WAIO vs Cova: which cannabis POS is right for your dispensary?

Who is each platform built for?

Cova’s published plans are built around the independent store. The entry plan, Boutique, is “all you need to run a boutique store” with up to two workstations; Powerhouse covers up to four. Anything larger moves to custom Enterprise pricing.

WAIO starts from the other end. It’s designed for operators running several stores: one source of truth for products and prices across every location and channel, cash tracked from each register to each store safe, granular staff permissions with an audit trail, and reporting that can feed straight into your own BI system.

What does WAIO do that matters for a chain?

At one store, most cannabis POS systems look alike. The differences show up at five, ten or fifty locations:

• One catalogue everywhere. POS, e-commerce, in-store kiosks and TV menus all read from the same catalogue, so a price change or a sold-out product updates everywhere at once. There’s nothing to sync.
• Cash controls across the network. Every register and store safe is tracked in real time, so head office can see cash movement without spreadsheets.
• Staff controls. Granular permissions and a record of who changed what, plus built-in scheduling and time tracking.
• Reporting you can plug in. Custom reports built for large retailers, with the option to push sales data into your existing BI and long-term reporting.
• Your processor, your hardware. Keep Moneris, TD, Chase, Clover or Elavon, and run on Windows, iPad or Android.

Which handles compliance better?

For Ontario, neither has an edge on the core requirement: both are on the OCS list of POS systems integrated with the POS Data Reporting Platform. Both also support Alberta (AGLC) reporting. Cova covers more of Canada today, including Yukon, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Where does each one operate?

WAIO operates in Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. In the US, WAIO supports Metrc, the track-and-trace system used in these 28 jurisdictions: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Guam, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, US Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia.

Cova lists retailers in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, plus 23 US states, and says it is Metrc-certified in 10 of them.

How do payments compare?

Cova’s default is its own processor, Cova Pay; using a third-party processor costs an extra $35 per month, and Cova doesn’t publish which processors it supports. WAIO integrates directly with Moneris, TD, Chase, Clover and Elavon, so a chain can keep the processor and rates it has already negotiated.

Where does Cova have the edge?

Cova has been selling cannabis POS since 2016, publishes its prices for smaller stores, offers after-hours emergency support, and has a large set of third-party integrations. For a single independent store that wants a known quantity, those are real advantages. WAIO is newer: if you’re evaluating it for a chain, ask for a demo on your own catalogue and start with a pilot store before rolling out across the network.