Free tool
Which restaurant POS fits you?
Six questions, about a minute. You get one best match, the reasons, and two runners-up. Your answers stay in your browser.
How the scoring works
Each system is scored on the 13 features in our POS comparison grid. A feature a system has in full earns 2 points. A feature it has with conditions earns 1. A feature it lacks, or that we have not confirmed, earns 0.
Your answers decide how much each feature counts. A bar gets extra weight on pre-authorized tabs, handhelds and offline card taking. A quick-service shop gets extra weight on kiosks and online ordering. Six or more locations count multi-location tools heavily. Choosing "month to month" counts the contract row heavily. Your top priority adds weight to the matching rows: cost, all-in-one tools, published rates or owned iPads. The system with the most points is your match. Ties go to the name that comes first in the alphabet.
Two answers do not change the score. Your current POS only changes the links we show, and being fine with a long contract just means we do not penalize it. We score five systems: Toast, SpotOn, Square, Clover and Lightspeed. Aloha is in the grid but is not sold as a new system, so it is not in the quiz.
Toast earns its place when your answers favor it: a full-service, quick-service or bar business that is fine with a 24 or 36 month contract and wants payroll, reservations, kiosks and ordering from one vendor. If you want published rates, a month-to-month plan or iPads you already own, other systems score higher, and the quiz says so.
The quiz is a shortlist, not a quote. Rates and contracts change, so get any price in writing. Scores use only the facts in the comparison grid. See Toast pricing and Toast vs SpotOn for the sources.
Quiz questions
Is my data saved or sent anywhere?
No. The scoring runs in your browser. Nothing you pick is stored, sent or tracked by the quiz. The only requests happen if you click a quote link.
Why does Toast not win every time?
Toast has no month-to-month plan, quotes its rates per restaurant and runs on its own devices. If those matter to you, SpotOn or Square score higher. Toast wins when you want an all-in-one system and can sign 24 or 36 months.
Do the quote buttons cost anything?
No. Quotes are free. We may earn a referral fee from Toast or SpotOn if you sign up, which does not change the score.
What if two systems are close?
Compare them in the comparison grid, then run your card sales through the processing fee calculator. Processing fees are most of what a POS costs.
Why is Aloha not in the results?
Aloha is in the grid, but it is sold through dealers on long on-premise contracts. If you run Aloha now, see switching from Aloha.
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Read the full comparisons
Toast vs SpotOn
Prices, rates, contracts, hardware and support, with a worked cost example on real card volume.
Best POS for small restaurants
Our top 5 for one-location restaurants, ranked, with costs, contracts and who each one fits.
Toast pricing, explained
Plans, processing rates, hardware, add-ons and the card volume where the $0 plan stops being cheap.