Restaurant POS systems compared

This comparison covers eight restaurant POS systems, using only what each company publishes on its own website. We checked every fact on October 1, 2026; prices and terms change, so confirm them before you sign. We score systems with the same six criteria for everyone, described in how we compare systems, and we don't publish star ratings or a single ranked list, because the right answer depends on your restaurant.

The systems side by side

Sources for every cell are listed at the end of this page. "Not published" means the vendor's public pages don't state it; ask for it in writing.

Best fit by kind of restaurant

A small counter-service shop or café: look first at Square

Square publishes everything a small shop needs to compare: a free plan, plan prices per location, and its card rates for each plan. On the six criteria, that transparency helps on total cost and payment terms. Check that the free plan includes your must-haves; kitchen display and kiosk apps are priced per device on top. Also look at SpotOn's Essentials plan and Toast's Starter Kit.

A full-service restaurant that wants one system for everything: look at Toast

Toast is built specifically for restaurants and sells a range of paid tiers and add-ons. Its processing rate isn't published on its pricing page and its software runs only on approved Toast hardware, so get the processing quote in writing and weigh payment terms and data portability carefully. Toast's merchant agreement sets an early-termination fee based on the remaining subscription fees.

You want hardware included in one monthly price: Clover or Shift4 Dine

Clover's restaurant bundles and Shift4 Dine's bundle each include the terminal, cash drawer and printer in a monthly price. Clover's bundles run for 36 months; Shift4 Dine lists $0 due at checkout for its table-service bundle. Both lower the upfront cost, which helps a new restaurant, but compare the full term, and the processing on top, against buying hardware separately.

Full service with handhelds and a month-to-month plan: SpotOn Essentials

SpotOn's Essentials plan is priced per station, month to month, with published card rates and published handheld prices. Its All-In plan removes the software and hardware fee but has a two-year minimum term, processing minimums and a higher card rate, so run both through the three-year cost comparison.

An iPad-based dining room: TouchBistro or Lightspeed

TouchBistro runs on iPads and says it is compatible with a wide range of payment processors, which matters for the payment terms criterion. Lightspeed Restaurant publishes its plan prices but now requires Lightspeed Payments or charges a monthly fee to use another processor.

Several locations

Several vendors here offer custom plans for groups, including Toast Build Your Own, Square Pro, SpotOn Build Your Own, Lightspeed Enterprise and TouchBistro Custom Setup. Score them on central menu control, location-level pricing and consolidated reporting, and ask for a demo of changing one item across all locations.

KwickPOS

KwickPOS publishes this guide. Its website describes cloud software with an offline mode, running in a web browser on most devices, multi-location management, and 24/7 support in several languages, and says there are no setup fees or long-term contracts. It doesn't publish prices, so score it the way you would any vendor that requires a quote: get the software and processing terms in writing and run the same demo tests.

What to check with each vendor

Each of these systems has a detail that is easy to miss on the first call. All of these come from the vendor's own pages, checked October 1, 2026.

• Toast: pricing includes the first terminal's subscription, and additional devices cost extra. Software runs only on approved Toast hardware. Ask for the processing rate in writing.
• Square: kitchen display and kiosk apps are charged per device, and coursing and seat management start on Premium. Square's pricing page says offline payments must reconnect within 24 hours.
• Clover: bundles run 36 months. On the Starter bundle, Clover's own feature table lists tap cards and mobile wallets as not included. Faster deposits cost 1.75%.
• SpotOn: the $0 All-In plan has a higher card rate, a two-year minimum term and processing minimums; Essentials is month to month. A Core Bundle of add-ons costs $50 a month plus 0.20% of card sales, capped at $200.
• Lightspeed Restaurant: you must use Lightspeed Payments or pay a monthly third-party processing fee. Kitchen display is $30 per screen per month. Its pricing page notes prices "may vary depending on the nature of the business and the industry."
• TouchBistro: the $69 plan excludes hardware and processing; kitchen display, inventory, online ordering and loyalty are quoted separately.
• Shift4 Dine: hardware comes with a lifetime warranty and support is 24/7, with onsite installation by certified technicians. Its "Advantage Program" lets you offset processing through a supplemental fee, cash discount or dual pricing; check your state's rules before you surcharge (see the card processing guide).
• KwickPOS: prices aren't published. Ask for software, processing and hardware terms in writing, and run the same tests.

Support and onboarding

Support is one of the six criteria for a reason: your worst night is when you need it. What each vendor publishes:

Call the support line during your busy hours before you sign, as described in how to choose a restaurant POS.

How to use this comparison

1. Pick the two or three systems that fit your kind of restaurant above.
2. Get a written quote from each, including processing at your volume.
3. Run the six demo tests in how to choose a restaurant POS.
4. Score them on the same criteria and weights.

For Toast, Square and Clover in more detail, see Toast vs Square vs Clover.