# Jolt (SmartSense) vs Paddl Canonical: https://paddl-ai.co/compare/jolt Last reviewed: 2026-09-11 by the Paddl team Jolt helps restaurants achieve team accountability, food safety compliance, and employee performance through digital checklists, temperature sensors, labeling, and scheduling. ## In one sentence 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. Jolt: Quote-led via SmartSense; Capterra lists from US$89.99 a month. ## Jolt pricing Jolt: Capterra lists from US$89.99 a month; Jolt's own pricing page now redirects to a SmartSense quote form. Jolt is part of SmartSense by Digi. US-centric, with labelling printers and temperature sensors as hardware. Not published by the vendor. Checked 2026-09-11 against https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/146384/jolt. Paddl: £69 per location per month, every feature included, 30-day free trial. No tiers and no volume discount. 5 owner and manager users per location included, £2.99 a month for each extra; staff do not take a seat. ## Jolt reviews 4.6 out of 5 from 313 reviews on Capterra (https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/146384/jolt), read 2026-09-11. ## Where Jolt and Paddl differ 44 features compared; 30 are in Paddl and not in Jolt, checked against Jolt's published feature list on 2026-09-11. **Food Safety & Compliance** Paddl has, Jolt does not: Digital SFBB Packs, AI HACCP Generation, Allergen Management, Risk Assessments, EHO Report Generation, One-Click Audit Packs, Fire Safety - Drills, Certificates & Expiry Alerts, COSHH Management. Jolt covers in part: HACCP Plans. **Operations & Equipment** Paddl has, Jolt does not: AI Equipment Anomaly Detection, Maintenance Swimlanes, Supplier Management, Delivery Checks. Jolt covers in part: Equipment Tracking. **Team & Training** Paddl has, Jolt does not: Rota Building & Publishing, Shift Swaps & Open Shifts, Holiday & Leave, Timesheets & Payroll Export, GPS Check-in, Shift Handovers / EOD Reports. Jolt covers in part: Staff Inductions, Staff Notifications, Team Chat & Direct Messages. **Documents & Knowledge** Paddl has, Jolt does not: Knowledge Hub, Licence Management, Insurance Gap Detection, Lease & Property Management. Jolt covers in part: Document Management, Digital Signatures. **Reporting & Incidents** Paddl has, Jolt does not: Complaint Monitoring, Incident & Accident Reporting, EHO Visit Dashboard, AI Legal Guidance & Evidence Packs. **Platform & AI** Paddl has, Jolt does not: Mobile Manager View, AI Assistant, AI That Carries Out Tasks, AI Document Extraction. Jolt covers in part: Offline Mode, Compliance Dashboard. Where Jolt is stronger: Strong in US market with major brand adoption; Good temperature sensors and labeling system; Employee scheduling and time clock included; Trusted by chains like Smoothie King, Jimmy John's. ## Choose Jolt if - You operate primarily in the US market - Labeling and scheduling are top priorities - You want proven adoption by major US chains ## Choose Paddl if - You are a UK-based hospitality business - SFBB and UK EHO compliance are essential - You want comprehensive risk assessments, allergens, and complaints - AI-powered features matter more than labeling hardware - Shift handovers and a knowledge hub are important ## What matters most **Built for US chains** Jolt is strongest in American QSR: labelling, temperature sensors, scheduling and checklists for multi-unit brands. Its compliance content follows FDA and local health codes. Paddl is built around UK guidance: SFBB, the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, Natasha's Law, COSHH, and the records an EHO asks for. **Hardware versus app** Jolt sells label printers and sensors alongside the software. Paddl has no hardware; labels are generated as content and temperatures are logged by staff on the app. That is cheaper and simpler for a UK independent, and less automated for a large chain. **What each includes** Jolt covers checklists, temperatures, labelling, scheduling and training. Paddl covers those plus the HACCP plan, SFBB pack, allergen matrix, COSHH register, risk assessments, licences, insurance, complaints and the EHO audit pack, at one published price. ## Switching from Jolt to Paddl - UK compliance built in: SFBB, HACCP, Natasha's Law, COSHH, EHO audit pack - No hardware to buy or maintain - A published price of £69 a location a month with a 30-day trial - Licences, insurance, complaints and the rota in the same product An afternoon for a single site: routines from templates, documents from the AI. ### How the switch works 1. Export Jolt checklist and temperature history 2. Set up locations and staff in Paddl 3. Turn on the opening, closing and cleaning routine templates and edit them 4. Upload your menu and chemicals for the AI to build the HACCP plan, SFBB pack and COSHH register 5. Switch the tablets over after a week running both What you keep: Digital checklists with photos; Temperature logs; Training records What you give up: Label printer integration; Sensor-based monitoring ## Alternatives to Jolt 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) (https://paddl-ai.co/compare/trail) | Food safety and compliance | From £38 per site per month on a 12-month term (Team); £75 Standard, £82.50 Trail Evo; unlimited users | | SafetyCulture (iAuditor) (https://paddl-ai.co/compare/safetyculture) | Food safety and compliance | Free for up to 10 seats; Premium $24 per seat per month billed annually ($29 monthly) | | Operandio (https://paddl-ai.co/compare/operandio) | Operations and multi-site execution | Quote-led, by locations or users and modules | ## Questions **How much does Jolt cost?** Jolt no longer publishes a price list; its pricing page redirects to a SmartSense quote form. Capterra lists Jolt from US$89.99 a month, with hardware on top. Paddl is £69 a location a month with every feature and no hardware. **What do Jolt reviews say?** Jolt has a 4.6 rating from 313 reviews on Capterra UK, most from US restaurant operators, praising the checklists and labelling. UK-specific compliance is not what it is reviewed for. **Is Jolt suitable for a UK restaurant?** It works as a checklist and labelling tool anywhere, but it does not produce an SFBB pack, a UK HACCP plan or an EHO audit pack, and its compliance templates follow US codes. A UK operator would run it alongside a separate food safety system. **What is the best alternative to Jolt for UK hospitality?** Paddl for UK compliance and operations in one; Trail if you want a checklist-first app with a UK base; SafetyCulture if inspections are the main need. **Can I move from Jolt to Paddl?** Yes. Export your checklist history, rebuild the checks as Paddl routines from the templates, and let the AI draft the HACCP plan and SFBB pack from your menu. Labelling moves from printed labels to Paddl's label content; sensors are not carried over.