Some tools in this article have affiliate relationships with OperDrive. This never influences what we write, what we recommend, or how tools are ranked. Our research determines that. Nothing else.
THE SHORT ANSWER
If you are a cafe, food truck, or counter-service under $500K → Square
If you are full service at $500K–$2M and retention is your problem → SpotOn
If you are full service at $1M+ with kitchen complexity → Toast
Not sure which you are? The full breakdown is below.
Most restaurants chose their POS because someone recommended it, not because they modelled total cost at their revenue level. The right answer is decided by your service model and where you are losing time and money.
AT A GLANCE
| Toast | Square | SpotOn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Full service $500K+ | Cafes, small ops | Marketing-focused |
| Monthly cost | From $0 to $69+ | Free forever | From $65 |
| Contract | 2 years | None | Yes |
| Hardware | Proprietary | Works with existing | Works with existing |
| Online ordering | Commission-free | Commission-free | Commission-free |
| OperDrive deal | Standard | Extended trial on Square → | Standard |
Square — for cafes and counter service
If your operation is a cafe, food truck, or counter service under $500K annually, Square wins. Square POS software costs $0/month free forever for basic POS, with the Plus plan available at $49/month for advanced features. Hardware is minimal — $49 for a card reader that works with an iPad you may already own. No proprietary terminal required. Processing runs 2.6% plus $0.15 per in-person transaction. Real cost for a restaurant doing $50,000/month — $0 software plus $1,375 processing. $1,375/month.
SpotOn — for retention-focused full service
If your restaurant does $500K–$2M annually and customer retention is your primary problem, SpotOn is the answer. SpotOn restaurant software starts at $65/month with processing around 2.49% plus $0.15 per transaction. Hardware runs $800 minimum for a basic setup. SpotOn works with existing hardware but most new installations require upfront terminal investment. Real cost for a restaurant doing $50,000/month — $65 software plus $1,245 processing. $1,310/month before hardware. SpotOn's marketing layer is its differentiator: when a customer pays, it records the visit and triggers reactivation campaigns for guests who have not returned in 60 days.
Toast — for high-volume dine-in
If your restaurant does over $1,000,000 annually in dine-in revenue with table service, Toast is the answer. Toast Point of Sale costs $69/month with processing at 2.49% plus $0.15 per transaction, or $0/month on the Starter Kit with higher processing at 2.99% plus $0.15. The Starter Kit looks free but costs more than the paid plan at volume — on $50,000/month in card transactions, the processing premium on Starter costs roughly $250/month more than Point of Sale, making the $69 plan cheaper despite the monthly fee. Hardware is required and proprietary — a basic terminal setup runs $799 to $1,200+. Toast only runs on Toast hardware. Real cost for a restaurant doing $50,000/month on the $69 plan — $69 software plus $1,270 processing. $1,339/month.
When it actually pays off
| Monthly software | Processing/month | Hardware upfront | Total year one | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toast Starter | $0 | $1,510 | $799 minimum | $18,919 |
| Toast Point of Sale | $69 | $1,270 | $799 minimum | $18,907 |
| Square Free | $0 | $1,375 | $49 | $16,549 — $2,358 less than Toast |
| SpotOn | $65 | $1,245 | $800 minimum | $17,540 |
Square costs roughly $2,358 less in year one than Toast Point of Sale at $50K/month revenue. The difference narrows as volume increases since processing rates become the dominant cost for all three.
What nobody else mentions
Toast's $0 Starter Kit is a pricing trap at volume. Most articles lead with "free software" without calculating that 2.99% processing on $50,000/month costs $250/month more than the $69 plan's 2.49% rate. Toast makes more money on Starter at high volume than on Point of Sale.
Square's no-lock-in model is undervalued in comparisons. When a two-year Toast contract expires, you own $799+ in hardware that works nowhere else. Square's $49 reader works with any iPad and any future platform.
SpotOn's marketing layer is genuinely different — not a POS feature bolt-on. When a customer pays, SpotOn records the visit and triggers reactivation campaigns for guests who have not returned in 60 days. Toast and Square require a separate marketing tool for this.
Processing fees dominate the real cost at every scale. Software fees ($0–$69/month) are not the number that surprises owners at month six. A restaurant doing $50,000/month spends $1,200–$1,500/month on processing regardless of which platform they chose.
FAQ
How much does restaurant POS software cost for a $50K/month restaurant?
At $50,000/month in card transactions, expect $1,310–$1,375/month in total software plus processing costs. Square runs $1,375/month with no software fee. Toast Point of Sale runs $1,339/month. SpotOn runs $1,310/month. Hardware adds $49 for Square versus $799+ upfront for Toast or SpotOn.
Is Toast worth it for a small cafe?
No — for most cafes under $500K annually, Toast's contract, proprietary hardware, and restaurant-specific depth exceed what the operation needs. Square provides commission-free online ordering, basic reservations, and card processing at zero monthly cost with no commitment.
Can I use Square for full-service restaurants?
Yes, for full-service restaurants under $500K annually. Square handles table management and split checks at this scale. Above $500K with kitchen display, coursing, and tip-pooling requirements, Toast's restaurant-specific depth produces operational returns that justify the higher total cost.
What is the cheapest restaurant POS for a food truck?
Square — $0/month software, $49 card reader, no contract. A food truck doing $20,000/month in card sales pays roughly $550/month in processing with nothing else required.
Most restaurants chose their POS the way they chose everything else — someone recommended it, nobody looked at the operation first.
If you want to know which restaurant software stack belongs in your specific operation — that is what OperDrive does. Your Stack. Precisely.
What remains is not a suggestion.