Toast

Restaurant point-of-sale platform with its own hardware, payments, online ordering and payroll.

PaidPOS systems

Updated Nov 1, 2026 · AppBreakup editorial · Android, iOS, Web

Visit Toast See 5 alternatives

Is Toast free?

No, it's a paid product

1 alternative with a free option

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All 5

Square POS
Starting price: $49/month per location (Square Plus)
Compare
Clover
Starting price: $16/month for 36 months or $349 upfront (Basic retail system)
Compare
Petpooja
Paid
Compare

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Toast

Toast is a point-of-sale platform made only for restaurants, from quick-service counters and cafes to full-service dining rooms and multi-location groups. It combines rugged Android-based terminals and handhelds with software for ordering, menus, kitchen display screens, online ordering, delivery, gift cards, loyalty and reporting, plus optional payroll and team management. Payments are processed by Toast itself, so card fees and software come from the same company. Restaurant owners manage everything from a web back office and a mobile app, and developers can connect other systems through Toast's APIs and partner integrations. Pricing is a mix of monthly software plans, card processing rates and hardware bought up front or financed, and most plans are quoted after a call with sales. Toast is based in Boston and mainly serves restaurants in the United States, with operations in a few other countries.

Best for: US restaurants that want POS, payments, online ordering and payroll from one vendor.

What works

Built only for restaurants, from counter service to fine dining
Handhelds let servers take orders and payments at the table
Online ordering, loyalty and payroll available in the same system
Open APIs and a partner program for third-party integrations

Why people leave

Card processing is tied to Toast, so you can't shop around for rates
Most pricing needs a sales quote and hardware is a separate cost
Mainly available in the US and a handful of other countries

Toast vs Square POS, Clover and Petpooja

From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.

Attribute	Toast	Square POS	Clover	Petpooja
Pricing	Paid	Free plan + paid	Paid	Paid
Verified price	—	$49/month per location (Square Plus)	$16/month for 36 months or $349 upfront (Basic retail system)	—
Free plan	No	Yes, Square Free at $0/month	No	No
Open source	No	No	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	iOS, Android, Web	Android, iOS, Web	Windows, Android, iOS, Web

Full Toast vs Square POS comparison Full Toast vs Clover comparison Full Toast vs Petpooja comparison

Top Toast alternatives

See all 5

1
Square POS
Free starter plan, published pricing and hardware you can buy online without a sales call.
68.8
2
Clover
Works with many banks and processors through resellers, with a broad app market for add-ons.
64.8
3
Petpooja
The common choice in India and the Gulf, with built-in Zomato and Swiggy order sync.
61.8
4
TouchBistro
Restaurant-only POS that runs on iPads instead of proprietary Android hardware.
42.3
5
SpotOn
Restaurant POS with handhelds, strong offline mode and a $0 per station plan.
42.3

Why people left Toast

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Toast, review the app you switched to and tell us why.

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Toast: common questions

What is Toast?

Toast: Restaurant point-of-sale platform with its own hardware, payments, online ordering and payroll. Best for US restaurants that want POS, payments, online ordering and payroll from one vendor. Available for Android, iOS and Web.

Is Toast free?

No, Toast is a paid product.

Is Toast open source?

No, Toast is not open source.

What platforms does Toast run on?

Toast is available for Android, iOS and Web.

What are the best alternatives to Toast?

The highest-ranked Toast alternatives right now are Square POS, Clover and Petpooja. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

Toast vs Square POS: what's the difference?

Toast is a paid product; Square POS is free with paid plans. Both run on Android, iOS and Web.

See all 5 Toast alternatives

Toast facts

4 of 4 verified

API: Standard, analytics and custom API access; Checked Nov 8, 2026doc.toasttab.com(opens source in a new tab); “Next steps You purchased self-service standard API access from the Toast Shop.”
Partner integrations: Toast Partner Integrations program; Checked Nov 8, 2026doc.toasttab.com(opens source in a new tab); “Your API access is granted through the Toast Partner Integrations program, which includes a formal application and certification process.”
Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts; Checked Nov 8, 2026central.toasttab.com(opens source in a new tab); “Schedule a free demo with a Toast specialist Get a demo 333 Summer Street Boston, MA 02210”
Mobile app: Toast Now app for support; Checked Nov 8, 2026central.toasttab.com(opens source in a new tab); “Connect with support in the Toast Now app”