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Toast alternatives (October 2026): 7 restaurant POS systems compared on cost, contracts and lock-in

By Ari FeldmanSenior POS reviewer·Updated October 21, 2026·How we score

The short answer

The best Toast alternative depends on why you're leaving.

For no contract and an easy start, Square.
For the lowest published card rate, Clover's Growth plans, at 2.3% + 10¢.
For restaurant depth without a long contract, SpotOn Essentials, at $55 a month per station, month-to-month.
For iPad, TouchBistro or Square.
For no monthly software fee and your own choice of processor, JET Resto, which has no kitchen display.

For one café register at $30,000 a month, the lowest 3-year cost we found was $36,127, on a Clover Mini with the Restaurant Growth plan bought outright (no cash drawer priced). Toast's $69 plan came to $41,757.

Disclosure: WHICHpos is published by the company that makes JET, so we score JET on the same public grid and publish the same honest cons as every other system. More on our About page.

Why restaurants look for Toast alternatives

Toast is a strong restaurant system; it scores 8.1 in our review. In third-party reviews, the complaints that come up most are about fees and contract terms rather than features. Here is what Toast's own documents and the record show.

Toast software comes with a 2-year term that renews for a year at a time. Leaving early costs the software fees left in your term, or $150 for each remaining month on the pay-as-you-go Starter Kit.
Toast's terms make it your "exclusive provider of Payment processing services", so you can't shop for a lower card rate without leaving.
Toast's agreement lets it change card processing rates on 30 days' notice. In September 2024, it raised rates by 0.05 to 0.23 points for some small and mid-sized customers, according to a William Blair analyst note reported by Payments Dive; a Toast spokesperson said it was the first card-rate increase in 12 years. Its Q2 2026 investor remarks credit "small targeted pricing moves" for part of the rise in its payments take rate.
The $69 plan covers one terminal. Each extra terminal or handheld adds $50 a month, and a kitchen display adds $35.
In June 2023, Toast began adding a $0.99 fee, paid by guests, to online orders of $10 or more, according to the Boston Globe and Nation's Restaurant News. Restaurants reported they couldn't opt out. After a backlash, Toast reversed it on July 19, 2023. CEO Chris Comparato wrote: "We made the wrong decision."

The fee lasted about a month from the first press report to its reversal. It still raises a question worth asking every vendor: can you add a fee in front of my guests without my approval?

The Toast alternatives side by side

Every alternative below except Shift4 Dine publishes a full software price. Three don't publish a US card rate (TouchBistro, Lightspeed and Shift4 Dine), and only two say you can use your own processor.

System	Software / month	In-person card rate	Contract	Own processor?	Kitchen display	Runs on
Toast (for reference)	$0 (Starter Kit) or $69 + $50 per extra terminal	3.09% + 15¢ or 2.49% + 15¢	2 years, then yearly	No	$749 + $35/month per screen	Toast hardware
Square	$0 · $49 · $149 per location	2.6% / 2.5% / 2.4% + 15¢	Month-to-month	No	App $30/month per device (Plus)	iPad, Square hardware
Clover	Restaurant Growth $89.95 + $19.95 per device	2.3% + 10¢ (Growth)	36-month subscriptions can't be canceled; bought outright, Clover's terms allow 30 days' notice	No, devices locked	$799–$899 + $25/month	Clover hardware
SpotOn	Essentials $55 per station · All-In $0	2.45% + 15¢ · All-In 2.79% + 20¢	Essentials month-to-month · All-In 2 years	No	$20/month per station	SpotOn hardware
TouchBistro	From $69	Not published	Renews for the length of the first term; no early exit	Yes, "a wide range"	From $20/month per screen	iPad
Lightspeed Restaurant	$69 · $189 · $399 (billing period not shown)	Not published in the US	Auto-renews for the same term	Only if Lightspeed agrees in writing; fee reported	$30/month per screen	Lightspeed-supported hardware
JET Resto	$0, pay once for the station	Your processor's rate	None with JET; processor terms separate	Yes, any (integrated with Verifone terminals)	None; prints kitchen tickets	Android stations, tablets, phones
Shift4 Dine (was SkyTab)	"Starting at $29.99" (new customers; what it covers isn't stated)	Not published	Not published	Not stated	Offered; price not published	Shift4 hardware

US list prices verified October 20, 2026 on each vendor's own pages. Offline card windows, where vendors publish them: Square 72 hours, Toast 3 days, Clover up to 7 days; in all three the merchant carries the risk of a later decline. JET keeps ringing sales and printing kitchen tickets offline and syncs when back online; whether a card can be approved offline depends on your processor's terminal.

What the alternatives cost for a café

For one café register at $30,000 a month in card sales, all 5 alternative setups we could price came in under Toast's $69 plan over three years. Toast's $0 Starter Kit was the most expensive because of its 3.09% rate.

3-year cost of one café register at $30,000 a month ($15 average sale)

2,000 in-person card sales a month for 36 months, each vendor's published card-present rate, US list prices on October 20, 2026 (SpotOn's Station 15 at its advertised sale price; Toast's 60% hardware promo not applied). Toast bars in rust. The setups aren't identical: Clover's price has no cash drawer, SpotOn doesn't list what its station includes, and no setup includes a kitchen display (Square Free and JET can't add one). JET's processing is an assumed 2.6% + 10¢ with no monthly processor fees, plus a $349 card-terminal allowance.

One café register, $30K/month, $15 sales	Hardware	Software/mo	Card fees/mo	Total/mo	3 years	vs Toast $69
Clover Mini, Restaurant Growth (bought) No cash drawer in the price (Clover doesn't publish it)	$849	$89.95	$890	$1,004	$36,127	−$5,630
JET Resto on Topaz 2.0 Includes a $349 card-terminal allowance; no KDS (printed kitchen tickets); processor modeled at 2.6% + 10¢	$1,648	$0.00	$980	$1,026	$36,928	−$4,829
SpotOn Essentials, 1 station Station 15 at its $750 sale price (list $995); menu setup $500 not included	$750	$55.00	$1,035	$1,111	$39,990	−$1,767
Square Free + Register Kit No KDS, no loyalty on Free	$1,189	$0.00	$1,080	$1,113	$40,069	−$1,688
Square Plus + Register Kit KDS app +$30/month per device if you add a kitchen screen	$1,189	$49.00	$1,050	$1,132	$40,753	−$1,004
Toast Point of Sale ($69) Countertop kit $1,153 + printer $329 + drawer $99; 2-year agreement	$1,581	$69.00	$1,047	$1,160	$41,757	—
Toast Starter Kit (pay-as-you-go) $0 kit + printer + drawer; 2-year agreement; 1 location, up to 2 terminals	$428	$0.00	$1,227	$1,239	$44,600	+$2,843

Total/month = software + hardware ÷ 36 + ($30,000 × rate + 2,000 sales × fixed fee). Toast $69 plan: $69 + $1,581 ÷ 36 + $30,000 × 2.49% + 2,000 × $0.15 = $1,160/month; × 36 with hardware upfront = $41,757.

The setups aren't identical. Clover's price has no cash drawer, SpotOn doesn't list what its Station 15 includes, Square's US page doesn't list its Register Kit's contents, and none of these setups includes a kitchen display (Square Free and JET can't add one). JET's place assumes a processor charging 2.6% + 10¢ with no monthly fees; at Square's 15¢ per sale it would cost $40,528 and rank 4th instead of 2nd, and a processor may add monthly account or PCI fees. An interchange-plus quote could lower it. Toast's 60% hardware promo for new customers who sign by December 31, 2026 isn't applied. If it covered every hardware line, Toast's $69 plan would total about $40,808, still above every alternative here; Square Plus + Register Kit would be only $55 cheaper. Lightspeed, TouchBistro and Shift4 Dine aren't in the table because none publishes a US card rate for restaurants.

Small tickets make the per-sale fee count. At 2,000 sales a month, 10¢ versus 15¢ is $100 a month, which is why Clover's 10¢ pulls ahead here.

Square: the easiest switch

Square is month-to-month with no cancellation fee, and you can start on its Free plan. Plus ($49 a month per location) adds inventory tracking and close-of-day reports; Premium ($149) adds coursing and seat management.

Pick it if you run a café, counter-service spot or food truck and want no contract, iPad support and a $59 card reader to start.
The catch: card rates are Square's own (2.6% / 2.5% / 2.4% + 15¢ in person), and Square's pages offer no third-party processor option. The KDS app isn't on Free ($30 a month per device on Plus), and coursing and seat management need Premium ($149).

More: Toast vs Square.

Clover: the lowest published card rate

Clover's Restaurant Growth plan charges 2.3% + 10¢ in person, the lowest list rate in this comparison. Software is $89.95 a month for the first device and $19.95 for each extra.

Pick it if you do steady volume, like Clover's hardware (Mini $849, Station Solo bundle $1,799, Flex handheld $749) and plan to stay.
The catch: Clover devices can't be used with another processor. Its 36-month subscriptions can't be canceled, and you don't own the hardware at the end. Prices differ by seller, because banks and resellers set their own.

More: Clover vs Toast.

SpotOn: restaurant depth, month-to-month

SpotOn's Essentials plan is $55 a month per station with no long-term contract, at 2.45% + 15¢ in person (Amex 3.19% + 15¢). Its All-In plan is $0 a month with hardware included, at 2.79% + 20¢ and a 2-year minimum.

Pick it if you want Toast-style restaurant features without a multi-year term. Those features are add-ons: online ordering $55, loyalty $65, reservations $100 and KDS $20 a month per station.
The catch: you must use SpotOn's hardware and processing. Setup adds cost (menu creation $500, on-site install $1,500), and the $750 Station 15 price is a sale (list $995).

TouchBistro: iPad and processor choice

TouchBistro starts at $69 a month in the US, or $119 a month for a bundle that includes hardware. It says it works with "a wide range" of payment processors.

Pick it if you want an iPad system for a full-service room and may want to keep your own processor (ask which ones it integrates with).
The catch: TouchBistro doesn't publish card rates or most hardware prices. Add-ons are priced separately (online ordering $50, loyalty $99, reservations $229 a month). Its terms renew for the length of your first term and don't allow early termination.

Lightspeed Restaurant: think about its US focus

Lightspeed Restaurant lists plans at $69, $189 and $399 in the US. Kitchen screens cost $30 a month each.

Pick it if you run a restaurant in Europe, where Lightspeed is focusing its hospitality business, or in Canada, where it publishes restaurant card rates (2.6% + 10¢ on its first two plans).
The catch for US restaurants: after a strategic review, Lightspeed said in February 2025 it would focus on retail in North America and hospitality in Europe. It sold its Upserve US restaurant product line on April 29, 2026, and cut 250 roles in October 2026, according to the Canadian Press. Lightspeed also doesn't publish a US restaurant card rate. Its service agreement requires Lightspeed Payments unless Lightspeed agrees otherwise in writing; a fee for using another processor is reported but not published.

JET Resto: pay once, choose your processor

JET Resto, from the company that publishes WHICHpos, has $0 monthly software and every feature unlocked. You pay once for the station: Topaz 2.0 at $1,299 (currently on pre-order at $1,199, shipping in 30 to 45 days) or the dual-screen Onyx MAX at $1,800.

It covers a table floor plan, staff ordering on Android phones and tablets, guest QR ordering, instant kitchen tickets with seat numbers, modifiers and combos, split bills, loyalty, and its own online ordering with delivery dispatch. It works with any processor (integrated with Verifone terminals) and keeps selling offline.

Pick it if you're done with contracts and monthly software fees, and want hardware that isn't tied to one processor.
The catch: no kitchen display system (kitchens get printed tickets), Android only (no iPad), and support is self-serve (guides, JET University and email in English, French and Spanish), with no phone support or live demos; JET shows the software in recorded demo videos. You arrange your own processor and card terminal.

More: JET POS review · current prices at jetpos.ai.

Shift4 Dine (formerly SkyTab; Shift4 also owns Revel)

Shift4 renamed SkyTab to Shift4 Dine on May 12, 2026. It bought Revel in 2024; Revel is no longer sold to new merchants, and its site now redirects to Shift4.

Shift4 Dine now advertises pricing "starting at $29.99" a month for new customers (checked October 21, 2026), but doesn't say what that covers, and it publishes no card rate or contract term. It promotes an "Advantage Program" that it says can "completely offset your processing fees"; it is Shift4's cash-discount and surcharging program, so the card cost moves to your guests. Ask for the monthly fee, the card rate and the term in writing before you compare it with the systems above.

How to leave Toast without surprises

Leaving at the end of your term costs nothing extra. Leaving early costs the software fees left in your term.

Find your term end date in your Toast order. The first term is 2 years, then it renews for 1 year at a time.
Give written notice of non-renewal at least 30 days before the term ends.
If you leave early, budget for the fee. For a single-terminal $69 plan with 18 months left, that's 18 × $69 = $1,242. On the pay-as-you-go Starter Kit, it's 18 × $150 = $2,700. Toast waives it if you object in writing to a processing-rate or core-software-fee increase before it takes effect.
Export your data first (menus, item sales, customers and gift-card balances). Toast may delete merchant data 30 days after termination.
Plan on new hardware. Toast's software runs only on Toast-approved devices. Third-party guides report that Toast devices can't run other POS software either.

Our switching guide covers running two systems in parallel and moving gift-card balances.

Toast alternatives in Canada and Quebec

In Canada, the published options include:

Square Canada: Restaurants Plus at CA$60 a month per location (+CA$40 per extra countertop device), credit 2.5%, Interac debit 0.75% + 7¢.
Lightspeed Restaurant: CA$89, CA$239 or CA$499 a month, 2.6% + 10¢ on the first two plans.
TouchBistro: from CA$89.
Clover Canada: quote only.
JET: sells the same stations in Canada with free shipping and $0 software.

Since June 1, 2025, bars, restaurants and caterers in Quebec that are subject to mandatory billing must send transaction data through a sales recording system (SRS) certified by Revenu Québec, which connects to its WEB-SRM, and give every customer a bill from it. Before you buy any POS for a Quebec restaurant, ask the vendor for its Revenu Québec certification and any monthly WEB-SRM fee. JET, made by the company that publishes WHICHpos, is still finalizing its Revenu Québec certification (October 2026). Until it is certified, JET can't be the required SRS for a Québec restaurant subject to mandatory billing.

See Toast's full pricing Best POS for restaurants →

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Toast?

It depends on why you're leaving. For no contract and an easy start, Square. For the lowest published card rate, Clover's Growth plans (2.3% + 10¢). For month-to-month software with restaurant depth, SpotOn Essentials. For iPad, TouchBistro. For no monthly software fee and your own choice of processor, JET Resto, which has no kitchen display.

What POS is cheaper than Toast?

In our café model ($30,000 a month, $15 sales, one register, 3 years), Clover Mini, Restaurant Growth (bought) cost the least at $36,127 (without a cash drawer, which Clover doesn't price) versus $41,757 for Toast's $69 plan. All 5 alternative setups we priced came in below Toast's $69 plan, even if Toast's 60% hardware promo applied, and every one came in below Toast's $0 Starter Kit, because of its 3.09% + 15¢ rate. JET's 2nd place assumes a processor at 2.6% + 10¢; at 15¢ it would rank 4th.

Can I leave Toast before my contract ends?

Yes, but Toast's agreement charges an early termination fee: the software fees left in your term, or $150 for each remaining month on the pay-as-you-go Starter Kit. Toast waives it if you object in writing to a processing-rate or core-software-fee increase before it takes effect.

How do I cancel Toast at the end of my term?

Send written notice of non-renewal at least 30 days before your current term ends. After the first 2-year term, Toast renews for one year at a time. Export your data first: Toast may delete it 30 days after termination.

Which Toast alternative lets me use my own payment processor?

JET Resto works with any processor (it is integrated with Verifone terminals), and TouchBistro says it works with "a wide range" of processors. Square, SpotOn and Clover use their own processing, and Clover devices can't be moved to another processor. Lightspeed's service agreement requires Lightspeed Payments unless Lightspeed agrees otherwise in writing, and a monthly fee for using another processor is reported. Shift4 Dine doesn't say.

Do Toast alternatives have kitchen display systems?

Most do, at extra cost: Square's KDS app is $30 a month per device on Plus, Clover's KDS screens are $799 or $899 plus $25 a month, SpotOn's KDS is $20 a month per station, TouchBistro's from $20 a month per screen, and Lightspeed's $30 a month per screen. JET Resto has no KDS; it prints kitchen tickets.

Did Toast charge customers a 99-cent fee?

Yes, briefly. In 2023 Toast added a $0.99 fee, paid by guests, on online orders of $10 or more through its digital ordering channels. After a backlash it reversed the fee on July 19, 2023; CEO Chris Comparato wrote, "We made the wrong decision."

Which Toast alternative works on iPad?

Square and TouchBistro both run on iPad. Clover uses its own devices, Toast and SpotOn use their own hardware, and JET runs on Android stations, tablets and phones only.

Is there a good Toast alternative in Canada?

Square Canada (Restaurants Plus CA$60 a month per location, credit 2.5%, Interac 0.75% + 7¢), Lightspeed Restaurant (CA$89–CA$499 a month), TouchBistro (from CA$89) and JET all sell in Canada. Quebec restaurants must use a sales recording system certified by Revenu Québec, so confirm certification before you buy any POS. JET's Revenu Québec certification is still being finalized (October 2026).

Sources

Every price and rate on this page was checked on October 20–21, 2026 against the pages below. Something out of date? Tell us and we fix it with a visible note.