The short answer
- New or small coffee shop that wants a $0 plan with a 10¢ fee per sale: SumUp. The Free plan is $0 a month, and in-person cards cost 2.6% + 10¢. SumUp says every plan gets next-day payouts. POS Plus, at $49 a month, adds multi-device sync and ticket printers.
- Want more food and beverage add-ons at $0 a month: Square. The Free plan is $0, and in-person cards cost 2.6% + 15¢. Square says its food and beverage features are “included in any Square plan.”
- Busy shop that wants hardware bundled in: Clover’s Quick Service bundles. They start at $135 a month for 36 months, with cards at 2.3% + 10¢.
- Want restaurant software with percentage-only pricing: Toast. 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. If there isn’t one, that’s good for small tickets, so get it in writing.
Visit SumUp or visit Square to start cheap. Read our SumUp and Square breakdowns first.
Coffee shop POS options side by side
- SumUpVisit SumUp
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.6% + 10¢
- Online
- 3.5% + 15¢
- Monthly
- $0 · Free plan (reader bought separately)
- Contract
- Not published
- 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
- 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
Prices checked Oct 19, 2026 on each provider's own pricing page (how we check).
| POS | Price per month | In-person card rate | What’s extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | Free $0 (card reader or POS Lite). POS Plus $49. SumUp POS from $99. | 2.6% + 10¢ on every plan. | Hardware is a one-time cost. SumUp’s pricing page doesn’t show hardware prices. |
| 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. Square lists its reader at $59. |
| Clover Quick Service | Starter (Mini) $135. Standard (Station Duo) $185. Advanced (Duo + Flex) $245. Each a month for 36 months. Or buy the hardware ($849, $1,899 or $2,648) and pay $89.95, $89.95 or $109.90 a month. | 2.3% + 10¢. | Typed-in cards 3.5% + 10¢. Rapid Deposit (funds within minutes) costs 1.75%. |
| 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. |
Sources: SumUp, Square, Clover, Toast. Toast’s coffee shop page publishes no prices, so its general plans apply.
Small tickets change the math
On a small sale, the fixed cents per payment can cost as much as the percentage. Here’s what one $6 coffee costs at each published in-person rate:
| Provider and plan | Published in-person rate | Fee on a $6 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Toast traditional | 2.49%, cents fee not published | about 15¢, plus any cents fee |
| Toast pay-as-you-go | 3.09%, cents fee not published | about 19¢, plus any cents fee |
| Clover Quick Service | 2.3% + 10¢ | about 24¢ |
| SumUp (any plan) | 2.6% + 10¢ | about 26¢ |
| Square Free | 2.6% + 15¢ | about 31¢ |
These are our calculations from each provider’s published rate, rounded to the nearest cent. They don’t include monthly fees or hardware.
What it costs: a coffee shop doing 3,000 sales a month
These are estimates. They assume 3,000 card sales a month at a $6 average ($18,000), one location, and every card tapped, dipped or swiped in person.
| Provider and plan | Card fees | Monthly fee | Estimated total |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp Free | $468 + $300 (3,000 × 10¢) | $0 | $768, hardware bought separately |
| SumUp POS Plus | $468 + $300 | $49 | $817, hardware bought separately |
| Clover Quick Service Starter | $414 + $300 (3,000 × 10¢) | $135 | $849, Mini hardware included, 36 months |
| Square Free | $468 + $450 (3,000 × 15¢) | $0 | $918, hardware bought separately |
| Square Plus | $450 + $450 | $49 | $949 |
| Toast pay-as-you-go | $556.20 | $0 basic software | $556.20, plus any cents fee |
| Toast traditional | $448.20 | from $69 | $517.20 or more, plus hardware up front and any cents fee |
The cents fee is the swing factor. SumUp’s 10¢ against Square’s 15¢ is worth $150 a month at this size. For Toast, every 1¢ of per-sale fee would add $30 a month. That’s why you need Toast’s answer in writing before you compare.
Plug in your own sales count in the fee calculator.
What coffee shops need, in the providers’ own words
- Order screens for the bar. Square’s kitchen display app is $30 a month per device on Plus and $20 on Premium. SumUp says POS Plus adds ticket printers and multi-device sync.
- Self-serve ordering. Square lists its Kiosk app at $99 a month per device.
- Hardware in the monthly price. Clover’s Quick Service bundles include the hardware: a Mini on Starter, a Station Duo on Standard, and a Duo plus a Flex on Advanced.
- Fast cash. SumUp says it pays out next day “regardless of your plan.” Square is free next business day for payments before 5 PM PT. Faster costs 1.95% at Square and 1.75% at Clover.
Who each one is for, and who should skip it
SumUp. For new shops and small stands that want a 10¢ fee per sale at $0 a month. Skip it if you want hardware prices before you sign up, since its pricing page doesn’t show them. Online and typed-in cards cost 3.5% + 15¢.
Square. For shops that want a $0 start plus add-ons like a kitchen display or kiosk. Square says there are no “locked-in contracts.” Skip it if you sell thousands of small drinks a month. The 15¢ per sale costs more than SumUp’s or Clover’s 10¢.
Clover. For busy shops that want hardware, software and processing in one payment. Skip it if you might switch soon. The bundles run 36 months, and at the end they carry 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.
Toast. For coffee shops that also serve food and want restaurant software. Skip it if you already own POS hardware. Toast only runs on approved Toast hardware. Also note Toast Easy Pay on its quick-service page: a “180-day lease” where “Toast will hold back 1.75% of your sales.”
What about Lightspeed or Shopify? Lightspeed Restaurant starts at $69, with no published restaurant card rate. If your shop also sells beans and mugs online, see our retail POS page, which covers Shopify.
The catch: fees to ask about before you sign
- Typed-in and online cards cost more. SumUp charges 3.5% + 15¢, Square 3.5% + 15¢ for typed-in cards, and Clover 3.5% + 10¢.
- Contracts. Square says there are no locked-in contracts. Clover bundles run 36 months. SumUp doesn’t publish contract terms, and Toast doesn’t for restaurants.
- Refunds. Square says the processing fee on a refunded payment isn’t returned to you. Ask the others the same question.
Comparing more? Read our pages on Square, Clover and Toast, see the restaurant POS page, or go back to all POS systems.
Common questions
What is the best POS system for a coffee shop?
For a new or small coffee shop, start with a $0 plan. SumUp Free charges 2.6% + 10¢ in person and Square Free charges 2.6% + 15¢. Square lists food and beverage add-ons, like a kitchen display app. A busy shop that wants hardware bundled in should price Clover's Quick Service Starter at $135 a month for 36 months.
How much does a coffee shop POS cost per month?
From $0 to a few hundred dollars, before card fees. Square Free and SumUp Free are $0. SumUp POS Plus is $49 and Square Plus is $49 per location. Clover's Quick Service bundles are $135, $185 or $245 a month for 36 months, with hardware. Toast's POS starts at $69 a month.
Why do card fees hit coffee shops harder?
Because most providers charge a fixed cents fee on every payment, on top of the percentage. On a $6 coffee, Square Free's 15¢ is 2.5% of the sale by itself. So a shop that takes thousands of small payments should compare the cents fee first. SumUp and Clover charge 10¢. Toast doesn't publish one.
Is Clover worth it for a coffee shop?
It can be once you're busy. On a $6 sale, Clover's 2.3% + 10¢ costs about 7¢ less than Square Free. By our math, that covers Clover's $135 Quick Service Starter at about 2,000 sales a month. Against SumUp Free, the saving is under 2¢ a sale. Clover's bundle does include hardware, and it runs 36 months.