The short answer
- Small or new bar: Square. The Free plan is $0 a month, and in-person cards cost 2.6% + 15¢. Square’s food and beverage pricing page lists preauthorized bar tabs as a feature.
- Want month to month with every rate published: SpotOn’s POS Essentials plan. It’s $55 per station a month, with cards at 2.45% + 15¢. Amex costs 3.19% + 15¢.
- Want hardware bundled in, at a lower card rate: Clover. Its restaurant bundles cost $179 to $354 a month for 36 months, with cards at 2.3% + 10¢.
- Want software built for restaurants: Toast. The Starter Kit starts at $0 a month and the POS at $69. Cards cost 3.09% with no upfront hardware cost, or 2.49% if you buy the hardware. Toast doesn’t publish a cents fee per payment, so ask.
- Worth a quote: TouchBistro, from $69 a month for software or $119 with hardware, and Lightspeed Restaurant, from $69. Neither publishes a restaurant card rate.
We found no separate bar pricing at any of these six. Clover’s bar pricing page shows no bar prices, and the bar pages we checked at Toast and SpotOn show none either. Square says its food and beverage features come with any Square plan. So a bar pays the same restaurant plans as everyone else.
Visit Square for a small bar, or read our SpotOn and Clover breakdowns if you run a busier room.
Bar POS options side by side
- SquareVisit Square
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.6% + 15¢
- Online
- 3.3% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $0 · Free plan
- Contract
- No contract
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Not published
- LightspeedVisit Lightspeed
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.6% + 10¢
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- $109 · Retail Basic, billed monthly ($89 if billed yearly)
- Contract
- Not published
Prices checked Oct 19, 2026 on each provider's own pricing page (how we check).
| POS | Software price per month | In-person card rate | What’s extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Free $0. Plus $49 and Premium $149, each per location. | Free 2.6% + 15¢. Plus 2.5% + 15¢. Premium 2.4% + 15¢. | Kitchen display app: $30 a month per device on Plus, $20 on Premium. Kiosk: $99 a month per device. |
| SpotOn | All-In $0 per station, hardware included. POS Essentials $55 per station. | All-In 2.79% + 20¢. Essentials 2.45% + 15¢ (Amex 3.19% + 15¢). | All-In has “processing minimums” and a 2-year minimum term. Essentials: hardware bought separately, plus implementation costs. |
| Clover | Restaurant bundles at $179, $239 or $354 a month for 36 months. | 2.3% + 10¢. | Kitchen display: $799 or $899, plus $25 a month per device. |
| Toast | Starter Kit from $0 (1 location, up to 2 terminals). POS from $69. | 3.09% pay-as-you-go, or 2.49% traditional. Cents fee not published. | Hardware and setup costs “vary.” Extra devices cost more. |
| TouchBistro | POS from $69 (software only). Essentials Bundle from $119 (hardware and payments included). Custom setup by quote. | Not published. | Processing is extra on both plans. Add-ons are “Get a Quote.” |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | Starter $69, Essential $189, Premium $399. Lightspeed doesn’t label the billing period. | Restaurant rate not published. | $30 per screen per month. |
Sources: Square, SpotOn, Clover, Toast, TouchBistro, Lightspeed.
What it costs: a bar doing $20,000 a month
These are estimates. They assume $20,000 a month in card sales across 800 tabs (a $25 average), one location, one station, and every card tapped, dipped or swiped in person. They leave out hardware you buy up front and the higher Amex rate at SpotOn.
| Provider and plan | Card fees | Monthly software | Estimated total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Free | $520 + $120 (800 × 15¢) | $0 | $640, hardware bought separately |
| SpotOn Essentials | $490 + $120 (800 × 15¢) | $55 | $665, plus hardware and implementation |
| SpotOn All-In | $558 + $160 (800 × 20¢) | $0 | $718, hardware included, 2-year term |
| Clover restaurant bundle | $460 + $80 (800 × 10¢) | $179 | $719, hardware included, 36 months |
| Toast pay-as-you-go | $618 | $0 basic software | $618, plus any cents fee Toast charges |
| Toast traditional | $498 | from $69 | $567 or more, plus hardware up front and any cents fee |
| TouchBistro | Quote only | $69 or $119 | Each 0.1% of rate adds $20 a month at this size |
So the four plans with full published rates land within $79 of each other. The real difference is hardware. Clover and SpotOn All-In include it. Square and SpotOn Essentials make you buy it. Toast’s pay-as-you-go option has no upfront hardware cost, but you can’t price it fully until Toast tells you whether a cents fee applies.
Run your own numbers in the fee calculator with your real sales and tab count.
What bars need, in the providers’ own words
- Tabs. Square’s food and beverage pricing page lists “Preauthorize bar tabs,” described as: “Temporarily preauthorize a customer’s credit card for a set amount.” The other pricing pages we checked don’t mention tabs, so ask.
- Kitchen screens, if you serve food. Square’s kitchen display app is $30 a month per device on Plus and $20 on Premium. Clover’s kitchen display is $799 or $899 plus $25 a month. Lightspeed lists $30 per screen per month.
- Your own hardware. Toast says its services “may only be used on approved Toast hardware.” SpotOn answers “Can I use my own POS hardware or tablets?” with “No.” Lightspeed says you can’t reuse terminals you already own.
- Your own processor. TouchBistro says it “is compatible with a wide range of payment processing solutions.” That can help if you like your current processor.
- Getting paid. Square says payments taken before 5 PM PT arrive the next business day for free. TouchBistro says its payments land the next business day if you bank with Chase, and in 1 to 4 business days with other banks.
Who each one is for, and who should skip it
Square. For small bars, new bars and pop-ups that want to start cheap. The Free plan has no monthly fee, and Square says there are no “locked-in contracts.” Skip it if you pour a lot of low-priced drinks one at a time. The 15¢ per payment adds up on small sales.
SpotOn. For bars that want a month-to-month plan with published rates. SpotOn calls Essentials “ideal for most restaurants, with month-to-month flexibility” (their words). 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. Skip it if you might switch soon. The bundles run 36 months, and at the end the subscription carries on at the same monthly charge unless you buy or return the hardware, with 30 days’ notice.
Toast. For bars that also run a full kitchen and want restaurant-only software. 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.
TouchBistro. For bars that want restaurant software and may want to keep their own processor. TouchBistro describes its POS as “built just for restaurants.” Skip it if you want to compare card rates before you talk to sales. It publishes none, and its add-ons are quote only. Read our TouchBistro breakdown.
Lightspeed Restaurant. For established venues with lots of screens. Skip it if you’re small. Lightspeed doesn’t publish a restaurant card rate, and screens cost $30 each per month.
The catch: fees to ask about before you sign
- Amex. SpotOn charges 3.19% + 15¢ on Amex, against 2.45% + 15¢ on other cards. Ask every provider for its Amex rate.
- Contracts. SpotOn All-In has a 2-year minimum. Clover bundles run 36 months and roll on unless you give 30 days’ notice. Toast, TouchBistro and Lightspeed don’t publish restaurant contract terms.
- “Starting at” prices. Toast’s and TouchBistro’s monthly prices are starting prices. Toast says “Additional charges apply for subsequent devices.” Count every terminal you need.
- Chargebacks. Lightspeed charges $15. Square charges no dispute fee, but it keeps the processing fee on a disputed payment. The others don’t list a chargeback fee on the pages we checked.
Running a bigger room? See SpotOn, Clover, Toast and Lightspeed. Serving full meals too? Read our restaurant POS page, or go back to all POS systems.
Common questions
How much does a bar POS system cost?
Software runs from $0 to $399 a month at the providers that publish prices, before card fees and hardware. Square's Free plan is $0. Toast's POS starts at $69. SpotOn Essentials is $55 per station. TouchBistro starts at $69, or $119 with hardware. Clover's restaurant bundles cost $179 to $354 a month for 36 months.
What is the best POS for a small bar?
For a small or new bar, Square is the cheapest place to start. The Free plan costs $0 a month, and in-person cards cost 2.6% + 15¢. If you want a month-to-month plan with a lower card rate, SpotOn Essentials charges 2.45% + 15¢ for $55 per station a month. Amex costs more there, at 3.19% + 15¢.
Can a bar POS hold a tab open on a card?
Square's food and beverage pricing page lists "Preauthorize bar tabs," which it describes as temporarily preauthorizing a customer's card for a set amount. The other pricing pages we checked don't cover tabs. Ask each provider how its tab feature works, and which plan includes it, before you sign.
Do I need a contract for a bar POS?
Not always. Square says it has no locked-in contracts, and SpotOn Essentials is month to month. SpotOn's All-In plan has a 2-year minimum term. Clover's bundles run 36 months and roll on unless you act 30 days before the end. Toast, TouchBistro and Lightspeed don't publish restaurant contract terms, so ask in writing.