Access HospitalityvsPaddl
Access Hospitality (Evo platform) provides POS, payroll, scheduling, maintenance, and compliance for UK hospitality chains. Part of The Access Group.
44 features compared · 16 Paddl only · prices verified 11 September 2026
Paddl is food safety, compliance and operations software for UK hospitality: digital SFBB, HACCP plans, allergens and Natasha's Law labels, temperature, cleaning and training records, and an EHO-ready audit pack. £69 per location per month with every feature included, a 30-day free trial and no contract. Access Hospitality: Suite on quote; Trail (its checklist product) from £38 a site a month; Maintain Evo from £65.
Used Daily & Trusted By:
Used Daily & Trusted By: Edgie Eats, Frothed, Good Chemistry Brewing, Paper Tiger Food Services, Restore, Royal Marine Hotel, The Staff of Life, The Tower Inn, World Famous Dive Bars.
Access Hospitality pricing
Access Hospitality does not publish its prices. What is known, checked 11 September 2026, comes from trailapp.com.
Modular suite (EPOS, payroll, rota, maintenance, compliance) bought as separate products under one vendor.
Every feature. 5 owner and manager users per location, £2.99 a month for each extra; staff do not take a seat. 30-day free trial, card required, no contract.
- One site, 12 staff: £89.93 a month
- One site, 40 staff: £173.65 a month
- Five sites, 100 staff: £569.25 a month
Access Hospitality reviews: what customers say
4.2 out of 5 from 20 reviews on Capterra, read 11 September 2026.
Access Hospitality vs Paddl: what matters most
Last reviewed: 11 September 2026
A suite of products versus one product
Access Hospitality is EPOS, payroll, rota, maintenance, training and compliance bought as separate products under one vendor, sized for chains. Paddl is one product for compliance, routines, rota, equipment, licences and insurance at one price, sized for independents and small groups.
The compliance product is Trail
Access's checklist and food safety product is Trail, priced per site on a 12-month term. Paddl covers what Trail does and adds the HACCP plan, SFBB pack, allergen matrix, COSHH register and risk assessments with AI drafting.
When the suite wins
If you want EPOS, payroll and rota from one vendor with account management, Access is built for that. If you want the daily records and operations without the suite, Paddl is cheaper and quicker to set up.
Where Access Hospitality and Paddl differ
From the 44-row grid below, checked against Access Hospitality's published feature list on 11 September 2026.
Food Safety & Compliance
Paddl has, Access Hospitality does not: AI HACCP Generation, EHO Report Generation, One-Click Audit Packs.
Access Hospitality covers in part: Digital SFBB Packs, HACCP Plans, Allergen Management, Risk Assessments, Fire Safety - Drills, Certificates & Expiry Alerts, COSHH Management.
Operations & Equipment
Paddl has, Access Hospitality does not: AI Equipment Anomaly Detection, Delivery Checks.
Access Hospitality covers in part: Temperature Monitoring, Maintenance Swimlanes, Supplier Management.
Team & Training
Paddl has, Access Hospitality does not: GPS Check-in, Shift Handovers / EOD Reports.
Access Hospitality covers in part: Staff Inductions, Staff Notifications.
Documents & Knowledge
Paddl has, Access Hospitality does not: Insurance Gap Detection, Lease & Property Management.
Access Hospitality covers in part: Knowledge Hub, Digital Signatures, Licence Management.
Reporting & Incidents
Paddl has, Access Hospitality does not: Complaint Monitoring, Incident & Accident Reporting, EHO Visit Dashboard, AI Legal Guidance & Evidence Packs.
Platform & AI
Paddl has, Access Hospitality does not: Mobile Manager View, AI That Carries Out Tasks, AI Document Extraction.
Access Hospitality covers in part: Offline Mode, AI Assistant, Compliance Dashboard.
Where Access Hospitality is stronger
- Comprehensive enterprise suite
- Strong payroll and HR integration
- Part of established Access Group
- Good maintenance and certificate tracking
Side-by-side feature comparison
Food Safety & Compliance
| Feature | Paddl | Access Hospitality |
|---|---|---|
| Digital SFBB Packs | ||
| HACCP Plans | ||
| AI HACCP GenerationPaddl only | ||
| Allergen Management | ||
| Risk Assessments | ||
| EHO Report GenerationPaddl only | ||
| One-Click Audit PacksPaddl only | ||
| Fire Safety - Drills, Certificates & Expiry Alerts | ||
| COSHH Management |
Operations & Equipment
| Feature | Paddl | Access Hospitality |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment Tracking | ||
| AI Equipment Anomaly DetectionPaddl only | ||
| Temperature Monitoring | ||
| Maintenance Swimlanes | ||
| Supplier Management | ||
| Delivery ChecksPaddl only |
Team & Training
| Feature | Paddl | Access Hospitality |
|---|---|---|
| Team Management | ||
| Rota Building & Publishing | ||
| Shift Swaps & Open Shifts | ||
| Holiday & Leave | ||
| Timesheets & Payroll Export | ||
| Training Tracking | ||
| Staff Inductions | ||
| GPS Check-inPaddl only | ||
| Shift Handovers / EOD ReportsPaddl only | ||
| Staff Notifications | ||
| Team Chat & Direct Messages |
Documents & Knowledge
| Feature | Paddl | Access Hospitality |
|---|---|---|
| Document Management | ||
| Knowledge Hub | ||
| Digital Signatures | ||
| Licence Management | ||
| Insurance Gap DetectionPaddl only | ||
| Lease & Property ManagementPaddl only |
Reporting & Incidents
| Feature | Paddl | Access Hospitality |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint MonitoringPaddl only | ||
| Incident & Accident ReportingPaddl only | ||
| EHO Visit DashboardPaddl only | ||
| AI Legal Guidance & Evidence PacksPaddl only |
Platform & AI
| Feature | Paddl | Access Hospitality |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile App | ||
| Mobile Manager ViewPaddl only | ||
| Offline Mode | ||
| AI Assistant | ||
| AI That Carries Out TasksPaddl only | ||
| AI Document ExtractionPaddl only | ||
| Compliance Dashboard | ||
| Multi-Location |
What Access Hospitality does not do, shown in Paddl
Screenshots of the Paddl features the grid marks as missing or partial in Access Hospitality.
Shift handovers and end-of-day reports
Paddl AdvantageStaff submit an end-of-day report with urgent actions, stock shortages and equipment problems. The incoming shift acknowledges the handover before starting.
Push notifications to staff on shift
Paddl AdvantageTemperature alerts, handover submissions and maintenance updates go to the people checked in that day, not the whole team.
EHO visit view
Paddl AdvantageOne screen with everything an inspector asks for: SFBB pack, delivery records, temperature logs and training certificates.
Equipment records with AI health checks
Paddl AdvantageEvery fridge, oven and extractor with its service history and temperature logs. The AI flags a unit whose readings are drifting before it fails.
Allergen lookup during service
Paddl AdvantageStaff search the menu by allergen from a phone in the middle of service, no folder to find.
Report a fault from the app
Paddl AdvantageStaff log a breakdown or a safety concern with a photo and a priority, and the manager sees it the moment it is raised.
AI HACCP plan generation
Paddl AdvantageThe AI reads your business, routines, equipment and menu, then drafts a complete HACCP plan with process steps and critical control points for you to review.
Ask Paddy: AI that does the admin
Paddl AdvantageAsk Paddy books the contractor visit, builds the routine, drafts the risk assessment and gathers the inspection pack. You confirm every action, and it never fills in or signs a compliance record.
Manager view in the mobile app
Paddl AdvantageManagers switch to an admin view on their phone: team progress, compliance status, recent activity and SFBB state across every site.
AI insurance gap detection
Paddl AdvantageUpload the policy documents and the AI reads the cover, lists the gaps and says what to ask the broker.
Who should choose Access Hospitality, and who should choose Paddl
Choose Access Hospitality if
- You need enterprise HR and payroll integration
- You are a large chain with complex requirements
- You want a single vendor for all business systems
Choose Paddl if
- You want focused compliance and operations without complexity
- AI-powered features matter (HACCP, document extraction, equipment health ratings)
- Simple, all-in-one pricing (£69/month) is preferable
- EHO preparation, complaints, and shift handovers are important
Switching from Access Hospitality to Paddl
- One product for compliance and daily operations at £69 per site, rather than modules from a suite priced by combination
- The food safety system itself per site: HACCP plan and SFBB pack drafted by AI, allergens and PPDS labels, COSHH, risk assessments, training with expiry
- A daily compliance score for every site with an all-locations view and an audit pack per site
- Licences, insurance, lease and rates tracked per site from uploaded documents
- Live in days with a setup call for groups; keep Access for EPOS and payroll if you use them
Most groups keep Access for EPOS, payroll or bookings and move compliance and daily operations to Paddl. Set up sites and scoped managers, let the AI draft the HACCP plan and SFBB pack, pilot one site and switch the rest in waves.
How the switch works
- Decide which Access modules stay (EPOS, payroll, bookings) and which records move (compliance checks, maintenance, training)
- Export the records you must keep and file them in Paddl documents
- Create the account with your site count and give managers the sites they run
- Build the template library and let the AI draft the HACCP plan and SFBB pack
- Pilot one site for a week, then assign to every site and switch in waves
What you keep
- Daily checks and maintenance records per site
- Multi-site reporting for head office
- Training records and expiry tracking
- Access EPOS and payroll, if you keep those modules
What you give up
- A single vendor for every business system
- Access's enterprise HR and payroll integration inside the compliance product
Alternatives to Access Hospitality for UK hospitality
| Product | Category | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Paddl | Food safety, compliance and operations | £69 per location per month, every feature included, 30-day free trial. No tiers and no volume discount. |
| Trail (by Access) | Food safety and compliance | From £38 per site per month on a 12-month term (Team); £75 Standard, £82.50 Trail Evo; unlimited users |
| Mapal OS | Operations and multi-site execution | Suites on quote, sized to the estate |
| Crunchtime (Zenput) | Operations and multi-site execution | Quote-led; Capterra lists from US$40 a month |
Access Hospitality comparison questions
How much does Access Hospitality cost?
Access does not publish a suite price. Its checklist product, Trail, is £38 to £82.50 a site a month on a 12-month term; Access Maintain Evo is listed on Capterra from £65 a month; EPOS, payroll and rota are quoted. Paddl is £69 a location a month with compliance, routines, rota, equipment, licences and insurance in one product.
What do Access Hospitality reviews say?
Reviews are per product: Trail has 4.9 from 7 reviews on Capterra UK, Access Maintain Evo 4.2 from 20. The Access Group's G2 seller page holds over 800 reviews across all its products.
Is Access Hospitality suitable for a small business?
It is built for chains and the modules are bought separately; a single site usually ends up with more product than it uses. Paddl is one plan per location.
What is the best alternative to Access Hospitality for compliance?
Paddl for compliance and operations in one product; Trail (Access's own) if you only want checklists; Mapal OS for another enterprise suite.
Can I move from Access to Paddl?
For compliance, routines, rota and maintenance, yes: export the records, rebuild checks as routines, let the AI draft the documents. EPOS and payroll stay where they are; Paddl reads Square takings and exports hours to payroll.
Try Paddl alongside Access Hospitality for 30 days
£69 per location per month, every feature included, 30-day free trial. No tiers and no volume discount. Card required to start, nothing charged until the trial ends.
Every feature during the trial · Setup from your own paperwork · Cancel any time