# Square vs Toast > Square suits a small restaurant, cafe or food truck that wants a free-to-start plan, restaurant features on every plan and a POS that also works for retail and services. Toast suits a busier restaurant that wants a platform built only for food service, with its own hardware, kitchen display and payroll add-ons. Source: https://kitfinch.com/compare/square-vs-toast Author: Amine from KitFinch Last checked: 2026-10-05 ## Verdict **Toast** is our pick for a busy full-service or quick-service restaurant that wants a platform built only for food service: a kitchen display, restaurant-grade hardware, nested modifiers, payroll and a large integration network. **Square** is our pick for a small restaurant, cafe or food truck that wants to start on a free software plan and keep one system if the business also sells retail items or appointments. For a lower-upfront-cost alternative, see [SpotOn vs Toast](/compare/spoton-vs-toast). Both are [point-of-sale](/tasks/point-of-sale) systems that run restaurants. The price gap is not visible in the headline: it depends on devices, plan tier and card processing, so use the pricing table on this page rather than the vendors' marketing lines. ## Choose Square if - You want a free software plan to start with. Square's restaurant page lists a Free plan with branded online ordering, pickup and local delivery, and paid Plus and Premium tiers for more. - Your business is a mix: a cafe that also sells retail items, a food truck, or a salon-and-shop combination. Square spans restaurants, retail and appointment-based services. - You want no long-term contract language. Square's restaurant pricing page mentions none, and hardware is bought rather than leased. ## Choose Toast if - You want restaurant-specific depth: nested modifiers, real-time menu management, instant inventory syncing and a kitchen display bringing every channel into one view. - You want support included. Toast says its support team is included in every software subscription and reachable around the clock by phone or web messaging. - You want payroll that pulls hours and tips from the POS. - You want a Pay-As-You-Go option that lowers upfront hardware and installation cost. ## Is Toast better or Square? Toast is better for a restaurant that lives or dies on kitchen flow and floor complexity. Square is better for a lean operation that wants a free start and one system across business types. Neither is a clear winner on price without your own device count. Toast lists hardware including countertop terminals, handhelds, kiosks and a kitchen display, and positions itself for quick-service, full-service, bars, bakeries, food trucks, hotels and enterprise operators. Square lists a Register, Terminal, Handheld, Stand, Kiosk and card readers, with a kitchen display app and kiosk app sold as add-ons on its paid plans. ## Is it more expensive to order through Toast? Not because of a commission. Toast describes online ordering as a way to add a revenue stream without a commission, built into the same platform as the POS and kitchen display. Square's branded online ordering pages are also described as capturing sales directly, without third-party commission fees. The cost to compare is subscription, devices and card processing. Both also connect to delivery apps: Square lists DoorDash and Uber Eats connections, and Toast's partner directory groups delivery partners, which you would pay on their own terms. See [online ordering](/tasks/online-ordering) for how the task fits in a kit. ## Is there a better POS than Square? Possibly, if your restaurant is complex. Toast is the usual step up for food-service depth. [SpotOn](/tools/spoton) is worth quoting if you want a hardware-bundled plan, and [TouchBistro](/tools/touchbistro) suits table service; see [Toast vs TouchBistro](/compare/toast-vs-touchbistro). For the full read on each, see [Square](/tools/square) and [Toast](/tools/toast). ## Can I use my own hardware? On Toast, no, in the general case. Its pricing page says services may only be used on approved Toast hardware, which may change over time. On Square, you buy Square's own devices from its lineup. Neither lets you assume that an old tablet and printer will carry over, so ask before you buy. ## Side by side | Criterion | Square | Toast | |---|---|---| | Starting point | Free software plan, paid Plus and Premium tiers | Starter Package, including a Pay-As-You-Go option | | Built for | Restaurants, retail and appointment services | Restaurants and retail, with deep restaurant tools | | Hardware | Register, Terminal, Handheld, Stand, Kiosk, readers | Terminals, handhelds, kiosks, kitchen display, approved devices only | | Kitchen display | App sold per device on paid plans | Part of the platform, every channel in one view | | Online ordering | Branded pages, no third-party commission | Commission-free ordering built in | | Staff tools | Scheduling and payroll listed on its restaurant page | Toast Payroll pulling hours and tips from the POS | | Support | Not detailed on pages checked | Included in every software subscription, around the clock | | Offline mode | Accepts payment types without internet | Offline mode listed among its features | ## Limits to know Square's restaurant page does not itemize processing rates, so check its published rates before comparing. Toast says pricing applies to new customers and single locations only, that fees such as an inactivity fee may apply, and that hardware return may be required on cancellation. We did not confirm processing rates for either vendor on the pages checked, so they are not compared here. ## Which businesses each suits A food truck, small cafe or bakery that wants a free start and open options tends to fit Square. A full-service or quick-service [restaurant](/for/restaurants) with a kitchen display, many modifiers and payroll in the same system tends to fit Toast. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Toast better or Square? Neither is better for every restaurant. Toast is built specifically for restaurants, with its own hardware, kitchen display, payroll and a large partner network. Square starts with a free software plan, restaurant features on every plan, and suits cafes, food trucks and mixed retail-and-service businesses. Pick by menu complexity and how many devices you need. ### Is Toast POS better than Square? Toast is stronger when you want restaurant-specific depth: nested modifiers, a kitchen display, handhelds, payroll, and support included in every software subscription. Square is stronger when you want flexibility, a free starting plan and the same system across a restaurant, a retail counter or appointments. Compare both quotes against your device count. ### Is it more expensive to order through Toast? Toast positions online ordering as a commission-free revenue stream, and Square's branded ordering pages likewise let you capture sales without third-party commission fees. Cost comes from your plan, device fees and card processing, not from a per-order marketplace cut. Check each vendor's pricing table, and compare with delivery-app commissions separately. ### Is there a better POS than Square? It depends on what you need. Toast fits a restaurant that wants food-service depth and its own hardware, SpotOn suits an owner comparing a hardware-bundled plan, and TouchBistro suits table-service restaurants. Square remains a strong choice when you want a free starting plan, open hardware options and one system across several kinds of business. ### Can I use my own hardware with Toast or Square? Toast says its services work only through devices it identifies as compatible, and may only be used on approved Toast hardware. Square sells its own Register, Terminal, Handheld, Stand, Kiosk and card readers. Ask each vendor which existing tablets or printers are supported before you buy, and get that answer in writing. ### Do Square and Toast work without internet? Both advertise an offline mode. Square says it accepts all payment types without an internet connection, and Toast lists offline mode among its mid-shift features and says it covers orders and payments. Confirm what limits apply to card payments and kitchen routing during an outage, and whether a cellular backup device is needed. ## Sources - https://pos.toasttab.com/ - https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/pricing - https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants - https://pos.toasttab.com/pricing - https://pos.toasttab.com/products/payroll - https://pos.toasttab.com/hardware - https://squareup.com/us/en/hardware - https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/features - https://pos.toasttab.com/partners/directory Cite as: Amine from KitFinch, "Square vs Toast", Kitfinch, https://kitfinch.com/compare/square-vs-toast