Square vs. Toast: Which one serves you better?

Whether it’s your first or fiftieth restaurant, you’ve seen enough POS systems to think they’re all the same. And the costs? Processing rates are just part of the picture. Let’s compare two plans to anticipate total costs before you start or switch.

Try Square for free¹
Talk with the Square team

¹Toast has no option to get started without an implementation specialist.

Tired of surprises? Rates going up? Look beyond subscription costs.

Let’s say you run a growing or expanding restaurant and need cost-effective software that can keep up with the complexity of your business with reasonable processing rates and affordable hardware.

Comparison Table (Hidden for P&P Update 10/9)

	Square Plus $49/mo. per location	Toast Standard $69/mo. per location
Hardware	$799 for Square Register (includes staff- and customer-facing displays) Can be purchased from major retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, or on Square Shop.	$1,024 for a Countertop Starter Kit, plus $225 for customer-facing display Must be purchased from Toast’s Shop page.
Processing fee (tap, dip, or swipe)	2.5% + 15¢ per transaction for all major credit card networks	2.49% + 15¢ per transaction Amex is 3.29% + 15¢ per transaction.
Processing fee (online)	2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for all major credit card networks	3.5% + 15¢ per transaction Amex is 3.89% + 15¢ per transaction.
Online ordering and website builder	Included	Online ordering only: $75/mo. Online ordering and website builder: $149/mo.
Wifi	Use your own router	Toast router required (included in starter kit)
KDS	$30/mo. per device for the Square KDS app Hardware sold separately; compatible with Android devices.	$35/mo.
Gift cards	eGift cards included Ability to order physical gift cards from 50¢ per card. No gift card load fees with Square Premium.	$50/mo. for physical and e-gift cards
Catering solution	Included	$100/mo.
Shift scheduling and tip management	Included	$149/mo.
Payroll	$35/mo. + $6/mo. per team member (as an additional subscription)	Variable pricing based on employee count
Delivery app integration	Included	$25/mo. for each integration
Contract length	No long-term contracts required³	24 months minimum
	Get started

100,000+ restaurants count on Square.

Earn 36% more revenue using Square Websites.

Based on comparison of Square operators during the six months prior versus the six months after their first Square Websites transaction in 2023.

Train new staff in less than an hour.

Plus, get 24/7 support on most plans.

Loyalty program customers spend 53% more.

Based on a 2022 comparison of average spending data between Square Loyalty users and non-users.

Discover the Square difference.

Beautifully designed restaurant workflows

Integrated payments with automatic customer profiles

No long-term contracts required²

Choose Square if you:

Value fair and transparent, easy-to-understand pricing
Value flexibility and choice; you choose how and when to get started and how much virtual or in-person support you need
Want the peace of mind of knowing a team of experts maintains PCI compliance on your behalf
Appreciate intuitive design that’s easy to learn and enjoyable to use and makes you look like a pro to your customers from day one
Prefer a flat fee across all credit cards versus worrying about how card mix and average ticket size impacts your rates
Prefer your tech partner to handle chargebacks and payment issues so you don’t have to deal with disputes by yourself

Get up to $5,000 in free Square hardware.

See if you qualify²

With Square, the choice is yours.

Try Square for free
Talk with the Square team

²To be eligible for this promotion, your business must be new to Square and must process more than $750,000 in annual sales. Value of actual hardware received by eligible sellers may vary. Valid for Square customers located in the U.S. only with a U.S. bank account. Square reserves the right to modify, revoke, or cancel the offer at any time.