Toast POS vs Square for Restaurants Pricing (2026)
Compare / Toast POS vs Square for Restaurants
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Team size
25 seats

Toast POS vs Square for Restaurants

Restaurant POS pricing comparison · 2026

Toast POS has a free plan, then $69/mo, while Square for Restaurants has a free plan, then $49–$149/mo. Toast POS is typically 30% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Toast pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Square pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Restaurant POS
Side-by-side · live
Toast POS
Toast POS pricing starts at $0/month for the Starter Kit plan, which is a free basic POS s
verified 7d ago
$426 $1.1K
View pricing →
Square for Restaurants
Restaurant POS pricing intelligence
verified 7d ago
$426 $1.1K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Square median is $642 less than Toast · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $426
Spread 60%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Point of Sale
$828/yr
year 1 license · flat plan price
Square Premium
$1.8K/yr
year 1 license · flat plan price
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$1.1K/yr
Vendr · n=27
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$426/yr
Vendr · n=256
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 6 sourced facts
5 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 1w ago
Confidence Medium confidence
Sources 12 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 1w ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
4 documented
  • Credit Card Processing Fees on Small Transactions
    5-10% of transaction value on small tickets
    1 source
  • Processing Fees on Credit Card Tips
    3-4% of tip amount
    1 source
  • Non-Compliant Surcharging Risk
    $50,000
    2 sources
  • Additional Tax Burden on Surcharge Fees
    Sales tax rate applied to surcharge amount
    1 source
5 documented
  • Payment Processing Fees (General)
    1 source
  • Free Plan In-person Processing
    2.6% + $0.15 per transaction
    1 source
  • Plus Plan Monthly Fee
    $49/month per location
    1 source
  • Afterpay Transaction Fee
    6% + $0.30 per transaction
    1 source
  • ACH Transfer via Invoice
    1% ($1 minimum, $10 fee cap for Plus/Premium)
    1 source
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
No public ratings yet
Best for
Single-location restaurants getting started
Watch out
Credit card surcharging feature is not compliant with card brand regulations
No public ratings yet
Best for
Small restaurants starting out
Watch out
Fees and Pricing
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Toast pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Square pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Restaurant POS

Toast POS

Free plan; paid $69
/mo
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Restaurant POS

Square for Restaurants

Free plan; paid $49–$149
/mo
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Toast POS and Square for Restaurants both operate in the restaurant pos category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Toast POS Square for Restaurants
Starter Kit Free /month Free /month
Point of Sale $69 /month $49 /month
Build Your Own Custom $149 /month
Square Pro — Custom

Market Intelligence

Toast POS

Median annual cost
$1,068
Based on
27 deals

Square for Restaurants

Median annual cost
$426
Based on
256 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Toast POS 4 hidden costs

medium
Credit Card Processing Fees on Small Transactions 5-10% of transaction value on small tickets
medium
Processing Fees on Credit Card Tips 3-4% of tip amount
critical
Non-Compliant Surcharging Risk $50,000
medium
Additional Tax Burden on Surcharge Fees Sales tax rate applied to surcharge amount
See all Toast POS hidden costs →

Square for Restaurants 11 hidden costs

critical
Payment Processing Fees (General)
high
Free Plan In-person Processing 2.6% + $0.15 per transaction
medium
Plus Plan Monthly Fee $49/month per location
high
Afterpay Transaction Fee 6% + $0.30 per transaction
medium
ACH Transfer via Invoice 1% ($1 minimum, $10 fee cap for Plus/Premium)
See all Square for Restaurants hidden costs →

Continue researching

Toast POS

Square for Restaurants

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