Choosing a POS system for your restaurant feels a lot like picking a phone plan: the pricing looks simple until you read the fine print. Between hardware bundles, processing fees, and monthly add-ons, the “affordable” option can quietly become the expensive one.

I’ve spent weeks digging into Toast, Square for Restaurants, and Clover to figure out what actually matters for different restaurant types. Here’s what I found.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	Toast	Square for Restaurants	Clover
Monthly software	$0–$165/mo	$0–$60/mo	$14.95–$84.95/mo
Hardware cost	$799–$1,339 (terminal)	$0–$799	$599–$1,799
Online ordering	Built-in ($75/mo or included)	Built-in (free tier included)	Third-party integrations
Kitchen display	Yes ($499 hardware)	Yes (via iPad)	Yes ($599 hardware)
Table management	Yes (included in higher tiers)	Limited	Yes (with add-on)
Delivery integration	DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub	DoorDash, UberEats, Postmates	DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub
Payment processing	2.49% + 15¢ in-person	2.6% + 10¢ in-person	2.3% + 10¢ in-person

Toast: Built for Restaurants, Through and Through

Toast was designed from day one as a restaurant-specific platform, and it shows. The interface thinks in courses, modifiers, and kitchen tickets rather than generic “products.” Your servers get a system that understands split checks, coursing, and combo meals without awkward workarounds.

The Starter plan at $0/month sounds great, but there’s a catch: you’re locked into a two-year contract and higher processing fees (2.99% + 15¢ instead of 2.49% + 15¢). For a restaurant doing $30,000/month in card sales, that 0.5% difference costs about $150/month. So the “free” plan isn’t really free.

Where Toast genuinely shines is the kitchen workflow. The kitchen display system routes orders to the right station automatically: appetizers to the cold line, entrees to the grill, drinks to the bar. You can set prep times so the kitchen knows when to fire each course. That’s not something Square or Clover handles as elegantly.

The hardware runs Android-based proprietary terminals that are built for grease, heat, and spills. They’re not cheap ($799–$1,339 per terminal), but restaurant owners consistently say they last longer than consumer tablets in a kitchen environment.

Online ordering is built into the platform, though it’s a $75/month add-on on the Starter plan (included with the Point of Sale tier). The integration is seamless: orders from your website flow directly into the kitchen display without any manual entry.

The downside? You’re locked into Toast’s payment processing. There’s no bringing your own processor for a better rate. And if you want to leave Toast, your hardware becomes expensive paperweights since it only runs Toast software.

Best for: Full-service restaurants, multi-location operations, and any restaurant where kitchen workflow complexity justifies the investment.

For a full breakdown of what Toast actually costs, check out our Toast pricing deep-dive.

Square for Restaurants: Simple, Affordable, Gets the Job Done

Square takes the opposite approach from Toast. Instead of building a restaurant-specific universe, they adapted their already-solid payment platform to handle food service. The result is a system that’s remarkably easy to set up and surprisingly capable for the price.

The free plan genuinely works for simple operations: a coffee shop, a food truck, or a counter-service spot that doesn’t need table management. You get unlimited devices, basic reporting, and online ordering without paying a monthly fee. You only pay the 2.6% + 10¢ processing fee per transaction.

The Plus plan at $60/month per location adds course management, seat-level ordering, auto-86ing (removing sold-out items), and advanced reporting. That’s still dramatically cheaper than Toast’s comparable tier.

Hardware flexibility is a major advantage. You can run Square on an iPad you already own, buy Square’s own terminal ($799), or use the compact Square Reader ($49) attached to a phone. For a food truck owner who needs to keep startup costs minimal, this matters enormously.

The limitations show up in full-service complexity. Table management is basic compared to Toast’s: you won’t get the same level of coursing control or kitchen routing. The kitchen display works, but it’s running on iPads rather than purpose-built restaurant hardware.

Square’s online ordering is included free (they take a higher processing rate of 2.9% + 30¢ for online orders), and their delivery integrations with DoorDash and UberEats work well. The marketplace and marketing tools are decent but not restaurant-specialized.

One genuine advantage: you’re not locked into Square’s ecosystem. If you outgrow it, you can switch without losing hardware since it runs on standard iPads.

Best for: Food trucks, cafes, counter-service restaurants, small quick-service spots, and anyone who wants to start cheap and scale later.

Clover: The Flexible Middle Ground

Clover occupies an interesting space: it’s not restaurant-specific like Toast, but it’s more hardware-polished than Square. Think of it as the generalist that can be molded into a decent restaurant system with the right apps and configuration.

The base restaurant plan starts at $14.95/month (Starter) and goes up to $84.95/month (Dining) for full table service features. The mid-tier Counter Service plan at $54.95/month hits the sweet spot for fast-casual operations that need order management without full table service.

Clover’s hardware is genuinely attractive: the stations look modern, and the Clover Flex handheld ($599) is one of the best tableside ordering devices on the market. Build quality is excellent, and the screens are responsive even with gloved hands.

The app marketplace is where Clover gets interesting and frustrating simultaneously. You can add specific restaurant features through third-party apps: advanced inventory, detailed recipe costing, employee scheduling: but each one typically adds $10–$50/month to your bill. These costs add up fast.

Payment processing through Fiserv (Clover’s parent company) starts at 2.3% + 10¢, which is the lowest baseline rate among these three. However, some restaurants report that their effective rate ends up higher after various fees are applied. Read your processing agreement carefully.

The kitchen display system works but lacks Toast’s intelligent routing and timing features. Delivery integrations exist through apps but aren’t as deeply embedded as Toast’s or Square’s built-in solutions.

Best for: Bars, fast-casual spots that also sell retail (bakery with packaged goods, brewery with merchandise), and restaurants that want solid hardware with moderate software costs.

Best POS by Restaurant Type

Full-service restaurant (50+ seats): Toast. The kitchen routing, coursing, and table management justify the higher cost at this scale.

Fast-casual or counter-service: Square for Restaurants (free or Plus plan). Simple, affordable, and handles the ordering flow without overcomplicating things.

Food truck: Square with a basic reader or terminal. Lowest startup cost, works on cellular, no monthly fee required.

Cafe or coffee shop: Square (free plan) or Clover Starter. Both handle high-volume, simple-menu operations well.

Bar or brewery: Clover. The tab management and ability to add retail POS for merchandise gives it an edge here.

Multi-location: Toast. Their multi-unit management tools, centralized reporting, and menu sync across locations are the strongest in this comparison.

What About Payment Processing Costs?

This is where the real money lives. A restaurant doing $50,000/month in card sales will pay:

• Toast: $1,245/month (2.49% + 15¢, assuming average ticket of $35)
• Square: $1,300/month (2.6% + 10¢)
• Clover: $1,150/month (2.3% + 10¢)

Over a year, the difference between Clover and Square is about $1,800. That’s significant, but only if the software features and support match your needs. A cheaper processing rate means nothing if your servers are fighting the interface during Friday dinner rush.

Making Your Decision

Start with your restaurant type and complexity level. If you need sophisticated kitchen management and table service, Toast is purpose-built for that. If you need simplicity and low startup costs, Square gets you running today. If you want solid hardware with flexible software and the best base processing rates, Clover deserves a look.

For more on managing your restaurant’s tools and operations, check out our guide on project management for small teams and our breakdown of FreshBooks pricing for handling your restaurant’s accounting.

FAQ

How much does a full restaurant POS system actually cost per year? Budget $3,000–$15,000 for the first year including hardware, software, and processing fees. A single-terminal setup with Toast runs about $5,000–$8,000 year one. Square can start under $3,000 if you already have an iPad. Ongoing annual costs (software + processing) typically run $15,000–$25,000 depending on your volume.

Can I use my own payment processor with these POS systems? No. All three require you to use their integrated payment processing. This is how they keep hardware and software costs lower: they make their margin on processing fees. If you process high volume and want to negotiate rates, Toast and Clover offer some flexibility at the enterprise level.

Do I need to buy the proprietary hardware or can I use iPads? Square runs on iPads and their own hardware. Toast requires their proprietary Android terminals. Clover requires Clover-branded hardware. If hardware cost flexibility matters, Square is the only real option among these three.

What happens to my data if I switch POS systems? All three let you export basic reports and sales data. Customer data, menu configurations, and historical analytics typically don’t transfer cleanly. Budget 2–4 weeks for a full migration. Toast makes switching away particularly difficult since the hardware can’t be repurposed.

Which POS is best for delivery integration? Toast has the deepest delivery integrations: orders from DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub flow directly into the kitchen display and POS without tablet clutter. Square’s integrations work well but require the Plus plan for automatic menu syncing. Clover handles delivery through third-party apps, which adds complexity.