The short answer
- Our pick: Square. The Free plan is $0 a month and in-person cards cost 2.6% + 15¢. Square says its food and beverage features are “included in any Square plan.” It’s the lowest cost of the restaurant POS options that publish a full price, from about $67 a month at $2,000 in card sales to $4,350 at $150,000.
- Full-service room that wants restaurant-only software: Toast. POS plans start at $69 a month, and cards cost 2.49% on traditional pricing. Toast doesn’t publish a per-payment cents fee, so we can’t add it up: get a quote and compare it to Square.
- Month to month with every rate published: SpotOn’s POS Essentials plan, $55 per station a month, with cards at 2.45% + 15¢. Its total depends on how many stations you run.
- Want hardware bundled in, at a lower card rate: Clover. Restaurant bundles cost $179 to $354 a month for 36 months, or $175 to $342 for 48 months, depending on the offer Clover shows you, with cards at 2.3% + 10¢.
- Established room with lots of screens: Lightspeed Restaurant, from $69 a month. Price its screen fees and ask for its restaurant card rate.
Visit Square, or get a Toast quote to compare. Read our Square and Toast breakdowns first.
Restaurant POS options side by side
We may earn a fee if you sign up with some providers in this table. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend.
- SquareVisit Square
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.6% + 15¢
- Online
- 3.3% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $0 · Free plan
- Contract
- No contract
- CloverVisit Clover
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.3% + 10¢
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- From $16 · POS plan
- Contract
- 36-month hardware subscription option; terms vary by reseller
- LightspeedVisit Lightspeed
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.6% + 10¢
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- $109 · Retail Basic, billed monthly ($89 if billed yearly)
- Contract
- Fixed term; early exit fee covers the rest of the term
- SpotOnVisit SpotOn
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.45% + 15¢
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- From $0 · Free plan available
- Contract
- All-In plan: 2-year minimum. Essentials: month to month
- ToastVisit Toast
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.49%
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- From $0 · Free plan available
- Contract
- Not published for restaurants; retail requires 12 months
- TouchBistroVisit TouchBistro
Quote
- In person
- By quote
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- From $69 · POS plan
- Contract
- Fixed term, renews unless 30 days notice; no early exit
Prices checked Oct 19 to Oct 25, 2026 on each provider's own pricing page (how we check).Order: providers we can price in full come first, lowest first-year cost for a business taking $10,000 a month across 400 in-person payments; the rest follow alphabetically. Payout never affects the order.
We may earn a fee if you sign up with some providers in this table. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend.
| POS | Software price per month | What’s extra |
|---|---|---|
| Toast | Starter Kit from $0 (1 location, up to 2 terminals). POS from $69. POS + Payroll $69 plus $9 per employee. Build Your Own is custom priced. | Hardware and setup, which Toast says “vary depending on your specific hardware packages and installation needs.” Extra devices cost more. |
| Square | Free $0. Plus $49 and Premium $149, each per location. | Kitchen display app: $30 a month per device on Plus, $20 on Premium. Square lists its Stand at $149, Handheld at $399 and Register at $899. |
| SpotOn | All-In $0 per station, hardware included. POS Essentials $55 per station. | Essentials: hardware bought separately “plus implementation costs.” SpotOn lists its Station 15 at $995 and Handheld at $495, both shown on sale when we checked (see our SpotOn page). |
| Clover | Bundles at $179, $239 or $354 a month for 36 months, or $175, $232 or $342 for 48 months, depending on the offer Clover shows you. Or buy the hardware ($1,799, $2,548 or $4,447) and pay $89.95, $109.90 or $129.85 a month. | Kitchen display: $799 or $899, plus $25 a month per device. |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | Starter $69, Essential $189, Premium $399. Lightspeed doesn’t label the billing period. | $30 per screen per month. |
Sources: Toast, Square, SpotOn, Clover, Lightspeed.
Our pick for a restaurant, by monthly card sales
-
For a restaurant under $5,000 a month, a restaurant at $5,000 to $25,000 a month, a restaurant at $25,000 to $100,000 a month or a restaurant over $100,000 a month · must have Restaurant features (menus, tables or kitchen tickets)
Our pick
- a restaurant under $5,000 a month: $67 a month
- a restaurant at $5,000 to $25,000 a month: $290 a month
- a restaurant at $25,000 to $100,000 a month: $1,450 a month
- a restaurant over $100,000 a month: $4,350 a month
Lowest cost of the options with every must-have.
Lowest cost: PayPal POS
- a restaurant under $5,000 a month: $55 a month
- a restaurant at $5,000 to $25,000 a month: $247 a month
- a restaurant at $25,000 to $100,000 a month: $1,235 a month
- a restaurant over $100,000 a month: $3,705 a month
Cheapest overall. It doesn't publish whether it meets this must-have: restaurant features.
Why not the others?
Left out: Stripe, Stax (card processing only, no POS software of its own); 5 others (built for appointment businesses).
Can't confirm here (a must-have or the full price isn't published): Clover, Toast, Helcim, Shopify POS, Lightspeed, SpotOn, PayPal POS, Heartland, Chase, TouchBistro, SumUp.
How we picked
A month of card fees plus the monthly fee at $2,000 in 100 card payments; $10,000 in 200 card payments; $50,000 in 1,000 card payments; $150,000 in 3,000 card payments, all in person, from each provider's published rates. Providers whose price depends on interchange, a hardware bundle or a quote have no full price here. Our pick is the lowest cost option that has every must-have; within 10% of it, no contract, faster payouts and longer support hours win. Payment from a provider never changes it. How we pick
Who each one is for, and who should skip it
Toast. For restaurants that want restaurant-only software. Traditional pricing means hardware up front and software monthly, at 2.49%. The pay-as-you-go Starter Kit has no upfront hardware cost and no monthly basic software fee, but cards cost 3.09%. Skip it if you want every fee in writing before a sales call. Toast doesn’t publish a cents fee per payment, or its online and keyed-in rates.
Square. For cafes, bakeries, food trucks and quick-service spots that want to start cheap. Square says there are no “locked-in contracts,” and paid plans offer a free 30-day trial. Skip it if your average ticket is small and you sell a lot. The 15¢ per payment adds up on coffee-sized sales (see below).
SpotOn. For a month-to-month plan with published rates. SpotOn calls Essentials “ideal for most restaurants, with month-to-month flexibility” (their words). Amex costs more, at 3.19% + 15¢. Skip the All-In plan unless you’re sure you’ll stay. It has “processing minimums,” a 2-year minimum term and a higher rate of 2.79% + 20¢.
Clover. For owners who want hardware, software and processing in one monthly payment, at one card rate on every restaurant bundle. Skip it if you might switch soon. At the end of the term (36 or 48 months), the subscription carries on at the same monthly charge unless you buy or return the hardware, with 30 days’ notice. Clover’s web prices “are only available on Clover.com,” so a bank’s offer can differ.
Lightspeed Restaurant. For established restaurants that need more from their POS. Skip it if you’re new or small. Lightspeed doesn’t publish a restaurant card rate. Its retail payments page lists 2.6% + 10¢, so confirm what you’d pay, and count its per-screen fee.
What about Shopify? Shopify POS is built around products and inventory. Shopify recommends POS Pro for businesses with “a large inventory catalog.” If you need table service or kitchen tickets, start with the restaurant-built options above. If you run a cafe that also sells beans and mugs online, see our retail POS page.
Cafes: small tickets change the math
On a small sale, the fixed cents per payment can cost more than the percentage. One $8 sale and one $60 dinner bill at each published in-person rate:
| Provider and plan | Published in-person rate | Fee on an $8 sale | Fee on a $60 sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover (restaurant bundles) | 2.3% + 10¢ | about 28¢ | $1.48 |
| Lightspeed (retail rate) | 2.6% + 10¢ | about 31¢ | $1.66 |
| SpotOn Essentials | 2.45% + 15¢ | about 35¢ | $1.62 |
| Square Free | 2.6% + 15¢ | about 36¢ | $1.71 |
| SpotOn All-In | 2.79% + 20¢ | about 42¢ | $1.87 |
| Toast pay-as-you-go | 3.09% | about 25¢ | $1.85 |
| Toast traditional | 2.49%, cents fee not published | about 20¢, plus any cents fee | $1.49, plus any cents fee |
Our math, rounded to the nearest cent, before monthly fees, hardware or Amex surcharges.
The rate is only half of it. Clover’s lower rate saves about 7¢ on each $8 sale compared with Square Free. That’s about $74 a month at 1,000 sales, but Clover’s cheapest restaurant bundle costs $175 to $179 a month, depending on the financing offer. At $8 a sale, the savings only cover that bundle at about 2,400 sales a month. To be fair, Clover’s bundle includes hardware, while on Square you buy it. Run your own numbers in the fee calculator with your real sales and number of payments.
What a month costs at three restaurant sizes
These are our estimates, at published rates and plan fees. They assume every payment is a card used in person, one location, and no Amex surcharges. They leave out hardware unless the plan includes it, plus tips, chargebacks and payroll.
A counter-service spot: $15,000 a month, 1,000 payments of $15, one register.
| Setup | Card fees | Plan fee | Estimated month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toast traditional | $373.50 (2.49%) | $69 | $442.50, plus any cents fee, hardware and setup |
| Toast pay-as-you-go Starter Kit | $463.50 (3.09%) | $0 | $463.50, hardware included |
| Square Free | $390 + $150 = $540 | $0 | $540, plus hardware |
| SpotOn Essentials, 1 station | $367.50 + $150 = $517.50 | $55 | $572.50, plus hardware and setup |
| SpotOn All-In | $418.50 + $200 = $618.50 | $0 | $618.50, hardware included, 2-year term |
| Clover Restaurant Starter, rented | $345 + $100 = $445 | $179 | $624, hardware included ($620 on the 48-month offer) |
A busy quick-service restaurant: $40,000 a month, 2,000 payments of $20, two registers.
| Setup | Card fees | Plan fee | Estimated month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toast traditional | $996 (2.49%) | $69 | $1,065, plus any cents fee, hardware, setup and extra devices |
| Toast pay-as-you-go Starter Kit | $1,236 (3.09%) | $0 | $1,236, hardware included |
| Clover Restaurant Starter, rented | $920 + $200 = $1,120 | $179 | $1,299, hardware included ($1,295 on the 48-month offer) |
| Square Free | $1,040 + $300 = $1,340 | $0 | $1,340, plus hardware |
| SpotOn Essentials, 2 stations | $980 + $300 = $1,280 | $110 | $1,390, plus hardware and setup |
| SpotOn All-In | $1,116 + $400 = $1,516 | $0 | $1,516, hardware included, 2-year term |
A full-service restaurant: $80,000 a month, 1,600 checks of $50, three stations.
| Setup | Card fees | Plan fee | Estimated month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toast traditional | $1,992 (2.49%) | $69 | $2,061, plus any cents fee, hardware, setup and extra devices |
| Clover Restaurant Standard, rented | $1,840 + $160 = $2,000 | $239 | $2,239, hardware included ($2,232 on the 48-month offer) |
| Square Plus | $2,000 + $240 = $2,240 | $49 | $2,289, plus hardware and $30 a month per KDS device |
| SpotOn Essentials, 3 stations | $1,960 + $240 = $2,200 | $165 | $2,365, plus hardware and setup |
| Toast pay-as-you-go Starter Kit | $2,472 (3.09%) | $0 | $2,472, but the kit covers only up to 2 terminals |
| SpotOn All-In | $2,232 + $320 = $2,552 | $0 | $2,552, hardware included, 2-year term |
Three things stand out.
- Toast’s traditional pricing looks cheapest, but it’s missing pieces. Toast doesn’t publish a per-payment cents fee, its hardware prices or its setup costs. Add those and the gap can close. Get them in writing.
- Toast’s pay-as-you-go kit is strong for small tickets. With no cents fee and no upfront hardware cost, it’s the lowest complete price in the counter-service example. Its 3.09% rate hurts as checks get bigger.
- “Hardware included” plans charge for it somewhere. SpotOn All-In charges a higher rate, and Clover’s bundles charge a bigger monthly fee. Over a 2- or 3-year term, that adds up.
Is Toast a good POS?
For many restaurants, yes, but go in with your eyes open. Toast’s own pages say you’re signing up for this:
- You must use Toast’s processing. Toast’s billing FAQ asks, “Can I use a different credit card processor with Toast?” and answers, “No.”
- Toast hardware only. Toast says its services “may only be used on approved Toast hardware.”
- Unpublished numbers. No per-payment cents fee, no online or keyed-in rates, and hardware is priced by quote.
- Payout holds. Toast’s processing terms say it may delay payouts or require a reserve “for any reason” to protect itself from losses.
If those terms work for you, Toast belongs on your shortlist. Read our Toast breakdown, or compare it head to head in Square vs Toast and Toast vs Clover. Already on Toast and thinking of leaving? See Toast alternatives for what moving costs and where restaurants go.
When the internet drops on a Friday night
A POS that stops taking cards during a dinner rush costs more than any fee. What each provider’s help pages say:
| POS | Offline card payments | Support hours |
|---|---|---|
| Square | Yes. Payments must upload within 72 hours (Square recommends 24). You set a per-payment limit, from $1 to $50,000. | Live chat Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific. Square says phone support isn’t guaranteed for all sellers. |
| Toast | Yes. Payments show as pending until the device reconnects. Pre-authorization doesn’t work offline unless done before the outage. | Chat 24/7. Phone 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern, every day. |
| Clover | Yes, for up to 7 days, once turned on for each device. You can set payment limits. Not for EBT or gift cards. | 24/7/365, by Clover’s claim. |
| SpotOn | Yes, on SpotOn Terminal. Card details are stored and processed once you’re back online, and you can set limits. No time limit is published. | 24/7 for payment devices and hardware, by SpotOn’s claim. Menu and online ordering support keeps set hours. |
| Lightspeed | Not checked for its restaurant products. Its retail POS has a payment-only offline mode. | 24/7, by Lightspeed’s claim on its retail payments page. |
Every provider in this table says the same thing in its own words: if an offline card is declined later, the loss is yours. Set a sensible offline limit, and keep large checks for when you’re back online.
Also worth pricing: TouchBistro
TouchBistro sells POS software “built just for restaurants.” Its Point of Sale plan starts at $69 a month, with hardware and processing extra. Its Essentials Bundle starts at $119 a month and includes hardware and integrated payments, with processing fees on top.
Two things set it apart. TouchBistro says it’s “compatible with a wide range of payment processing solutions,” so you aren’t forced onto one processor the way you are with Toast. But it doesn’t publish its processing rates, and add-ons like online ordering and reservations are quote only. See our TouchBistro page.
Visit TouchBistroThe catch: fees to ask about before you sign
- Chargebacks. Lightspeed charges $15. Square says it charges no fee for handling chargeback disputes, and doesn’t say whether it refunds the processing fee on one. Toast, SpotOn and Clover don’t list a chargeback fee on the pricing pages we checked, so ask.
- Contract. Toast and Lightspeed don’t publish restaurant contract terms, so ask. SpotOn All-In and Clover’s bundles lock you in (above).
- Hardware lock-in. Toast, SpotOn and Lightspeed all say you can’t bring hardware you already own, so budget for new.
- Processor lock-in. Toast says you must use its processing, and Clover says its devices can’t be used with other payment processors. TouchBistro lets you shop around.
- Extra screens and terminals. The table above lists Square, Clover and Lightspeed’s screen fees. Toast says “additional charges apply for subsequent devices.” Count every screen before comparing.
Running a counter-service spot? See Square. Running a bar? See bar POS systems. Comparing more? Read our pages on SpotOn, Clover and Lightspeed, or go back to all POS systems.
Get told when these prices change
Providers change fees with little notice. Alerts start soon, and we'll send nothing else.
Common questions
How much does a restaurant POS system cost?
Software runs from $0 to $399 a month at the providers that publish prices, before card fees and hardware. Toast's Starter Kit starts at $0 and its POS at $69. Square's Free plan is $0 and Plus is $49 per location. SpotOn Essentials is $55 per station. Lightspeed Restaurant is $69, $189 or $399. Clover's restaurant bundles are $179 to $354 a month for 36 months, or $175 to $342 for 48 months, depending on the offer Clover shows you.
Is Toast or Square better for a restaurant?
It depends on the room. Square's Free plan costs $0 a month and lists every rate, so it suits cafes and counter service. Toast is built only for restaurants, with POS plans from $69 a month and cards at 2.49% on traditional pricing. But Toast doesn't publish a per-payment cents fee, so get its full rate in writing first.
Can I use my own hardware with a restaurant POS?
Usually not. Toast says its services only work on approved Toast hardware. SpotOn answers its own question, "Can I use my own POS hardware or tablets?", with "No." Lightspeed says you can't reuse terminals you already own. So whichever you pick, budget for new hardware, and expect to buy again if you ever switch.
What is the best POS for a small cafe?
A cafe takes lots of small payments, so the cents per payment matter. On an $8 sale, Square's Free plan costs about 36¢ and Clover's restaurant rate about 28¢. But Clover's bundles cost $175 a month or more, with hardware included, while Square Free costs $0. At $8 a sale, Clover only comes out ahead at about 2,400 sales a month.
Is Toast a good POS for restaurants?
It can be, if you want software built only for restaurants and accept its limits. Toast's pay-as-you-go Starter Kit is 3.09% with no upfront hardware cost, which is hard to beat on small tickets. But Toast says you must use its processing, its services run only on Toast hardware, and it doesn't publish a per-payment cents fee.
Does a restaurant POS work when the internet goes down?
Square, Toast and Clover say their POS can take card payments offline, and SpotOn says its Terminal can. The limits differ. Clover says up to 7 days. Square says payments must upload within 72 hours and recommends 24. Toast holds them as pending until you reconnect. In every case, the provider says you carry the risk if a card is declined later.