Written from the back office
Restaurant tech, explained by someone who runs it
POS comparisons, switching guides and free tools from the IT lead of a multi-unit restaurant group. What breaks on install day, what the demo skips, and what it costs after year one.
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- Real installs, many locations
- Updated October 2026
- Referral fees never change our picks
Start here
What's your situation?
Pick the one that sounds like you. Each answer links to the guide with the full reasoning.
If you're
Running a bar on tabs
Toast or Lightspeed have the most complete pre-authorized tab workflows. Square now fits small bars too.
See the bar POS guideIf you're
Leaving Aloha
Plan 6 to 8 weeks per location. Start with the processing contract and the gift card data.
See the switching guideIf you run
3 to 50 locations
Toast is the safest all-round move, with the best multi-location menu tools.
See the multi-unit guideIf you
Can't sign a 2-year deal
SpotOn Essentials is month-to-month. You buy the hardware and can walk away.
See Toast vs SpotOnHead to head
The comparison most independents need
Toast vs SpotOn: who each one fits
- Every plan priced on $1.2M of real card volume
- Contract and exit terms side by side
- Where each one is stronger, and what to watch for
Free tools
POS comparison grid and calculators
No sign-up. Your numbers stay in your browser, and every tool shows its math.
POS comparison grid
Six POS systems feature by feature. Tick your must-haves and see which fit.
POS processing fees
A year of fees on Toast, SpotOn and Square plans, next to what you pay now.
Guides
Every guide on the site
Toast pricing, explained
Plans, processing rates, hardware, add-ons and the card volume where the $0 plan stops being cheap.
Toast vs SpotOn
Prices, rates, contracts, hardware and support, with a worked cost example on real card volume.
Switching from Aloha to Toast
Contracts, hardware, network, menu rebuild, gift cards and install day, in the order they bite.
Toast fees, line by line
Processing tiers, add-ons, delivery and onboarding fees, past rate increases and how to cut the bill.
Toast vs Square
Rates, hardware, contracts and kitchen tools, with a worked cost example and who each one fits.
Aloha alternatives for multi-unit groups
Toast, Square, Lightspeed, Clover and Aloha Cloud for 3 to 50 locations.
Toast review: pros and cons
What reviewers and 554 Capterra users praise and complain about, and who should pick or skip Toast.
Best POS for a bar that runs tabs
How each system handles pre-authorization, tab transfers and close-out.
POS migration checklist
Forty items in six phases. Tick them off on screen or print it for the office wall.
Restaurant365 vs MarginEdge
One replaces your accounting system, the other feeds it. How to tell which one your group needs.
SevenRooms vs OpenTable
Cover fees, guest data and marketing. The math that decides which one costs less for your room.
How we review
Written from the back office, not the sales deck
We run what we review
Guides come from installing, fixing and replacing these systems across many locations. When we have not used one, we say so.
We price on real volume
Comparisons run each plan on real card volume, so you see the year-one bill, not the headline price.
Vendors can't buy a verdict
Some links pay us a referral fee. That never changes what we recommend. How we make money.