Square POS is the best POS system for small and growing restaurants, because of its affordable and free pricing options, dual Android and iPad functionality, and its surprisingly wide selection of sales and business growth capabilities.
Toast is a better option for established, full-service restaurants due to its robust set of advanced hospitality features, like tip-sharing and cost controls. Clover POS, meanwhile, is the best option for quick-service restaurants, due to its hardware options, ease of use, and low transaction fees.
To gather our research, we tested and evaluated 16 different POS systems over the course of 720 hours. Read on to learn more about the individual strengths and weaknesses of Square, Toast, and Clover, and to find out which one is the most likely to meet your business’ specific needs.
Key Takeaways
- Square POS is ideal for small businesses seeking affordability and broad functionality, offering a free plan, cheap, durable card readers and a super-easy setup process, particularly for iPad users.
- Toast is best suited for established, full-service restaurants, providing strong hospitality features like tip-sharing and cost controls. The only catch is that it’s an Android-exclusive system.
- Clover POS is the best POS platform for quick-service restaurants, due to its easy-to-use interface, range of hardware, and low transaction fees.
- Consider transaction fees, hardware compatibility (iOS versus Android), and the availability of advanced, industry-specific features when choosing a POS system for your business. Toast will not be suitable for retail businesses, for instance.
- While Square and Toast offer free entry-level plans, comprehensive features like 24/7 support or advanced reporting often require upgrading to paid tiers.
In this guide:
- Which POS is best for you?
- Toas: Best for Established Restaurants
- Square: Best for Small & Growing Restaurants
- Clover: Best for Quick-Service Restaurants
- Toast vs Square vs Clover Costs
- Toast vs. Square vs. Clover POS Alternatives
- How Did We Compare Square vs Clover vs Toast?
- The Verdict: Why Square Is Best
- FAQs
Toast vs Square vs Clover: Which POS Is Best at a Glance?
Take a look at how these POS options compare with each other in the table below, or read on for more in-depth coverage of each and how they match up against each other.
| Price The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs | Free trial | Transaction fee range The range of fees that will be incurred with each transaction. | Lowest transaction fee The lowest possible fee that will be incurred with each transaction | 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 | Card reader starting price | Hardware kit starting price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |||||||||
| Free (with transaction fees) | Free (but transaction fees apply) | ||||||||||
| 14 days | 30 days | 90 days | |||||||||
| 1.75% + 20¢ to 3.5% + 15¢ | 2.4% + 15¢ to 3.5% + 15¢ | 2.3% + 10¢ to 3.5% + 10¢ per sale | |||||||||
| 2.49% + 15¢ | 2.4% + 15¢ | 2.3% +10¢ | |||||||||
| | | | |||||||||
| | | | |||||||||
| | | | |||||||||
| Free | Free for new users | $199 | |||||||||
| Custom pricing | $689 for Square’s Stand Kit | From $1,799 + $84.95/month (software included) for Clover Station Solo | |||||||||
| Visit Toast | Try Square | Compare Quotes |
Why Should You Trust Us?
To bring you this and our other reviews, we’ve tested 16 POS systems over the course of 40 user testing sessions, which amounted to 720 hours of testing in total. We asked our test participants to carry out a range of preset tasks on each POS system and describe their user journey in detail.
We also developed a detailed methodology that focuses on six core categories of investigation — software features, hardware, pricing, ease of use, help and support, and customer satisfaction. These categories were broken down into 41 subcategories.
AI can’t test POS systems, so we don’t think it should write reviews about them either. That’s why 100% of Tech.co’s reviews are human-written by writers, researchers, and editors who work in-house.
Toast Is the Best Option for Established Restaurants
- Starting price: Free (with transaction fees)
All things considered, we think Toast is the best POS system for established restaurants. With specialized, powerful features for managing inventory, profit margins, and customer loyalty, it is specifically built with large hospitality businesses in mind.
Standout examples include real-time table updates and industry-oriented templates to help your business grow even further.
Toast performed excellently across the board in our user testing. Not only does it boast robust features and in-depth reporting tools, but it’s incredibly easy to use, so your staff will get up to speed very quickly.
In a bustling restaurant environment, it’s crucial that your technology works for you, rather than against you. Toast is firmly in the former camp.
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
- Free pay-as-you-go plan available
- POS pricing starts at $69/month
- Transaction fee: 2.49% + 15¢
- Customizable starter kits available
What do we like about Toast?
Our researchers were highly impressed with the kitchen display system (KDS), which enables you to keep staff in check and costings in line, while improving communication between the front and back of house.
For restaurants that enjoy high guest turnover, it’s absolutely vital to maintain seamless dialog between your kitchen and front of house staff, to ensure that specific requests are adhered to and backlogs don’t build up.
Thanks to the platform’s intuitive search tool, we found that these features were particularly easy to locate, which really helps to facilitate two-way communication.
Toast gave me real-time table management updates straight from the POS. Source: Tech.co testing
As the owner of a busy restaurant, you’ll know how critical it is to avoid downtime. With Toast’s dedicated onboarding support, it’s quick and easy to switch to the platform from your existing provider, minimizing potential downtime. Users have the flexibility to choose between an on-site installation consultant or online training.
If the worst should occur, you’ll also get 24/7 online chat support, while phone support is available from 7am to 12am ET, seven days a week, marking Toast out as a great platform for bars and nightclubs.
And Toast’s reliable offline mode ensures that you can keep processing payments during network disruptions.
Toast’ POS’s resource center has a wide range of help articles to help you resolve queries. Source: Tech.co testing
Impressively, Toast offers more than 200 software integrations, with examples including accounting tools, such as Bookkeep, hotel-focused reservations platform Cloudbeds, and takeaway courier Grubhub. These add-ons will give you the tools to manage and grow your restaurant even further.
Who is Toast not suitable for?
Toast is not suitable for smaller restaurants with simple inventories. While it is easy to use, its advanced capabilities mean that you’ll end up paying for functionality that you simply don’t need. In this case, Square is a more suitable option.
Learn more about the system’s features and limitations in our Toast POS review.
How much does Toast cost?
Below, you’ll find a breakdown of how much Toast costs.
- Starter Kit — $0 per month (with transaction fees)
- Point of Sale — $69 per month
- Build Your Own — Custom pricing
Square POS Is Our Top Pick for Small and Growing Restaurants
- Starting price: Free (with transaction fees)
Square is a great solution for small and growing restaurants, due to the fact that you can get started for free, it is highly easy to use, and it includes robust inventory and analytics tools.
With the free plan, users can update onsite and online menus in real-time, with changes automatically synced between all your locations and channels. This means that you’ll be able to seamlessly roll out menu changes, including special offers and limited-edition items, and nurture your customers’ loyalty.
Our team was full of praise for the platform’s usability, with particular plaudits reserved for the user-friendly interface, which made it easy to navigate both the frontend and backend. The team also noted that the search function made it very easy to locate relevant tools.
Pros
- Free to get started
- Slick and stylish hardware that impresses customers
- Serves businesses of all sizes and in all sectors
- Strong analytics, inventory, and third-party integrations
Cons
- Some necessary features for mid-sized businesses cost more
- 3.5% + 15¢ charge for keyed-in transactions
- Support options vary by plan
- No monthly fees. Charges transaction fees instead
- 2.6% + 15¢ fees for card transactions
- 3.3% + 30¢ fees for online transactions
What do we like about Square?
Square combines excellent in-built inventory and analytics tools with a huge selection of third-party POS integrations, meaning that you get a lot of bang for your buck. It doesn’t offer as many integrations as Clover, but it still has an impressive collection.
Highlights include the ability to manage inventory in real-time, toggle daily stock alerts on or off, and track stock across multiple locations in real-time.
Best of all, you’ll be able to access all of this for free, so you can grow your operation without spending a dime.
I could browse hundreds of third-party integrations through Square POS’s app marketplace. Source: Tech.co testing
Like Toast, Square supports offline payments — even on its free plan — which is a huge bonus considering it has a reputation for periods of outage. To mitigate this issue, the provider has good, but not outstanding, help and support options.
You’ll be able to access articles, guides, and tutorials on the help center, engage with other users on the Square Community forum, and chat to the 24/7 AI-powered Support Assistant. Round-the-clock phone and email support is only available on paid plans. Toast, meanwhile, doesn’t offer this on any of its plans.
Square POS interface offers help and support options directly in the platform. Source: Tech.co testing
In terms of usability, Square POS is the best in the business. Our team was enamored with the experience of testing the platform. When asked to create four tables and position them within a floorplan, one user remarked:
“Again, notably speedy and responsive interface made this effortless. Easy to click on tables and change their shape, seat number and position.”
The general consensus was that the Square backend is highly easy to use, which is not always the case for POS systems. Based on our research, Epos Now and SumUp, for instance, are much more difficult to navigate.
This is great news for small and growing restaurants. The owners of these establishments tend not to have vast experience with POS systems, and often learn to pilot them on the fly. If you sign up to Square POS, you can rest assured that this process will be speedy.
The Square POS uses clearly marked fields and a drag-and-drop editor to help guide users through item creation. Source: Tech.co testing
Who is Square not suitable for?
Square is not suitable for larger, more established restaurants. Businesses of this type should opt for a system with a larger selection of dedicated hospitality capabilities, such as Toast or Clover.
This is because, while Square is generally easy to use, some of our researchers found it difficult to add multiple items to an order, commenting that it was “a bit clunky.”
Learn more about the popular POS in our Square POS review.
How much does Square cost?
Square has three pricing plans available. You can find a breakdown of them below.
- Square Free — $0 per month (with transaction fees)
- Square Plus — $49 per month, per location
- Square Premium — $149 per month, per location
Clover POS Is Our Top Pick for Quick-Service Restaurants
- Price from:$14.95 per month (virtual terminal)
According to our research, Clover POS is the best POS system for quick-service restaurants. During the testing process, our researchers noted how intuitive and straightforward the platform was when compared with other POS providers.
Back office tasks such as creating categories, products, and modifiers were all seamless, while frontend tasks were similarly intuitive and efficient. Because of this, our team observed that the solution would suit a fast-paced restaurant.
Pros
- Solid range of hardware options
- 90-day free trial (software-only)
- Low transaction fees
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/month (virtual terminal)
- Cheapest Retail plan: $16/month
- Cheapest Restaurant plan: $135/month
- Transaction rates from 2.3% + 10¢
What do we like about Clover POS?
Clover is an exceptionally easy to use POS system for restaurant owners. It boasts the best hardware on the market, with a built-in barcode scanner, receipt printer, and customer display options that are all very easy to use.
Because of this, our research team concluded that Clover POS is the best solution for small, nimble restaurants that process a high volume of transactions, such as a fast food joint or a food truck.
If you want to bolster your setup, Clover offers a variety of POS hardware, with available add-ons including an all-in-one self-ordering kiosk ($3,499 + $34.95 per month, per device), a handheld card reader for taking payments on the go ($199), and more.
While these products aren’t cheap, they will give you everything you need to run a slick operation, process more orders, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
This suite of Clover POS products includes a tablet, card scanner, and mobile device. Source: Tech.co testing
In terms of software features, Clover has the basics, including inventory and order management, item modifiers and variants, and a robust app market for third-party integrations.
You’ll also get a suite of customer engagement features, which can really help businesses to get repeat customers through the door.
During the research process, our team noted how easy it was to assign items to orders and to separate bills by guests. However, they also noted that it takes a while to set up an account, so users should be prepared for this in order to eliminate potential downtime.
The Clover Customers page offers options to customize data. Source: Tech.co testing
Who is Clover not suitable for?
As one of the more expensive POS solutions on the market, Clover will not be suitable for microbusinesses, such as a small bakery or coffee shop that does not sell in high volumes.
While it has lower transaction fees than Square, they will not offset the high monthly fees if the business in question does not process a high volume of transactions.
How much does Clover POS cost?
Clover has six different pricing packages to choose from, which are divided into “quick-service restaurant” and “full-service restaurant.” Find out more about them below.
Quick-service restaurant:
- Starter — $135 per month for 36 months, or $849 + $89.95 per month
- Standard — $185 per month for 36 months, or $1,899 + $89.95 per month
- Advanced — $245 per month for 36 months, or $2,648 + $109.90 per month
Full-service restaurant:
- Starter — $179 per month for 36 months, or $1,799 + $89.95 per month
- Standard — $239 per month for 36 months, or $2,548 + $109.90 per month
- Advanced — $354 per month for 36 months, or $4,447 + $129.85 per month
See how the system compares with Toast head-to-head in our Clover vs Toast review.
Toast vs Square vs Clover: Which Is the Cheapest?
Square is the cheapest POS system out of the three options. While both Square and Toast’s entry-level plans are free, Square’s mid-tier plan is significantly cheaper. What’s more, Square has cheaper online transaction fees. In this section, you’ll find a breakdown of how the three providers compare head-to-head on price.
How much do Clover’s plans cost?
- Quick Service Starter — $135 per month for 36 months
- Quick Service Standard — $185 per month for 36 months
- Quick Service Advanced — $245 per month for 36 months
- Full Service Starter — $179 per month for 36 months
- Full Service Standard — $239 per month for 36 months
- Full Service Advanced — $354 per month for 36 months
How much do Toast’s plans cost?
- Starter Kit — Free
- Point of Sale — $69 per month
- Build Your Own — Bespoke
How much do Square’s plans cost?
- Free — Free
- Plus — $49 per month
- Premium — $149 per month
What are Clover’s transaction fees?
- Quick Service Starter
- Card-present: 2.3% + 10¢
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 10¢
- Quick Service Standard
- Card-present: 2.3% + 10¢
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 10¢
- Quick Service Advanced
- Card-present: 2.3% + 10¢ transactions
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 10¢
- Full Service Starter
- Card-present: 2.3% + 10¢
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 10¢
- Full Service Standard
- Card-present: 2.3% + 10¢
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 10¢
- Full Service Advanced
- Card-present: 2.3% + 10¢
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 10¢
What are Toast’s transaction fees?
- Starter Kit — 3.09%
- Point of Sale
- In-person: 2.49% + 15¢
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 15¢
- Build Your Own
- In-person: 2.49% + 15¢
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 15¢
What are Square’s transaction fees?
- Free
- Card: 2.6% + 15¢
- Online: 3.3% + + 30¢
- Plus
- Card: 2.5% + 15¢
- Online: 2.9% + + 30¢
- Premium
- Card: 2.4% + 15¢
- Online: 2.9% + + 30¢
| Price The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs | Best for Tech.co's verdict to help you identify the most suitable choice for your small business | Additional costs Any additional costs you'll need to pay to get started | Lowest transaction fee The lowest possible fee that will be incurred with each transaction | User limit | Get started | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST OVERALL | | |  |  |  | ||
| Free (but transaction fees apply) | Free (with transaction fees) | Free (but transaction fees apply) | |||||
| Scaling and growing your business | Restaurants with complex operations | Professional hardware | Speed, efficiency and data-driven sales insights | Simplifying staff scheduling and communication | Managing in-store and online sales | ||
| Marketing, customer loyalty, and employee management features cost extra | Digital ordering, third party delivery, email marketing, and catering/events cost extra | Accounting integrations cost extra | Customer loyalty programs cost extra | Loyalty programs cost extra | Shopify POS Pro is available for $89/location/month | ||
| 2.4% + 15¢ | 2.49% + 15¢ | 2.3% +10¢ | 2.6% + 10¢ | 1.99% + 25¢ | 2.6% + 10¢ | ||
| Unlimited — but each till requires a new license | Unlimited user limit | Unlimited — but each till requires a new license | Unlimited user limit | Unlimited user limit | Single user/license across all plans | ||
| Visit Square | Visit Toast | Compare Prices | Try SumUp | Compare Quotes | Try Shopify |
How Did We Compare Square vs Clover vs Toast?
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. We carried out 40 user testing sessions, which amounted to 720 hours of testing in total.
In these 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 a further 41 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 features: The capabilities provided by the POS product. Includes general features like ordering and payment functionality, as well as industry-specific tools like KSU uploads, inventory-level stock tracking, and kitchen display system (KDS) software.
- Hardware: The quality of a POS system'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.
- Ease of use: We test out the software to gauge how intuitive and easy to use 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.
- Customer satisfaction: 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 reflective of the present day.
Toast vs Square vs Clover: Verdict
Our research shows that Square POS is better than Clover and Toast, due to its affordable pricing options, ease of use, and robust inventory and analytics tools, even on its free plan.
Clover offers a stronger selection of industry-specific features than Square and a lower learning curve than either provider.
Toast POS is still easy for novices to get started on, and its extensive hardware options make it a great fit for full-service restaurants.
If you are interested in getting started with a POS system today, check out our POS guide for small businesses and our retail POS guide, so you can have all the important information you need to make an informed decision.
Or, if you want to take the guesswork out of POS pricing, answer a few simple questions about your business using our free comparison tool, and we’ll send you tailored quotes in minutes.