What a restaurant POS really costs

The number on a POS vendor's pricing page is the subscription. The amount that leaves your bank account each month is software plus processing plus add-ons, and the amount you're committed to includes the hardware and whatever the contract says about leaving early. This guide breaks the cost into its parts, shows a three-year example, and lists the fees worth asking about before you sign.

The six parts of the cost

What vendors publish today

Published software prices, checked October 1, 2026. Most vendors price add-ons, extra devices and multi-location plans separately.

A three-year example

A 60-seat restaurant takes $50,000 a month in card sales over 2,000 transactions. It runs two terminals and online ordering. Assume software at $150 a month for both terminals, online ordering at $75 a month, $2,400 of hardware bought outright, processing at 2.6% + $0.15 per transaction, and $500 of setup.

Software and online ordering: ($150 + $75) × 36 months = $8,100.
Processing: ($50,000 × 2.6% + 2,000 × $0.15) × 36 = ($1,300 + $300) × 36 = $57,600.
Hardware and setup: $2,400 + $500 = $2,900.
Three-year total: $68,600, of which processing is $57,600, about 84%.

The exact figures will differ for every restaurant, but the shape is common: when processing is a large share of the total, a small difference in processing rates matters more than a large difference in software price. The same restaurant paying 0.3 percentage points less on processing would save $150 a month, or $5,400 over three years.

Add-on prices vendors publish

Add-ons are where a low subscription grows. These are add-on prices the vendors list on their own pages, checked October 1, 2026:

A restaurant on Square Plus adds two kitchen display screens and one kiosk: 2 × $30 + $50 = $110 a month on top of the $49 plan, or $5,724 over three years for software alone.

What "free" usually means

Several vendors offer a $0 software or hardware plan. It is a real option, but read what pays for it:

• A higher card rate. SpotOn's All-In plan, $0 per station, processes in-person cards at 2.79% + $0.20, against 2.45% + $0.15 on its $55-per-station Essentials plan.
• A minimum term or minimum processing. SpotOn's All-In plan has a two-year minimum term and processing minimums.
• Fewer features. Square's free plan covers item and menu management, pickup and local delivery, and an online ordering page; inventory tracking and close-of-day reports start on Plus.

At $40,000 a month in card sales over 1,600 transactions, SpotOn All-In costs $1,116 + $320 = $1,436 a month in processing and $0 in software. Essentials with two stations costs $980 + $240 = $1,220 in processing plus $110 in software, or $1,330 a month, before buying the hardware and before the higher rate SpotOn lists for American Express cards.

Buying, financing or leasing hardware

Low monthly hardware payments can cost much more than buying outright over the life of the agreement, and with a lease you may not own the equipment at the end.

Hardware that costs $1,200 to buy, leased at $99 a month for 48 months, costs $4,752 in total, nearly four times the purchase price.

Also ask whether the vendor's hardware is standard equipment you could reuse, such as an iPad, a common receipt printer or a cash drawer, or proprietary hardware that only works with that vendor or its processing.

Fees to ask about

None of these are unusual, and many are negotiable. Ask for each in writing:

• Processing beyond the headline rate. Is there a different rate for keyed or online cards? Any monthly gateway, statement or batch fees?
• PCI compliance fees. Is there a monthly or annual PCI fee, and a higher "non-compliance" fee if a questionnaire isn't filed?
• Add-on modules. What do online ordering, loyalty, gift cards and marketing texts cost on my plan? Are text messages charged per message?
• Hardware protection plans. What does a monthly protection plan cover that the manufacturer's warranty doesn't?
• Accessories. Must printers, drawers and scanners be bought from the vendor, or can I use standard models?
• Price increases. Can the software or processing price change during the term, and with how much notice?
• Early termination. How is the early-termination fee calculated?
• Data export. Is exporting my items, customers, sales history and balances free, and in what format?

An early-termination fee equal to the remaining monthly fees, on a $149-a-month plan with 18 months left, is $2,682.

Before you sign, ask for a written addendum on the three points that matter most if you ever leave: how the early-termination fee is capped, free data export in a standard format, and whether you can use another processor.

How to compare two quotes

1. Put both quotes on the same three-year basis, including processing at your volume.
2. Add every monthly add-on you'll actually use.
3. Add hardware, setup and any financing interest.
4. Note the cost to leave early under each.

Then weigh the result against fit and reliability, using the steps in how to choose a restaurant POS. The cheapest total isn't the best choice if the system can't run your Friday night.