For most small independents, the best POS is the one that fits your service style and costs least at your real card volume. Square’s free plan suits counter service; Toast, Clover, Lightspeed and TouchBistro suit full service. If those systems are not available in your country, choose a locally supported POS that handles the payments, tax invoices and delivery apps your market uses.
Quick answer
- Start from how you serve: counter, full service, bar, or mostly delivery. That narrows the list fast.
- Published US entry prices (November 2026): Square US$0, Toast US$0 or US$69, Clover bundles from US$179/month for 36 months, Lightspeed Starter listed at US$69, TouchBistro from US$69/month plus hardware.
- Card processing usually costs more than the software. Always compare the total at your volume.
- Check hardware lock-in, contract length and how you get your data out before you sign.
- Toast and Square only operate in a short list of countries. If you are outside those markets, shortlist locally supported systems and test them in a real service.
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.
What does a small restaurant actually need from a POS?
Before comparing brands, write down what your service needs. A 40-seat bistro, a coffee counter and a dark kitchen need very different things. When I ran the rooftop Attitude Bar & Restaurant at Avani Riverside, the POS sat at the centre of daily revenue reporting, reservations, inventory and bar control. A small independent needs the same basics, just simpler.
- Order taking that matches your service: table maps and coursing for full service; a fast counter screen for quick service; bar tabs if you run a bar.
- Kitchen tickets: printers or a kitchen display, with modifiers that cooks can read under pressure.
- Payments: the cards, wallets and local payment methods your guests use (for example, PromptPay QR in Thailand).
- Reports you will read: daily sales, item sales, voids and discounts, and cost of goods if you track it.
- Integrations: delivery apps, accounting, and online ordering if you take it.
- Offline mode and support hours that cover your service hours.
Which POS systems are best for small independents?
Here are five widely used restaurant POS systems with their published US entry pricing, as of November 2026. Each links to the official page at the end.
| POS | Published starting price (US) | Card rate shown | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square for Restaurants | US$0/month (Free); US$49 Plus; US$149 Premium, per location | 2.6% + 15¢ in person on Free | Counter service, cafés, small menus, starting without a subscription |
| Toast | US$0/month Starter Kit; US$69/month Point of Sale | Starter Kit 2.99% + 15¢ (Visa/MC/Discover, in person) | Busy full-service or quick-service restaurants wanting restaurant hardware and 24/7 support |
| Clover (full-service bundles) | US$179/month for 36 months, or US$1,799 upfront + US$89.95/month (Starter) | 2.3% + 10¢ tapped, swiped or inserted | Full-service rooms that prefer a hardware bundle at a fixed monthly price |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | Starter listed at US$69; Essential US$189; Premium US$399 | Integrated payments on quote | Restaurants wanting floor plans, insights and multi-location tools |
| TouchBistro | US$69/month POS software (hardware required); US$119/month Essentials Bundle | Processing on quote | iPad-based full service with tableside ordering included |
These are starting prices. Hardware, add-ons, processing and contract terms change the total. Clover’s 36-month option is a commitment; read it as one.
Which one should a counter-service café choose?
If you are small and mostly counter service, Square is the easiest place to start in the countries where it operates. The Free plan has no monthly fee, and you pay 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person card payment on Square’s published pricing. You can move to Plus at US$49 a month when you need split checks, tableside ordering or close-of-day reports. Toast’s Starter Kit is the other zero-subscription option, built for one or two terminals at a single location, with higher pay-as-you-go card rates.
Which one should a full-service restaurant choose?
Full service needs table management, coursing, split bills and a kitchen display that works on a Saturday. All of Toast, Clover, Lightspeed and TouchBistro are built for that. The choice comes down to three things:
- How you want to pay for hardware. Clover publishes a 36-month bundle price; Toast offers financing and a Starter Kit; TouchBistro has an Essentials Bundle with hardware included; Lightspeed sells hardware alongside its plans.
- Which features are included at your tier. For example, Lightspeed charges US$30 per screen per month for its kitchen display on every plan, and Square charges for its KDS app per device on paid plans.
- Support and setup. Toast and TouchBistro both state 24/7 support is included. Ask the others what hours cover your service.
How do you compare the real monthly cost?
Software is usually the smaller number. Card fees on a busy month can be several times the subscription. Use one real month of figures:
- Total card sales, split into in-person and online.
- Number of card transactions.
- Number of terminals, handhelds and kitchen screens you need.
- Add-ons you will actually use: online ordering, loyalty, inventory, scheduling.
Then ask each vendor for a written quote on exactly that. The Toast vs Square comparison shows a worked example on published rates.
What are the red flags in a POS contract?
- A long hardware or processing term with an early termination fee you did not see in the demo.
- Hardware that only works with one processor, so switching later means new equipment. Toast, for example, says its services only work on Toast-approved hardware.
- No clear way to export your menu, item sales and customer data.
- Support that is limited to office hours when you serve until midnight.
- Add-ons sold per device that multiply as you grow.
What if these POS systems are not available in my country?
Many of the well-known US names only operate in a short list of countries. Toast’s own page says it only works in the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia and the UK, and Square’s documentation does not list Thailand for payment processing. I have not verified every market for Clover, Lightspeed or TouchBistro, so ask them directly.
If you are outside their countries, shortlist systems with a local company behind them. In Thailand, for example, Wongnai offers its own Wongnai POS through its business owner sign-up. Whatever you shortlist, check these points in a demo and in writing:
- The local payment methods your guests use (in Thailand, PromptPay QR and Thai cards and wallets).
- Tax invoices and VAT reports your accountant accepts (in Thailand, full Thai tax invoices).
- Menus and receipts in the languages you serve.
- Integrations with the delivery apps in your market (in Thailand, GrabFood and LINE MAN, if delivery matters to you).
- Local-language support during your opening hours, and who comes on site if hardware fails.
- How you export your data if you leave.
Then run one real lunch and one real dinner on the demo before you sign. Staff will find problems in an hour that no sales call shows you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest POS for a small restaurant?
On published US pricing, Square Free and Toast’s Starter Kit both have no monthly software fee, as of November 2026. The cheapest overall depends on card fees at your volume and the hardware you need.
Do I need a restaurant-specific POS?
If you run table service, a kitchen display or bar tabs, yes. Restaurant POS systems handle table maps, coursing, modifiers and split bills that general retail POS systems often lack.
Should I buy or rent POS hardware?
Buying costs more upfront but avoids long bundle terms. Renting or bundling spreads the cost but often comes with a fixed term, such as Clover’s 36-month option. Compare the total over the term.
Which POS should I use if I am outside the US?
Toast and Square only operate in a short list of countries. Look for a locally supported POS that handles local payments, tax invoices, language support and delivery-app integrations, and test it in a real service. In Thailand, that means PromptPay, Thai tax invoices, Thai-language support and GrabFood or LINE MAN integrations.
How long does it take to switch POS?
It depends on the vendor and your menu size. Ask for a written setup timeline, and plan the switch for a quiet week with your old system still available.
Sources
- Toast pricing guide
- Toast international availability
- Square for Restaurants pricing
- Square international availability
- Clover full-service restaurant pricing
- Lightspeed Restaurant pricing
- TouchBistro pricing
- Wongnai business owner sign-up (Thai)
