Toast vs Square for Restaurants: what each one publishes
We sell neither of these, so this page has nothing to defend. Both are strong. The differences worth your time are transparency, contract length, and add on costs.
Square publishes plan prices of $0, $49 and $149 per location and card present rates of 2.6%, 2.5% and 2.4% plus 15 cents. Toast publishes $0 and $69 plans and no card rate. Square is the better fit for small, simple and seasonal operations. Toast is the better fit for full service groups needing payroll and multi location reporting.
| Toast | Square for Restaurants | |
|---|---|---|
| Software | $0 Starter Kit or $69 per month, first terminal only | $0, $49 or $149 per month per location |
| Card present rate | Not published | 2.6%, 2.5% or 2.4% plus $0.15 by plan |
| Keyed in rate | Not published | 3.5% + $0.15 |
| Hardware | From $0 on the first device, software and processing fees apply | Bought outright, from $59 |
| Kitchen display | Add on, price not published | $30 or $20 per device per month, not on the Free plan |
| Contract | Renews for one year terms, 30 days notice | No locked in contracts, cancel anytime |
“We are not mosquitoes. You will not be swatting us away. But we are not disappearing after the install either.”
What each company publishes
Square publishes almost everything on one page: plans at $0, $49 and $149 per location, in person rates of 2.6%, 2.5% and 2.4% plus 15 cents, and per device app costs.
Toast publishes plan prices of $0 and $69 plus a custom tier, and notes the quoted price covers the first terminal and later devices cost more. It does not publish a card rate.
How the contracts differ
Square states there are no locked in contracts and that you can upgrade or cancel anytime, with a 30 day free trial on both paid plans.
Toast publishes that a POS contract renews automatically for successive one year periods and that at least 30 days written notice is needed to stop it. That is a real commitment, openly stated.
Where the add on costs land
The Square kitchen display app costs $30 per device monthly on Plus and $20 on Premium. Kiosk costs $50 and $30, and neither runs on Free.
Toast sells its suites as modules on the Build Your Own tier but does not publish those module prices. That makes Toast harder to budget from a web page and easier to tailor in a quote.
A real person calls you back within two hours, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm Central.
Hardware and lock in
Toast states its services may only be used on approved Toast hardware. Square card devices likewise run Square, though Square says iPads and general kitchen equipment may be reusable.
Toast also offers Easy Pay, a 180 day hardware lease collecting 0.75% of card sales daily from live customers, with no interest or fees.
Which one for which restaurant
A food truck, coffee counter, bakery or seasonal stand generally does better on Square. Nothing monthly on Free, hardware from $59, and no contract.
A full service restaurant with payroll, scheduling, inventory costing and several locations generally does better on Toast, because those pieces sit on one platform and one bill.
The neutral call
Choose this one when
- You need payroll, scheduling, inventory costing and multi location reporting on one contract.
- You run a full service room where handhelds, kitchen displays and coursing are daily tools.
- You would rather have a tailored quote than a fixed published plan.
Choose the other when
- You want published pricing on both software and processing before you speak to a salesperson.
- You want no contract. Square states there are no locked in contracts and you can cancel anytime.
- You are seasonal, mobile or low volume and cannot justify a monthly software fee at all.
- You already own iPads and general kitchen equipment that Square says may be reusable.
What each side gives up
We sell neither of these, so both lists are written the same way.
What works
- Toast: one platform for point of sale, payroll, scheduling, inventory and reporting.
- Toast: 24/7 support included in every software subscription.
- Square: published pricing on software, processing, kitchen display and kiosk.
- Square: no locked in contract, and hardware bought outright from $59.
What does not
- Toast does not publish a card rate, so budgeting from its website is impossible.
- Toast contracts renew yearly unless you give 30 days written notice.
- Toast services may only be used on approved Toast hardware.
- Square charges per device monthly for kitchen display and kiosk.
- The Square plan fee applies per location, so groups pay it repeatedly.
Questions restaurant owners ask
Why does Toast not publish a processing rate?
Toast prices processing per merchant rather than by published tier, and its pricing page lists flat rate processing with no percentage attached. It also states it is a payment facilitator, not a card processor. Ask for the qualified rate and per item fee in writing.
Is the Square Free plan really free?
There is no monthly subscription on Square Free and you pay processing at a published 2.6% plus 15 cents for cards tapped, dipped or swiped. Hardware is separate and starts at $59. The kitchen display and kiosk apps are not available on Free at any price.
Can I move Toast hardware to another system?
Toast states its services may only be used on approved Toast hardware and that it may change which devices are approved at its discretion. In practice the terminals stay with Toast. Weigh that against a system that lets you keep general equipment.
Do you sell either one of these?
No. We sell Shift4 SkyTab and Clover in Arkansas, so this page exists to be useful rather than to sell anything. If you want a neutral read on your own numbers, Judd Alsup will run it whether or not it points at something we carry.
Vendor pricing and tax rates change without notice. Confirm current figures with the vendor, the city or your accountant before you rely on them. Not tax, legal or accounting advice.
Every number on this page traces to a primary source
- Toast Starter Kit $0 per month for one location with up to two terminals; Point of Sale plan $69 per month; Build Your Own custom pricing. Footnotes state pricing includes the first hardware terminal subscription, additional charges apply for subsequent devices, and pricing applies to new customers and single locations only. Toast services may only be used on approved Toast hardware. Page last updated July 8, 2026pos.toasttab.com / pricing
- Toast hardware starting at $0, which applies to first device hardware only, with software and processing fees additional. Page last updated July 16, 2026pos.toasttab.com / hardware
- Toast Easy Pay is a 180 day hardware lease with no interest or fees, collecting 0.75% of card sales daily from live Toast customers and 1.75% from customers not yet live, with an option to purchase the hardware at the end of the term. Page last updated July 16, 2026pos.toasttab.com / pricing payment options
- A Toast POS contract renews automatically for successive one year periods, and choosing not to renew requires at least 30 days written notice before the end of the current termsupport.toasttab.com
- Square for Restaurants plans: Free $0, Plus $49 per month per location, Premium $149 per month per location. In person card rates 2.6% + $0.15, 2.5% + $0.15 and 2.4% + $0.15 by plan; manually keyed or card on file 3.5% + $0.15; online 3.3% + $0.30 on Free and 2.9% + $0.30 on paid plans. Square KDS app $30 or $20 per device per month and Square Kiosk app $50 or $30 per device per month, neither available on Free. Hardware from $59. Custom pricing available above $250,000 processed per yearsquareup.com / pricing
- Square publishes no locked in contracts with the ability to upgrade or cancel anytime, a 30 day free trial on paid plans, and states existing devices including iPads, kitchen printers, receipt printers, cash drawers and routers may be reusablesquareup.com / restaurants