Square vs Toast: 2026 restaurant POS comparison

Where Toast is stronger

Toast does one thing: restaurants. For a group running several full-service dining rooms, that focus shows.

• One vendor for the whole operation. Toast's Build Your Own plan adds payroll, inventory, scheduling, marketing and loyalty, priced by quote.
• Round-the-clock phone help on every plan. Every Toast subscription includes 24/7 phone and chat support. Square keeps 24/7 phone support for Premium.
• $0 to open the doors. The Starter Kit puts one terminal on the counter with no upfront hardware cost, paid back through a higher card rate.
• Payroll from day one. Toast's new-restaurant bundle adds payroll and basic scheduling at $9 per employee on top of the Point of Sale plan.

Where Square is stronger

Square wins on flexibility and on what it costs to start.

• No contract. Square Free, Plus and Premium carry no long-term commitment. Toast's software subscription runs on a 2-year agreement.
• A cheaper $0 option. Square Free charges 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person card. Toast's $0 Starter Kit charges 3.09% + 15¢, rising to 3.39% with online ordering and 3.69% with loyalty and marketing.
• One account for more than food. Run a retail shelf, a market stall, bookings or catering invoices off the same Square account and hardware.
• Hardware at list price. Every Square device is bought outright at its published price, from the $59 Reader to the $899 Register, and works on every Square plan.

What a month really costs

Take a cafe doing $30,000 a month in card sales at a $15 average ticket, about 2,000 transactions. Here is software plus in-person card fees on each entry plan, before hardware and add-ons:

• Square Free: $0 software + $1,080 in card fees = $1,080 a month.
• Square Plus: $49 software + $1,050 in card fees = $1,099 a month.
• Toast Starter Kit (Basic): $0 software + $1,227 in card fees = $1,227 a month.
• Toast Point of Sale: $69 software + $1,047 in card fees = $1,116 a month.

Reading those numbers

On paid plans the two are within about $20 a month at this volume, so features and terms should decide. On $0 plans, Square Free costs about $147 a month less than Toast's Starter Kit, or roughly $1,760 a year. Small tickets make the 15¢ per transaction matter more than the percentage, so run your own average ticket through the same math.

Hardware and setup

Square sells the Reader ($59), Stand ($149, iPad not included), Terminal ($299, built-in printer) and Register ($899, dual screens). Block, Inc. offers financing to eligible merchants at 15% APR, such as the Register at $44 a month over 24 months. Toast's Starter Kit includes a Toast Flex terminal, a Toast Tap payment device and a router with self-service installation; on the Point of Sale plan you buy hardware upfront, and a menu built by Toast costs $250. Buy Square through us and setup, menu import and staff training are included.

Restaurant features

Both cover menus, modifiers, tableside ordering, online ordering and a kitchen display. The difference is how you pay for them. Square Free includes an online ordering page, and the Square KDS app costs $30 a month per device on Plus. On Toast's Starter Kit, online ordering and delivery integrations come with the Core package at 3.39% + 15¢, and gift cards, loyalty and marketing with Growth at 3.69% + 15¢.

When to choose each

Match the system to the size and shape of your operation.

• Choose Toast if you run several full-service locations and want payroll, scheduling and back-of-house tools from one restaurant vendor, with 24/7 phone support included.
• Choose Square if you run one to a few locations, want to avoid a 2-year agreement, or also sell retail, events or bookings.
• Choose Square Plus over Square Free once you need the KDS app, advanced restaurant features or the lower 2.5% + 15¢ rate.

Switching from Toast to Square

Time the move around your Toast agreement, since the software subscription runs for 2 years. When you are ready, we import your menu, set up taxes, tips and printers, and train your front and back of house before your first service on Square.