The simpler Stamp Me alternative for independent cafes.
Brewstamp is a digital coffee loyalty card built for small cafes that don't want to ask their customers to download an app — or pay $29–79 a month before serving a single coffee. Free up to 100 stamps, $7/mo flat after that.
In short
Brewstamp is a Stamp Me alternative aimed at independent cafes that want a digital coffee loyalty card without paying enterprise pricing or asking customers to install an app. Both products do digital stamp cards; the main differences are customer app requirement, pricing model, and setup complexity.
Brewstamp vs Stamp Me
The honest comparison
Pulled from each product's public pricing and feature pages. Last reviewed May 2026.
| Feature | Brewstamp | Stamp Me |
|---|---|---|
| Customer app required | No — runs in the browser | Yes — Stamp Me app |
| Starting price | Free up to 100 stamps total | From $29/month (Lite plan) |
| Full-featured plan | $7/mo flat (unlimited stamps) | $49–79/month |
| Setup time | Under 2 minutes | —30-day free trial |
| Push notifications / SMS | —Email-only — works with your existing tools | Yes (Pro & Elite) |
| Hardware option | Print & display — no extra hardware to buy | StampPod tap device |
| Real-time merchant approval | Yes — every stamp | Yes |
| Customer insights | Visits, frequency, churn | Detailed analytics |
Why cafes switch
Reasons cafes choose Brewstamp over Stamp Me
Your customers don't install anything
Brewstamp opens in the phone browser when the customer scans the QR code. Stamp Me asks customers to download a separate Stamp Me app. The fewer steps between scan and stamp, the more regulars actually enrol.
Pricing that fits a small cafe
Brewstamp's free tier covers your first 100 stamps — a real test, not a 30-day countdown. After that, $7/mo flat. Stamp Me's Lite plan is $29/month before you've decided whether the program works.
Setup in 2 minutes, not 2 hours
Create your shop, customise the card, print the QR code. There's no hardware to ship, no in-app branding to configure across iOS and Android, and no merchant onboarding call.
Per-stamp merchant approval
Every stamp on Brewstamp pops up on your dashboard for approval. No auto-stamping the moment someone walks past the QR code, so card-stuffing fraud isn't a thing.
When Stamp Me might be the better fit
We're not for everyone
Stamp Me has been around longer and ships features Brewstamp doesn't — yet. Be honest about what you actually need:
- You want push notifications and SMS marketing. Stamp Me's Pro and Elite plans include direct push and SMS to customers. Brewstamp doesn't yet — we keep things lean and let your existing email tools handle marketing.
- You want dedicated counter hardware. Stamp Me ships StampPod, a tap-to-stamp device. If your queue is genuinely fast enough that a 5-second QR scan is too slow, that hardware loop is hard to beat.
- You're a multi-location chain with a marketing team. Stamp Me's Elite plan includes VIP support and gamification (Scratch & Win). Brewstamp is built for the independent cafe, not the franchise.
Testimonials
What people say
“Working with Brewstamp has increased our customer loyalty. We love how easy it is to use and redeem free coffees.”
Jo
Cafe owner
“Our customers are stoked to join the paperless movement as part of their daily coffee routine.”
Isaac
Bruns Beach Coffee Shop
Pricing
Half the price of Stamp Me Lite
No tiered features locked behind enterprise plans. One simple price, all features.
Need multi-shop, team logins, or CSV exports? Plus & Max plans go from $19–$29/mo. See full plan comparison →
FAQ
Stamp Me alternative — questions cafe owners ask
Is Brewstamp a free Stamp Me alternative?+
Yes — Brewstamp is free for your first 100 stamps total (not a 30-day window). After that it's $7/mo for unlimited stamps, which is roughly one-sixth the cost of Stamp Me's Lite plan.
Do my customers need to download a Brewstamp app?+
No. The biggest difference between Brewstamp and Stamp Me is that Brewstamp runs entirely in the customer's phone browser. They scan a QR code, the card opens — no App Store, no install. Stamp Me requires customers to download the Stamp Me app.
Can I migrate my existing Stamp Me customers to Brewstamp?+
There's no automated migration — but because Brewstamp doesn't require a customer app, your regulars can move over by simply scanning your new QR code on their next visit. Run both for a few weeks and let customers self-migrate.
What does Brewstamp not have that Stamp Me has?+
Push notifications, SMS marketing, the StampPod hardware device, and gamification features (Scratch & Win) are all on Stamp Me's higher tiers. We've deliberately kept Brewstamp focused on the core stamp-and-redeem flow.
Is the Stamp Me app good?+
Stamp Me is a mature product with strong reviews — for cafes that want a single-app experience and have the budget for $29–79/month, it's a solid choice. Brewstamp targets a different need: cafes that don't want their customers to install anything.
Keep reading on coffee loyalty & rewards
- Coffee rewards app for cafes →
A digital coffee rewards card customers reach by scanning a QR code — no app to download.
- Coffee shop loyalty cards: rewards & setup guide →
The rewards that keep customers coming back, the 8-stamp rule, and how to launch a coffee shop loyalty card in minutes.
- Coffee shop loyalty card printing →
Print one QR code instead of a stack of paper punch cards. Free PDF, ready in minutes.
- Coffee loyalty card: the complete guide →
What a coffee loyalty card is, the 8-stamp rule, and how to launch one in under two minutes.