Overview

Club Bar is open source under the Apache-2.0 license, with a free self-hosted plan and no subscription. Its focus is a club-run counter rather than a general retail operation: member identification, tabs, age checks, and settlement workflows are central to the product. That focus makes it relevant to volunteer-run venues, but a club needs someone able to maintain the hosting and hardware.

Key features

Members can identify themselves with RFID or NFC cards and view their personal tab at the terminal. The terminal caches data locally, allowing checkout to continue without an internet connection and sync when connectivity returns. For a club with unreliable internet, that is a meaningful resilience feature; it does not remove the need to deploy and maintain a working terminal.

Product minimum ages are checked at checkout, and the terminal can refuse offline sales using a member’s birth date. The admin panel covers member and product management, settlements, reports, a transaction journal, and audit history. These tools serve the day-to-day needs of a club bar while also giving administrators a record of activity.

Settlements can be exported as XML or CSV, and the backend can generate SEPA direct-debit pain.008.001.08 XML. Email notifications are queued and retried, including SEPA pre-notifications, cancellations, periodic tab statements, and security alerts. An optional ESP8266 controller can operate an Azkoyen Hopper token dispenser over local WiFi through HTTP REST, with no cloud dependency. Clubs that do not use this dispenser can ignore the integration; those that do can keep its control local.

Security and privacy controls include mandatory TOTP two-factor authentication for administrators, role-based authorization, encrypted IBANs, audit logging, and terminal anomaly detection. Member management also supports GDPR data export and anonymization workflows. Backup handling needs particular care: backups are sealed-box encrypted, but a recipient key must be configured or no backup is written. That makes key setup part of deployment, not an optional finishing touch.

Pricing

The Self-hosted plan is free, with no subscriptions. The club supplies the hosting and hardware, so the zero subscription price is best for organizations able to take responsibility for deployment and ongoing operation. There is no paid hosted tier described here; clubs seeking a provider-managed service should consider another option.

Hosting requires PHP 8.3 or later, MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.5+, and Apache mod_rewrite. These requirements are manageable for an organization with suitable hosting expertise, but they are a real qualification for smaller clubs without a technically capable administrator.

Platforms

Club Bar supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and web environments. The terminal is a Flutter desktop app targeting embedded Linux, and its installation guide covers Raspberry Pi OS on Raspberry Pi 4 or 5. Clubs planning to use that setup should account for the terminal hardware as well as the server requirements.

Who it's for

Club Bar fits sports clubs, community centers, and member organizations that run a bar or canteen and want member-based checkout, tab settlement, and offline operation. It is particularly compelling when local control, age checks, and SEPA workflows matter. It is a weaker fit for organizations that want managed hosting or cannot assign responsibility for configuration, hardware, and backups.

Pros and cons

Pros: Member RFID/NFC checkout and offline caching help keep a club counter operating through an internet outage.
Pros: Age checks, tab settlement, SEPA exports, reports, and audit history address specific club-bar administration needs.
Pros: The free, open-source self-hosted plan avoids subscription charges and keeps the optional token dispenser on local WiFi without a cloud dependency.
Cons: The club must provide hosting and hardware, and the documented server stack has concrete version and configuration requirements.
Cons: Backup writing stops entirely unless a recipient key is configured, making a deployment error consequential.

Alternatives

For a broader set of gym and club POS options, start with the Gym POS Software directory. GymPoint is a better fit when a club wants a free platform spanning members, billing, scheduling, POS, kiosk, and portal, and can use its required GymPoint Payments. Choose OpenEOS instead when event management is the priority: its free self-hosted plan includes all features and unlimited events, while a SaaS option is also offered.

ParallelPOS is worth considering for a business seeking a paid, per-location system with POS, inventory, HR, expenses, reports, CRM, and 24/7 tech support copilot. Owners Inventory Gym POS suits a web-based store that needs inventory and order management, with a Basic plan at 25.00 USD per month for one store and one POS terminal. For a martial arts school that values student, rank, class schedule, and online sales tools, MyStudio is the more targeted alternative.

Waresport Pro Shop POS is a closer choice for sports retail: its Team plan is 69.99 USD per month for up to 75 athletes and includes POS. Bepoz Club POS is another club POS option. TouchPoint is another alternative for readers comparing gym POS systems.

Verdict

Choose Club Bar if your member organization runs its own bar or canteen, wants tabs and offline checkout, and has the capacity to host and maintain the system. Its club-specific checkout and settlement tools come without a subscription, but the hosting requirements and backup-key responsibility are not incidental. If your priority is a managed service or a broader commercial POS, look elsewhere.