Toast vs. Square vs. Clover POS: Which POS Is Right for Your Business?

Toast vs. Square vs. Clover is a three-way POS dance for the ages, but our research reveals that Square POS comes out on top thanks to its high-end features, affordable pricing options, and its dual Android and iPad functionality.

Toast and Clover are both respectable options, though, so don't count them out of your POS search. Toast, as you may have guessed from the name, is great for restaurants and its generally very easy to use as long as you're happy operating on Android. For its part, Clover is ideal for businesses looking to add online ordering to their websites.

Read on for an in-depth guide to each of these POS providers that compares what they offer, how much it costs, and ultimately will help you figure out which of these options is best for your specific business needs.

In this guide:

• Which POS is best for you?
• Toast Review
• Square Review
• Clover Review
• Toast vs Square vs Clover: Which is the cheapest?
• Toast vs Square vs Clover: Overall Winner
• Toast vs. Square vs. Clover POS Alternatives
• The Verdict
• Toast vs Square vs Clover FAQs

Toast vs Square vs Clover: Which POS is best for you?

Square POS has got it all. As one of the most popular options in the POS market, Square POS represents the best option for most businesses, regardless of size or industry.

Compared to Square, Toast and Clover are lacking some notable aspects. Square POS is free with transaction fees, which is obviously a better price than Clover and much more attractive than Toast's hefty monthly fee. Additionally, Square POS offers Android and iOS apps, which Toast cannot say, as it's missing an iOS functionality. Clover has all of that, but it's missing 24/7 support, which both of the others offer.

On the other hand, the reason Toast isn’t iPad compatible is that its own Android hardware is made specifically for messy kitchens and restaurants, which can’t be said for Square or Clover, and is something for food businesses to consider, if they aren’t already set up with iPads or other hardware. Additionally, in our testing, we found that Clover has great till functionality, scoring an even 4/5, compared to Square, which scored only a 3/5 in our research.

In terms of business development, Square is our top-rated option with a perfect score of 5/5, while Clover scored just a bit lower at 4/5 and Toast scored lower still at 4/5, due to a lack of marketing options like loyalty programs. Similarly, customer support options are best with Square, having scored a perfect 5/5 in our research, with Clover (2.8/5) and Toast (3/5) not even getting close in that regard.

Take a look at how these POS options compare to each other in the table below, or read on for more in-depth coverage of each and how they match up against each other.

Toast POS Review

Toast is a well-respected POS option for any sized business. As you may be able to guess, Toast is one of the best restaurant POS systems and provides great features on that front, including custom menu creation and industry-aimed templates that can help your business grow.

A key finding of our research was that Toast offers some other helpful features as well. For one, it's incredibly easy to use, which is a trait any business owner should be striving for when it comes to any new software for your business. It provides robust reporting tools, so your business can understand exactly what you're doing right and, more importantly, learn from what you're doing wrong.

Toast has its shortcomings, though. First off, it doesn't work with iOS, which can be a hit if your business is already set up with iPads. On top of that, it provides limited help and support options, so if you're having trouble getting it set up, you're on your own. Finally, the high price of Toast — starting at $110 per month — can be a serious turn off, particularly compared to Square POS, which is free.

Learn more about the system's features and limitations in our Toast POS review

Square POS Review

There's no doubt about it, Square POS is one of the best options out there for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The sleek, stylish hardware has become synonymous with progressive businesses, and the Square card reader single-handedly revolutionized the POS experience of small businesses. With this in mind, it's no surprise it currently holds the largest POS market share in the US.

Outside of those notable accolades, our research shows that Square POS provides a lot to businesses that need a POS. It offers rock-solid inventory, analytics, and third-party POS integrations, empowering your business to take your sales to the next level. And, perhaps that best part of Square POS is that you can get started for free, with no monthly cost at all. Yes, there are transaction fees, but if you're on a budget, Square is easily your best option to get started without costing too much.

Square POS isn't perfect, of course. The transaction fees are a bit high for non-card transactions, but the free monthly cost should largely outweigh that. Additionally, some essential features, like 24/7 support, advanced reporting, and account management, are relegated to the more expensive plans, so the extra charge might be necessary. Still, the prices are pretty affordable, so you won't be in too much financial strife if you upgrade.

Clover POS Review

Clover POS is unique in the POS space, in that it's aimed at providing offline functionality to businesses that are already well-established in the online space. It offers a variety of POS hardware as well as a helpful POS software to make ordering, in-person and online, easier for everyone involved.

As far as features are concerned, our research shows that Clover offers all the basics, like inventory and order management, item modifiers and variants, and a robust app market to add third party integrations. You'll also get a suite of customer engagement features, which can really help businesses with getting new and returning customers in the door. Unfortunately, many of these features are not included in the base monthly price, so you'll likely have to pay a bit extra to get that going.

Clover pricing starts at $14.95 per month for its Professional, and Home & field services plans, however it doesn't come with software. Software and hardware packages start from $60 per month. The added cost for features is only one of a few downfalls. The inventory management and marketing tool just don't pass muster, particularly compared to the likes of Square POS. It does offer some solid restaurant-specific features, but if that's not what you're here for, we'd recommend looking elsewhere.

See how the system compares to Toast head-to-head in our Clover vs Toast review

Toast vs Square vs Clover: Which is the Cheapest?

You can't get much cheaper than Square being free! Square POS is definitely the most affordable POS out of these three options, as its starter plan comes in at zero dollars per month. There are, of course, transaction fees that go along with Square POS, so it's not completely free, but it won't cost you money if you aren't making sales.

Conversely, Clover and Toast both offer their platforms along with monthly costs and transaction fees, so they don't compete with Square when it comes to affordability. Take a look at the pricing breakdowns of each option below.

How much does Toast POS cost?

As we mentioned earlier, Toast POS' pricing is on the more expensive side, even if you're opting to start off with the most basic plan. Starting at $110 per month for the Restaurant Basics plan, Toast is one of the more expensive options on the market. Even worse, the free Quick Start Bundle (formerly the Starter plan) doesn't come with a lot of features, and you'll have to pay extra to get options like marketing, loyalty programs, online ordering, and delivery. However, you do get 24/7 support, real-time fraud monitoring, and basic reporting and analytics.

If you want all the bells and whistles to be included, the Growth (formerly the Essentials plan) plan might be a better fit. It adds digital ordering, delivery services, and access to the Toast takeout app, which can help you manage your pick-up orders. Unfortunately, it costs a lot more, coming in at $165 per month. Plus, the transaction fees are a lot higher in this plan, and you still won't get access to a loyalty program without upping to the Build Your Own plan, which will definitely be on the more expensive side.

Suffice to say, Toast is more costly than you might be comfortable with as a small business, and we'd honestly recommend checking out another option if your budget is at all strict. Still, you do get access to plenty of ordering features, which can seriously improve your restaurant functionality.

How much does Square POS cost?

We've mentioned it once, and we'll say it again: Square POS pricing starting price starts at 100% free along with some transaction fees. That's right, you won't have to pay any monthly fees at all; the only thing you'll pay is a percentage of each transaction, which is common for paid options as well.

While that's obviously an attractive offer, Square POS also offers paid plans that ramp up the features a bit. With two $60 per month plans, for retail and restaurants respectively, you'll get 24/7 support, improved reporting and inventory features, and live sales information. These are notably more affordable than Toast's $100+ per month plans and offer more than Clover's more affordable options.

There's also a bespoke plan for larger businesses, and that adds custom pricing across the platform, which can be very helpful when you're trying to manage an enterprise organization.

How much does Clover POS cost?

We’ll be the first to point out that Clover’s price point is definitely steeper than most of its rivals.

While its plans start from $14.95 per month for its Professional, and Home & field services starter plans, retail and restaurants will need to fork out much more to get started on the POS. 

Clover’s retail plans range from $60 to $175 per month, with card-present transaction fees costing an extra 2.3 + 10¢ to 2.6% + 10¢ on top, depending on your chosen plan.

Clover also offers six different plans for restaurants, three for quick-service businesses and three for full-service dining businesses. These packages cost anywhere from $90 to $290 per month, with card-present sales costing an extra 2.3% + 10¢ on top.

However, unlike many POS packages, most of Clover’s plans do include software and hardware options – all of which we've listed below. This saves businesses the need to invest in pricey hardware as well, somewhat helping to justify the provider’s higher price tag.

Check out our Clover POS pricing guide to learn more about how much the system could cost your business

Overall Winner: Square POS

Based on our research and testing, Square POS is the overall best POS system for small businesses, and it will no doubt serve you well. It's the most affordable option, as you can sign up absolutely free, while offering competitive transaction fees. It offers a wide range of high-end features to enable your business more functionality. And it provides the relative ease of use, robust customer service, and simple online ordering aspects that any POS search should be focused on.

Simply put, Square POS offers a little bit of everything, whereas Clover and Toast both have gaps big enough to warrant concern for particular businesses. On the other hand, Clover and Toast’s specific configurations could suit your business needs perfectly. Read on to see how Toast, Square and Clover directly compare for affordability, features, ease of use, and ordering.

Best for affordability: Square POS

When it comes to affordability, you can't get much better than free, and that's what Square POS offers businesses right out of the gate: no monthly fee at all. Compared to Toast, starting at $110 per month, and Clover, starting at $4.95 per month, Square's free starting plan is hard to beat.

However, it's worth noting that Square POS is not completely free. The provider obviously has to make money somehow, which is where its transaction fees come in. At 1.75% for card-based transactions and 2.5% for manual keyed-in sales, you'll still have to pay for Square POS, but it won't be in the form of a monthly fee, which is an attractive way to start out your business.

Best range of features: Square POS

When it comes to features, Square POS just edges out Clover and Toast, and it's largely due to its massive app market. Square, Toast, and Clover all offer the basics, like online ordering, delivery, inventory, analytics, customer feedback, and advanced payments methods.

However, with Square POS, you get access to its app market, which provides an extensive selection of third-party integrations, so you can truly branch out and create the POS system that your business requires. Clover and Toast both have app markets, but they aren't nearly as expansive, which is why give Square the win here.

Clover and Toast do have some feature advantages over Square, though, particularly when it comes to retail and restaurant-specific features. Most notably, both Clover and Toast have better till functionality that Square, which could make your life easier when it comes to day-to-day operations.

Best for ease of use: Toast POS

While Toast might be a bit expensive, there is one aspect of the platform that makes it worth it: ease of use. Across the board, users have said that Toast POS is incredibly easy to use thanks to its intuitive interface and simple setup process. Whether you're launching your loyalty program or just performing a transaction, you won't get caught up with any problems.

Even better, Toast offers 24/7 support to help you solve any problems that might arise, a feature completely missing from Clover POS and only available on more expensive plans with Square POS. You'll even get access to a Toast representative to help you get everything set up.

Best for ordering: Clover POS

Clover really shines when it comes to businesses looking to add ordering to their system. The setup is extremely easy to get going, and the process for customers is intuitive and simple, so you won't lose any orders when it comes to cart abandonment.

It is worth noting, however, that Clover does not provide a website for you. You'll have to set up an existing page with a provider that is compatible with Clover software. Fortunately, most website builders for restaurants are set up for this kind of integration, so you should be all set! If you're worried about price, cheap website builders are available to get you started.

Toast vs. Square vs. Clover POS Alternatives

While Toast is the best POS option in most cases, and Clover and Toast are both respectable options depending on your needs, there are plenty of other options out there that might be a better fit. Take a look at some of the comparisons below to see how other POS providers could help you improve your business.

Toast vs Square vs Clover FAQs