Write handover rules to replace Loman AI's call routing, and connect Slack so someone sees flags during service.
- Test in the browser with real examples: an order call, a booking, an allergy question, a complaint.
- Go live after the trial converts. Buy a Klugon number and change your call forwarding from Loman AI to Klugon at a quiet time.
- Run for two weeks before cancelling Loman AI, checking the inbox and insights page daily.
Frequently asked questions
Can Klugon take phone orders into my POS?
No. Klugon has no POS integration and can't take payments on a call. It can answer menu questions, send your online ordering link or note an order request for staff to confirm. Loman AI takes orders and sends them to your POS.
Which POS systems does Loman AI work with?
As of October 2026, Loman AI's website lists Toast, SpotOn, Square, Clover, Shift4, Aloha by NCR, Olo and Stream, plus OpenTable and Resy for reservations.
How much does Loman AI cost?
Loman AI doesn't publish prices. Its pricing page asks you to request pricing or schedule a demo, and describes a flat software fee with no per-minute fees. Klugon's voice Starter plan is $99 a month plus $9 for a number.
Does Klugon integrate with OpenTable or Resy?
No. Klugon books into its own built-in calendar and doesn't connect to any reservation platform.
Can Klugon transfer a caller to the restaurant?
No. It flags the conversation, shows it as "Needs a person" in the inbox and notifies Slack or Zapier. A member of staff calls the guest back. Loman AI lists call transfer.
Does Klugon answer WhatsApp and Instagram?
Yes, through the social agent, from $79 a month. WhatsApp needs a Meta Business setup and Instagram needs Meta app review before the public can message it.
Is there a free trial?
Klugon has a 7-day free trial per product. A card is required, and you can't buy a phone number until the trial ends, so you test voice in the browser. Loman AI doesn't publish a trial.
Can I keep my restaurant's phone number?
With either product, yes, by forwarding. Loman AI's setup includes forwarding your number to it. With Klugon you buy a number after the trial and forward your line to it; Klugon doesn't port numbers.
If phone orders pay the rent, Loman AI is built for that. If what you need is an AI receptionist for small business that answers questions and books tables across the phone and your messaging apps, Klugon is worth a week's trial.