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Head-to-head, Toast performed better than Clover in our latest round of research. Toast is a hospitality-specific POS system, armed with advanced features that large businesses with complex operations will find incredibly useful.
Its hardware options were both slick and intuitive to use, and its excellent free plan means businesses looking for a good value or free POS should look no further.
For this roundup of Toast versus Clover, we assessed the POS providers’ features, hardware, help and support options, and usability, so you can choose the right provider for your business. We also put both of them through rigorous rounds of user testing.
Toast and Clover are just two of the providers we’ve tested, however. If you’d like to explore more options you can use our free comparison tool to get quotes from top POS providers, stress free.
Key Takeaways
- Based on our research, Toast is a better choice for hospitality businesses than Clover, because of its robust free plan, advanced tools and features, and usability.
- Clover is more expensive than Toast, with its cheapest hospitality plan starting at $135 per month, compared with Toast, which starts at $69 per month. Toast also offers a free forever plan but you’ll have to pay transaction fees.
- Toast beat Clover in terms of features and usability, due to its robust software offering, such as inventory management and customer engagement tools, and the strength of its backend compared with Clover’s.
- Clover had the edge when it came to hardware and customer support. It offers the best hardware on the market, with slick and intuitive options, and Toast is lacking key email support for users, unlike Clover.
- We put several top POS providers to the test in our latest round of 2025 research, pitting systems against each other based on categories including software, hardware, help and support, usability, and many more.
| Starting price The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Overall Rating | Best Restaurant POS for: Tech.co's verdict to help you identify the most suitable choice for your restaurant | Lowest transaction fee The lowest possible fee that will be incurred with each transaction. | Key benefits | Drawbacks | Get started | ||
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| Free (but transaction fees apply) | ||||||||
| 4.7 | 4.5 | |||||||
| Complex restaurant operations | Professional hardware | |||||||
| 2.49% + 15¢ | 2.3% +10¢ | |||||||
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| Visit Toast | Compare Prices |
Why Should You Trust Us?
The Tech.co team pours hundreds of hours into researching the best POS systems because it’s the only way to ensure we’re providing our readers with the most accurate, up-to-date information possible.
We’ve spoken to daily POS users working in restaurants, retail, and more, and have tested out more than 20 point-of-sale platforms ourselves, paying close attention to everything from the quality and feel of the hardware to how easy the software is to use, to help you make a clear decision for your business needs.
Head over to our methodology section to learn more about our product review process, which is one of the reasons more than one million users consult our articles every month.
Pros
- Built-in customer engagement and loyalty program features
- Excellent inventory management tools, like stock alerts
- Support for tableside ordering and payment
Cons
- No iOS compatibility
- No social media or email support
- No ecommerce app market integration
- Point of sale plan with prices starting from $69/month
- Customizable starter kits available
- Free pay-as-you-go plan available
- Transaction fee: 2.49% + 15¢
Who should choose Toast?
Toast’s vast selection of advanced hospitality tools make it perfect for full-service restaurants that need features to match their complex and large operations. For example, if you are a restaurant with multiple locations, Toast has the tools you need to manage operations across one platform.
Likewise, Toast’s customer engagement tools make it a great choice for businesses looking to build and utilize unique loyalty programs, such as fast-food restaurants that want to offer deals to customers.
Who shouldn’t choose Toast?
For starters, Toast is exclusively for hospitality businesses. It also isn’t compatible with iOS software. Therefore, businesses looking to manage busy and on-the-go hospitality operations with an iPad, such as food trucks, wouldn’t be best suited for Toast.
Similarly, smaller businesses, such as single-location coffee shops with simple inventories, may find the number of features on Toast overwhelming. And if you think you’ll need plenty of customer support options, Toast isn’t the best choice either.
For more information about this provider, check our Toast POS review here.
Clover Overview
- Best for professional restaurant hardware
- Price from: $16/month
- Free plan: No
Here’s a quick look at what Clover offers:
Pros
- Great for companies that started online but need a physical presence
- Good range of hardware options
- 90-day free trial (software-only)
Cons
- Need pre-existing website, unlike, for example, Shopify
- Additional features cost extra and can become expensive
- No inter-store transactions
- Cheapest plan: $14.95 (virtual terminal)
- Cheapest Retail plan: $16/month
- Cheapest Restaurant plan: $135/month
- Transaction rates from 2.3% + 10¢
Who should choose Clover?
Clover’s hardware has earned it numerous accolades during our time testing POS systems, and it would be perfect for a retail or hospitality business wanting to impress with high-quality devices, such as high-end boutiques.
Likewise, Clover’s robust set of analytical tools make it a strong contender for businesses wanting to deep dive into their numbers, such as newer businesses that are wanting to expand in the future.
Who shouldn’t choose Clover?
Smaller businesses or pop-ups such as food trucks might be overwhelmed using Clover, because its tools are most accustomed to medium or larger-sized establishments.
Clover can be on the more expensive side, too, particularly if your business is favoring upfront costs over a monthly payment.
For more information about this provider, check our Clover POS review here.
Is Toast or Clover Better Value for Money?
Toast is a more comfortable option for businesses on a budget, with a generous free starter plan and affordably priced plans, starting at $69 per month.
On the other hand, Clover can be a bit intimidating for small businesses price-wise, with its lowest hospitality paid plan available from $135 per month.
Clover only offers combined hardware and software packages, though which somewhat justifies its higher price tag. What’s more, there are several Toast features only available as paid add-ons, and the average hospitality business will end up needing at least one or two to make their system run smoothly.
What’s more, Clover’s transaction rates are slightly more affordable. Its card-present transactions cost between 2.6% + 10¢ to 2.3% + 10¢, compared with Toast’s pricier rates, which range from 2.49% + 15¢ to 3.5% + 15¢.
In terms of hardware, you’ll have to contact either Toast or Clover for accurate pricing.
Does Toast or Clover have the better free plan?
Clover doesn’t currently offer a free version. Toast, however, offers a generous free plan, with its Starter Kit offering every feature vendors need to get off the ground.
If you’re intent on trying out Clover’s software before you buy, you can trial the virtual terminal for up to 90 days. You won’t be able to integrate hardware, but all software features will be available, including sales.
Toast pricing
Refer to the table below to view all available Toast pricing options for restaurants.
| Plan | Price Monthly cost of the software. | Best for | Transaction fees | Benefits | |
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| Small, single location food vendors and mobile sellers | Established food and beverage businesses | Large or complex food and beverage establishments | |||
| 3.09% | 2.49% + 15¢ for in-person transactions | 2.49% + 15¢ for in-person transactions | |||
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Clover pricing
Check out the table below to see all the available Clover pricing options for restaurants.
| Plan | Price Monthly cost of the software. | Best for | Transaction fees | Benefits | |
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| Food trucks and pop-ups | Small counter service food businesses | Counter service restaurants | Small full-service restaurants | Tableside service restaurants | Mid-size to large full service restaurants |
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Toast vs Clover: Software Features
Toast has some of the best features for restaurants out there, particularly for large establishments looking for a system that can keep up, and for this reason, it managed to edge out Clover in this element of our testing.
Both providers have strong table management and floor plan capabilities, allowing users to easily edit designs. For Clover, our users found the drag-and-drop functionality here incredibly useful, and enjoyed creating floor plans through the frontend of the system.
Toast makes it easy to add employees, but you’ll have to do it in the back office, rather than on the terminal itself. Source: Tech.co testing
In terms of tip management, Toast and Clover both offer several options, including the ability to view tipping/gratuity reports and add both percentage and amount-based tips. However, Toast has the option to automatically share tips between employees, unlike Clover.
This feature could be essential for fast-paced hospitality businesses, such as bars, that want their system to remain efficient and agile.
Furthermore, across inventory management, Clover and Toast come out equal. Both have the option of low and no stock alerts, and a dedicated cost/profit management tool for businesses that want to keep a keen eye on their bottom line. In particular, our users found bulk uploading in Clover “fast” and “easy to navigate.”
I could edit the shape and size of tables using Clover’s table floor plan features. I was impressed with how easy it was to customize the floor plan. Source: Tech.co user testing
If you want to get really granular with your reporting and analytics, however, Toast outpaces Clover with the option to assign specific ingredients to menu items, in order to effectively track ingredient stock. For businesses on a budget, this kind of tool could be essential.
In a similar way, Toast’s reservation tools trump Clover’s. While both offer the option to set up reservation functionality, Toast’s offering is built-in, compared with Clover, which only offers the feature as an integration. During testing of Toast, our users appreciated the integration of reservation functionality within the platform.
Toast’s Takeout & delivery features let me manage online orders and edit my menu in real-time. Source: Tech.co user testing
Speaking of integrations, Clover offers an extensive suite of additional apps that rivals even our choice for the best small business POS, Square. You’ll be able to integrate customer relationship management (CRM), employee management, and inventory management tools.
Clover also offers integrations for floor management and ecommerce, whereas Toast does not. For larger businesses looking to manage their operations from one platform and streamline processes, a strong app market could be essential.
Clover reporting tools helped us track everything, from sales to average ticket size. Source: Tech.co testing
On the other hand, Toast’s customer engagement tools are top of the line. Both providers offer a built-in loyalty program, built-in gift card functionality, and gift card integrations.
For any business, these kinds of tools would be essential for encouraging repeat customers. However, unlike Clover, you can set up email/SMS marketing without a separate integration in Toast.
In the end, it was Toast’s advanced feature offering and built-in functionality that won it this round.
Toast vs Clover: Help & Support
Clover wins out here, simply because of the vast number of customer support options it offers in comparison with Toast, which lagged behind providers in our latest round of POS research.
Via Clover, businesses can seek our support through multiple channels, including phone, email, knowledge center, and live chat. This could be crucial for businesses that are new to POS systems, and believe they might need support along the way.
While Toast offers support across phone and live chat, it’s missing any email support. Likewise, neither platforms offer social media support, so if this is a priority for your business, we’d recommend an option like SpotOn.
Toast’s resource center has a wide range of articles to help you resolve queries but some of our users found it difficult to navigate. Source: Tech.co testing
Furthermore, both providers give an initial tutorial when setting up their respective platforms, which is useful for businesses wanting to train employees on the system straightaway. During testing, our users liked the initial step-by-step guide offered by Toast, which helped them get started.
Similarly, while both platforms offer a knowledge center, our users struggled to get to grips with Toast’s. In particular, one user pointed out that it was hard to navigate, and suggested that more visual signposting would be beneficial.
Overall, Clover takes this round because of its vast help and support options, and superior knowledge center.
Toast vs Clover: Hardware
No doubt about it, Clover swept the competition during our hardware testing. Users described Clover’s terminal/register interface as “intuitive, slick, and responsive,” and its modern and attractive appearance is sure to leave customers impressed, particularly for fine dining hospitality businesses.
Toast wasn’t far behind Clover, however, and you definitely wouldn’t be sacrificing high-quality hardware if you opt for Toast instead. Options such as the Toast Flex provide flexibility for fast-paced businesses, like fast-food restaurants, because of its design.
Toast offers a range of high-quality and durable hardware, although its quality didn’t match up to its backend in our testing. Source: Tech.co testing
Both Toast and Clover offer a kitchen display system (KDS), receipt printer, and terminal. In terms of accessories, both providers also offer cash drawers, scales, stands, docks, and cases for hardware options.
Both providers came out strong in our hardware tests and for businesses that want a wide range of high-quality hardware options that will easily integrate with their accompanying software, both providers are a solid choice.
Clover’s hardware offering is slick and modern, intuitive and easy to use. Source: Tech.co testing
Ultimately, however, Clover took this round because of the sheer quality of its hardware options. Our users found it both attractive to look at and responsive during testing. And additional features, such as fingerprint scanning, make it stand out, compared with options like Toast.
Toast vs Clover: Usability
Toast slightly edged this round, despite both providers scoring high for usability during our testing. Our users complimented Toast’s clean design, clear and separate sections for orders, and intuitive search tool, making it easy to navigate and get to grips with.
Comparatively, Clover received similar praise from our users. In particular, we found it easy to select items and split bills, and the touchscreen interface was singled out for being intuitive. Once familiarized with the system, we found it straightforward and capable of handling many POS functions.
I found it easy to track business performance in real-time with Clover’s advanced reports. Source: Tech.co testing
On the other hand, our testing team was a fan of Toast’s clean, modern design, and one member in particular appreciated how “intuitive” the search bar was, and how much it improved the functionality of the system. Conversely, some testers found they had to rely on the tool, as the POS software wasn’t as well signposted as systems like Clover.
“The search tool was phenomenal. It was so intuitive, it really picked up things” – A member of Tech.co’s testing team
Similarly, Clover received similar praise from our users when they tested the backend. It was described as straightforward and seamless to use. However, in some cases, users pointed out that the backend didn’t place actions in intuitive places, such as applying discounts.
Likewise, users also disliked using discounts and promotions, and said that part of the system felt “clunky” and “less streamlined.”
All in all, it was a tough battle between these two providers in terms of usability. However, Toast took this round because of the criticisms surrounding Clover’s backend. As the system has such an impressive frontend, we were disappointed to find the backend didn’t match it in quality.
If usability is a priority for your business, check out Square, which scored the highest in our POS testing for this category.
How Do Toast and Clover Compare With the Competition?
Clover and Toast both secured top spots during our extensive research into POS systems for restaurants. However, they aren’t the only options out there.
Our top choice for businesses is Square, which is the perfect all-rounder of POS systems. Unlike Toast, Square is a great option for smaller businesses and boasts superior menu creation tools.
Similarly, another top choice, SpotOn, actually trumped Clover in our usability tests, with users describing setting up the software as easy.
To learn more about how Toast and Clover stack up against their competition, read our guide to the best restaurant POS systems or take a look at the top alternatives below:
| Starting price The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Best Restaurant POS for: Tech.co's verdict to help you identify the most suitable choice for your restaurant | iPad app Is there a version of the software made specifically for iPad use? | Android app Is there a version of the software made specifically for Android tablet use? | 24/7 support | Hardware packages | ||
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| BEST HOSPITALITY POS  |  |  | | | |||
| Free (but transaction fees apply) | Free (but transaction fees apply) | Free (but transaction fees apply) | |||||
| Scaling and growing your business | Simplifying staff communications | Small counter-service vendors like cafes | Complex restaurant operations | Professional hardware | |||
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| Options include: Square stand kit for $579 and Square stand kit for restaurants at $1,089 | Offers several hardware options for businesses, including touchscreen monitors and payment terminals | Sells a range of in-house hardware, including iPad stands, card readers and kitchen display systems | Offers a full hardware suite for $1,024 but custom pricing is available on more expensive software tiers | Sells a range of proprietary hardware devices from handheld tableside tablets to full POS terminals |
Our Research and Testing: How Did We Score Toast & Clover?
We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we’re giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations. After identifying the most relevant, popular POS platforms on the market, we put them through their paces with hands-on testing to better understand their strengths and weaknesses.
In total, we put 16 POS systems to the test, with a vigorous research and testing methodology. In our testing sessions, participants were asked to carry out tasks on POS software and describe their user journey, to help us understand what it’s like to use the systems first-hand. In addition to first-hand testing, we developed a detailed methodology that focuses on six categories of investigation, including criteria like software features and help and support centers.
These categories were broken down into further subcategories, so we were able to drill down further into certain topics, to make our insights as granular and useful as possible. Here’s an overview of our main testing categories for POS systems:
- Software: The capabilities provided by the POS product. Includes general features like ordering and payment functionality, as well as industry-specific tools like KSU uploads, and inventory-level stock tracking KDS software.
- Hardware: The quality of a POS’s hardware selection. The presence of an own-brand terminal, as well as hardware accessories like KDS, receipt printers, and barcode scanners.
- Pricing: The cost associated with acquiring and using the POS system, such as the initial purchase cost, transaction fees, licensing fees, subscription plans, and any additional charges or ongoing costs.
- Usability: We test out the software to gauge how intuitive and easy to navigate it is. We also consider how easy the software is to navigate and whether any errors took place during testing.
- Help and support: The assistance and resources available to users when they encounter issues or need guidance while using the POS system, including documentation, tutorials, or knowledge bases.
- Reputation: The aggregate score from customer review sites like Trustpilot and TrustRadius, to understand how POS providers are viewed by their own customer bases.
When it comes to calculating a product’s final score, not all testing areas are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others.
For example, we’ll prioritize certain industry-specific features for specific reviews, like an offline mode when reviewing POS systems for food trucks or KDS when reviewing restaurant POS systems.
At Tech.co, we have a number of full-time in-house researchers who re-run this testing process regularly to ensure our results remain up to date.
Verdict: Which POS System Is Better?
Overall, it was Toast that emerged the stronger POS in its battle with Clover. Toast is purpose-built for hospitality businesses, with advanced features and robust functionality giving it the ability to keep up with medium-to-large sized establishments with complex operations. These features, plus a robust free plan, put it ahead of Clover in the end.
However, Clover wasn’t too far behind. With an intuitive and slick design, and strong customer support, we would recommend Clover for businesses looking to impress with professional hardware options.
Toast and Clover aren’t the only promising restaurant point-of-sale systems on the market. If you’re looking to narrow down your search, use our free comparison tool to receive tailored quotes from the biggest names in the POS business.