The restaurant industry has seen tremendous technological advancements over the years, with Point of Sale (POS) systems playing a pivotal role in streamlining operations, improving customer experience, and boosting revenue. One of the most well-known players in this space is Toast POS, but with so many alternatives available, how does it really compare?
In this blog post, we’ll look at Toast’s top 12 competitors, providing insight into their strengths and weaknesses, Google ratings, and pricing. We’ll also compare their performance in terms of integrations, customer loyalty features, order-taking capabilities, uptime, and cost.
1. Square POS
Google Rating: 4.7/5
Cost: Free for basic; 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction.
Square POS is known for its simplicity and easy setup. Popular among small businesses, Square excels in providing a seamless experience for brick-and-mortar stores and food trucks alike.
- Integrations: Limited compared to Toast, though it does support key restaurant tools like QuickBooks and DoorDash.
- Customer Loyalty: Offers a robust loyalty program at an additional cost, with customizable loyalty rewards.
- Order Taking: Efficient for basic orders, but lacks the sophistication of Toast’s kitchen display system.
- Uptime: Reliable with very few reported outages.
- Cost: Square offers lower upfront costs, but the transaction fees can accumulate, making it costly over time.
Comparison with Toast: Toast has more in-depth restaurant-specific integrations and a more refined back-of-house experience. Square is ideal for smaller operations but may not be as feature-rich for larger restaurants.
2. Clover POS
Google Rating: 4.5/5
Cost: $39.95/month + processing fees.
Clover POS provides a customizable experience with a range of hardware options and a straightforward user interface.
- Integrations: Clover supports a wide variety of apps, but its ecosystem is not as rich in restaurant-focused integrations compared to Toast.
- Customer Loyalty: Basic loyalty program comes built-in, but for more advanced features, users will need third-party apps.
- Order Taking: Smooth interface, but lacks the nuanced modifiers Toast offers for restaurants with complex menus.
- Uptime: Generally reliable with cloud-based stability.
- Cost: Higher monthly fees than Toast, but offers a broad selection of add-ons.
Comparison with Toast: Clover’s customization is strong, but Toast’s specific focus on restaurants provides a better overall dining experience solution. Toast’s kitchen management and reporting tools are also superior.
3. Lightspeed POS
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Cost: Starting at $69/month.
Lightspeed POS is known for its flexibility and scalability, making it ideal for multi-location restaurants and businesses with retail operations.
- Integrations: Excellent range of third-party integrations, including accounting, delivery, and marketing tools.
- Customer Loyalty: Loyalty features are available, though not as refined or restaurant-specific as Toast’s.
- Order Taking: Easy to use but doesn’t have the same depth of menu customization that Toast provides.
- Uptime: Generally reliable but has occasional connectivity issues reported by users.
- Cost: Higher monthly cost compared to Toast but offers multi-location support.
Comparison with Toast: Lightspeed excels in multi-location support but lacks the deep restaurant-specific tools Toast provides, like kitchen display systems and inventory management.
4. Revel Systems POS
Google Rating: 4.3/5
Cost: Starts at $99/month.
Revel Systems is a cloud-based POS system that’s popular among larger restaurant chains and franchises.
- Integrations: Extensive, with deep support for third-party apps, including inventory and accounting.
- Customer Loyalty: Offers loyalty programs, but these are add-ons and not as intuitive as Toast’s native system.
- Order Taking: Strong order-taking features, with powerful menu customization options.
- Uptime: High uptime reliability, backed by offline capabilities in case of internet outages.
- Cost: Higher than Toast, especially with add-ons, but competitive for large restaurants.
Comparison with Toast: While Revel offers strong integration options and uptime, it comes at a higher price point and isn’t as user-friendly for smaller operations compared to Toast.
5. Upserve POS
Google Rating: 4.6/5
Cost: Starts at $59/month.
Upserve POS (by Lightspeed) is designed specifically for the restaurant industry, making it a strong contender for restaurants of all sizes.
- Integrations: Wide variety of third-party integrations similar to Toast.
- Customer Loyalty: Offers a strong loyalty program, similar in depth to Toast’s.
- Order Taking: Excellent order-taking capabilities with advanced table management features.
- Uptime: High uptime, with cloud-based backups.
- Cost: Comparable to Toast, with similar monthly fees.
Comparison with Toast: Upserve is a direct competitor with similar features and pricing, but Toast has a slight edge in its overall ecosystem, especially for kitchen management and reporting.
6. TouchBistro
Google Rating: 4.5/5
Cost: Starts at $69/month.
TouchBistro is another restaurant-specific POS with a focus on improving the dining experience.
- Integrations: Solid but not as extensive as Toast.
- Customer Loyalty: Includes a native loyalty program with built-in marketing features.
- Order Taking: Excellent for tableside ordering, though its interface isn’t as customizable as Toast.
- Uptime: Reliable but lacks the extensive offline functionality Toast offers.
- Cost: Slightly higher upfront costs, but competitive with Toast over time.
Comparison with Toast: TouchBistro’s customer-facing features are strong, but Toast’s back-of-house functionality and integration options make it a more holistic solution.
7. ShopKeep
Google Rating: 4.3/5
Cost: Starting at $49/month.
ShopKeep is a flexible and simple POS system ideal for small to medium-sized restaurants.
- Integrations: Limited, especially compared to Toast’s robust ecosystem.
- Customer Loyalty: Does not offer native loyalty features; third-party apps are required.
- Order Taking: Basic, lacking the sophistication of Toast’s system.
- Uptime: Reliable but has been reported to have occasional connectivity issues.
- Cost: Lower cost but less functionality overall.
Comparison with Toast: ShopKeep is a good option for small businesses, but its lack of native features for restaurants makes Toast a better fit for those wanting an all-in-one solution.
8. Lavu POS
Google Rating: 4.1/5
Cost: Starting at $69/month.
Lavu POS is an iPad-based POS system designed with restaurants in mind, featuring strong mobile functionality.
- Integrations: Limited compared to Toast’s broad integration network.
- Customer Loyalty: Basic loyalty features but lacks the depth of Toast’s offerings.
- Order Taking: Tableside ordering is smooth, but menu customization options are limited.
- Uptime: Reliable but does not have the extensive offline capabilities of Toast.
- Cost: Slightly more affordable than Toast, but lacks some key features.
Comparison with Toast: Lavu is cheaper and easier for small setups but doesn’t provide the robust tools Toast offers for larger, more complex restaurant operations.
9. Aloha POS (NCR)
Google Rating: 4.0/5
Cost: Custom pricing based on restaurant size.
Aloha POS is a legacy player in the restaurant industry, widely used in large chains.
- Integrations: Strong, with deep integrations across multiple platforms.
- Customer Loyalty: Offers loyalty programs but requires additional software.
- Order Taking: Excellent order-taking capabilities but can be outdated compared to modern cloud-based systems like Toast.
- Uptime: High uptime but is more dependent on local servers than cloud solutions.
- Cost: Expensive, with high setup costs and ongoing fees.
Comparison with Toast: Aloha is great for large, enterprise-scale operations but lacks the flexibility and modern features Toast provides for mid-sized restaurants.
10. Bindo POS
Google Rating: 4.2/5
Cost: Custom pricing based on business needs.
Bindo POS focuses on simplicity and mobility, making it a good fit for small to mid-sized restaurants.
- Integrations: Limited compared to Toast’s broad suite.
- Customer Loyalty: Loyalty features require third-party apps.
- Order Taking: Simple and effective for small menus but lacks Toast’s advanced customization.
- Uptime: Reliable with occasional reports of connection issues.
- Cost: Mid-range pricing, similar to Toast’s lower tiers.
Comparison with Toast: Bindo is good for smaller operations but lacks the sophisticated tools and restaurant-specific features that Toast excels in.
11. POS Nation
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Cost: Starting at $99/month.
POS Nation provides a complete POS solution with a focus on ease of use.
- Integrations: Limited compared to Toast, but offers key third-party app support.
- Customer Loyalty: Basic loyalty features are available but require add-ons.
- Order Taking: Basic but functional for smaller menus.
- Uptime: Good, with minimal reports of downtime.
- Cost: Comparable to Toast but lacks depth in features.
Comparison with Toast: POS Nation is a more affordable solution for small restaurants, but Toast provides superior customization and integration for larger establishments.
12. HungerRush
Google Rating: 4.3/5
Cost: Starting at $109/month.
HungerRush is a comprehensive POS solution for restaurants that focus on online ordering and delivery.
- Integrations: Strong for online delivery and third-party apps.
- Customer Loyalty: Solid loyalty features with built-in marketing.
- Order Taking: Excellent for takeout and delivery, but lacks some of Toast’s dine-in functionality.
- Uptime: Reliable, with cloud-based stability.
- Cost: Higher monthly fees than Toast but comes with extensive delivery features.
Comparison with Toast: HungerRush excels in the takeout and delivery space, but Toast provides a better overall dining experience for full-service restaurants.
| POS System | Integrations | Customer Loyalty | Order Taking | Uptime | Cost | Google Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toast POS | ✅ Extensive | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Very High | $69-$199/mo | 4.7/5 |
| Square POS | ⬜ Limited | ✅ Add-on | ⬜ Basic | ✅ High | Free + 2.6% per transaction | 4.7/5 |
| Clover POS | ✅ Moderate | ⬜ Basic | ⬜ Standard | ✅ Reliable | $39.95/mo | 4.5/5 |
| Lightspeed POS | ✅ Extensive | ⬜ Add-on | ⬜ Simple | ⬜ Good | $69/mo | 4.4/5 |
| Revel Systems | ✅ Extensive | ⬜ Add-on | ✅ Advanced | ✅ High | $99/mo | 4.3/5 |
| Upserve POS | ✅ Extensive | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Advanced | ✅ High | $59/mo | 4.6/5 |
| TouchBistro | ✅ Moderate | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Tableside | ✅ Reliable | $69/mo | 4.5/5 |
| ShopKeep POS | ⬜ Limited | ⬜ Requires Add-on | ⬜ Basic | ✅ High | $49/mo | 4.3/5 |
| Lavu POS | ⬜ Limited | ⬜ Add-on | ✅ Mobile | ✅ Reliable | $69/mo | 4.1/5 |
| Aloha POS | ✅ Extensive | ⬜ Add-on | ✅ Advanced | ✅ High | Custom Pricing | 4.0/5 |
| Bindo POS | ⬜ Limited | ⬜ Add-on | ⬜ Basic | ✅ Reliable | Custom Pricing | 4.2/5 |
| POS Nation | ⬜ Limited | ⬜ Add-on | ⬜ Basic | ✅ Reliable | $99/mo | 4.4/5 |
| HungerRush | ✅ Strong | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Excellent for Delivery | ✅ High | $109/mo | 4.3/5 |
Key:
- ✅: Strong or available
- ⬜: Limited or requires add-on
Conclusion
When comparing these top competitors to Toast POS, it becomes clear that Toast stands out in several key areas, including its restaurant-specific integrations, customer loyalty programs, and seamless order-taking capabilities. While other POS systems may offer lower upfront costs or niche features, Toast’s comprehensive package, reliable uptime, and competitive pricing make it the top choice for mid to large-sized restaurants looking for an all-in-one solution.
Call Phoenix Geeks Today at 833-PHX-Geek to learn more about the best POS solutions for your restaurant! Or if you want to be contacted by a Toast POS Sales rep, visit IneedToast.com.