Square suits small cafés and counter-service restaurants that want to start free on their own iPad or Square hardware and pay only card fees. Toast suits busier full-service restaurants that want restaurant-grade hardware and deeper kitchen tools. Both only operate in a short list of countries, so if you are outside those markets you will need a locally supported POS.
Quick answer
- Square for Restaurants has a free plan (US$0 a month) plus card fees; paid plans are US$49 and US$149 per location per month (US pricing, as of November 2026).
- Toast starts at US$0 a month on its Starter Kit with higher pay-as-you-go card rates, or US$69 a month on its Point of Sale plan (US pricing, as of November 2026).
- Toast only runs on Toast-approved hardware. Square runs on Square hardware and also offers phone-based payments.
- Toast operates in the US, Canada, Ireland, the UK and Australia. Square processes payments in eight countries: Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US. If your country is not on those lists, including Thailand, you will need a locally supported POS.
- Compare total monthly cost at your real card volume, not the headline software price.
How this comparison was made: it is based on each company’s public pricing pages and documentation, checked in November 2026, and on what matters in the restaurants I work with. It is not a paid placement and not a hands-on lab test. This site may earn referral fees from some software companies in future; any such link will be labelled. Michael Clarke is a trained chef and runs Markedine, a restaurant marketing company in Bangkok. There are no affiliate links in this article.
Toast vs Square: what is the short version?
| Toast | Square for Restaurants | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting software price | US$0/month (Starter Kit) or US$69/month (Point of Sale plan) | US$0/month (Square Free); US$49 (Plus); US$149 (Premium), per location |
| In-person card rate | 2.99% + 15¢ on Starter Kit (Visa, Mastercard, Discover); 2.49% + 15¢ on the Point of Sale plan, per Toast | 2.6% + 15¢ (Free), 2.5% + 15¢ (Plus), 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium) |
| Online card rate | 3.29% + 15¢ on Starter Kit (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) | 3.3% + 30¢ (Free), 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus and Premium) |
| Hardware | Toast-approved hardware only | Square hardware from US$59, or Tap to Pay on a phone |
| Kitchen display | Hardware add-on (price on quote) | Square KDS app US$30/device/month on Plus, US$20 on Premium; not on Free |
| Support | 24/7 Toast Care included | Phone support hours vary by plan; 24/7 on Premium |
| Countries | US, Canada, Ireland, UK, Australia | US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, France, Spain |
All figures are US pricing from the official pages linked at the end, as of November 2026. Prices and rates change, and both companies offer custom pricing at higher volumes.
How much does Toast cost for a restaurant?
Toast publishes three restaurant options on its pricing page and explains them on its pricing guide, as of November 2026:
- Starter Kit: starting at US$0 a month for software, for new, single-location restaurants that need one or two terminals. It includes one terminal. Toast says this uses pay-as-you-go processing, which “keeps the software price at $0 but carries a higher per-transaction rate.”
- Point of Sale: starting at US$69 a month, including the first hardware terminal subscription, with a lower processing rate.
- Build Your Own: custom pricing.
On its Starter Kit page Toast gives the pay-as-you-go rates: American Express card-present transactions at 3.29% + 15¢ and card-not-present Amex at 3.89% + 15¢, with the base Visa, Mastercard and Discover card-present rate at 2.99% + 15¢ and card-not-present at 3.29% + 15¢. Toast’s small-business guide lists the Point of Sale plan’s in-person rate as 2.49% + 15¢.
Upfront costs are hardware and installation, which Toast says vary by package. Additional devices cost extra. Toast also says its services can only be used on Toast-approved hardware, so you cannot bring your own iPads.
How much does Square for Restaurants cost?
Square publishes three plans on its restaurant pricing page, per location, as of November 2026:
- Square Free: US$0 a month. In-person cards 2.6% + 15¢; online 3.3% + 30¢. Includes menu management, pickup and local delivery and a branded online ordering page.
- Square Plus: US$49 a month. In-person 2.5% + 15¢; online 2.9% + 30¢. Adds things a sit-down restaurant often needs, such as split checks, tableside ordering, bar-tab pre-authorisation and close-of-day reporting.
- Square Premium: US$149 a month. In-person 2.4% + 15¢; online 2.9% + 30¢, with 24/7 phone support and coursing and seat management.
Add-ons are priced separately: the Square KDS app is US$30 per device per month on Plus and US$20 on Premium, and Square Kiosk is US$99 per device per month. Manually keyed cards are 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan, and cards issued outside the US carry an extra 1.5%. Plus and Premium have a 30-day free trial. Square hardware starts at US$59.
Which is cheaper, Toast or Square?
It depends on your card volume and which features you need. A headline “US$0” is not the cheapest option if the card rate is higher and you put a lot of money through it.
A simple way to compare: take one realistic month of card sales and number of transactions, then calculate software + percentage fee + per-transaction fee for each option. For example, on US$40,000 of in-person card sales across 1,600 transactions:
| Option | Software | Card fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Free | US$0 | 2.6% × 40,000 + 0.15 × 1,600 = US$1,280 | US$1,280 |
| Square Plus | US$49 | 2.5% × 40,000 + 0.15 × 1,600 = US$1,240 | US$1,289 |
| Toast Starter Kit (Visa/MC/Discover) | US$0 | 2.99% × 40,000 + 0.15 × 1,600 = US$1,436 | US$1,436 |
| Toast Point of Sale | US$69 | 2.49% × 40,000 + 0.15 × 1,600 = US$1,236 | US$1,305 |
That is arithmetic on the published rates, not a quote, and it leaves out hardware, add-ons, Amex and online orders. Your numbers will move the answer. Toast says itself that break-even points vary with ticket size, card mix and volume, so ask both companies for a quote at your volume.
Who should choose Square?
- Cafés, bakeries, food trucks and counter-service places that want to start without a monthly fee.
- Owners who want to try it before committing: the Free plan has no subscription, and the paid plans have a 30-day trial.
- Restaurants that also sell online through a simple ordering page or website, since both are included at the entry level.
- Small teams that want scheduling and timecards inside the POS (these are on Plus and Premium).
Who should choose Toast?
- Full-service and busy quick-service restaurants that want hardware built for kitchens, with 24/7 support included in every plan.
- Operators who want one company for POS, payments and hardware, and are happy to use only Toast-approved devices.
- US restaurants that want Toast’s US-only extras. Toast lists products such as Toast Payroll, xtraCHEF and Toast Capital as available only in the US.
What if Toast or Square is not available in my country?
Check each company’s own country list. Toast’s international demo page says it “only works with restaurants in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia and the United Kingdom.” Square’s developer documentation lists payment processing in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
If you are outside those markets, including Thailand, look for a POS with a local company behind it, local-language support, the payment methods your guests actually use (in Thailand, PromptPay QR and Thai tax invoices), and integrations with the delivery apps in your market (in Thailand, GrabFood and LINE MAN). Ask for those in writing before you sign. I cover what to look for in the best POS systems for small independent restaurants.
What should you ask before signing with either one?
- What is my all-in monthly cost at my real card volume, including Amex and online orders?
- What hardware do I need, what does it cost upfront, and is there a contract term tied to it?
- Which features I need are add-ons, and what does each cost per device or per location?
- How do I export my menu, sales and guest data if I leave?
- What happens when the internet drops? Both offer offline payments, with conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Is Toast or Square better for a small restaurant?
For a small counter-service café, Square’s free plan is usually the simpler start. For a busy full-service restaurant in Toast’s countries, Toast’s restaurant hardware and included 24/7 support can be worth the monthly fee. Compare total cost at your real card volume.
Does Square for Restaurants have a free plan?
Yes. Square Free costs US$0 a month per location, with in-person card fees of 2.6% plus 15 cents and online fees of 3.3% plus 30 cents, as of November 2026.
How much is Toast per month?
Toast lists its Starter Kit from US$0 a month with higher pay-as-you-go card rates, its Point of Sale plan from US$69 a month, and custom pricing for larger setups, as of November 2026.
Can I use my own iPad with Toast?
No. Toast says its services can only be used on Toast-approved hardware.
Are Toast and Square available worldwide?
No. Toast works in the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia and the UK, and Square processes payments in eight countries: Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US. If you are outside those markets, including Thailand, you need a locally supported POS.
Sources
- Toast pricing
- Toast pricing guide (October 2026)
- Toast Starter Kit bundles and rates
- Toast small-business POS guide
- Toast international availability
- Toast US-only products
- Square for Restaurants pricing
- Square international availability (developer docs)
