Square
Plus
Flat price, whole team$49.00
× 12 months$588.00
Per year
$4.90 per person / mo
$588
Square vs Toast
Compare with for .
Square
60%
match · $588/yr
Toast
32%
match · quote
Square is the better fit.
It publishes its prices; the other needs a sales quote.
How we work out the matchWhat matters most?
Fine-tune
What you'd pay
Entry plan for 10 people, billed yearly where offered. Prices checked Oct 2026.
Toast
Sales quote
No public priceask sales
Per year
Quote
No public price
Square
From $49Free plan
Most small businesses that want to start for $0 a month, keep the option to grow into paid features, and avoid a long contract. Works for retail counters, cafes, quick-service food, salons and mobile sellers.
vs
Toast
From Custom
Restaurants, cafes, bars and food trucks that want a POS built only for food service, with online ordering, kitchen screens and payroll available from one vendor.
Side by side
| Square | Toast | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan; Plus $49/month per location | From $0/month (Starter Kit, pay-as-you-go) |
| G2 Rating | Not yet verified | Not yet verified |
| Best For | Most small businesses that want to start for $0 a month, keep the option to grow into paid features, and avoid a long contract. Works for retail counters, cafes, quick-service food, salons and mobile sellers. | Restaurants, cafes, bars and food trucks that want a POS built only for food service, with online ordering, kitchen screens and payroll available from one vendor. |
Pros and cons
Square
Pros
- Real $0 plan with no monthly fee
- Flat, published rates with no contract
- Cheapest entry hardware among the full POS systems here ($59 reader)
- Fits many business types from one account
Cons
- Free plan has a higher online rate (3.3% + 30¢)
- Plus and Premium charge per location, so multi-site costs add up
- Keyed payments cost 3.5% + 15¢
- Kitchen display and kiosk software cost extra per device
Toast
Pros
- Deepest restaurant feature set in this list
- $0 starter option for a single location
- Offline mode for card payments
- Payroll and team tools from the same vendor
Cons
- Works only on Toast hardware, so you cannot reuse it if you leave
- Processing fixed fee, keyed rate and contract terms are quote-only
- Pay-as-you-go rate of 3.09% gets expensive as sales grow
- Little reason to choose it outside food service
Marcus Williams