WHICHpos › Guides › Square vs Toast vs Clover

Square vs Toast vs Clover (October 2026): what each really costs a restaurant at $20K, $50K and $100K a month

By Anika DeshmukhSoftware and comparisons editor·Updated October 20, 2026·How we score

The short answer

Square is the cheapest way to start and the only one of the three that publishes no contract term and no early-termination fee. Toast has the deepest restaurant tools, on a 2-year agreement. Clover has the lowest card rate (2.3% + 10¢ on its Growth plans); buy the hardware rather than rent it, because the 36-month rental can't be canceled.

We priced the same 2-terminal restaurant on all three at list prices, over 24 months with hardware. At $20,000 a month in card sales, Square cost the least ($18,864), but only by $881, and its total has no kitchen screen while Toast's and Clover's do. A screen costing more than $881 would make Clover the cheapest at every volume. At $50,000 and $100,000, Clover cost the least. Toast came out highest at every volume. All three lock you into their own payment processing.

Quick verdict by restaurant type

There's no single winner; each one fits a different kind of room.

You run	Best fit	Why	Watch out for
Café or counter service	Square	$0 or $49 a month, no contract, fast setup. Clover becomes cheaper as volume grows.	15¢ on every sale hurts small tickets; KDS needs Square Plus
Quick-service restaurant	Clover (bought) or Square	Clover's 2.3% + 10¢ wins at higher volume; Square wins on flexibility	Clover's 36-month subscription is a rental you can't cancel
Full-service restaurant	Toast	Tables, coursing, handhelds and kitchen routing are its core	2-year agreement; Amex and online cards at 3.50% + 15¢
Bar	Toast for busy bars, Square for small ones	Toast handhelds ($599 + $50/mo) for table and patio service; Square for month-to-month	Toast's per-device fees add up fast
Food truck	Square	Reader $59 or Handheld $399 on the Free plan	Toast's cellular handheld is $749 + $70 a month

Running a shop, not a restaurant? Toast is built for restaurants first (its retail plan starts at $90 a month), so for a store compare Square, Clover, Shopify POS and Lightspeed instead. Start with our best POS for retail guide, Square vs Clover and Lightspeed vs Shopify POS.

Side by side: software, card rates, hardware, contract and lock-in

All three charge a monthly software fee, a percentage plus a fixed fee on every card, and up-front hardware. They differ most on contract and on per-device add-ons.

	Square	Toast	Clover (bought on clover.com)
Software / month	Free $0 · Plus $49 · Premium $149 per location	Starter Kit $0 (Pay-as-you-Go) · Point of Sale $69, first terminal included	Restaurant Growth $89.95 (Starter $0 and Essentials $29.95 are sold with Go, Compact and Flex)
Extra device	Plans are per location; KDS app $30/mo per screen on Plus (not on Free); Kiosk app $99/mo	+$50/mo per terminal or handheld · +$35/mo per KDS · +$100/mo per kiosk	+$19.95/mo per device · KDS +$25/mo
Card rate, in person	2.6% / 2.5% / 2.4% + 15¢ (Free / Plus / Premium)	2.49% + 15¢ · Pay-as-you-Go 3.09%–3.69% + 15¢	2.6% (Starter) · 2.5% (Essentials) · 2.3% (Growth), all + 10¢
Amex, keyed, online	Keyed 3.5% + 15¢ · online 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans · same in-person rate for every card brand	Amex and card-not-present 3.50% + 15¢	Keyed 3.5% + 10¢ · same rate for Amex and rewards cards
Countertop hardware	Register $899 · Register Kit from $1,189 · Terminal $299	Countertop kit $1,153 (no printer or drawer) · Flex $749	Mini $849 · Station Solo $1,799 · Station Duo $1,899
Kitchen display	KDS app $30/mo per screen on Plus ($20 on Premium); screen not priced here	Flex for Kitchen $749 + $35/mo	14" $799 or 24" $899, + $25/mo
Contract	Month-to-month, cancel anytime	2-year agreement, then 1-year auto-renewals	No term published if bought (account closes on 30 days' notice); 36-month non-cancelable if rented
Early termination	None	Remaining software fees for the term	Not published for clover.com; varies by reseller
Processor lock-in	Square only (no third-party option offered)	Toast is your "exclusive provider"	Devices "cannot be used with other payment processors"
WHICHpos score	8.4	8.1	7.4

Verified October 20, 2026 on each vendor's own pricing pages, shop carts and terms. Clover prices are clover.com's own; banks and resellers that sell Clover set their own. Toast's "Pricing applies to new customers and single locations only."

What each costs per month at $20K, $50K and $100K (math shown)

Card processing is 80% to 89% of the monthly bill at $20,000 a month and 95% to 98% at $100,000, for all three, so the card rate decides the ranking more than the software price.

We priced one setup on all three: a single-location restaurant with two countertop terminals, one kitchen display, one receipt printer and one cash drawer. The average ticket is $25, so $20,000 a month is 800 card sales. (Our Toast pricing page prices a café without a kitchen screen at $30,000 a month and a $15 ticket, so its totals differ.)

One gap in the like-for-like: Square's US pages we used price no kitchen screen, so Square's hardware has none, while Toast's ($749) and Clover's ($799) include one.

All-in monthly cost for the same 2-terminal restaurant (software + card processing)

Average ticket $25. List prices, card-present Visa/Mastercard/Discover only. Square Plus 2.5% + 15¢, Toast Point of Sale 2.49% + 15¢, Clover Restaurant Growth 2.3% + 10¢. Hardware is in the 24-month table below.

On the monthly bill alone, Clover is lowest at every volume, $24 a month below Square at $20,000. Square still wins the 24-month total at $20,000 because its hardware costs $1,459 less ($660 less even if you take Clover's kitchen screen out).

Monthly cost, all in (24-month total incl. hardware)	$20K / month	$50K / month	$100K / month
Square	$699 24 mo: $18,864	$1,629 24 mo: $41,184	$3,179 24 mo: $78,384
Toast	$772 24 mo: $21,706	$1,699 24 mo: $43,954	$3,244 24 mo: $81,034
Clover	$675 24 mo: $19,745	$1,485 24 mo: $39,185	$2,835 24 mo: $71,585
Cheapest over 24 months, hardware included	Square	Clover	Clover

Square at $50K: $79 software + ($50,000 × 2.5%) + (2,000 sales × $0.15) = $79 + $1,250 + $300 = $1,629 a month. Toast at $50K: $154 + $1,245 + $300 = $1,699. Clover at $50K: $134.90 + $1,150 + $200 = $1,484.90. 24-month total = hardware + 24 × monthly.

24-month total at $50K a month in card sales (hardware + software + processing)

Processing is the last segment on each bar. It is 83% to 90% of every total. Square's bar has no kitchen screen in its hardware; Toast's and Clover's do.

Three caveats shape these numbers:

These are list prices only. At $50,000 a month you process $600,000 a year. Square and Toast both offer custom pricing at that size (Square Pro is for sellers over $250,000 a year; Toast sells a custom "Build Your Own" plan), and banks that resell Clover set their own rates.
They cover Visa, Mastercard and Discover in person only. Toast charges 3.50% + 15¢ on Amex and on online or keyed cards, so a restaurant with lots of Amex pays Toast more than shown.
Square's kitchen display screen isn't priced. We included Square's KDS app ($30 a month on Plus), but the Square US pages we used price no kitchen screen, so Square's hardware total has none, while Toast's ($749) and Clover's ($799) include one. Square's 24-month lead over Clover at $20,000 a month is only $881. A screen priced like Toast's or Clover's would cut that to $82 to $132, and one costing more than $881 makes Clover the cheapest at every volume. Square's US Register Kit page also doesn't list what the kit contains. Square prices Plus per location; its US pricing page lists per-device fees only for the KDS and Kiosk apps, so we added no fee for the second register.

Hardware for a 2-terminal restaurant, compared

Square was cheapest up front at $2,088, but that total has no kitchen screen; Toast's $3,178 and Clover's $3,547 each include one. Here is exactly what we priced.

System and plan	Hardware (one-time)	Software (monthly)	Card rate
Square Square Plus ($49/location) + KDS app ($30/device)	Square Register Kit (from): $1,189 2nd Square Register: $899 Total $2,088	Square Plus, per location: $49 Square KDS app on Plus, 1 device: $30 Total $79.00/mo	2.50% + 15¢
Toast Toast Point of Sale on the Traditional plan ($69 incl. 1st terminal)	Countertop Starter Kit (Flex + Tap + router): $1,153 2nd 14" Toast Flex with stand: $749 2nd Toast Tap (on counter): $99 14" Toast Flex for Kitchen (KDS): $749 Toast receipt printer: $329 Flex 3 cash drawer: $99 Total $3,178	Point of Sale software, 1st terminal: $69 2nd terminal: $50 KDS screen: $35 Total $154.00/mo	2.49% + 15¢
Clover Clover Restaurant Growth ($89.95, +$19.95 per extra device), bought outright	Station Duo bundle (printer + cash drawer): $1,899 Clover Mini (2nd terminal): $849 Clover KDS 14": $799 Total $3,547	Restaurant Growth, 1st device: $89.95 Extra device (Mini): $19.95 KDS, per device: $25 Total $134.90/mo	2.30% + 10¢

Square's US kit page says "starting at" and doesn't list contents; Square's Canadian Register Kit page says it includes a cash drawer, printer and paper. Clover's KDS page names older plan types as requirements, so confirm KDS support on Restaurant Growth with Clover before you buy. Toast's countertop kit has no printer or drawer, so we added Toast's own. Toast describes its Starter Kit as "1 location, up to 2 terminals"; our setup uses both terminals plus a kitchen screen, so adding a third terminal or a handheld means a quoted plan. Toast's kit includes a router; the Square and Clover totals include no networking gear.

Two hardware details are easy to miss:

Clover Station Solo takes chip and swipe only, with no tap, which is why we priced the Station Duo.
Toast is running a 60% hardware discount for new customers who sign by December 31, 2026. If it applied to every line above, Toast's hardware would drop to about $1,271, and its 24-month total at $20K to $19,799. That's still above Square's total (which has no kitchen screen) and about level with Clover's. Ask whether the promo applies to your quote.

Contracts: Toast's 2 years vs Clover's 36 months vs Square's month-to-month

Square is the only one that publishes no fee for leaving at any time. Toast and a rented Clover tie you in, in different ways.

Toast: a 2-year agreement, then yearly renewals

Toast's cart says: "Subscription to Toast software with a 2 year agreement." After that, the agreement "shall automatically renew for successive one (1) year periods" unless either side gives 30 days' written notice before the term ends.
Leaving early costs "the remaining Fees for Software Subscription Fees" for the rest of the term. On Pay-as-you-Go, it's $150 for each month left. For our setup, quitting with 18 months to go would cost 18 × $154 = $2,772.
Toast can change processing rates on 30 days' notice. If you object to a rate increase, you can leave without the early-termination fee.
Promotions end at renewal, and Toast may delete your data 30 days after you leave. Export it first.

Clover: buy it, or rent it for 36 months

Bought outright, the hardware is yours and the clover.com account can be closed on 30 days' notice under Clover's terms.
On a 36-month subscription (for example $185 a month for the Station Duo restaurant bundle), Clover says subscriptions are "non-cancelable". At the end you buy the equipment or return it. If you do neither, the subscription keeps billing at the same monthly charge.
Clover's current $450 statement credit "Requires a 3-year contract."
Clover doesn't publish an early-termination fee for clover.com accounts. Banks and resellers set their own, and reseller leases are reported to be non-cancelable for their full term.

Square: month-to-month

Plus and Premium can be canceled or switched "anytime". Square lists no fee for early termination, PCI compliance or chargebacks.
If you finance hardware through Square, that's a separate loan (15% APR) you still repay.

Can you keep your own processor with Square, Toast or Clover?

No. All three bundle software, hardware and payment processing, and you can't bring your own processor to any of them.

Toast: "Merchant agrees to utilize Toast as its exclusive provider of Payment processing services." Toast software runs only on approved Toast hardware.
Clover: devices "cannot be used with other payment processors", even if bought elsewhere.
Square: none of Square's US pricing pages offers a third-party processor, so in practice every card sale on Square goes through Square (Square doesn't state the rule in words).

That matters most when volume grows. At $100,000 a month, every 0.1 point of card rate is $100 a month. With a closed system, you take the posted rate or negotiate with the one company that also owns your hardware. Our guide to processor lock-in covers what that costs over time.

The open alternative, and its limits. JET POS, made by the same company that publishes WHICHpos, works with any processor and charges $0 a month for software (JET Resto for restaurants). Two Topaz 2.0 stations cost $2,598 one time at the regular price (the Topaz 2.0 is currently on pre-order, shipping in 30 to 45 days), plus a card terminal for each from your processor (we allowed $349 apiece) and a JET 80mm kitchen ticket printer at $199.95. This isn't the same setup: JET has no kitchen display screen, so the kitchen gets printed tickets instead. With a processor charging 2.6% + 10¢, that setup would cost about $17,896 over 24 months at $20K and $75,496 at $100K, plus any monthly account or PCI fees your processor charges (Wells Fargo's, above, are $19.95 a month). An interchange-plus quote can be lower.

It isn't the right fit for every restaurant: JET runs on Android only (no iPad), and it has no kitchen display system: kitchens get printed tickets. At $100K a month, Clover's 2.3% + 10¢ beats a 2.6% + 10¢ processor. Read our JET POS review or see current prices at jetpos.ai for the full picture.

Why Clover quotes differ from one restaurant to the next

Clover is sold by Clover itself and by thousands of banks and resellers, each with its own price sheet. Clover says its listed prices are "only available on Clover.com".

Clover lists Citi, PNC and Wells Fargo among its sellers, plus "more than 3,000 other financial institution partners", Restaurant Depot and Sam's Club. Here's how card rates and fees compare through two of them:

Where you buy Clover	In-person rate	Keyed / online	Monthly fees	Contract
clover.com (Growth plans)	2.3% + 10¢	3.5% + 10¢ keyed	Software only	No term published if bought; 36 months if rented
Wells Fargo (under $40K a month)	2.60% + 15¢	3.50% + 15¢	$9.95 account + $10 PCI	No early-termination fee
PNC	2.60% + 10¢	3.45% + 15¢ keyed · 2.90% + 30¢ online	Not published (equipment and app fees extra)	Not published

At $20,000 a month and a $25 ticket: clover.com Growth processing = $460 + 800 × $0.10 = $540.00. Wells Fargo = $520 + 800 × $0.15 + $19.95 in fees = $659.95. That's $119.95 a month more in card and account fees for the bank-sold version, before software, which Wells Fargo prices separately (its Clover plans start at $0 Starter or $29.95 Essentials, plus $11.95 per extra device).

Whoever sells you the Clover device also processes your cards, and the device can't move to another processor. If you leave that provider, you need new hardware. Get the rate, the monthly fees, the term and the early-termination fee in writing before you sign.

Which is cheapest?

For our 2-terminal restaurant, Square was cheapest at $20K a month (by $881, with no kitchen screen in its total) and Clover at $50K and $100K. With a kitchen screen costing more than $881, Clover is cheapest at all three volumes. Toast's list price was highest at every volume.

Under about $29,000 a month: Square. Its fixed costs are lowest ($79 a month for Plus with one KDS app, $2,088 of hardware before a kitchen screen), and it has no contract. Smaller cafés can start on Square Free at $0, without a KDS.
Above about $29,000 a month: Clover bought outright. Its 2.3% + 10¢ beats 2.49% + 15¢ and 2.5% + 15¢, and above that volume the lower rate pays back Clover's extra $1,459 of hardware within 24 months. At $100K, Clover's monthly bill is $344 lower than Square's. That volume is over $250,000 a year, where Square offers custom rates through Square Pro, so get a Square quote before you decide.
Toast costs more at list price, but it has the deepest full-service toolset of the three, and Toast also quotes a custom "Build Your Own" plan. If you're small, look at Pay-as-you-Go (3.09% + 15¢, $0 kit): at Toast's list prices it costs less than the $69 plan over the 2-year term below about $19,500 a month in card sales, counting the $1,153 kit it saves.
Square Premium ($149, with the KDS app at $20 instead of $30) only beats Plus for this setup above $90 ÷ 0.1% = $90,000 a month in card sales.

Run your own numbers with our POS cost calculator, or see every system side by side in the POS price comparison.

Compare all POS prices Toast pricing in detail →

Frequently asked questions

Which is the cheapest: Toast, Square or Clover?

It depends on your card volume. For the same 2-terminal restaurant at list prices over 24 months, hardware included, Square Plus was cheapest at $20,000 a month ($18,864, before a kitchen screen, which Square doesn't price; Toast's and Clover's totals include one), but only by $881. Clover Restaurant Growth was cheapest at $50,000 ($39,185) and $100,000 ($71,585), because its 2.3% + 10¢ rate is the lowest of the three, and a kitchen screen costing more than $881 would make Clover cheapest at $20,000 too. Toast's list price came out highest at every volume, but Toast also sells a custom-priced "Build Your Own" plan, so ask for a quote.

Which is best for restaurants: Toast, Square or Clover?

Toast is built for restaurants first and has the deepest full-service toolset, at the cost of a 2-year agreement and Toast-only processing. Square suits cafés, food trucks and counter service that want no contract. Clover suits quick-service restaurants that want polished all-in-one hardware and a lower card rate, ideally bought rather than rented, because the 36-month rental can't be canceled.

Square vs Toast: which is better for a full-service restaurant?

Toast, for most full-service rooms: table and course management, handhelds and kitchen routing are its core. Square has closed some of the gap (coursing and seat management are on Square Premium, $149 a month), and it has no contract. See our full Toast vs Square comparison.

Is Square worth it for a restaurant?

For counter service, cafés and trucks, usually yes: Square Free costs $0 a month, Square Plus is $49 per location, and you can cancel any time. The trade-off is Square's 15¢ per-transaction fee on top of 2.5% to 2.6%, which adds up on small tickets, and Square-only processing.

How much does Clover cost?

Bought from clover.com, Clover's restaurant software is $89.95 a month (Restaurant Growth) plus $19.95 per extra device, and hardware runs from $199 (Go) to $1,899 (Station Duo). Card rates are 2.3% + 10¢ on Growth plans. Banks and resellers that sell Clover set their own prices and terms.

Why does Clover pricing vary so much between restaurants?

Because Clover is sold by thousands of banks and resellers, not only by Clover. Clover says its listed prices are "only available on Clover.com". Wells Fargo, for example, charges 2.60% + 15¢ in person under $40,000 a month (2.50% and 2.40% at higher volumes) plus $19.95 a month in account and PCI fees, while clover.com charges 2.3% + 10¢ on its Growth plans.

Can I keep my own payment processor with Square, Toast or Clover?

No. Toast's terms make it your exclusive processor, Clover devices "cannot be used with other payment processors", and none of Square's plans offers a third-party processor. If you want to choose your processor, you need an open POS.

Does Toast require a contract?

Yes. Toast software comes "with a 2 year agreement" that then renews for one year at a time unless you give 30 days' notice. Leaving early costs the remaining software fees for the term ($150 per remaining month on Pay-as-you-Go).

How hard is it to switch between these platforms?

The hardware usually doesn't come with you. Toast's services run only on approved Toast hardware, Clover devices are tied to their processor, and Square hardware works with Square. Export your menu, customer and sales data first: Toast may delete merchant data 30 days after termination. Our switching guide has the steps.

Do Square, Toast and Clover charge per transaction?

Yes, all three add a fixed fee to every card sale on top of the percentage: 15¢ at Square and Toast, 10¢ at Clover. At a $25 average ticket that is 0.6 points (Square, Toast) or 0.4 points (Clover) of every sale.

Sources

Every price and rate on this page was checked on October 20, 2026 against the pages below. Something out of date? Tell us and we fix it with a visible note.