Toast is a point-of-sale, or POS, system built with restaurants in mind. It tops NerdWallet’s list for best restaurant POS systems due to its comprehensive hardware, affordable software plans and customer service. Although Toast is a standout for many types of restaurants, you may be looking for specific features that make another POS system a better fit for your business. Let’s take a look at Toast’s top alternatives.
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Input your business’s monthly transaction details and we’ll help you sort from the best valueProduct | Cost Estimate | Payment processing fees | Cost Estimate | Learn more | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Square Restaurant POS Learn more on Square Restaurant POS's secure website | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | 5.0/5 Best for Free option | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $0.00 Free plan; $60 Plus plan; Custom plan available. | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | Learn more on Square Restaurant POS's secure website |
Clover POS Learn more on Clover POS's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Hardware | In-person: 2.3% + $0.10 Online: 3.5% + $0.10 | $14.95 and up. | Learn more on Clover POS's secure website | ||
SpotOn Restaurant Learn more on SpotOn Restaurant's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Customizable restaurant POS system | 1.99% + $0.25 For most cards in paid plans. | $0.00 and up. | Learn more on SpotOn Restaurant's secure website | ||
Lightspeed Restaurant POS Learn more on Lightspeed Restaurant POS's secure website | 3.5/5 Best for Inventory management | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $69.00 Starter plan; $189 Essential plan; $399 Premium plan. | Learn more on Lightspeed Restaurant POS's secure website | ||
TouchBistro Learn more on TouchBistro's secure website | 3.5/5 Best for Small restaurants and food trucks | N/A Quote-based. | $69.00 and up. | Learn more on TouchBistro's secure website |
Our pick for
Free option
Square Restaurant POS
Learn more
on Square Restaurant POS's secure website
Monthly fee
$0.00
Free plan; $60 Plus plan; Custom plan available.
The free version of Square for Restaurants comes equipped with a comprehensive list of features, including inventory management, menu management, table management and employee time tracking.Read full review
Pros
- Free plan available.
- App and card readers are compatible with iOS and Android devices.
- Can pay for hardware in installments.
- No long-term contracts or installation fees.
- In-house payroll software available.
- All plans include a free online ordering page.
Cons
- Free plan doesn’t include 24/7 support.
Our pick for
Hardware
Clover POS
Learn more
on Clover POS's secure website
Monthly fee
$14.95
and up.
Clover point-of-sale hardware is pricey, but the reasonable monthly cost and low payment processing fees may help offset that upfront investment over time.Read full review
Pros
- Free plan available if you’re only using a mobile card reader.
- 24/7 phone and email support.
- All restaurant plans include no-fee online ordering, and retail plans let you integrate with existing online stores.
Cons
- Promotions require a three-year contract.
- Charges termination fees, though they may be waived in certain cases.
- Online payment processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Popular accounting integrations are only available through third-party apps.
Our pick for
Customizable restaurant POS system
SpotOn Restaurant
4.0
NerdWallet rating Learn more
on SpotOn Restaurant's secure website
Payment processing fees
1.99% + $0.25
For most cards in paid plans.
Monthly fee
$0.00
and up.
SpotOn’s monthly software fee and payment processing fees along with its ability to integrate with third-party hardware make this system an affordable and appealing option. SpotOn offers customizable add-on features such as a loyalty program and team management software. The company also has a strong reputation for its hands-on approach to customer support, from installation and training to 24/7 availability for assistance.
Pros
- Offers a free plan.
- Restaurants can customize plans by adding loyalty programs, reservation capabilities, online ordering or employee scheduling software.
- 24/7 phone support.
- No long-term contract or termination fees.
Cons
- Charges setup fee.
- Offline mode includes the hidden cost of a router.
Our pick for
Inventory management
Lightspeed Restaurant POS
Learn more
on Lightspeed Restaurant POS's secure website
Monthly fee
$69.00
Starter plan; $189 Essential plan; $399 Premium plan.
While some POS systems strictly limit what hardware you can use, Lightspeed Restaurant may be able to combine different brands’ restaurant-specific items in its hardware stack. This is especially ideal for restaurants with an existing collection of hardware.Read full review
Pros
- 24/7 phone and chat support.
- Free online training with a specialist.
- May be compatible with hardware from different brands.
Cons
- Annual contracts are required for lower pricing.
- Monthly software fees are higher than many competitors.
Our pick for
Small restaurants and food trucks
TouchBistro
Learn more
on TouchBistro's secure website
Payment processing fees
N/A
Quote-based.
Monthly fee
$69.00
and up.
For restaurants that haven’t warmed to the idea of a totally cloud-based POS system, TouchBistro is a solid option. It’s a hybrid POS, meaning it’s locally installed but data is still sent to the cloud. Although other cloud-based POS systems can accept payments in offline mode, the TouchBistro system will maintain additional capabilities, like real-time reporting, in a Wi-Fi outage.Read full review
Pros
- 24/7 phone, chat and email support.
- Includes restaurant-specific features, like table and menu management.
- Optional profit management system provides tools for improving margins.
- As a hybrid POS system, TouchBistro can operate without the cloud. Offline capabilities include accepting payments, taking orders, editing menus and managing staff.
Cons
- Payment processing rates are quote-based, making them difficult to compare to the competition.
- Contracts are automatically renewed and can't be terminated early.
- No free plan options and charges setup fee.
- Ability to accept online orders costs extra.
TouchBistro
Our pick for: Best for small restaurants and food trucks
Monthly POS software fee:
- $69 for base plan.
- $25 for gift cards feature.
- $50 for online ordering feature.
- $99 for loyalty features or marketing features.
- $229 for reservations feature.
Hardware cost: Quote-based.
Payment processing cost: Quote-based if you use TouchBistro Payments; can also choose from third-party payment processors.
Why we like it: TouchBistro is a solid POS option for many types of food-service businesses, including bars, breweries, fine-dining restaurants and more. However, several features function particularly well for food trucks and smaller cafes that do a lot of outdoor, flexible ordering. It offers optimized customizable menus and tax summary reports if you move around to areas with different sales tax rates. And its hybrid system allows you to maintain functionality in the event of an internet outage or spotty connection. Read our full TouchBistro POS review.
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SpotOn
Our pick for: Best customizable restaurant POS system
Monthly POS software fee:
- $0 for Quick Start plan.
- $99 for Counter-service plan, plus $3 per employee.
- $135 for Full-service plan, plus $3 per employee.
- Custom pricing available as well.
Hardware cost:
- $850 for the Counter POS.
- $750 for the Station POS.
- $600 for the KDS.
- Other hardware devices, like the handheld option, are custom.
Payment processing cost:
- 1.99% plus 25 cents for most cards in the Counter-service, Full-service and Customizable plans.
- 2.89% plus 25 cents for Quick Start plan subscribers (this processing rate includes hardware and software costs).
- 2.99% plus 25 cents for reward, international, corporate and keyed-in cards.
Why we like it: SpotOn offers a highly customizable restaurant POS system for an affordable price. Its features are generally built to fit fine-dining, quick-service or casual full-service restaurants, and include custom menu building, table layouts, multi-location management and more. The company provides in-person installation and training for a separate fee, as well as 24/7 customer service. You are required to use SpotOn payment processing, but its software integrates with third-party hardware and with other software like DoorDash for food delivery and QuickBooks for accounting.
Square for Restaurants
Our pick for: Best free option
Monthly POS software fee:
- $0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.
- $29 for Square Appointments Plus plan.
- $60 for Square Restaurant Plus plan.
- $69 for Square Appointments Premium plan.
- $89 for Square Retail Plus plan.
- $192 and up for Square Restaurant Essentials Bundle.
- Custom pricing for Square Retail Premium plan.
Hardware cost:
- $0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).
- $49 and up for Square Reader contactless and chip card reader.
- $149 for Square Stand iPad POS or Square Stand Mount (iPad not included; monthly financing available).
- $299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).
- $799 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).
Payment processing cost:
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
Why we like it: If you are just starting out or looking to save on costs while your business grows, Square POS for Restaurants offers robust options with its free plan, including menu and table management, multi-device syncing and reporting. If you want features like mobile POS, floor plan customization or live sales data, you’ll have to upgrade to the plus plan for $60 per month. Read our full Square POS for Restaurants review.
» MORE: Best free POS software
Lightspeed Restaurant
Our pick for: Best inventory management
Monthly POS software fee:
- $69 for Starter plan.
- $189 for Essential plan.
- $399 for Premium plan.
Hardware cost:
Pricing for Lightspeed's iPad and desktop hardware kits is quote-based. Individual hardware products are listed in Lightspeed's online store:
- $99 for Chipper 2X BT card reader.
- $199 for iPad stand or swivel stand.
- $299 for WisePOS E countertop reader.
- $429 for Lightspeed Lite Server for data backup and offline mode functionality.
Payment processing cost:
- 2.6% plus 10 cents per in-person transaction.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
Why we like it: Lightspeed Restaurant POS system works with quick- or full-service restaurants, bars and more. Lightspeed is a standout because of its inventory management system across locations, which is perhaps the most comparable to Toast. Its management system includes automated reporting, real-time stock updates and in-depth metrics to help reduce waste and calculate exact recipe costs. Read our full Lightspeed Restaurant POS review.
Clover
Our pick for: Best for hardware
Monthly POS software fee:
- $14.95 for Retail Starter, Personal Services Starter, Professional Services Starter and Standard and Home & Field Services plans.
- $49.95 for Retail Standard, Personal Services Standard and Advanced and Professional Services Advanced plans.
- $54.95 for Quick-Service Dining Starter and Standard plans.
- $64.90 for Retail Advanced plan.
- $69.90 for Quick-Service Dining Advanced plan.
- $84.95 for Full-Service Dining Starter plan.
- $99.90 for Full-Service Dining Standard plan.
- $114.85 for Full-Service Dining Advanced plan.
Hardware cost:
- $49 for chip, swipe and contactless Clover Go card reader.
- $599 for Clover Flex mobile POS with printer.
- $799 for Clover Mini POS.
- $1,699 for Clover Station Solo.
- $1,799 for Clover Station Duo.
Payment processing cost:
- 2.3% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions for most plans, though rates may also vary by hardware type.
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions on Retail Starter, Personal Services Starter and Professional Services Standard plans, as well as Home & Field Services Standard and Advanced plans.
- 3.5% plus 10 cents for online or keyed-in transactions.
Why we like it: Clover is a common POS system for restaurants and competes with Toast for great proprietary POS hardware options. Its full-service restaurant plans include the Station Solo, a 14-inch merchant-facing display system with a cash drawer and receipt printer. The quick-service restaurant plans offer more flexibility with the Clover Mini, a touch-screen display that’s compatible with cash drawers and receipt printer, and the Station Duo, which adds a customer-facing touch screen to the Station Solo display. If the upfront cost for hardware is out of budget, Clover also offers monthly payment options. Read our full Clover POS review.
Last updated on June 16, 2023
